9th July
It's been a day of rest, and a day to get things done. We've spent it on the pontoon at Newark, and after a good night's sleep, began by sending yet another stroppy email to Birmingham Midshires about the fact that I've not been able to access my internet saver account for over a month now. We'd thought it was settled once, when we actually got a letter of apology from a manager, but they still hadn't sent the magic "access token" needed to regain the power to operate the account.
Having launched this missile, we went to Waitrose for the second time, only to discover that they didn't open until half eight, so a little hanging about was required. We also popped into the BW office here, and bought an electricity card, so that we could hook up to the power supply post. It cost £5.08 for a 12 credit card, each credit being worth 5 kWh. So far we've used just the first credit, so that's around 42 pence, including doing a wash load, rather than run the engine for around three hours and burning between three and four litres of diesel.
It's also good for the batteries to have a long slow charge from time to time to reduce sulphation of the plates.
On our return to Sanity, we checked the email to discover, hurrah hurrah, the access token had magically arrived. It's amazing what copying your complaints to the Financial Ombudsman will do.
Off we went again, this time into town, where we visited a string of shops, Newark being fairly comprehensively provided with most of the stores you'd expect, including a Julian Graves and a Marks and Sparks.
Back to the boat for coffee, and Sheila spent some time online, closing the BM account now that we have access to it again, and opening an Egg savers account instead, Egg currently offering one of the better deals for an instant access internet account.
It came on to rain for most of the rest of the day (I think the official phrase is "risk of showers, some heavy and prolonged") so we've not done a lot else, bar read the papers and magazines, do bits and bobs on the laptop and watch a variety of boats come and go.
This included a huge, Tjalk style Dutch Barge called Howling Gale.
It's going to be a quiet evening again, then the plan is to go on upriver to maybe Gunthorpe tomorrow, and Nottingham the day after.
Showing posts with label Newark. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Newark. Show all posts
Thursday, 9 July 2009
Wednesday, 8 July 2009
Relief at Newark
8th July
Definitely a quickie this time, as I'm a bit weary.
There's no doubt about it, long tidal passages are stressful for this crew, and the Trent between Torksey and Newark is well up the list. It's the concern (only slightly exaggerated) about taking a bend too sharply and running aground, in addition to the usual worries about the consequences of engine failure, this time thrown into relief by yesterday's adventure with the drive belt.
We locked down at 0830, and made an uneventful trip to Cromwell Lock, enlivened though it was by Little Shuva shuving an empty gravel pan past us just as we got to Fledborough Viaduct, and a full barge coming the other way a bit higher up. In the event, neither gave us any bother, passing without difficulty.
It took a deal longer to come back up, despite having the flood tide behind us for the first couple of hours; five and a half hours as against four going down, but once above the effective range of the tide, Sanity was working hard to stem the flow against us.
Cathy and the boys came to see us on arrival - we had to moor on the wall at first, but later moved across to the pontoon.
We've done a first trip to Waitrose (Chinese banquet for two tonight), and we'll have a leisurely shop in town tomorrow.
Oh, one last wildlife note – there were a lot of Oyster Catchers about today.
Definitely a quickie this time, as I'm a bit weary.
There's no doubt about it, long tidal passages are stressful for this crew, and the Trent between Torksey and Newark is well up the list. It's the concern (only slightly exaggerated) about taking a bend too sharply and running aground, in addition to the usual worries about the consequences of engine failure, this time thrown into relief by yesterday's adventure with the drive belt.
We locked down at 0830, and made an uneventful trip to Cromwell Lock, enlivened though it was by Little Shuva shuving an empty gravel pan past us just as we got to Fledborough Viaduct, and a full barge coming the other way a bit higher up. In the event, neither gave us any bother, passing without difficulty.
It took a deal longer to come back up, despite having the flood tide behind us for the first couple of hours; five and a half hours as against four going down, but once above the effective range of the tide, Sanity was working hard to stem the flow against us.
Cathy and the boys came to see us on arrival - we had to moor on the wall at first, but later moved across to the pontoon.
We've done a first trip to Waitrose (Chinese banquet for two tonight), and we'll have a leisurely shop in town tomorrow.
Oh, one last wildlife note – there were a lot of Oyster Catchers about today.
Labels:
Newark
Friday, 12 June 2009
From tidal to still waters
11th & 12th June
Not long after I'd finished the last post, Peter and Anne of Agapé turned up and Sheila nipped out and had a long chat (I was cooking chili con carne by that time). As we hoped, they had no problem with us being tied outside them, and seemed genuinely pleased to see us again.
