alafloat

Saturday 13 June 2015

We always knew we have to negotiate the Biggley 5 rise and the Biggley 3 rise but as we have done them a few times before neither of us gave the task much thought, after all its only a set of locks, Now it maybe we are a little older, the locks have become shorter, the boat become longer or all three. I have no idea what;  but this time they were really a nuisance they are classed as 60ft locks which in theory they are however if you are descending in the lock  and you measure from the cill to the hinge of the gate they are;; though the problem starts when the lock is closed (which they have to be to work ) the gates swing in by about four feet which means as a 60ft boat you end up with your stern stuck to the cill wall and you bow stuck in the recess where the lock gate have to be so you can get out.  It takes a lot of careful maneuvering, great seaman ship and a lot of swearing to get out of every bloody, whilst you are conducting your fetes of maneuverability you are being soaked by water cascading  from the leaking lock that you have just left, some were like having ten hoses turned on you others were less only nine hose pipes.

Now to none boaters I guess you will have been lost in the first sentence, all I can suggest is you google “ rise locks” or staircase lock,  as they are more complicated than standard locks. However for a change the person who has all the work to do is the one in charge of the boat those working the lock there job remains the same

Those with boats  anything less that 60ft the locks are very simple. I also think that there are more Swing Bridges on the Leeds and Liverpool canal than any other in the country every other mile I am sure they have built new ones since we were last up here.

On the plus side the weather has been wonderful such a change on last week, we have been travelling with a boat called “DUNRUSHIN”  WITH Mike and Liz aboard, its always better to travel together when facing all these swing bridges we do one they do the following and so on that way out of 10 bridges you only man 5 and it really speeds up the journey we said goodbye to them this afternoon as they were staying in Appley bridge but as true boaters another boat who we met in skipton has joined us for the last day into Leeds.

This morning we awoke to a terrible drizzly day and its that Yorkshire drizzle that soaks you through so we left it until 09.45 and then made a dash for it however it soon cleared to be a lovely day and we got that beautiful smell that you get after a hot dry smell and then some light rain which clears the dust it was such a clean fresh smell. But its now 20.00 and its raining again.

All well we shall make Leeds Tomorrow and hopefully a good mooring 

Buggerlugs