Boat envy

Today must be 'best polished boat' day. We locked through with Solomon, a boat so gleaming in perfect dark blue paintwork, you could see your face in it. When I asked the owner how he managed to have such a spotless boat, he replied " because we are clean, tidy people, unlike you". No, not really! but he could have. He just said it was newly painted last year - last year?! - so was ours, albeit by 2 cack-handed owners. Perhaps we should have used a brush as opposed to throwing paint down the side from the pub garden.

Then another boat passed us, just as glossy and clean, not a scratch on it. How do these people do it? They must be cleaning and polishing at every stop. It puts dear Ani to shame, with her knocks and scrapes down to the red oxide (not quite the steel). Pete has polished one side, but we keep seeming to moor the same way so the other side doesn't get done. I clean windows when we are waiting for locks, very hurriedly, not thoroughly. Meantime, muddy banks, slimy lock walls, emptied ash pans and dirty foot falls all conspire to keep her looking well worn. I don't think we will ever be the owners of a spruce and perfect boat, probably due to our lazy scruffiness, but I do envy those who manage it.
Jenny and Sid - how do you do it?