5th - 25th February 2012. Moorings in Enniskillen

We returned to The Ardhowen Theatre to see The Winslow Boy. It was an excellent performance by the local amateur dramatic group.

Outside the theatre this interesting sculpture of a boat can be seen.

In the grounds of Castle Coole, snowdrops are looking wonderful. Spring is certainly getting nearer.

Further on in the woods here we found the old Ice House. In winter these buildings were filled with ice, brought up from the river below, to act as a cool food store for the big house.

At the Round "O" it seems that love is in the air!

All boats are on the move every 48 hours. As one boater called across to us, "It's like a game of Chess, or Tiddlywinks, more like!"
The river bank, seen opposite Riverview mooring, is not currently under the jurisdiction of Waterways Ireland, but is a risky place to be if the water level rises.

Back at the Round "O" with The Puzzler, we find that all the usual suspects are here too!

There now seem to be more seagulls than ducks, in the fight for any bread available.

A sunny day allowed Sally to get the first coat of gloss paint on the new taff rail. If you remember, the old one was taken out by a speedy hire boat last year, and was replaced in the autumn.

At Portora Bridge, the sluices under the arches are closed, and the lock is in use. This keeps the water level up in Enniskillen.

16th - 24th January 2012. In Enniskillen still, but moving!

Waterways Ireland have arrived in force to cut four of the upright supports shorter. This is in preparation for the annual regatta here in the summer. The shorter posts will make it much easier for the rowing eights to be launched.

Their workboat, Inish Davar, is certainly man for the job. We had to move away while metal cutting was going on beside The Puzzler.



 Inish Davar makes The Puzzler look quite small. Hopefully the river water level will never rise so high that the jetty can float off the posts at their new short height!

In Northern Ireland the waterway regulations state that after 48 hours at any offficial mooring, then boats must vacate it for a period of at least 4 hours. During the summer months, Waterways Ireland have had an ongoing problem in Enniskillen with boats overstaying, particularly at The Round "O". They have decide to enforce the regulations strictly, starting this week. It seems to be irrelevant to them that this is not yet the cruising season!
Because of this enforcement of regulations, we are on the move again. Our first trip was just round the corner to Riverview. We went to the Library, went bowling, and collected some wood for the fire. It is amazing how quickly four hours can pass! We then returned to The Round "O".

I have been collecting Catkin's fur to make a cushion. Luckily she enjoys being groomed.

Our next outing was up through Enniskillen Bridge to go shopping. There is less water in the river now, but it still needed some power to get through the bridge.

There are very few boats on the move yet. This is Broadmeadow mooring, near to the Forum Sports Centre.

Catkin has been using her paw as a pillow.

However she approves of the new cushion, made from her fur!

11th - 14th October. Carrick, Leitrim and the Shannon - Erne Waterway

We spent the night at the end of the Jamestown Canal, always one of our favourite moorings.

Catkin does not really mind where we moor, so long as she can have her daily roll on the mown grass. Waterways Ireland certainly look after their moorings well.

From Jamestown we sailed up the River Shannon to Carrick, stopping on the end of the finger pontoon mooring. There was a barge moored just upstream of us, which protected us from the flow on the river, and it was a quiet place to be. There were no passersby, but it was over 200 yards to dry land, and grass, along the jetty, so Catkin was unimpressed!
We took the bikes to shop at Tesco, as it is about a mile from the mooring. After that Andy set off with the trolley and empty gas to a garage he had found, which was even further than Tesco! We use propane, while most boats in Southern Ireland use butane, which is not compatible with our gas regulator. The fitting on the propane cylinders is different in the South too, so we have one of each, which works fine, so long as we can find a supplier who sells propane! They have been few and far between.

Sailing on from Carrick, it is really noticeable how much more water there is in the River Shannon. It is starting to come out of its banks into the surrounding fields.

At Leitrim we leave the River Shannon to join the Shannon - Erne Waterway. The floating pontoon is at least a foot higher than it was earlier in the year, with the connecting bridge being nearly level. We are quite glad to be on quieter waters now.

We met Angela, who told us how, two years ago, the water level at Leitrim rose so much that an extra section had to be welded on to the pillars which hold the pontoon in place. Look closely at the black section to see the join!

Plenty of water can still be found, coming from the side weir below Tiermactiernan Lock to push The Puzzler sideways.

The local stone has been used to great effect in creating this boat, beside the towpath, part way up the Kilclare Locks.

Andy sails on to Kilclare Upper Lock. The green light behind indicates that Kilclare Middle lock is ready for a boat to come down.

By the time we reached the top of these eight locks to the summit level, it was a glorious sunny afternoon.