In the course of the evening we had phone chats with both Elanor and Graeme, in the latter case making some tentative arrangements for the next week's family rendezvous (what is the plural of that last word, or is it its own plural, like sheep?)
Whilst all this was going on (meaning I don't recall just when) a pair of swans with 14 cygnets turned up, so Sheila took some photos of them through the side hatch.
Next morning, some of us had a bit of a panic at the sight of the increased flow through Newark dyke. If it's this fast in the canalised section, we wondered, what will it be like in the main river?
We did some shopping and dumped the recycling, or at least as much as there were bins for at Waitrose. Then I walked back up to Town Lock and had a chat with the lockie when he came on at half nine.
He said that we would be fine to go down to Cromwell, and the start of the tidal section, but that we should take further advice there about going on to Torksey. Meantime he would contact Newark Nether Lock and let them know we were coming. This was particularly useful, as the upstream lock landing for Nether is out of sight of the lock itself.
Back to the boat I went, and we set off at once. As we approached the lock, I gave the lockie a call on the VHF, and was told to carry on past the landing and into the basin above the lock. He could only open one gate as there was a load of detritus behind the other.
He also rang Cromwell whilst we were penning through, and said that the advice was to keep going all the way to Torksey in the one day, as there was a lot of "fresh" coming down the river after all the rain in Derbyshire, and the next day (i.e. today) would be trickier.
So on we went, Sheila taking over the helm for the tidal bit. It was the last of the ebb, but there was so much extra water in the river that we had little trouble with depth. This had not been the case for the unfortunate Emilyanne, which we passed about five miles below Cromwell.
It looked as if she had tried to cut the corner on a bend and paid the price, running well aground. Indeed, as we went by, most of her hull was exposed as she sat fair and square on her flat bottom.
We lunched on the way, and got to Torksey at around quarter to two. At Sheila's request, I took over the helm for the turn into Torksey Dyke, and we tied on the pontoons below the lock. I walked up to the lock to find out how long we'd have to wait to get through, it being slack water at the bottom of the ebb, when there's not usually enough water over the cill of the lock to use it.
The lockie said that we could come straight through, so that by the time I'd got back to Sanity and we'd started up again, the lock was almost ready. In we went to the enormous chamber, and with little trouble came up into the oldest canal in the country.
Although I don't suffer from quite as much anxiety as Sheila does about boating on moving water, it was nonetheless a relief to be on a canal again. The lockie said we could stop on the service moorings for the night, so we were able to pull over and tie up straight away. The proper visitor moorings are a good half mile further down, at the end of all the long term stuff.
I broke out a beer and we sat in the sun and relaxed properly for the first time since we saw the red light at Redhill at the beginning of the week.
Today, we made a leisurely start and ambled down to Saxilby, the first place of any note. Being a) Roman built and b) in the fen country, the Fossdyke is very straight, with just the occasional bend to keep the steerer awake.
The weather has been just superb, and we've spent a lot of the day sitting in the sun, reading. The visitor moorings here are excellent, with a park like surround to them including picnic tables and a barbeque.
Just after lunch, Cathy gave us a call, having noted the boat (and my cowboy hat, seemingly) as she drove past on her way to some friends. She stopped by for an hour, so I've finally had a chance to meet Alexander, though he's not got a lot to say for himself yet, except to gesture at his bottle and give contented little eructations as he consumes it.
Takes after his father and grandfather, really.
We're all going to meet up again tomorrow, though we may well just have a family do on the boat, as there will be a lot of pressure on what moorings there are between here and Lincoln on a sunny Saturday in June.
Not long after I'd finished the last post, Peter and Anne of Agapé turned up and Sheila nipped out and had a long chat (I was cooking chili con carne by that time). As we hoped, they had no problem with us being tied outside them, and seemed genuinely pleased to see us again.
In the course of the evening we had phone chats with both Elanor and Graeme, in the latter case making some tentative arrangements for the next week's family rendezvous (what is the plural of that last word, or is it its own plural, like sheep?)
Whilst all this was going on (meaning I don't recall just when) a pair of swans with 14 cygnets turned up, so Sheila took some photos of them through the side hatch.
Next morning, some of us had a bit of a panic at the sight of the increased flow through Newark dyke. If it's this fast in the canalised section, we wondered, what will it be like in the main river?
We did some shopping and dumped the recycling, or at least as much as there were bins for at Waitrose. Then I walked back up to Town Lock and had a chat with the lockie when he came on at half nine.
