The original plan I had in mind was to go straight down to the boat after work on the Friday, but problems earlier on in the day meant that by the time I had left work it was just before Saturday anyway so I headed straight home. After sorting work related stuff out on Saturday morning, I headed over to my mooring, checking the canal for signs of ice on the way. I had been checking the Leigh stretch of the Bridgewater over the past week or so, and had noticed that it was still frozen solid and upto 3 inches in parts. Fortunately, it seemed all clear apart from a short stretch at Dane Road Bridge where I had to take a second run to eventually get through.
At about 6PM, I made my way over to the Castlefield Hotel. At the time only Ange, Dave and Matt were there, the others arrived during the course of the evening.
I eventually woke up at 10.30. Myself and Matt were joined later on by Ange and Dave and after a bit of a chat, we departed company. I set off just before 1PM, arriving back at my moorings shortly before 3PM.
Taking advantage of the pump on the moorings, I managed to remove all of the recent rainfall and melted snow which had found its way into the hold. I tied up and then headed off as I had made family arrangements for the evening.