St Ives to Sawley, week one:
It was always going to be challenge: a new boat, a tight schedule and a crew change half way up The Nene.
I was picking up 'Thursdays Child' from The Pike and Eel marina on The Ouse near St Ives. I'd been waiting several weeks for Salters Lode lock to re-open after being closed for nearly 6 months. This was vital as with it shut it blocked our only way home. I'd been searching for a new boat for quite some time and I'd seen 'TC' on the net but she was out of my price range. I'd made a lower, much lower offer and it'd been accepted. Great news! the money had cleared, the paperwork signed and a new BW licence was in the window. She was mine and ready to start her long journey home - a new home.
A good mate was helping out for the first week. Andy, had a bit boating experience. He'd just got back from a fancy dress 'pirate' weekend up the Llangollen, I'm not joking! That however was a leisure cruise, this was going to be extreme boating. We'd been dropped off the night before by Estelle and had a few beers before hitting the hay fairly early so we could make a good start on our first morning. With a mug of tea in my hand, a bright blue cloudless sky and the boat dripping in morning dew I attempted to start her up. It chugged over but nothing! I tried again and nothing, and again and again and again... nothing! My heart sank and I had that churning feeling in my stomach. The batteries had been charged, I'd pumped a bit of petrol round the outboard and even I'd pulled the choke, what was wrong? It was on the fifth or sixth attempt Andy - a Rolls Royce engineer said 'Stu, have you attached your safety cord to the engine? It's on the boats keyring'. Of course I hadn't, thankfully that was problem solved and we sailed out of the small picturesque marina full of white cruisers and the odd narrowboat.
When buying the boat I asked if there everything we needed on board: a windlass, rope, full gas bottle etc, 'of course' was the reply and indeed TC was very well equipped. Unlucky for us there was one vital piece of equipment missing. It'd taken us around 40 minutes to reach the first lock. A huge electric guillotine affair with gates 50 feet high and a huge metal door which slid up and down. Cruising the canals and rivers of the midlands I'd never seen anything like it. Both Andy and I jumped ship to try and figure out how to work it. It was then I noticed a small sign: 'An Environment Agency key is needed to work this lock'. A what? I'd got a British Waterways key but not an EA key? The next 15 minutes was spent turning the boat upside down and inside out in search of this illusive key with no luck. It was still only 7.30am and we'd 2 options; wait for another boat or go back to the marina and try and find someone with a key. Neither of them seemed ideal as we'd not seen a sole since getting up. All was very very quiet.
We waited around for ten minutes or so before I bit the bullet and reversed the boat back out of the lock. This was not turning into my best days boating and around half an hour later later we were back to where we'd started from. Andy and I split up, he attempted to wake the landlord of the local where we'd been drinking the night before and I spotted one lonely figure on the far side of the marina. I ran round and greeted him out of breath explaining our predicament. 'It's your lucky day' he replied, I looked bemused, 'I work for The Enviroment Agency and I've two keys, if you wait here you can have one!' Sometimes in life you really do get lucky and this was one of those occasions. I thanked him and asked him if he wanted payment to which he declined. What a gent! Andy apologised to the landlord who was on the phone to a boating mate asking him to get out of bed and get over here with a key..!! We made a sharp exit, set sail... again! and this time took a steady pace back up to the first lock and onto our destination for the night; Littleport - a good days cruise away.
To be continued...
.JPG)
No comments:
Post a Comment