Backing our boats out of our mooring basin was a little tricky. The boats aren’t nearly as easy to stear in reverse as they are in forward gear. We left plenty of time and successfully maneuvered out without mishap.
We arrived at the first lock with time to spare. It was a little frustrating waiting for our turn in the locks. Even though they were set up for a boat going in our direction (down), the lock keepers emptied the lock to allowed a boat to go up – even though the boat wasn’t there. Then we had to wait for the big wheel tour boats to come up on the wheel, and we each took the wheel trip with one of those boats. It was a lot of waiting, but we both made it back to the boat hire dock for a refueling, toilet pump out, water top off and clean sheets and towels. The boating staff are super friendly and helpful. George gave us lots of pointers for where to moor on the upcoming nights, where to eat, and things to do.
We said goodbye to Natalie before setting off on the Forth and Clyde Canal. She’s going to continue her Scotland journey on her own, with a trip to the Highlands and Loch Ness.
Because we needed to book passage through various bridges and locks, we were on tight time schedule today. We did make it to our first bridge right on time, but there seemed to be a problem getting the lift bridge to operate. More waiting, but the lock keepers ahead of us were there and knew of our delay. Pat and Dan were our lock keepers for 4 locks, bicycling between the locks to be ready for us. Dan was quite the character!
Another hour on the canal and we arrived at Auchistarry Marina. We have never stayed in a marina before, so this was a new experience for us. There were just a few open spots on the docks and we gave the longest one to Ann and Bob – there boat is 10 feet longer than ours. We tied up to a short dock and left a good part of our boat sticking out the back. Fortunately, you can access the boats for both ends.
Not long after tying up, Rachel took a misstep and landed in the canal -whoops! The water wasn’t too cold, and John and Bob each grabbed an arm and pulled me out. We found out that the walkie-talkies float, and are waterproof. My phone and watch survived and my glasses stayed on. A nice hot shower and all was well. The marina has laundry facilities and shoes are drying on the boat radiators. Well, that was enough excitement for today! Dinner in the marina restaurant and we’ll be off to bed soon.
