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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