River madness

Had a fabulous time with Brother and Niece over the sunny weekend (yes there was one honest) we met in Lincoln on Friday and went to cinema and for a meal at Brayford Pool, we then spent Saturday getting down to Dogdyke stopping for lunch at Southrey.

Sunday we arose leisurely and decided to stay put and get tandem and elec bike out and cycle to Woodhall Spa which we duly did even though it is awkward as **** to get bikes up and over pub steps! Fun cycling in the sunshine but on the return leg after a carvery lunch at the Railway Inn at Kirkstead Bridge my elec power ran out.  They were so nippy on the tandem I had to use fairly high power to keep up.  So three miles of hard work although they did take the battery off me.  Even so they were freewheeling and going faster than me!  On the return to the boat a quick cup of tea and we made a start on the return trip making it back to Southrey for 6.30pm.

Monday we had lunch at Washingborough (?) the last stopping place before Stamp End.

They both fitted well into boat life and are very welcome to come again.  Niece did a lot of the steering and washing up - good girl!

Tuesday I was joined by Dearly Beloved for the start of the push to West Stockwith.  We spent Tuesday night at Saxilby then on Wed I carried on by boat and he cycled back for his car (I had taken mine to Torksey Tuesday morning and bussed it back to Lincoln.) He beat me by 10mins to Torksey!  After lunch we put the elec bike into his car and drove to Sturton le Steeple and cycled back to Torksey picking up a mega fuse for the Victron at the HGV spares place at Torksey Lock  (the Victron had objected to running the kettle and toaster for Monday Lunch (gas hob was overcrowded hence use of elec kettle).  We fitted the mega fuse Thursday morning whilst waiting for the lock and hurrah that had indeed been the problem so £3.60 well spent.

We were spat out of Torksey Lock at 10.15 and arrived at West Stockwith around 1.30pm.  We had had to slow down at Gainsborough to let the Heather Rose pass us.  I did not fancy trying to manoeuvre into the lock with that monster breathing down my neck!

Now I had been listening to many people talk about how to get into the lock, and one of the suggestions had been to turn away from the lock which would put back end into the fast current and that made sense so that is what I did but I perhaps started the turn too near the middle of the river and should have got further over first.  Any hoo I had to do reversing to get boat back into middle of river before commencing the run up to the lockkeeper on the wall.  Now I had been told over and over again.  Do not chicken out, trust the lockkeeper, do not take the power off etc etc so

I charged at the lockkeeper on the corner and he directed me a bit here a bit there come straight then came the TURN IN NOW  quickly followed by a frantic BACK OFF etc.  So I had to go hard astern but still bumped the wall head on.  However I managed to get the boat into the lock without bumping against the side wall it was close very close!  DB was about to try and push off with the boat hook which was alarmingly pointed straight at my chest pointy end on.  I made it very clear that on no account was he to try this, and he listened.  Phew.  Still having a few nasty flashbacks to the thought of the pole hitting the wall ramming me in the chest and me going off the boat backwards.  Shiver.

Lockie had not been happy with me turning the wrong way around as apparently many people had got caught in the bushes on the opp bank so at least I did not do that!

So there it is I am safe on the Chesterfield Canal for a bit.