The drawback was the weed that surrounds our berth. Big time. The marina guys who are back from furlough started on the never ending job of cutting it, starting with the fairways. This was the result:
They have to cut it using a small electric "underwater hedge trimmer" then scoop it up using a rake. Very high tech stuff - hard and slow work too. The only trouble is that around us is also infested with the weeds almost growing to the surface:
Getting out, the big main engine prop will happily chomp this stuff up but probably leave lots wrapped around the rudder. Coming back, the weed grabs at the keel and where normally the boat happily spins around under main engine alone in just over her own length, the weed stops that dead. Hence we have to use the bow / stern thruster to push her around and they are pretty much guaranteed to get jammed up with weed and potentially damaged. There is no way we could get lifted here to clear them either.
So, the nice marina folks agreed to move us to another berth whilst they clear the weed from ours. Only the other berth has a little tug on it that does not seem to want to go out to work at present. So, we are stuck. RIB trips only until that moves and we can do a berth swap. Frustrating now, most frustrating. In fact the most frustrating thing since lockdown started probably. Somehow a general lockdown seemed like a "no choice, get on with it" situation so we did. This is, in theory, controllable and so more annoying!
As consolation, the RIB had a blast around the bay - although that was not a straightforward trip as the first time we tried to go out the lock gates were jammed. When we did escape, we were second to go through the lock, we had to follow mummy swan and her remaining 6 cygnets:
Yes, 6 not 7 cygnets. The marina suffered a bereavement a few days earlier - we think that a fox got one of the cygnets during the night judging by the number of "grown up swan" feathers on the bank where they normally sit. Mum and dad must have put up quite a fight but look all OK themselves.
A nice potter in the RIB up the quiet parts of the (quite pretty too) Ely river followed (new territory for us) and even some of the flats built around the bay looked appealing with the dramatic sky background:
On the return trip, we witnessed the Pont Y Werin bridge lifting - the first time we have seen it do so - for a little yacht:
The bridge is a pedestrian and cyclist only offering that cost a cool £4.5 million 10 years ago as part of the regeneration of the bay area.
We did some socially distanced chatting to Simon and Nikki:
although Simon was reluctant to come out of the cockpit saying that he was wearing his pyjama trousers. It was around 4pm. Draw your own conclusions.
Heading back into the marina, we were again second in the queue for the lock, behind mum, dad and the cygnets:
who kindly swam to one side to let us past once inside the marina again. Most considerate, unlike some of the walkers and cyclists around here who do not seem to understand the 2 metre rule.
As a diversion, the crew continued her baking fun, hence we are eating far too much homemade bread and cake. The soda bread with nuts and sultanas in it was a particular favourite:
as was the blueberry and lemon cake. Exercise needed!
The highest excitement was a call from the just re-opened dentist to say that they would have a look at our niggling teeth. A road trip to Hythe beckons! Strange how a dentist visit for treatment seems exciting now. Even a drive down the motorway is appealing. Of course the Heddlu (Welsh for police) might stop us coming back from England as you are only supposed to go 5 miles in this strangely still locked down country. We have the medical appointment justification, unlike Mr Cummings and a few politicians of various political persuasions. If the blog posts stop you will know that we have been detained.....
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Thanks for your ideas / cheek / corrections / whatever! They should hit the blog shortly after the system checks them to make sure they will not put us or you in jail.....