He said that we would be fine to go down to Cromwell, and the start of the tidal section, but that we should take further advice there about going on to Torksey. Meantime he would contact Newark Nether Lock and let them know we were coming. This was particularly useful, as the upstream lock landing for Nether is out of sight of the lock itself.
Back to the boat I went, and we set off at once. As we approached the lock, I gave the lockie a call on the VHF, and was told to carry on past the landing and into the basin above the lock. He could only open one gate as there was a load of detritus behind the other.
He also rang Cromwell whilst we were penning through, and said that the advice was to keep going all the way to Torksey in the one day, as there was a lot of "fresh" coming down the river after all the rain in Derbyshire, and the next day (i.e. today) would be trickier.
So on we went, Sheila taking over the helm for the tidal bit. It was the last of the ebb, but there was so much extra water in the river that we had little trouble with depth. This had not been the case for the unfortunate Emilyanne, which we passed about five miles below Cromwell.
It looked as if she had tried to cut the corner on a bend and paid the price, running well aground. Indeed, as we went by, most of her hull was exposed as she sat fair and square on her flat bottom.
We lunched on the way, and got to Torksey at around quarter to two. At Sheila's request, I took over the helm for the turn into Torksey Dyke, and we tied on the pontoons below the lock. I walked up to the lock to find out how long we'd have to wait to get through, it being slack water at the bottom of the ebb, when there's not usually enough water over the cill of the lock to use it.
The lockie said that we could come straight through, so that by the time I'd got back to Sanity and we'd started up again, the lock was almost ready. In we went to the enormous chamber, and with little trouble came up into the oldest canal in the country.
Although I don't suffer from quite as much anxiety as Sheila does about boating on moving water, it was nonetheless a relief to be on a canal again. The lockie said we could stop on the service moorings for the night, so we were able to pull over and tie up straight away. The proper visitor moorings are a good half mile further down, at the end of all the long term stuff.
I broke out a beer and we sat in the sun and relaxed properly for the first time since we saw the red light at Redhill at the beginning of the week.
Today, we made a leisurely start and ambled down to Saxilby, the first place of any note. Being a) Roman built and b) in the fen country, the Fossdyke is very straight, with just the occasional bend to keep the steerer awake.
The weather has been just superb, and we've spent a lot of the day sitting in the sun, reading. The visitor moorings here are excellent, with a park like surround to them including picnic tables and a barbeque.
Just after lunch, Cathy gave us a call, having noted the boat (and my cowboy hat, seemingly) as she drove past on her way to some friends. She stopped by for an hour, so I've finally had a chance to meet Alexander, though he's not got a lot to say for himself yet, except to gesture at his bottle and give contented little eructations as he consumes it.
Takes after his father and grandfather, really.
We're all going to meet up again tomorrow, though we may well just have a family do on the boat, as there will be a lot of pressure on what moorings there are between here and Lincoln on a sunny Saturday in June.
Wednesday, 10 June 2009
And off again!
9th & 10th June
The evening before last, after we'd had dinner and were trying to relax despite the frustration and uncertainty of not knowing what we were going to do the next day, a Sileby Mill hire boat appeared going down the lock. We went and gave them a hand, and explained about the Trent being closed. We had a good old natter, then retreated back to Sanity.
It was pretty rough night, worrying about how long we were going to be stuck. In the morning, we got up early and paced about rather, then suddenly, at half eight, another boat turned up. When I went to talk to them, they explained that they'd been waiting above the lock, and lo and behold, the light had just turned green.
Off we went again, down the last of the Soar, left turn up the Trent away from the weir, then hard right round into the Cranfleet Cut. We had a good run down the river from Cranfleet to Beeston, touching 7.5 mph at times. The river was certainly still quite high.
There was plenty of space at Nottingham by Sainsbury's, so we had a good old restock. The great thing about this location is that the trolleys don't have locks on the wheels, just a pound in the slot system, so you can wheel it right up to the boat.
I spent the late afternoon doing an engine service – 6800 hours now – just like a fair number of other boating bloggers.
Speaking of blogging and numbers, I've just clocked up 40,000 hits between the website and the two blogs. Not a patch on some others around here, of course, but still satisfying to think of.
The way I had the comments option set on this blog seems to give problems on occasions; there's been times I couldn't comment on my own blog. It was set to give an embedded dialogue box on the post's webpage, but I've changed it to a standalone comment entry page, which seems to work better.
We had a much better night's sleep last night. After a another visit to Sainsbury's, we set off for the big river. Meadow Lane Lock is under refurbishment at the moment, and a sign at Beeston had said that it would be available for use between 10 and 11.
