Solace Day 6

The day I thought I may never come on the boat again!

We set off early this morning hoping to get back to the marina before the rain was due. After the week I'd had of being helmsman for the tricky lock work, I thought I should also drive the boat into the marina and put it in its berth.

Big mistake! The Man had done this maneuver a few times but I'd never tried it. The entrance to the marina is very narrow, and at 90 degrees to the canal. I made my way in but then the wind blowing across the marina caught me straight on the side of the boat and the current swung my front end around away from where I was going.

To add to my distress another boat foolishly decided to leave its mooring to leave the marina. I was in plain sight, he should have waited. I moved to get out of its way and that but my side against this bed of phragmites. I had no room to go forward for moored boats or backwards because of reeds. I was stuck!

A knight in shining armour arrived. I could hear his armour clanking above the noise of the engine! He runs the office and had seen what was happening. He shouted instructions until I got the boat to him. He jumped on and parked it for us. He was the one who gave me a hug the morning The Mate died. He knew The Mate always brought the boat into the marina, not us!

So, my blip is of those nasty phragmites that I was stuck against, but with a male goosander getting safely away from them.