Eleven wide locks today and 10 of them were slightly difficult as they were built for a 57ft boat and we are 58’6”. Overcoming this involved positioning Waiouru diagonally in the lock with the bow tucked into the corner behind one of the lower gates. I needed to have an eye in the back of my head as it was necessary to watch both the bow and stern. The former to ensure the front fender didn’t catch on the gate when going down and the latter to avoid snagging the rudder on the cill. We had 2-4 inches of clearance.
The canal had a lovely rural aspect until we reached Mirfield.
An interesting lift bridge at Huddersfield. It’s the first bridge I can remember where the roadway is lifted vertically. Fortunately it’s electric. <Jan here> I remember another bridge. <Tom here> I plead age!
They all walked off when I suggested we might sell tickets to watch the lock operation! 
A late lunch at Cooper Bridge Cut where the Huddersfield Broad Canal meets the Calder & Hebble Navigation. We rested an hour before deciding to continue on to Mirfield.
NB Red Admiral was looking very smart on its mooring at the South Pennine Boat Club.
On the outskirts of Mirfield we passed the former premises of Heron Boats (last passed in 2014) where nb Gypsy Rover (aka nb Ferndale) was built.
A little further on is Leggard Bridge. The navigation turns to the left leaving the river to go over the weir. Leggard Bridge is where another well known boat was built.
I remember avidly reading Maffi’s blog on the build of the Milly M. He was an absentee owner in Saudi Arabia during the build and I had just been approached about going to Saudi Arabia by my then employer. So I had two reasons for closely following his blog posts.
We’re now moored outside Lidl and I note they have petrol generators for sale this week. Not that we need one!
5 comments :
Lillyanne is 59'6"! We had even more fun coming down the HBC. At one point we thought we were going to have to turn round and go back over the Pennines but we just managed to shove the bow across with much pushing.
Mick
There's another vertical lift bridge on the western side of the Rochdale Canal also electrically operated. Incidentally the Huddersfield one wasn't electrified during the restoration, it was only done fairly recently.
Mick
Great you're heading our way - the Calder and Hebble does have her pretty spots... don't forget your hand spike though and give our empty mooring (well empty until the boat is built) a wave as you head onto the Aire and Calder through Stanley ferry. Keep an eye on the weather forecasts though as broad cut and above suffers very badly when the river gets too high. Stanley on the other hand is safe ... so far!
btw - if you are looking for a reasonable meal in Wakefield, I'd stop outside the Ruddy Duck... 2 for 1 type of place but actually good food and full table service. Plenty of Ales too which is a change for a modern pub.
Mick
At one point I was thinking I might have to take the bow and stern fenders off. The bow thruster was very useful.
Hi Quaysider
Thanks for the tip regarding the Ruddy Duck. Best of luck with the build!
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