Leaving the Lee.

We were off just before 0900 as we had to be in Limehouse Basin before 1200. It was a dull but warm day and it was nice moving down the Lee Navigation with nobody else on the water.

Signs of the past industrial life of the river. Buildings are now mainly apartments.

The mold Anchor and Hope surrounded by newer apartment blocks. I have never seen an Anchor and Hope as more usually it is the Hope and Anchor in my experience.

Despite it's industrial past there are numerous stretched that pass through nature reserves and parks giving a very rural feel to the water way.

I just saw this out of the corner of my eye. I love to see these sort of inscriptions. A wet-bob was an Etonian that went into rowing rather than a dry-bob who played cricket.

We were soon at the junction with the Hertford Canal Cut and once again on to new territory as we went straight on with the Limehouse Cut. We were soon  at the Olympic site  with work going on to remove the roof of the stadium to make it for for West Ham to take over!

The Olympic Stadium with the Orbit Sculpture in the background.

The Entrance to the Bow Back River round the other side of the site is still barred to traffic. From around this area there is a lot of duck weed on the cut.

The Clock Mill at Three Mill Island where there  had been mills since Saxon times. There is the House Mill with the Millers cottage and the Gunpowder Mill. The complex is the largest tidal mill in the world.

We soon had our first view of Canary Wharf.

We were all tied up by about 1145 and after quickly getting changed we walked to Canary Wharf to meet Helen's cousin Susan and her son Eammon outside the Docklands Museum. We then had a nice lunch, courtesy of Edmund, and then had a quick trip round the Museum before going our separate ways. I had never met her despite being married for 28 years and it was great to finally meet up.

We are just waiting to go the the Saint Pancras Cruising Club briefing for the cruise on the tideway to view the Tall Ships at Greenwich in the morning. It sounds like an early start for that.