Escaping the weather by mooring in Goring ...

 Ready to leave our mooring at Pangbourne ...

 just after nine yesterday morning (Thursday 11th)

My camera is very useful for looking into the distance to see if locks are manned or self service and what else may be going on ahead.  Yesterday was no exception ... I can see that Whitchurch Lock (the only one were doing today) is on self service but that there's a boat moored on the lock landing.  I can't see anyone up at the lock nor on the waiting boat so I stepped off Still Rockin' and walked up to the lock where I was surprised that the sluices were open, the lock was empty and the gates ready to open.  It was then that it occurred to me that the boat on the landing may have set the lock for themselves and I'd pinched it!  I saw a lady get off the boat with a dog and walk up to the lock and I approached her and apologised for pinching their lock, but she said that we hadn't although they will be going up the lock once she'd walked the dog ... so I can only assume that the last boater to come down must have closed the gates but not the sluices.  Not to worry ... a bonus for us!

 In Whitchurch Lock

 I hope the owner of this boat has been informed that his boat is under a tree!

 Someone has a problem!

Historic ship Severn Enterprise tug built in 1933 and fellow Severners Oxford (1928 built in Holland) and Endeavour in the service of Marine Services

 Another casualty of bad weather

 We love this reach above Whitchurch Lock ...

 and Beale Park, but we're not stopping today ... the weather over the next five days is heavy rain and very high winds so it was decided to move to a safer place to sit it out.

 Quite a few boats moored here at Goring but we think we'll fit into the space between the two narrowboats

 Safely moored up at Goring

The lock is on self service so we'll have to wait for the lock keeper to on duty so that we can pay the mooring fees.