Blustery Tales from the Riverbank

Hello family, friends & ‘Inflatable Tour’ followers.
Day 2 has been interesting & challenging. After sleeping lightly through a rainy Saturday night surrounded by two beautiful otters having a very loud squabble in the river ~ I awoke to a dry but overcast morning.
I packed away my sleeping bags & scrubbed the decks before pulling anchor & casting off for St Benet’s Abbey. My arms were tired but I soon got into the rhythm of rowing & happily hailed ‘Good Morning me Hearties’ to all my fellow shipmates aboard their boats. They all like my ship’s name ‘HMS LOOPY’ ~ They think it is very apt!
I stopped at St Benet’s Abbey for a little walk on dry land & a picnic. I also pumped my boat up a bit more as it was leaking air again through the old patch. There was a sailing race taking place on the Bure between St Benet’s & Thurne ~ it was exciting to watch. I rowed past a dredger which was like an enormous crane at the side of the river & then at Thurne I turned left, setting course for Acle and found myself rowing against the incoming tide and a blustery head wind.
Oh what a battle I had to reach Acle, at times the wind blew so strongly I was going backwards rather than forwards. Several passing boats slowed down & asked me if I needed help which was most kind of them but I was determined to battle on. Eventually after lots of rows forwards & some rows backwards I zig-zagged & crawled my way up to the Acle Bridge where I am now moored up for the night. It is VERY windy and I hope the little cover over me & my boat doesn’t blow away in the night! My lovely husband Steve has kindly given me the shipping forecast for the next few days and I plan to be up early in the morning to sail with the outgoing tide.
That’s all for now ~ night night from HMS LOOPY in Acle.