Another Saturday morning on board Phoenix III, another lazy start for us. Coffee followed tea and then a light breakfast on the back deck before we started the engine and left our mooring. We had already seen a few boats on the move beforehand but once on the move we couldn’t believe how busy the traffic was. We pottered on and eventually reached the last winding hole before Napton bottom lock. There were no mooring spaces left before the winding hole and the only space on the other side was four boat lengths away. Nothing ventured, nothing gained as they say so we turned Phoenix III around and started the long reversing move that would bring us to our next mooring place. We were lucky in the sense that no boats approached us from either direction and the wind which was blowing quite hard didn’t trouble us too much. Maybe we should also give some credit to the R&D slipper stern which really does improve the quality of the swim and maybe I’m getting better at steering.
After tying up we took a walk up to the village shop before returning to the boat but not before we stopped at the Folly Inn for a quick libation. Returning to Phoenix III we sat on the bank before enjoying yet another al fresco meal. After that we sat inside, listened to music, knitted, blogged and had a drink or two, generally mellowing and chilling out on a beautiful August evening.