Chapter 62
The challenge with locks as large as this was that the boats had a lot of room to move, which wasn’t what you wanted to happen. As the person standing on the towpath, Daisy was responsible for securing the boat by wrapping a rope loosely around a bollard, then letting it out slowly as the water in the lock decreased. Neglecting to do so could spell disaster. But she had seen Theo do it and had practised under his guidance. The catalogue of skills she had mastered was growing longer and longer with every passing day on this trip, and with it, so was her confidence. This was something simple, which she knew she could handle. After all, a lock was a lock.
‘I’d better get off,’ Daisy said, as Yvonne steered towards the bank of the canal. A crew of two wasn’t ideal in a situation like this, even when those people were relatively experienced. The boat needed to be held in place, which was much easier to do if you had two people holding ropes at both the bow and the stern. It stopped the boat moving around and meant whoever was onboard could focus much more. But with no extra crew members, Daisy had a single rope from the centre that she had to hold instead. Still, she knew what she was doing.
‘You’re doing a good job there, all by yourself.’
It took Daisy a second to realise she was being spoken to until she turned to her left and saw a smartly dressed, middle-aged gentleman in a light-blue polo shirt – sporting the type of plastic sailor’s cap you would buy at a fancy dress shop – striding towards her.
‘Oh, well, thank you,’ Daisy said, not sure how else she was supposed to reply to the undoubtedly patronising comment.
‘Looks like you’re making life a bit hard for yourself, though,’ he carried on. ‘I’d just tie it off if I were you. A quick hitch should do it.’
Daisy fought the urge to comment. From the way the man leaned on the word hitch, it was obvious he was trying to look as though he knew what he was talking about, a fact he doubled down on when he spoke next.
‘You know, I can do it for you, if you’re not sure.’
At this, Daisy let out a light chuckle. ‘It’s fine. I’m quite happy, thanks. And a hitch is never something to do with a mid-rope,’ she said, feeling the need to impress that she had no desire for any more mansplaining. ‘It doesn’t add the stability you want. Besides, tying off at a lock is risky as it is. I’m fine doing things this way.’
The man’s eyes narrowed as if he wasn’t sure if Daisy was pulling his leg or not.
‘Risky, you say?’
‘You know what happens when the water drops? If it’s tied?’
The man looked as if he were going to say something more when the horn on his boat blasted behind them. Daisy flinched. She’d had to beep her horn a couple of times in the past, but that had been different. They had been on the water, away from people. There was absolutely no reason to use the horn in a public place like they were in when calling out would be perfectly good enough.
When she looked over at the man’s boat, she saw two young children waving wildly.
He offered a short wave back before returning his attention to Daisy.
‘I just wanted to ask, are you the boat I saw doing a U-turn in the Thames yesterday?’
Daisy’s stomach knotted and she was sure she felt her cheeks going red. Still, she tilted her head to the side.
‘No, not me,’ she responded. She’d already taken her measure of this polo-shirt-clad man. The last thing she wanted was for him to be firing instructions at her while she was trying to focus on letting the boat out.
He raised an eyebrow in a manner that suggested he probably didn’t believe her.
‘Oh, I guess there are a few of us about, then. Have you done one of these trips before? Hired this type of boat? I have to say, it’s a brave thing for you to be doing with your mum like this. Very adventurous.’
He glanced at Yvonne as he spoke, and Daisy felt her jaw tighten as she forced a smile.
‘Actually,’ Daisy slowed her speech, ensuring her enunciation was as precise as possible. ‘She’s not my mother. She’s my friend and she’s had narrowboats for over twenty years. And this isn’t a hire boat. It’s mine.’
‘Oh,’ he said, his eyes widening a fraction. ‘Well, that’s good then, isn’t it? Brilliant. Well, I will let you get on. I think they’re opening the thing up there.’
‘Sluice gate?’ Daisy offered with more than a hint of satisfaction.
‘Yes, yes, that’s it, of course. Slipped my mind. I think I’ll go and have a look, actually. And see if I can be of any help.’
‘What about your boat?’ Daisy questioned, but he was already striding away from her, his hands outstretched towards the other boat captains.
Daisy turned and looked at his boat, which was tightly knotted via a mooring pin on the ground. He wasn’t actually going to leave it, was he? She thought about saying something for a moment, only to dismiss the idea. She had told him it was dangerous. And the hire company was bound to have said the same thing when he collected the boat. He’d probably just left a really long length in the rope, meaning it would be harder for the person onboard to deal with. Besides, she had her own issues to deal with.
Johnny climbed out of the September Rose and dutifully did his business right beside her.
‘Oh, this boating life is so glamorous.’ Daisy sighed.