I've earned my armbands

So the view this morning at about 6am was this.

I was ready to go and wanted to make sure I wasn't tail end charlie.  As it happens I needn't have worried as we stayed in our respective positions all the way to Cromwell Lock.

Most of the journey I was the middle boat of 7 but towards the end a dutch barge caught us up and remarkably stayed at the back. 

According to the others that had travelled up from Thorne to Torksey in one hit hadn't been the case the day before.  Although when it mattered it powered through to make sure it was in the first four locking up through Nether Lock.  This only had one sluice working so again was very slow.  I am ahead of myself.

After an unbelievable 4 hours this was a welcome site/sight.  I can't believe that three years ago we did it in 6 hours from Keadby to here.  Just shows what a difference a tide can make.

It is welcome from this side but not so much from the otherside when you are dragging your anchor towards it!

If the dutchbarge had been a narrowboat we would all have squeezed in the small half of the lock.  We were 4 abreast at the front then three then all by itself in the large back chamber was the dutch barge.  This meant the lock took an age to fill.  Time well spent in using the loo!

As the middle two boats we unfortunately got foamed big style.  I had to go in and shut my portholes as it was in danger of coming in at the top.  Looked really weird from inside the boat.

So having done the last bit of the Trent on my ownsome I think I now qualify as a single boater.

OK

So where are my waterwings?