Goole Services to Viking Marina
Not such a good nights sleep, too many boats moving about in the early hours. Last night two cruisers had come up from the river, with nowhere else to moor up they breasted up at the water point. The only person they got in the way of was another boat that must have come up off the river too. They kept going, pausing outside the museum, reading the ‘NO Mooring’ sign and moving onwards in the dark. I think if it had been us, we’d have said Sod It and tied up for the night!
First we were woken by Exol Pride pushing off around 6am, they’d had their engine running for a while before hand. No casting off and then turning the engine on for them so as not to disturb the neighbours. Then about an hour later the two cruisers in front of us pushed off too.
Once we’d had breakfast and remembered to dispose of a broken glass that we’ve been transporting around Yorkshire for the last few weeks, we pushed off ourselves. Not far to go today.
Last year we turned right into Goole Boathouse, but today we were turning left into Viking Marina. A phone call yesterday had confirmed where our mooring would be and as we made our way around the cruisers we spotted Geoff/Jeff stood ready to catch a rope. Short pontoons always take a bit of sorting. Stern rope yes, but should you use your bow or centre line? The bow rope wouldn’t reach, which saved it constantly rubbing on the cratch cover, but the centre line left us waving around in the breeze. Have to say the breeze kindly held off until we’d reversed in.
Time to make use of one of the fender rings on the gunnel. These are intended to tie fenders to, but we removed them years ago preferring to hang fenders from the grabrail when and where needed, it also saves you having to replace them as they get caught in locks and then found by other unsuspecting boats. With a thinner rope fed round the ring and back to a T on the pontoon we were as secured as we could be.
Geoff/Jeff showed us where all the facilities were and chatted away, a very friendly warm welcome. Once the paper work was sorted with Lairs, Mick headed off to pick up a hire car whilst Tilly and I sorted things on board. I suggested there that Tilly helped, well she did by keeping a very close eye on a Moorhen!
More information on the gravel barges came through on Canal World Forum today. Farndale has been loaded up at Albert Dock, in Hull with around 400 tonnes of sand, the high tide meant they had a swift return into Goole. On Monday morning they will make their way up the Aire and Calder Navigation, pulling up above Lemonroyd Lock for the night, then onto Leeds on Tuesday morning for a shindig to celebrate commercial craft returning to the navigation . The company wanting the gravel require 1,000 tonnes a week, so the current plan is for Fusedale and Farndale to meet this. However should more be required in Leeds there are two more gravel barges on standby.
0 locks, 0.175 miles, 1 left, 1 wind without too much wind, 1 cheery welcome, 1 hire car, 0 shore leave, 1 pesky moorhen, 1 afternoon sorting, 2, 1 last portion of chilli, 4679 peas, 0 peas left, 8 years.