This was my third outing as prototype skipper following my recent CCBM course, busy day with 9 in total. We loaded the remaining logs by the mooring and dropped them off upstream away from the path. Then on beyond St Catherine’s lock to moor by the railway bridge for balsam duty. We were in the area bounded by the river and the path from beyond the boardwalk / bottom of new steps.
Rookie skipper mistake allowed the team to split into various groups (how to keep an eye on them?) but we dealt with several small patches of balsam plus O instructed some in scything to clear a larger area. There remains one largish area and a few small patches. We did as much as we could but some members of the crew flagged somewhat. However really good to see how S and K in particular are regaining balance and coordination while contributing to the work (and banter). K managed some tight docking manoeuvres on the helm – bravo.
JA was working in the meadow/wetland area near our mooring alongside the railway line, clearing larger willow trees with chainsaws. He would like us to clear as much remaining balsam as practical over the next week while the opportunity remains. Then we could cut smaller willow in the meadow extending the area just cleared – it is fairly obvious with stumps and remains of bonfires. He pointed to the far side of this cleared area, but any remaining willow is fair game.
Regards
M
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