Relaxed

What a great weekend. Laid back, relaxed, chilled out, a not a care in the world type of weekend, coming and going as and when we pleased. What a shame it had to end so soon.

We arrived at the marina on Friday evening just as the sun was setting and giving way gracefully to the darkness of the evening. With the gear dumped on board, we cracked open a couple of beers and watched the increasing darkness descend. The pontoon was surprisingly quiet for a Friday evening, the odd sole wandering around but on the whole blissfully serene. With a chicken casserole simmering away on the stove and the heating ticking quietly away we settled in for an evening of peace and quiet, before heading to bed early. The bed, thankfully, toasty and warm courtesy of the electric blanket.

Saturday, and time to tackle some work. Not too much mind, we don’t want to spoil the relaxed atmosphere that this weekend seems to be taking. The anchor light is finally installed, the cabin is cleaned and disinfected, the bedding changed, and the cockpit rinsed and before long it is time to set sail. First stop Lincoln city centre. With the fridge stocked up and the cupboards full to bursting point with fresh vegetables it is time to head off for our destination for the weekend. Did we choose Washingborough? Did we choose Torksey? No, we ended up choosing Saxilby. So with a slow, relaxed cruising pace we headed in the general direction of Saxilby, not a huge cruise but still we enjoyed the scenery, the wildlife darting around on the banks and just generally being afloat. With Saxilby reached and the moorings relatively quiet we settled in, the heating ticking away and a few beers to hand before heading to the Sun Inn for a couple of quiet pints. Now the big choice, dinner, fish and chips or Chinese takeaway? In the end Chinese won the day and we walked back to the boat with bags full of tasty goodies. With full stomachs we had a couple more drinks before heading to a warm bed.

Sunday and time to walk off that dinner. Saxilby is a lovely village and we had a great morning stroll watching the gathering storm clouds overhead. Eventually we decided to head back to Naughty-Cal before the rain commenced. With the rain hammering on the canopy we ate a rather filling full English breakfast of Lincolnshire sausages, black pudding, fried eggs (free range of course), mushrooms and beans, washed down with some fresh orange juice and fresh coffee before settling in with the newspapers, Sudoku and the crossword. With no particular rush to get anywhere, we spent the most of the day just winding down in Saxilby. Eventually it was time to head back and with the heating still ticking away we set sail once again heading for home. Naughty-Cal settling into a relaxed cruising pace, seemingly enjoying a relaxed pace of life for once. We called in at the Pyewipe for a couple of early evening pints before heading for home, a heart warming stew for dinner rounded of a great day.

A perfectly chilled out weekend. Not a great distance covered, not a weekend that will go down in history but none the less it was a weekend that was worth the wait. Now only five more days until the next one.