Windy Wrenbury

As the title suggests, we are at Wrenbury and the wind has been blowing hard, 11 to 20 mph, all day. We moored here overnight after travelling the last hour in driving rain. Once we got within sight of Wrenbury the rain eased off but was steady on and off all night. Good day to stay put and surf the net.Since last post we have been there done that. Llangollen, that is. Interesting place and we would love to return, It was leisurely on the canal except when I stopped and allowed Rhapsody to drift to the bank. there was an oncoming hire boat about 15 minutes from where they had picked it up. Their boat was zig zagging toward us from 200 yards away and so I pulled over and Jen and I prepared for the engagement with barge poles. Fortunately the carreering vessel had slowed and was on course and thanked us for pulling over and waiting. After they passed we found ourselves stuck in mud and used the poles to push off. We really appreciate the tuition we had on the BCN as it has all been applied in one way or another eg the entrance to some locks has bywash and wind but we can handle it. Some times we are waiting in a queue and marvel at the lack of training given to hire boaters. It borders on outright dangerous. We have seen boats abrest the canal, crew tying the boat to trees on the towpath on blind corners ( unless they really mean to neck cyclists), crew coming to their first lock without a clue and without a lock handle, we came across one hire boat that had lost it's stern mooring rope, some other moored boaters helped us to secure it so we could pass by. So we were at Ellesmere for the 4th of July, Happy Independance Day in USA. Watching TV, Serena has taken her third Wimbledon crown beating Venus then both backing up that evening to take the doubles. Great play from both women. Us? well, we strolled uptown, got some beautiful cheeses, pate, proscutto and equally beautiful beers, a newspaper and retired to relax in our 5 star floating palace. The annual Regatta on the Mere was on sunday and so we broused around then set sail mid afternoon.

We moored at Whixall by the side of a grassy bank and tried to light an english BBQ which is an alfoil tray with charcoal that produces lots of smoke and very little heat. After an hour in between showers of rain, I gave it up and cooked the snags on the stove inside the boat.