This photo was taken from the front deck at Toul in 2003. Visibility was so poor we could hardly see the boats moored ahead of us. It's hard to believe that this shot was taken at lunchtime. It was as dark as night, the wind threw our sun umbrella out of its steel support and into the canal, and the thunderclaps could be felt through the hull as the shocks raced through the water.
Even if there are no storms, it's not fun cruising through heavy rain on an English narrowboat. Steering is from the open back deck, with no protection for the helmsman from wind and wet.
Once again, I have great sympathy for those passengers who have had their holiday plans ruined, this time by the BA strikes. We're lucky to have the choice of when we take our time aboard and are not constrained by holiday bookings and fixed travel arrangements.
