Very nice,Paul. I'm wondering if I've seen a photo on here taken at this location quite a while ago..a big freeze was on and the canal,with barges on it, was frozen. Maybe one of yours.
A bit more effort for sure but you're right in thinking ' cable'..also mirror lock up, as you say, every bit helps. In a book I read,by Scott Kelby (of Adobe fame) at the start of my photography he said, 'Be married to your tripod' and went on to recommend a cable release and mirror lock up too. It really does make a difference. I'd be going for f11-13 too for this scene…as mentioned by Carl. I once read that there's not much to be gained at anything above f11 regarding front to back sharpness. Anything above that is light/movement control.