Crash Bang Wallop Wot No Picture?

So today was long and cold and interesting.

Who said the Trent was boring?

Us canal folk really do not understand what happens when the river flow gets you.  Especially with (as the lockkeeper put it "a bit of fresh coming down")

It first caught us out leaving the lock landing at Stoke Bardolph.  I calmly as is my wont left the landing then realised that the water coming down the weir was travelling faster than we were and that we were definitely not going to clear the two enormous barges moored below.  I did try some more power then reverse so as not to hit too hard then we edged our way around the corner of the outside barge heeling over as the weir stream tried to go underneath us.  I asked my moveable ballast to change sides.  Of course there was a man watching on the bank and he waved.  So that manoeuvre didn't go unnoticed!

Then we swopped roles at Gunthorpe and I played with the BW key and the buttons.  Gunthorpe has very little below the lock before the weir comes whooshing around under the defunct floating pontoon and makes an eddy that pulled the front of the boat out whilst himself gamely held on to the ladder waiting for madam to join him.  In the fracas I'm afraid the rat jumped ship.  (We lost our lovely metal rat tillerpin)  Sniff.

Hazelford was a doddle.  We had lunch tied up to one of the large floating flats/barges in the lock entrance before going through.

Newark our stop for the night very nearly wasn't.

Himself stayed on the bank and I tried to join him with the boat but again I didn't account for the river returning back to us below the lock and was travelling sideways for far too long for my piece of mind.  I had visions of broadsiding the bridge, or if I got through the bridge not being able to moor until I reached Nether Lock.  Himself would have had to walk to join me!  However at the last minute we broke free of the flow and walloped the wall quite hard.  I tried to throw the middle rope but it dropped in the water, I picked it out of the water before it got tangled in the prop and handed it to himself.

I will admit it I was scared.  Very scared.

But we are safe, we have bought provisions for a fry up tomorrow so we will be set up for the next section.

Torksey here we come.

I hope ...