Cromwell lock to Saxilby, to a tree, to Boston, 23rd,24th,25th may 2017

Tuesday may 23rd 2017, cromwell lock to saxilby
This morning started of with a good shakedown of equipment and techniques. I was booked to go through cromwell at 8am.I lounged in bed a little too long so wasn't fully prepared for the trip under motor to Torksey lock but planned to moor the other side of cromwell and sort the kit out. So I set off, single-handed, just before 8 and then the engine ran out of fuel. I knew it was low so was ready with the petrol can and splashed some in, however engine was still dead.I talked with the lock keeper on VHF radio explaining that i'd paddle back to the mooring & figure engine out he said that I should be smart about it because the current was taking me towards the weir next to lock! I had to paddle really hard and consequently the paddle blade broke off! I was able to deploy the oars to prevent disaster, phew :-) Turned out i'd switched the petrol tap off.
Motoring to to Torksey was straight forward, arriving at 12.15pm. I waited in the searing noonday sunshine until 6 for the tides to be right for the lock to open, so rigged a brilliant sunshade with an emergency blanket.

and then it was a motor along the Fossdyke navigation (built by the Romans) to moor up in Saxilby.

Wednesday May 24th, Saxilby to a riverside tree.
Had a relaxed start to the day, my crew mate Mark's mum had seen me in Torksey but was not sure if I were the geezer Mark had been with, happened to be in Saxilby, found me out & we had a good chat. Then Marky joined the crew, planning to be along for several days and we had an uneventful motor down the rest of the Fossdyke to join up with the River Witham. They meet up in the centre of Lincoln town in a bowl called Brayford Pool, the final part of the Fossdyke runs through a narrow channel called the Glory Hole which is bridged by an old wood framed building. In the hot sunshine it felt like Amsterdam or somewhere else foreign.

The day was another onslaught of intense sunshine making the trip very mellow & enjoyable in Marky's company & interesting because it is his old stomping ground.
The Witham is very picturesque (well, it is a river after all) with reedy margins, very little traffic and lots of wildlife. In the evening I saw a snowy owl.

Marky fancied wild camping so we tied up to a tree and had a comfortable night with plenty of room in the boat for two.

Thursday 25th may 2017, Riverside tree to Boston
Woke up like it was the drought summer of 1976, hot and clammy at 7am with a clear sky and the sun getting hotter as it got higher. First thing on my agenda was to dive into the river; it was so warm, I had a bit of a wash and could easily get back in the boat 'cos the water was shallow where it was moored. Then it was motoring along, making progress towards Boston and the prospect of getting under sail. We stoped at a waterside pub, the Piewipe and had refreshments. Gave a tow to a couple of sixty-something gents who were doing a long distance canoe relay & pootled along the very attractive river.

I did quite a lot of splashing about with me feet and hands in the cooling river and once tied up at Boston dived in again, the water being surprisingly warm. There were loads of kids around Boston doing the same thing too,it had been such a hot day.
The weather so far on this trip has been amazing; scintillating scorching sun day after day.