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70 now and our five wonderful years aboard our narrowboat Skyy seem along time ago. Jacquie, allowed me to build my replica three wheeler kit car, which was a great success. Now it's time to start on a bigger project and that is to make a good Triumph Stag even better, here goes.

Sunday 26 August 2012

MUDDY WATERS


SATURDAY 18TH TO WEDNESDAY 22ND AUGUST 2012   

Thank you Carol and Kevin for your comments and the good news for Kevin’s wife, is that now she won’t have to worry about competition for that lovely riverside home at Ely.

The weather was as forecast, very warm and sunny as we left Buckden Marina, the locks slipped easily passed and we stopped for the evening at the public mooring by the delightful village of Hemingford Grey. On Sunday we reached the isolated GOBA moorings on the Old West River, having passed through the tidal section of the Great Ouse, the heat was quite exhausting and I did take a dip in the river to cool off whilst watching the sunset


On Monday we were again in Ely for the night and on Tuesday morning I called Denver Sluice and booked in for a passage to Salters Lode, midday Wednesday I was told, so we moved on from Ely and settled down to about twelve miles of easy, lock free, sunny, cruising, stopping at the EA mooring just before Hilgay Bridge, leaving just an hour’s cruising for Wednesday morning before we would arrive at Denver.

We left in plenty of time in the morning, as I wanted to pumpout and fill with water at Denver before joining the queue for the lock. We left the service pontoon in a bit of a rush, which is the other side of the lock island, as it was; we were still number eight in the queue when we tied up. I called to Jacquie that I would take Duggie and see what was happening, but no Duggie!! We must have left him behind when we finished with the services, I collected his lead and briskly walked over the lock and down towards back of the services and to our relief Duggie ran up when I called his name, Phew, what bad parents we must be!

There was a little silt pusher doing its best to remove the mud bank, but as the tide rapidly fell away it was very much still there. We were the last out at 2.30 pm and with a stiff breeze blowing I couldn’t get my nose round in time before we were on the mud. I pulled back into the lock and repositioned so that I could exit at an angle and on full throttle, this time the bow came into wind and we were on our down to Salters Lode. It was a clumsy turn into the narrow entrance, but we were in without touching the sides and the relief lock keeper was not on hand to witness or score my effort out of ten.




 

The Middle Levels are so slow after the river and two hours later we arrived at the flower bedecked landing at Upwell and tied up for the night.

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