Wakefield and beyond

This morning I was pottering about outside the boat working hard on completing essential maintenance and resupply tasks when our moored neighbour exchanged greetings.  We were discussing the general area and his boat when I asked whether he knew if a Calder and Hebble spike was required to to complete the Rochdale Canal.  He confessed he didn’t know and hadn’t moved much since purchasing the boat 12 months ago.  Apparently he was in the process of fitting it out.  He then asked if he could accompany us to Stanley Ferry where his vehicle was parked.  It was on the way to Wakefield and so we agreed.  He then returned with a 1.2m length of 3x2 suggesting it might be converted into a lock spike.

At 9.00am we headed towards Wakefield with Firefly NZ following.  ‘Tom’ our newly acquired passenger offered to work his passage to Stanley Ferry by operating all the locks.

Approaching Stanley Ferry Aqueduct

Either someone’s project or the Australia government is sending their boat people great distances

We’ve been spoilt with the last few electrically operated locks.  But mid morning that all changed when Leonie did the last of them.  From now one we’re probably back to Armstrong Hydraulics.

Firefly follows us into the lock

Some of the lock beams around here look decidedly old.

Some of the scenery was breathtaking

Then we reached a lock which required a handspike to open the lock paddles.  Fortunately Ray & Leonie had one on board.  Leonie did the honours whilst Jan watched and gave advice.

Just as I was thinking it would be handspike operated locks from here onwards they changed back to windlass operated.

Someone’s abandoned boat.

We stopped at Wakefield for 90 minutes to complete some essential shopping at the large Sainsburys.  After a quick bite for lunch it was time to leave Wakefield and head further west.

Looking back at Wakefield

The cruising day ended at Horbury.  Ray and I had been discussing a project during the day and after we had moored he produced his electric circular saw whilst I ran a 240v lead from Waiouru and produced our orbital sander.  We trimmed the end of the piece of timber ‘Tom,’ our passenger, had given me at Castleford.  Then Ray cut a bevelled edge on the four corners at the other end.  I then used the sander to smooth off all the rough edge.  The project was then complete.

Genuine item on the left and the cheap imitation improvised kiwi version on the right.

The bottom end of the improvised version has a rebate cut out of it to fit the lock gate paddle mechanism.  The top end has been rounded and smoothed to eliminate reduce the chance of splinters.  It now requires trialling!