The weather for the weekend doesn’t look very promising and as a consequence the decision was made to move today. For the past month we have been encouraging our son to stay with us on Waiouru. OK, on the negative side he has a healthy appetite; but he does bring brawn to the arrangement and we’ve used that during our Pennine crossing. I (almost) break out in a sweat watching him struggle with the paddles and gates.
We do have a working relationship. He provides the muscle and I provide the intellect. This probably explains why Jan sometimes refers to me as being “big headed”.
An interesting situation at Long Cut Flood Lock. We were coming down the river with the current and found a CRT working boat positioned in the open flood gates. Once the crew realised we were there they decided to move the boat out onto the river. We could see a disaster happening as the crew appeared to have forgotten they had the boom on the crane up and it was going to hit the overhead bridge. Fortunately they remembered in time and reversed to lower the jib.
The reason for this next photo is a reminder of our trip this way in 2014. The lady in the white house adjacent to the lock breeds some type of very large French dog and told us at the time the puppies sell for £4000.
Slightly further downstream was a camouflaged lock side house. Jan loves it, but all I can think of is the roots of the ivy cracking the mortar in the brickwork.
Now here’s an example of why I provide the intellect and son provides the muscle. This was an easy paddle for him to raise but he couldn’t understand why the lock wasn’t emptying.
Well the rod has to be attached to the paddle! 
We didn’t need to use our 3x2 softwood home made handspike at any of the locks. Whilst a number of the locks did have the handspike mechanism there was always a windlass alternative.
In this next photo you can see the handspike mechanism on the top gate paddles. However the large black half-round structure in the left of the photo contains two ground paddles operated by a conventional windlass.
After four hours of cruising we arrived at Wakefield. The river continues straight ahead but there is a weir just out of sight. We turned right onto Fall Lngs Cut where we moored on the 72 hour moorings.
Opposite and rather handy, is the Ruddy Duck pub.
2 comments :
I think I saw your boat as I drove over the bridge on my way home from work... HOW tall is that Ariel mast?
I do hope you had a decent meal at the pub if you went in - last night we shared a chicken in Stilton and the grains and beets risotto arrangement.
IF you're really bored/feeling cultured, you could nip into the Hepworth for a mooch - and coffee.
atb
Mark.
Hi Mark
If it was our boat then the pole has the TV aerial on top. It was purchased from B&Q and is a telescopic painters pole. I guess it must be about 10ft high when fully extended.
We have yet to visit the pub
I'll have to check where the Hepworth is on the map.
My guess is today we'll go for a wander around Wakefield in the morning and perhaps a longer walk in the afternoon.
If you're around this way during the weekend knock on the roof and see f we're home!
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