Well, the weekend was interesting in the floating world past Blue Haven. Let's just start by saying that the Marina entrance is not a winding hole. That means it is not a designated place to wind, or to turn, a boat. If we've not said before, a winding hole, pronounced wind like air blowing gustily, not wind, like turning thread on a spool, is a place to turn a boat around. The odd pronunciation, especially when we are talking about actual turning, is left over from when it would have been the wind, literally, which caught just in the right way by an experienced helmsperson, would turn the boat. A designated winding hole is a V shaped sort of watery alcove off the main line of the canal. The bow is positioned in the small point of the V, after which the boat stern is moved across the widest part of the V, and finally the boat gently reverses back into the main section of the canal, all allowing the boat to turn. This is winding in a designated winding hole. Blue Haven Marina entrance is not V shaped. It is an odd oppening with lots of odd corners, moored up boats belonging to Rugby Boat Sales and Roy's Day Boat for hire.
So, on Saturday a rather long boat decided to turn. It got caught on one side of the entrance, then the other, then was utterly diagonal across the canal, the stern stuck in the marina entrance, the bow sitting on the tow path edge on the opposite side. Finally, with the tugging of bow lines from the towpath and the profligate use of the barge pole, the boat moved. Sunday, a much smaller boat, hired from Canaltime, decided to use the same non-winding hole. It hit both banks a number of times, nearly clipped all the moored boats, had help in the shape of two pub customers who were not quite steady enought to remain upright whilst trying to help move something close to 10 tonnes. One boat dweller swung the barge pole from side to side in and out of the water at the stern where the helmsperson was anxioulsy thrusting the boat from high speed forward to high speed reverse, pushing the tiller from one side to the other. Younger boat dwellers stood on the towpath opposite the marine entrance variously pulling the bow line one way or the other. Finally, with great grins, all dwellers were happy on their now south facing boat! We had quite a show.
We think a sign at the marina entrance, pointing out that it is not a winding hole might save a lot of agony!
