The Boston Tea Party

The 3 mobile internet signal is a bit erratic around here. There was absolutely no connection last night but it seems reasonable this morning. Maybe someone was downloading films in the marina and using up all the bandwidth?

On Wednesday we tried to do a detour up Kyme Eau but couldn't get through the flood gates due to the thickness of the blanket weed. It must have been a good 4 inches thick as the swans were walking on it as if it were a carpet.

It's not just floating weed either, it has long tight filaments that go down to the river bed. Big clumps of the underwater stuff look like green candy floss.

This guy is certainly being kept busy

We found good moorings again for Wednesday night, on a floating pontoon at Langrick Bridge. We hadn't been there long when the last two boats who are coming with us across The Wash arrived and went to moor in Boston Marina which was only a couple of miles further on.

Just across the road from our mooring is this American Diner, the "Witham and Blues". It used to be owned by BW during it's phase of buying and running canal-side pubs with one of the large brewery chains (I forget which one). They spent thousands doing it up but when that part of the business went tits-up BW sold this pub off very cheaply and the new owners have done an amazing job converting it into a very successful theme pub/restaurant. We had a very pleasant night out with Bob and Nicola, our travelling companions on n.b.Vagabond, and had one of the best meals out ever. The steaks were superb and my Hickory Meatloaf topped with BBQ sauce and fried onions was to die for.

This was our first sighting of the Boston Stump, the 272ft spire of the parish church.

Shortly afterwards we got our first sighting of the local tame seal, unfortunately I didn't manage to get a photo but he's well known around here and often comes right up to the boats in the marina.

This is the sea lock at low tide

and this is the way we'll be going out to the Wash, when the tide is level with the river Witham so they can open both top and bottom gates to let us through. Unfortunately we won't now be going until at least Sunday as the wind is in the wrong direction but watch this space, as soon as the conditions are right we'll be off.............

And now for the Boston Tea Party. As all 8 boats were now together we convened on the pontoon at 4pm for afternoon tea. I made some suitably decorated cupcakes (4 c's as it's the Cotswold Canal Cruising Club) and some of the other ladies provided sandwiches and cream cakes and copious pots of tea.

We're now about to go walkabout in Boston before it gets too hot. The weather is amazingly hot and sunny but I think I'd rather like it to be a bit cloudier when we do the crossing otherwise we'll fry due to lack of shade.