Bonita is having a well deserved rest while D and I rush around catching up with all the home-based stuff that seems to accumulate when you spend a month away. Readers might be interested in this picture of a group of Gaffers squeezing into one of the many locks on the Dutch waterways. Reserves of skill and patience are needed as most of the boats have bowsprits, many are difficult to manoever and some either cannot reverse, or at least not with any degree of predictability. As always it helps a lot to have an agile crew who can anticipate problems including sometimes the skippers slow reactions.
The picture below shows Bonita on a previous visit to the Dutch canals. She is possibly in the same lock, the photo taken by our friend Trevor some years ago. D is on the foredeck waiting for the lock gates to open when all the boats will start moving again. D perfected the art of running out on the bowsprit to fend off other boats or sometimes harbour walls that had got in the way. This skill came in useful yet again on our latest trip.
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