Cruising Season is over..........

[matty40s]

This weeks cruise was from Overwater to Stowe Hill (again) in 5 days.

Noticeable are the spaces on visitor moorings everywhere now the winterising is taking place. Hawkesbury only had 9 boats on visitor moorings (I counted well over 70 earlier in the year).

It was a pleasure to be able to cruise much longer stretches without being on tickover for miles.

The days were long, but resulted in some nice sunrise/sunsets and two mornings of ice-breaking (well, thin layer of slush puppy , but early none the less).

Oh, and due to the back end getting stuck on a mud bank , I almost hit Maffi's boat so had to blast the engine. - sorry.

 

not a sight we will see for much longer, Virgin train past Polesworth.

 

another misty magical corner

 

morning light

 

 

 

atherstone top colours

 

 

tip of the sunrise

 

 

wouldn't look the same with pontoons would it......Barby marina, opening 2010!

 

 

water like velvet

 

[cheshire~rose]

lovely photo's again Matty - thanks for sharing - not a parrot in sight!

[jelunga]

Hope you said hello to our Dominic at Rugby Boats and rob at Stowe Hill Workshop.

[johnmck]

Brilliant photo's Matty. If you do not mind me asking, what camera do you use? I know it is not just the equipment, but how you use it, but am trying to improve so "every little advice helps", so to speak.

[Tiggers]

Beautiful, makes me want to get out there, although I am a bit penned in a Norbury now :/ I do love this time of year for cruising

[matty40s]

Brilliant photo's Matty. If you do not mind me asking, what camera do you use? I know it is not just the equipment, but how you use it, but am trying to improve so "every little advice helps", so to speak.

I use both a proper camera - a Nikon D3000 with a Tamron DiII lens and also a little sony erikkson U1i cam-phone - this is good for shots when I am going along without the big camera in tow.

The challenge with some of these shots is to stop without spoiling the reflection in the view in front(I was stood on the frost covered roof for 10 minutes waiting for that bloody train), and the low light piccy's are just a matter of playing with exposures and F-stops levels without increasing the Iso too much which makes it grainy.

Cheers to Bridgy , I'm learning fast....

[Grace and Favour]

Matty - Again, beautiful photographs . . . . ..

 

Thank you for sharin'

[Bones]

Gorgeous pictures!!!

[Sue1946]

Lovely photos, thanks for posting them.

[Proper Job]

...............

Oh, and due to the back end getting stuck on a mud bank , I almost hit Maffi's boat so had to blast the engine. - sorry.

Blasting the engine when going past Maffi was known as good sport when he was at Thrupp. I'm glad to see that someone is keeping up the tradition

 

Fantastic photo's Matty.

 

Makes me look forward to Winter cruising

[Laurie Booth]

Great pictures, when are you going to get a proper camera.

[Athy]

Splendid snaps indeed. I can't, however, agree about the ease of mooring at this time of year. We took Trojan down to Cropredy last weekend, and our favourite mooring spot below the lock and before the road bridge was bereft of leisure boats - but packed bloody solid with BW work boats!

[Proper Job]

Splendid snaps indeed. I can't, however, agree about the ease of mooring at this time of year. We took Trojan down to Cropredy last weekend, and our favourite mooring spot below the lock and before the road bridge was bereft of leisure boats - but packed bloody solid with BW work boats!

Once the new marina(s) has opened and CRT close all of the on line moorings (10% rule?) there'll be plenty of room below the bridge

[Kiwidad]

I think they all moved to Milton Keynes! Miles of boats, not that I wanted to stop anyway, safely tucked up at Fenny Stratford having a beer

[Pentargon]

I think they all moved to Milton Keynes! Miles of boats, not that I wanted to stop anyway, safely tucked up at Fenny Stratford having a beer

Ahhhhhhhhhhhh! Fenny Stratford! And always a great guest ale on tap. Give my regards to Guy. It took me a week to navigate that lock. It is definitely one of the slowest climbs on the GU. All 12" of it.

[Kiwidad]

Ahhhhhhhhhhhh! Fenny Stratford! And always a great guest ale on tap. Give my regards to Guy. It took me a week to navigate that lock. It is definitely one of the slowest climbs on the GU. All 12" of it.

I have heard that it has a strong bywash that keeps pushing one towards the pub

[tillergirl]

Thanks for sharing those Matty............beautiful

[Ange]

Marvellous stuff

[oarfish]

Lovely pics. Makes me want to go out again. Been stuck in a marina for a whole 6 weeks.

[mrsmelly]

I use both a proper camera - a Nikon D3000 with a Tamron DiII lens

 

 

Hi

 

What iso and make of film do you use?

 

Tim

[alan_fincher]

.......and our favourite mooring spot below the lock and before the road bridge was bereft of leisure boats - but packed bloody solid with BW work boats!

Shouldn't that be CRT work boats?

 

Mind you, the very best leisure boat IS a BW Work boat, in my view!

[Mick_B]

Splendid snaps indeed. I can't, however, agree about the ease of mooring at this time of year. We took Trojan down to Cropredy last weekend, and our favourite mooring spot below the lock and before the road bridge was bereft of leisure boats - but packed bloody solid with BW work boats!

Bloody cheek.... Those are beautiful photographs/pictures... To call them "snaps" is an insult to Matty.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Nice pics Matty...

[Athy]

Snaps, schmaps, I should worry. Whatever they are, they're splendid.

[Mick_B]

Splendidly splendid.....