Meeting up again with Snail O’Wey at St. Johns on Saturday morning, there was some delay as David (who had their boat key) had gone walkabout to help a single boat who was coming up the Goldsworth Locks single handed, having engine problems to boot, and getting a bit stressed out by it all.

Once under way, with the weather improving, the six locks were soon knocked off. The boat coming up was a very odd looking affair altogether, with the engine in the middle of the deck, and a steering system we’d never seen before: a big wooden lever just sticking out the floor which was waggled left and right.

We waved our farewells to Snail O’Wey at The Bridge Barn: they were carrying on down the Woodham Locks to their home base on the Wey (or so they thought) while we were meeting up with one of Fran’s ex-colleagues/friends Liz, husband Andy and family to take them for a little potter around the sights of Woking.