Torksey 3 day moorings to Saxilby
A post on facebook brought my attention to a new section on the C&RT website. If you log on and then log on to your licence section you can now see what sightings C&RT have for you. I put in this year.
In the past you used to have to write to them for your sightings, a few weeks later they would send you the list. It appears they have now been able to link everything up.
Number checkers at marinas do exist as you can see. Then we didn’t get spotted until we’d crossed over the Pennines. Next in Birmingham. The number checkers will always get you in Thrupp as the moorings are martialed by the cruising club. Obviously no sightings whilst we were on the Thames as it is EA water. Twice in one day in Oxford. Then not until we reached Nottingham. We obviously don’t stay still long enough to get clocked in the same place twice.
Later in the day the Sightings tab was removed from the website by C&RT.
‘Sightings Information
To support customers accessing their data, we have recently made sightings of boat movements available via your Web Licensing account. Unfortunately, the format of that data has caused some customers concern about the location their boat has been sighted and left them with questions. The Trust is currently compiling supporting guidance and information, as a priority, to help boaters best understand this data and help answer any questions they may have.
Whilst we prepare this guidance, we are pausing access to the sightings data.‘
Autumn arrived today with rain! No quandary as to what to wear, long trousers without a doubt for us. Tilly was given the morning to spend outside, she chose not to take us up on the offer despite the back door being open for hours! They only do this when it’s a WET outside! Yesterday’s version was so much better!
Mick worked his morning magic in the kitchen and we settled down to wait for the rain to stop. If only I’d not broken my toe the roof around the mushroom vent over the bathroom would have been sorted in the warm drier weather. But that has not been possible, so we’ll have to live with a puddle in the bathroom whenever it rains for a while longer.
Emails about dressing tables came through from Chippy, a producer has already started to hunt for one, I added more information to assist her hunt and confirmed the need for an overhead projector to help with the drawing out of scenery. Last year it took me what felt like days to get the Piccadilly sliders drawn out, with an OHP I’d most probably have done it all in two hours.
With phone and internet signal patchy or none existent we really wanted to move on. So when it looked like the rain was easing we decided to move, just as Tilly did too! Once the second mate had returned the doors were closed, it was time to roll back the covers.
Wet decks and flip flops do not go together. Chilly air and crocks required some socks adding to them. An intermediate thermal sock was achieved over my broken toe. Then a squeeze into my crocks, not as comfortable as yesterday.
How far should we go? Saxilby, not ideal for a cat. Burton Waters, better but further. We pushed off with light drizzle in the air. The Fossdyke was built by the Romans and stretches into the distance in long straights, the occasional bend giving a change of direction. The high banks hide much of the surrounding landscape, so it can’t be classed as a picturesque canal. Deer ramps extend out into the cut, arrows mark their locations, frequently.
At Drinsey Nook a proud building stands by the road. Was it once a coaching house? A large farm house? A hunt round on the internet later in the day told me nothing about the building. It told me that back in 2014 a family of 11 who lived in Drinsey Nook were all convicted of modern day slavery crimes. One chap had been under their control for 26 years!
Approaching Saxilby it started to rain properly, decision made we’d have to cope with complaints from Tilly for the rest of the day. Past the permanent moorings, past the handy stop off for the chippy, under the rail bridge and to the moorings. We pulled in, moored up and then tried explaining to Tilly that behind the trees lay a noisy dangerous railway and how she wouldn’t know about it until it was too late! I got the ‘But Why?!’ treatment!
Steve and Deena were moored a little ahead of us, they came to warn us of the willows. Mick!?! Yesterday they’d moored at this end and a branch had come crashing down close to them. Mick!?! They had moved up ahead and thought Mick TOM! might want to consider moving us along too. He’s called Tom! Who is Mick!?! Tilly kept a very close eye on them and their woofer through the window. TOM, it’s TOM!!!
After we’d eaten, Mick had a look at the closest tree. If it was to loose a limb it would miss us. We stayed put for the night as the rain returned.
0 locks, 4.8 miles, 10 degrees cooler, 1 pair thermal socks, 1 toe slightly cramped, 1 wet day, 1 indignant cat, 0 Micks, 1 Tom!
