Today is the Day

So today is the day that we find out if Sydney is going to make a boating dog. This evening after work we will travel the 45 miles to the marina, something which we are confident he will now be fine with as he now doesn't kind being in the car. Which is a big improvement on when we first picked him up!

Then we will load up the boat , fill up the water tank and head off to Torksey where we hope to meet up with some friends from West Stockwith. If of course they can get out of the basin as one of the hydraulic lock paddles broke yesterday. CRT are hoping to fix it ASAP so we wait with bated breathe. If they can't make it we think that Torksey will be a nice first run anyway for him. A steady one to break him in gently.

As for the rest of the weekend we are still not sure where we will end up. A lot will depend on the weather.

All Change

It is going to be all change this year on E Pontoon. Old members are leaving, new members are arriving, some boats are being sold on, others are changing owners and we will soon have some new boats thrown into the mix for good measure.

E Pontoon is and always has been an ever changing and progressing entity but one thing has always stayed the same. A collective love of boats and being on the water and having a good time in good company.

This year promises to be yet another year where we all enjoy some good times together on the river.

Making New Plans

With our holiday to the Thames this summer put on hold until next summer, we are starting to look at where we can go instead in our more local cruising area.

Favourite so far is to spend a couple of weeks pottering about on the Rivers Trent and Soar with perhaps a few days on the Witham as well to finish off with.

We know of a few dog friendly moorings and are starting to gather together a list of pubs where we will be able to have Sydney join us for a drink and a bite to eat. 

Hazelford Lock island is one mooring which sticks out as somewhere that we shall visit. The island is perfect for the dog to run around and enjoy himself and the pub is only a mile and a half walk away for when we fancy an afternoon drink.

What to Do

Now we have to decide what is going to be the best course of action to introduce Sydney to Naughty-Cal and vice versa. He has been on a boat before but on a different sort of boat completely and it wasn't the best experience for him to say the least.

So I think the gently gently approach will have to be put in place.

We were supposed to be going out on Saturday evening to celebrate a friends birthday but we have had to turn down this meal as it just wouldn't be fair to Sydney. So instead we think we will have a quiet cruise to Torksey so that the dog can get used to the boat.

We can walk him for miles from there in the fields and the pub is super dog friendly so he will be made very welcome, if he is a good boy of course!

Another Change of Plans

We were supposed to be having visitors to the boat this coming Sunday but we have decided to postpone their visit as it will be Sydney's first weekend on the boat and we want to make sure that he settles in before we start having people to visit.

Whilst he is brilliant at home and when we go out anywhere he is still being troublesome at home and we just don't know how he will react to being on the boat for any length of time. Better to let him settle in first we think. There will be plenty of time for visitors later in the year.

Another Busy Day

It has been another busy day for a little dog.

The good news is that he is slotting in just right in such a short time. We are confident he will make a very good addition to the family.

Now to introduce him to Naughty-Cal properly next weekend.

Family Day

We have had a lovely family day in Derbyshire and I think Sydney enjoyed himself. He has been a star today and proved to be brilliant with the kids.