As far as the mallard ducks were concerned, Dingwall's Basin in the heart of London was their pond. It wasn't until inches mattered that mother raised herself from the canal water, stretched her brown wings and shoo-ed her convoy of ducklings away from the Perseus, edging slowly towards the wharf at Camden Lock Markets.
Amid the marketplace banter, the Perseus, once a commercial workhorse, tied up behind a stall laden with exotic West African food, and the 30 or so passengers climbed out. The end of another pleasure cruise from Little Venice along Regent's Canal, London's secret waterway.
The Perseus, circa 1935, is a traditional narrowboat, one of 27 000 plying the little-known canals cross-crossing parts of Britain.
Let's take our place on one of the polished bench-seats lining the hold, just over 2m wide to squeeze through the narrow canals rapidly constructed during the Industrial Revolution.
Puttering along, the narrowboat heads west, backing away from the unusual double locks at Camden with their large drop in water levels. Crowds wave from the distinctive Victorian iron bridges crossing the markets complex.
A towpath accompanies much of Regent's Canal; a plaque marking where rescue ramps were built. Piercing whistles from Euston railway startled many a horse to bolt into the canal. Horses ended their journey in 1956, replaced by walkers and cyclists, popular modes of transport ever since.
The canal cuts across Regents Park's northern edge. John Nash, architect and favourite of the Prince Regent, rerouted it from the middle of the royal hunting ground, fearing that the navvies' strong language would upset aristocratic ears.
Pause for passengers for London Zoo. Advertising the animal activities atop the bank is the 1965 aviary designed by Lord Snowdon, former husband of Princess Margaret. Changing aromas confirm the zoo's presence.
A motley collection of bridges adorn the canal - brick, iron, working, ornamental. Locals know Macclesfield Bridge, west of the zoo, as Blow Up Bridge after a gunpowder barge exploded in 1874. Four crewmen were never seen again.
A glimpse of Central London Mosque with its golden dome contrasts with a row of grand white villas, built in the Nash tradition. The Regents Park area hosts some of London's priciest real estate.
Two of London's three canal tunnels lie ahead. Lisson Grove Tunnel boasts an ornate eastern portal topped by the Upside Down House - its kitchen upstairs, bedrooms downstairs astride the portal.
Spoil from the tunnels, built the year after Waterloo, was recycled as base for nearby Lord's Cricket Ground, hallowed home of English cricket.
Diners at the refurbished Café Laville spot the Perseus emerging from the tunnel. The fashionable eatery on top of Maida Hill Tunnel enjoys one of London's best views, towards Little Venice.
Finally to the waters of Little Venice, with its restaurants and shops, a forgotten jewel among London's concrete and brick. Enjoy rare water views from the Waterside Café, itself a narrowboat. The 50-seat Puppet Theatre Barge, run by Gren Middleton and Juliet Rodgers, calls the basin home in winter.
Nearby is the popular Warwick Castle pub, where Frances McNulty offers home cooking for weary travellers. Something quieter is the Porchester, a short walk away in Paddington. Wall displays of old advertising signs are the backdrop to an impressive menu and real ale. Cheers.