Day 1 Aston Marina to Great Haywood

 A very peaceful and restful night's sleep, waking at about 7. Cups of tea, lay the fire (it definitely feels like we are moving into winter) and a trip to the nearby ALDI for some last minute shopping items.

Back from the shops I put a match to the fire and the temperature on board soon moves from chilly to comfortable. The woodburner on board is far better than we had on Sceptre, throwing out more heat with less fuel and less smoke. Vera makes her signature scrambled eggs for breakfast, which we have with some smoked trout that we picked up on our return journey from Stirling.

There are still things we are trying to locate on the boat before having to put out a plea to the boat's WhatsApp group. There must be a club hammer on board, for driving in our mooring pins. There should also be an anti-vandal key, used to operate locks in problem areas, but this is supposed to be in an enigmatic drawer that we can't locate

Meantime I am checking that everything is shipshape. Engine oil and coolant levels are fine, the bilge is nice and dry,

however the weedhatch has quite a bit of vegetation wrapped around the prop shaft. Could be worse, could be fishing line

or could be a old t-shirt as previously encountered on joining Sceptre, but it's slightly annoying to fix things that should have been dealt with by the last crew

But slowly slowly everything gets resolved: the missing key is found in a drawer, the hammer is located inside the front step. I still don't know where the button to sound the horn is hidden, but feel sure it will eventually reveal itself

So it's 11:30 before we finally weigh anchor and begin our voyage. The benefits of a late start being the rain has stopped and the temperature is climbing

The first bridge we encounter is low and threatens to snap our flagpole. I suspect we would have just scraped through but Vera dashes to the front to pluck out the flag and shorten its pole

Everything back in place and the autumn sun starts to break through the clouds. Venture seems to cut through the water with more ease than Sceptre managed. This could be down to the shorter length and reduced weight. I suspect it also has something to do with Sceptre's worn and pitted propeller. Whatever the reason, our new boat feels more agile and responsive.

We moor up to dodge a shower, but otherwise it's plain sailing through some lovely autumn colour. Oh, and we find the button for the horn hiding near the throttle control

The light is fast fading as the sun sets and we call it a day at Great Haywood. Off to the local pub for food. To find the kitchen is closed on Mondays. So after a pint, we return to light the fire and cook on board. A very cozy evening, with some very closely contested games of cribbage 

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