Tuesday 6/9 Newark to Torksey

Didn't sleep very well last night, too hot and too anxious about our big day today. Another boaters took place at 8.00am

It was decided the three boats should leave Newark for Cromwell Lock at 10.30 giving us time to reach Cromwell and to prepare to be locked down onto the Tidal Trent at 12.30pm. It was also decided that heading to West Stockwith was impractical and that we should stop at Torksey for the night (phew!)

Leaving Newark

Another old canal building, this one still neglected and forlorn

Entering Nether Lock. NBs Lynnes on the left and Daisy May on the right, behind whom we roped up, with a few anxious moment for Danny who thought we were going to rear end him. However with a combination of Lawrence's skill and my strength we stopped a foot short of his rear fender.

On the way to Cromwell, beautiful water

What would you rather be looking at - a four lane highway or water like this?

Beautiful and look - blue sky

Don't know if you will be able to see all the gear this fisherman has with him out in the water, even a chair. He was using a Shangai (sp?) to shoot maggots out into the water to attract the fish. He kindly desisted as we passed by.

This guy had even more stuff

This is it. No turning back now. Loaded into Cromwell Lock, ready for our decent onto the Tidal Trent, about which have heard many scary stories.

Off we go to 'punch the tide' for an hour or so before the tide changed to help speed us on our journey.

It's 3.25pm and here comes Butlers Island. With aid of the outgoing tide we are doing 6mph at 1500 revs. Not far now until the turn across the tide into the channel leading to the moorings below Torksey Lock.

We entered the Torksey channel at 3.45pm. NB Lynnes left us and went up through the lock. Andy And Lawrence performed perfect 3 point turns and we had just moored up when this behemoth turned into the channel

It decided to moor the two barges in front of Aqua Life which was a bit eye popping to watch

Later NB Serendipity came in. As they went past I called out they could breast up to us if there was no room beyond the barges - which should not have been on the visitor moorings. Kim, from Serendipity, came down a little later to say that the boats moored beyond the barges had squeezed up to let them in, and to thank me for the offer. Turns out Kim and per partner Nigel are going all the way through to Keadby tomorrow and the Keadby lock keeper had told the. They would get there in time to get over the chill. Hmmmmm. Our revised plan had been to go with Daisy May to West Stokwith and lock up off the river until the tides were favourable (nearly 24 hours) and then to proceed down to Keadby on our own.

We had a very convivial evening in The White Swan with Andy, Danny and Joe. Joe had walked down from his mooring above Torksey Lock on the Fossdyke Canal which is the oldest still navigable canal in the UK. It was built about 120AD by the Romans to connect the River Witham, in the fens, via What is now Lincoln, with the Trent and the Humber.

And then it was a wander back to the boat, after successfully negotiating, in the dark, the obstacle course of the barge ropes tied across the pontoon, some were at garrotting height, others knee height and others at waist height. And yes, you guessed it, another sleepless night.

21.5 miles (inc. 16 tidal), 2 locks , 4 1/4 hours