Heading home!

An hour run into Ellesmere Port this morning proved uneventful except for several stops to clear the prop, (thanks for the warning Don,), a couple of kids lobbing stones off a bridge at us and being told to kiss a certain part of a very over-weight gentlemans anatomy! I now see why so many people questioned our sanity when we informed them we were heading for Ellesmere Port. In the whole day of 'there and back' we only passed 2 moving boats.

Khayamanzi moored in the basin at Ellesmere.

Ellesmere itself was interesting. The locks down into the basin needed careful use in order not to flood the towpath and museum and a large Singaporean chemical ship with 2 tugs on tow proved an added interest. Here you can see the flowers of Khayamanzi and a funnel of the ship going past in front.

The museum is excellent. Our only complaint is the total lack of regard for boaters in the shop! Some excellent historic DVD's were being shown around the museum but none were available for sale in the shop, nor was there even a brass plaque to commemorate my achievement of reaching the end. In fact, unless one wanted Rose and Jim items or perhaps the odd 'Ellesmere Port' pencil eraser, there was nothing of interest to the enthusiastic boater.

The return journey was equally uneventful. The only excitement provided by more significant stops to clear the blades of rubbish such as this:

......and the discovery of this wonderfully apt graffiti found on one of the last bridges out of Ellesmere. I should add that the arrow is pointing away from Ellesmere! I solute the frustrated boater who undoubtedly provided such accurate entertainment.

Life is full of coincidences and the boating world must provide more than many other areas. Imagine my surprise as I concentrated on manouvering Khayamanzi out of the lock in the middle of Chester only to hear a sarcastic voice saying, "Mr. Edwards, would you please slow down!" I turned and there was my head teacher from the first school I taught in back in London with a friend of his. Apparently he was up in Chester for the weekend and on his way to the pub. As he hadn't seen the boat, I had to stop and catch up as well as give him the guided tour. Roger is in the white shirt on the extreme left as you face the picture.

Finally moored up late after Chester in almost the same spot as we did on the way down. The first relatively quiet mooring after the hun-drum of the city. Tomorrow onwards down the Shroppie for as far as we get!