Special days

Nephew Andrew and family live a stone's throw from the canal, so they came to say hello. We cruised down to Bridge 52 to pick them up.

After coffee and an introduction to some knots, Sarah steered most of the way back to Foxton, where we had lunch and a good walk all around the site.

 Anna managed to stop the children falling off the bridges over the locks.

On the way back Sarah started steering, and then both Jacob and Luke tried their hand at the tiller.

They all grasped the principle of "tiller right = boat left" very well, though the concentration required to apply the principle to the task of conveying Erin Mae down the centre of the waterway came, shall we say, in varying degrees!

Meanwhile Will and his father offered helpful advice from the sidelines. Will graciously acknowledged that he might not be tall enough to see to steer the boat, but his father took a turn and got us safely through the last couple of bridges.

We had a brilliant time. The children were great and helped at everything, including mooring up and filling the water tank. It's really special to be able to use Erin Mae to have days like this.