28th July to the canal

We had a comfortable night with the anchor and line across the bay holding us off the rocks. I omitted to say in my blog yesterday that a couple of mink had appeared on the rocks where we were berthed  looking like they’d like to join us. We weren’t sure if they’d try and board overnight when it was quieter but they didn’t. Graham went for a walk in the morning, followed by myself who clumsily tripped on the forehatch giving Sue a rude awakening. The trees looked like Scots pines but probably weren’t and the walking is very soft underfoot, all seeming a bit mossy, there were composting loos in the woods but not a sauna. Sorry Sue.   The wind, such as there was, had gone to the North, on our starboard beam. As there was little clear water  inside of us and there was another boat on the opposite side of the bay just up bay of us I was a little worried about stuffing up the departure. We had breakfast by which time the other boats apart from the one that was worrying me had departed. Anyway we made a plan which involved the girls swimming across to let the stern line go and hoping that the anchor held enough that once we’d slipped the bow lines we would swing stern to the wind and not be blown sideways into the bay. This happened nicely and we departed without further worry. The wind was initially from astern but we set the sails anyway to see what assistance they could provide, it wasn’t much. We were heading for the canal today as poor weather, heavy rain and winds were advertised for later in the day and tomorrow we needed to be there in any case. We had a nice wind for a short time and sailed for a bit, having an altercation with a  local sailing boat under power who, possibly hadn’t seen us as the skipper was under shady cover in the cockpit, eventually he noticed us and after we’d asked him if he was OK he gave us a long grumpy sentence in Swedish which we didn’t understand but suspect  he had just not been paying attention.

After some confusion over the route, all my fault having just put in ‘any old where about South West’ on the chartplotter to begin with to get us going in the right direction we found ourselves motoring again amongst diminishing traffic but still in very pleasant surroundings. At around lunch time we stopped outside a large house in a bay and went swimming again before having a lunch of what was left in the fridge and needed eating, which turned out too be a fair bit of pretty good stuff.

It was a roasting day again and once we’d weighed anchor we  motored further up the estuary until at about 1500 we arrived at the sea lock where a helpful frenchman from another big boat waiting to go through, took our lines and I went to the office to see if we could carry on up to Soderkoping. They, as predicted, had fenders for sale but I reckoned I had enough, and they confirmed I’d booked and paid as appropriate, it seemed that the French boat didn’t want to go through until the morning so the two Swedish students running the lock, having briefed us, prepared the lock and shortly we were on our way with Colin and Graham walking our lines into the lock and the girls and I manning the boat. In the lock, which looks smaller than the ones on the Caledonian canal, we made fast and were soon climbing as the sluices were opened. They had said rig fenders high and low which we had done, as we climbed I didn’t see the need as it was just a normal mucky vertical lock wall but it was apparent once we’d arrived at the canal level because the lock walls were now very low so the low fenders came into their own. The boys jumped aboard, we had advice from the lock keeper as to where to eat at Soderkoping, (where his ex girlfriend worked, we weren’t sure if this was a good or bad omen) and we started canaling. The trees by the canal bank were lovely with  many mature oaks amongst them, I couldn’t positively identify much else but I’m not a great identification fundi. The trees in general have been less piny than I’d expected. Soon we were approaching the next lock and then were coming into the beginnings of Soderkoping. We’d been told that there were berths at the top of the lock so were intending to go through but the lock was shut showing no signs of opening so we tied up to the service jetty having swapped all the fenders from starboard to port, and Graham went to speak to the lock keeper.  It turned out that they were doing some water management but we could go through in half an hour or so. Soderkoping seems to be a bit of a tourist town, the canal and lock add to the attraction I suppose like Fort Augustus, there was an ice cream shop, actually there were several, and we gave them some business and took the opportunity to top up with water. Graham and I walked up to spot the berths and initially it looked quite full but there were a couple of 4.6m wide berths free so soon we were casting off again and heading for the lock. Gongoozlers watched as we locked up and Graham chatted to the lock keeper before heading off to catch lines at the berth. Back in the canal there wasn’t a lot of room, as the berths are nose in to the canal with arses out and so half the available canal is taken up with boats but there was no wind and we turned in nicely. It’ll be harder for everyone else now as we’re a good bit bigger than average. Once secured, at last I found a place where my bow ladder could be used and this was put on the pulpit to assist getting on and off the boat.

Once we’d tidied up and had a beer it was almost time to eat and we went to the recommended restaurant just before 8 in case they stopped serving at 8. Colin and Christine were first to be seated with the rest of us following. There was a gizmo on the table which the waitress had demonstrated to Colin, it had a ‘ready to order’ button and a ‘ready to pay’ button on it. The waitress had demonstrated it to Colin who then demonstrated it to us. Inevitably a waitress now came a dashing to see what we were ready to order but we’d not even looked at the menus by this time so we had to apologise and say the buttons had been pushed inadvertently.

We had fish and chips or burger as these seemed the specialities, all good. After this a walk around the old town gave us glimpses of what to look around in the morning and we retired to bed with the rain yet to arrive.

Bell tower at the church

Canaling

Low fenders needed

Soderkoping from above

Lunch, swim and final stop