Friday, 31 October 2014

Autumn Cruise - Burton Waters and Lincoln


Burton Waters

We arrived at Burton Waters on Monday morning, but moored on the canal moorings. Chris Potts the canopy maker from www.marineindustrialcovers.co.uk paid Moonshine a visit to pattern up her canopy and to discuss what we wanted regarding both the canopy and cockpit upholstery. This cannot come soon enough as Moonshine's existing sunroof canopies leak very badly, and now every time we look closely at the main canopy we see another part that has daylight coming through. Her existing canopy would be very lucky to last another winter. We had a walk around the marina looking at their boat sales and saw what is new that is being built on the complex. Every time we visit there is always something new.


Brayford Pool Then and Now

On Tuesday we moved onto the beautiful historic city of Lincoln. Even as a youngster I loved visiting Lincoln on Kriskerry (Seamaster 27) with my parents. However, every time we venture up this way now we wonder if we will get moored up on the very sparse free visitor moorings that CRT provide. When we arrived a narrowboat was already occupying the moorings and by the time we had returned from a meal out at Toby Carvery and a bit of shopping another narrowboat had moored behind us and that was it, moorings full. 
The mooring situation has of late been a huge problem for pleasure craft visiting the city. At one time there were council visitor moorings on the left hand side of the Brayford Pool, but since the cities waterfront regeneration in the early 1990's and the building of the new by pass, university, cinema, bars and restaurants the old decaying wooden jetties have been removed never to be replaced. The only sign that moorings were once there are the old jetty upright posts that were never removed and still stand just under water. 
It must be noted that craft fortunate enough to be able to pass through the Glory Hole can moor opposite the Wilkinsons store.
For this reason we tend to visit out of season ie Easter or this time of year.


Whilst out and about on our travels and on occasions like these where we have no access to shore power we rely on a Silverline 700w inverter which we purchased from Argos earlier on in the year for the tv and kids laptops. We also have a Kipor IG2600 generator which we purchased 2nd hand in December from a friend of ours as he was giving up boating due to health problems. The generator isn't that old and it is probably more heavily used with us than its previous owner. It is useful for topping up the domestic batteries, running tv and laptops etc and if necessary is more than capable of heating the water up via the immersion heater for showers etc. It would be nice to have an inboard generator, but the only place we have on Moonshine to fit one is where her holding tank is situated. 

Woodcocks

On Wednesday we spent the day shopping and returned back to Burton Waters late afternoon just as it had dropped dark. We then tried out the food and bar in the Woodcocks. The food was on 2 for 1 and they have a wide selection of fine pub food.


Saxilby

Thursday saw us trundling slowly back towards Saxilby on the Fossdyke Canal aka The Ditch, where we stopped for the local Co-op and a light lunch onboard before setting off again for Torksey to fill up with water and be penned out of the lock for the river.


Weber

We even managed another bbq as it was dropping dark.


Julia was preparing to sail when we passed. She had laid overnight at Blacktoft Jetty, and was due to depart for sea on the following tide.  She is a large vessel for Goole on neap tides, and could not make it over Whitton Sands on one tide, even though she was in ballast after delivering a load of vegetable oil.


Friday saw us leave Torksey on the ebb to meet the flood at Keadby. From there we planned to The Apex, but travelled at displacement speed back to Goole with the tide as we didn't want the vibration caused by a damaged prop causing any more wear and tear to an already worn engine mount. So that is another couple of jobs to add to the list prior to going tidal again. 


Goole Boathouse


We returned back to our base that is Goole Boathouse with the sight of yet more SYBC boats that have moved there this week for various reasons. Looks like there may soon be an SYBC Goole division! 

2 comments:

  1. Lincoln Marina now offer visitors moorings. £10 per night including electric. They are the first finger pontoons outside the office.

    We prefer to moor through the Glory Hole though. Much quieter at night.

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    1. Oh yes, I forgot about those... Still not many moorings and shallow at the side, no good for reversing in stern to with out drives when your main access is at the stern. Still not good enough though, the council really could do to reinstate those old moorings but with a secure pontoon.

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