Moving again - and switching to just "Sickle"

(Boats Chalice then Sickle - posted by Alan)

Retrospective post for Monday 28th July.

Progressing up the thick of Audlem locks with Sickle.

A very chaotic start to today!  The boys were supposed to be leaving us, when Michael was to drive them both home, but neither showed any great enthusiasm for getting up, getting sorted, and getting going.

We, on the other hand, needed to move stuff between the two boats, making "Sickle" suitable to be our home for the next few days, and ensuring we travelled with as little as possible, but not leaving anything vital on "Chalice".  Because Michael had hi-jacked our bedroom, (we had slept on "Sickle" whilst he was with us), we all falling over each other trying to get sorted.  I'd better not say too much, but I am seldom at my best at times like this!

Sickle sets off without me - however the skill is not letting her leave without me!

Anyway, we finally sent them off, and then soon after we were moving "Chalice".  Unusually we have elected to pay to leave it in a local marina.  The "Shroppie" tends to be littered with visitor moorings having just a 48 hour stay time, and we felt it simply easier to put the boat somewhere secure, and where it wasn't keeling over on the infamous "Shroppie shelf".  (Much of the Shropshire Union has sloping or stepped edges, that mean the boats will not moor near the edge, and continually grind on what they end up resting on).

Sickle didn't leave without me, and is halted waiting for the next lock.

I have to say, if you are going to pay to keep your boat in a large marina, then Overwater looks one of the best.  It is very spacious, highly landscaped, even having islands in the middle, and there is loads of room to manoeuvre, (which there needs to be, as it seems cross winds blow straight down it!).

After 15 locks at Audlem, you qickly reach 5 more at adderley.

Then a walk of about a mile and a half back to "Sickle" with Odin, and the more serious journey could finally begin.  We had set ourselves a fairly aggressive schedule initially, but changes of plan meant we were now at least half a day down on what we had thought we might do,  By the time we pushed off it was afternoon, and any of the historic boats leaving on Monday had long since gone.  The locks were busy, but thankfully nothing like as bad as they had been coming the other way.  A determined push saw us up Audlem and also Adderley locks as well, but by Market Drayton we were burned out, and gave up trying to do any more that day.

Audlem to Overwater Marina (Chalice)
Audlem to Market Drayton(Sickle)
Miles: 1.4 (Chalice), 5.9 (Sickle), Locks:20

Total Miles: 279.3, Locks: 163