something really weird has just happened.
It is about 10pm here in the UK, and it is a windy, wet night
I was just sitting here reading with the TV off when I heard a boat engine in the distance. This is unusual, because you seldom hear boats after dark, and only when they are looking for somewhere to moor for the night. It has been dark for a long time, and any boat should have found a mooring by now.
I got up and looked through the window down the canal. It is very dark, but I thought I would have seen a boat headlight, or illuminated windows at the very least...... Nothing. I started doing the washing up, and the boat engine drew closer. It came alongside and I went to the window, but all I could see was faint light reflecting on metal as some vessel slid past. The engine revved on and off as the boat turned in the marina basin in front of my bows. I could just see, through the the front doors, something dark moving a few feet in front of 'Seppy'.
The craft turned slowly, and started back in the direction from whence it had come. I watched as it drifted by my windows, hardly able to make out any detail.
I went back to the sink, but soon became aware that the sound had gone completely. I went back to the window and looked at the water. I can see for about 300 yards until the canal rounds a left hand bend. It takes a boat a few minutes to cover this distance, but the canal was clear. Not a vessel moved, though it had been less than a minute since it had passed my boat.
How weird is that? It is odd for a boat to travel at night without its light on, but it is impossible for a boat to have sailed out of sight in so short a time.
