So - Now Cleddau was very nearly ready to be tucked up for winter… (the closing line from the last blog post).

“Very nearly ready” – sort of indicates ‘Not Quite Ready.’

After returning from the last To-Welford-Junction-and-Back cruise the boat had been refuelled, the mains electric cable reconnected, the roof and gunwales swept of leaves, the bedding stripped, the clothes and remaining food packed, the sofa and bed dressed with protective coverings, the water tank emptied and the car loaded.

Fatigue hit; was there energy left to take the gangplank and barge poles off the roof to pack inside the cabin? Err, no – so a resolution was made to return soon to carry out the final pre-winter tasks.

At home the boat bedding, towels, tea towels and particular items of boating clothes were washed and dried. Were they to take up space at home for the next few weeks and months – or should they be returned?

Weather forecasts were studied. A dry spell was needed – for the final pre-winter jobs to be carried out dry conditions were highly desirable…

Tough that the best weather day would clash with a Wednesday Walk. When in cruise mode the Captain often chants the mantra: “Boat first! Boat first!” So, on a dry and rain-free Wednesday back to the boat it was. There she sat in quiet hibernation between two neighbours, her rear end dressed these days in a smart weather-proofed tonneau cover.

The jobs needed to be done in sensible order:

· Milton water steriliser poured into the water tank

· Under-sink water filter replaced with a fresh filter

· Moisture traps checked and topped up with fresh calcium chloride flakes

· Toilet seat, base and urine bottles removed for cleaning and sterilisation

Finally ‘the stuff’ from the roof was stripped off the cabin top.

The sack trolley was repositioned on the front deck

*Front deck crowded with trolley, coal bags and life ring*

The step ladder (useful in an emergency for short-legged boaters, as at Aylestone, near Leicester to climb a park fence and loaned to a hotel boat at the Town Quay in pretty St Ives in Cambridgeshire) was dried off and popped into the car.

*At Aylestone, Leicestershire, May 2022*

Into the boat was posted:

· the pair of pole supports

· 2 barge poles

· 2 boat hooks

· 1 metal gangplank

With the jobs done the Cleddau crew locked up the side hatch and stern doors, refitted the tonneau cover and prepared to leave via the bow doors.

It was well after 1pm – where to sit for the snack picnic lunch? It would not be very practical here now …

So, a second visit by road to Welford Reservoir was made.

The dam wall makes a good seat while munching a Welsh cake and slurping from a flask of coffee.

There had to be a ‘Compare and Contrast’ moment:

So over 8½ weeks the water level had risen – a bit!

Now it is November: good luck to boaters trying to move through lock flights recently re-opened to allow access back to winter moorings. From November 3rd Canal and River Trust’s planned winter works may close parts of the waterways again.

Here’s hoping navigating the canals and rivers in 2026 is an altogether easier matter…

For the record: October 25 …

Boating in an autumn landscape