We got there at nine, and with difficulty found a mooring outside a work barge and settled down to wait. Shortly after making coffee, two boats worked up the lock. Huh?
Seemingly, the lock is available all the time, it's just the towpath that's out of bounds. By this time Eventide had arrived, so we worked down together and set off for Holme Lock.
We had to hang around there a bit, as there was a trip boat due to come down, and the lockie wanted to put them through at the front. Finally they turned up, and we all penned down and charged out onto the huge width of the Trent.
Although full, it wasn't in fact flowing particularly quickly, so it made for very pleasant boating. We lunched on the move, and apart from a run in with another trip boat, Sonning, reached Newark quite uneventfully.
(Note to the skipper of Sonning: before turning across the river under the bows of the boat coming downstream at you, it's really helpful if you give a sound signal, or even try calling him on the radio. He might not know that you usually turn around just at that point. Aargh!!)
Newark was quite busy at three o'clock, with no space left on the pontoon by the BW offices. We'd just resigned ourselves to mooring on the wall on the other side, and (though I say it myself) I'd done a neat reverse ferry glide over there, when we realised that one of the boats on the pontoon was our old friend Agapé, last seen at Thurmaston.
So I tried another ferry glide across to them, but it really doesn't work going downstream. Never mind, we got there and tied outside them. They are not on the boat at the moment, so we're sitting here with our ears cocked, ready to check that they don't mind us being here.
The evening before last, after we'd had dinner and were trying to relax despite the frustration and uncertainty of not knowing what we were going to do the next day, a Sileby Mill hire boat appeared going down the lock. We went and gave them a hand, and explained about the Trent being closed. We had a good old natter, then retreated back to Sanity.
It was pretty rough night, worrying about how long we were going to be stuck. In the morning, we got up early and paced about rather, then suddenly, at half eight, another boat turned up. When I went to talk to them, they explained that they'd been waiting above the lock, and lo and behold, the light had just turned green.
Off we went again, down the last of the Soar, left turn up the Trent away from the weir, then hard right round into the Cranfleet Cut. We had a good run down the river from Cranfleet to Beeston, touching 7.5 mph at times. The river was certainly still quite high.
There was plenty of space at Nottingham by Sainsbury's, so we had a good old restock. The great thing about this location is that the trolleys don't have locks on the wheels, just a pound in the slot system, so you can wheel it right up to the boat.
I spent the late afternoon doing an engine service – 6800 hours now – just like a fair number of other boating bloggers.
Speaking of blogging and numbers, I've just clocked up 40,000 hits between the website and the two blogs. Not a patch on some others around here, of course, but still satisfying to think of.
The way I had the comments option set on this blog seems to give problems on occasions; there's been times I couldn't comment on my own blog. It was set to give an embedded dialogue box on the post's webpage, but I've changed it to a standalone comment entry page, which seems to work better.
We had a much better night's sleep last night. After a another visit to Sainsbury's, we set off for the big river. Meadow Lane Lock is under refurbishment at the moment, and a sign at Beeston had said that it would be available for use between 10 and 11.
We got there at nine, and with difficulty found a mooring outside a work barge and settled down to wait. Shortly after making coffee, two boats worked up the lock. Huh?
Seemingly, the lock is available all the time, it's just the towpath that's out of bounds. By this time Eventide had arrived, so we worked down together and set off for Holme Lock.
We had to hang around there a bit, as there was a trip boat due to come down, and the lockie wanted to put them through at the front. Finally they turned up, and we all penned down and charged out onto the huge width of the Trent.
Although full, it wasn't in fact flowing particularly quickly, so it made for very pleasant boating. We lunched on the move, and apart from a run in with another trip boat, Sonning, reached Newark quite uneventfully.
(Note to the skipper of Sonning: before turning across the river under the bows of the boat coming downstream at you, it's really helpful if you give a sound signal, or even try calling him on the radio. He might not know that you usually turn around just at that point. Aargh!!)
Newark was quite busy at three o'clock, with no space left on the pontoon by the BW offices. We'd just resigned ourselves to mooring on the wall on the other side, and (though I say it myself) I'd done a neat reverse ferry glide over there, when we realised that one of the boats on the pontoon was our old friend Agapé, last seen at Thurmaston.
So I tried another ferry glide across to them, but it really doesn't work going downstream. Never mind, we got there and tied outside them. They are not on the boat at the moment, so we're sitting here with our ears cocked, ready to check that they don't mind us being here.
Labels:
Newark,
Nottingham
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