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Thorne to Lincoln via Keadby and through many and varied bridges called Wykewell, Moors, Maud's, Godknow and Vasin until the ebb tide finished on the River Trent when we cruised around the notorious bend called Trent Port, the bottom had a clay outcrop into the outside of the bend and, despite taking care and reading the charts closely, we went aground on it for a while.
It was a relief to be locked up safely from the Trent at Torksey into the Fossdyke & Witham Canal but we just pressed on along the new and different water course for our destination was Lincoln, mooring in the lagoon known as Brayford Pool in the centre
I got up quietly this morning and let the family sleep in until 7.45am whilst I wrote up my logs and journal. I noticed that the boats either side of us had set off much earlier but it was some time until we were ready to go. We set off after 9.00am on a cool and dull day but at least it was not raining. The way was past several key-operated lift bridges which Daniel opened. Some of them were electrically operated (the lifting variety) and others (to be swung) needed manual effort. The second bridge had a bridge-keeper and it was this that had closed at 4.40pm the night before and caused us the heartache. Past these bridges called such as Wykewell, Moors, Maud's, Godknow and Vasin until we arrived at Keadby and found it a welcoming place with a nice pub for lunch called the "Friendly Fox" which we went to.
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The Canal Navigation through the Selby swing bridge and along the Selby Canal, the River Aire, the Aire and Calder Navigation, the New Junction Canal and finally the Stanforth and Keadley Canal which zigzag network took us from the Yorkshire Ouse to within striking distance of the River Trent whilst avoiding the tidal stretches.
It had rained overnight, then dull and showery, ending up with a downpour as we neared Thorne and we stayed in there for the night. I had an argument with Di who has not liked this boating trip so far; saying that it was poorly planned and that we should have just stuck to the Great Ouse and the Norfolk Broads and so we slept apart.
We slept well after our exertions, and it rained again during the night but was thankfully fine again first thing this morning. We had to wait for the bridge-keeper to swing Selby Swing Bridge this morning at 9.30am, but I used the time to buy a transit pass for the canals and a British Waterways "Sanitation Key" which gets access to all of the facilities and swing bridges on the canals. Then we finally got through the first swing bridge at 9.30am and made our way along the Selby Canal as the second craft in a convoy. We had folded everything down and even stowed the windscreens on the cabin roof to aid headroom so that we could get under the arched stone bridges; but found that we had plenty of room in the end. The depth of the canal was also 1-2 metres which was better than yesterday on the Yorkshire Ouse.
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Leaving York after our last visit to King’s Staithe and then our cruise back down the Yorkshire Ouse making our way back downstream to Naburn Lock, following another vessel through Selby lock to moor into the quiet basin of the Selby Canal, getting Cadby Bridge to swing on channel 9 which was a triumph.
I took Diana for a walk around Selby which turned out to be a large market town with plenty of shopping facilities as the children had been watching a video and Daniel had been telephoning Angela; the love of his life
It was our last day in York today, but we had a bit of a lay in and then used the marina showers to the full before we left. We filled up with water and paid for the berth at a rate of £8 per day as we said goodbye to the staff. Then into York, with Daniel at the helm for the most part, mooring at the Kings Staithe for the last time. We were intercepted by some regular boaters there who, whilst being very hospitable and helpful, also delayed me a while by telling me all about the vagaries of the Yorkshire Ouse. Di went off to get the laundry done, Daniel pleased himself, and I took the girls to the bookshop and let them read whilst I went up to the library.
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Another cruise from Naburn to Kings Staithe again, this time we went into the old "motte and bailey" castle and then to visit the Castle Museum where its exhibition was huge with special displays on the Civil War and fashions and customs through the ages.
Then Daniel took Angela back to the railway station for the start of her journey back to Ware and I started planning the following week's cruises. More clouds in the evening as we expected the weather to change over the next few days
We slept well and I let the family have a lay in until 7.00am when I put on the Radio 3 weather forecast. We all had showers in the marina this morning and then breakfast sitting together instead of trying to do so on the way to York from Naburn. It was another warm and sunny morning, and the only difference was that there were a number of other boat-owners about; it being a Sunday. In fact we even had some competition for the showers. Eventually got to our Kings Staithe mooring spot around 11.00am and then went into the old "motte and bailey" castle and then straight on to the Castle Museum expecting to get a coffee shortly afterwards.
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