When I bought my Dawncraft 25 it had to fit three strict criteria: available immediately, local and come with a mooring. The rest I thought an intelligent man like myself could sort out. The money was duly handed over and I stood on a flexing roof the proud owner of a 1973 icon of boating history.

Much of our leisurely travelling time has been undertaken early in the year, due to trading commitments since the spring of 2014. Last April, returning from a month in New Zealand, we chose to venture southwards to explore at Gloucester Quays - and experience what the Gloucester Sharpness Canal had to offer. Those were in themselves a joy to visit. An additional, unexpected thrill, was the picturesque and fascinating sunken ships on the banks of the River Severn, able to be extremely easily accessed from the Canal.