4th Goole A Much Better Goole. 8th March

Goole Boathouse Marina to opposite the Museum


Tucked in next to Yorkshire Pud

The forecast for the next few days spurred us on to make a move today. Strong winds and more rain are coming. Todays weather might be the only decent day to cruise for a while. We’d been planning on reaching Selby by Sunday night, a big push to get there today would have meant leaving the marina early and keeping going to get onto the Selby Canal and off the Aire. Looking at river levels they may have dropped enough to be in the amber, but then tomorrows outlook was not good. Decision made, we’d move to give Tilly some shore leave, but not too far so that we’ll be near shops and the station. 
The dirty linen drawer was emptied into the machine and a final wash put on, followed by the tumble dryer. Our gate key was handed back in at the office and the water tank topped up. By midday we had finished with shore power and unplugged, pushed back and left the confines of the marina.
The tugs used in the docks

On the mooring with the stupid deaf dog another boat had moored with it’s own dog peeking out of the wheelhouse. They could keep each other company. Dutch Barge Linton had been mentioned on the radio last evening and been told to stem the tide whilst two commercial boats came down the lock onto the river. We’d not heard anymore about them before we turned the radio off, they’d obviously made it up off the river.
A grassy mooring

We pootled up past all the big moored boats and the museum. The stretch of moorings opposite by the railway were free, so we pulled in. It took a while for us to tie up, there are bollards intended for much much larger vessels than ours which are placed a long way back from the cut. No chance of getting a rope back to the boat to tie off here. The length between the bollards were just a touch too close together, our lines being innies but nearly straight. If anything big were to come by we’d be all over the shop. So Mick got creative with his macrame skills and put a couple of spring lines out. We had just enough spare rope to get to the bollards from the fender eyes on the side of the gunnel. 
Macrame Master at work

This is a far superior outside to the other three I’ve experienced in this Goole over the years. Trees, sideways trees, big holes to stick your head down, they are especially great. They mean bouncing friends!

After lunch we heard that Exol
Pride was on it’s way. Mick redid his macrame and just as he was happy with it the bow of a big blue boat came into view. The railway bridge and following pipe bridge are too low for them to keep the wheelhouse up, so as they approached they lowered it and as soon as they were through it pushed back upwards, all hydraulics.

14 empty 22 when full

We wondered if they would be heading out to Hull today as the antennas were being put back up, but they slowed and pulled in alongside the other big boats on the permanent moorings.
Now that we knew we were secure on the bollards we headed to the shops. At almost a mile and a half we wouldn’t be doing a big shop, just enough to keep us going for the next few days until hopefully the weather has passed.
Moored up for the weekend

14 day rule doesn’t apply around here!
The crew from Exol Pride had locked up the boat ad were clambering over the others to get to dry land. They had been delayed by a day as the River Don had been in flood. As they brought their car out they offered us a lift to the end of Albert Street, but we were happy to walk.

Ripped and wound into balls

9mm hook at work

My red fabric from Boyes was ripped into strips today and wound into balls. A break from diddy knitting was needed and my next project needs to be complete in a couple of days to get the most out of it. I got so far, but may need to back track as I think it has got a touch too big. A fitting may be required before I go much further with it.

A different view of the docks

0 locks, 0.38 miles, 4th mooring in Goole, 3rd this trip, 2 far to go in 1 day, 2 hours, 1 macrame basket, 3 miles there and back, 2 bags shopping, 1 ft of bank showing, 2 m ripped up, 10 inches across, 1 hunt for red and yellow yarn.


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