Wednesday 7th April
What a day! The sooner we get off this river and on to the canals the better! You may remember a few months ago I mentioned a couple who got their boat wedged across the river in a strong flow at Birstall? Well, today that was us – at Sileby!
The day started quietly enough. Quite pleasant weather and the river was now well in the amber. We needed to stop at Sileby Mill for coal and discussed the options. What we would have liked to have done was moor up on the diesel barge at the boat yard and just collect the coal. However, when we arrived at the lock there was, of course, someone already moored at the barge! Our plan B was already thwarted by the prescence of another boat at the lock approach so we couldn’t stay there and barrow the coal round because we would be too close to the lock blocking the approach. The water was really flowing fast over the weir and past the boat yard. We thought mooring up opposite the boat yard would mean not being able to get off the bank again, so we decided to lock through and moor further down the moorings where, we thought (wrongly as it turned out!) the flow wouldn’t be so much of a problem.
Had we have left the boat there and barrowed the coal round to the boat in stages we would have been ok but, as we were talking to the boat yard lady the moored boat left the barge and she suggested we bring our boat over. BIG mistake! After Ken began his manouvre another boat came along and moored on the barge! There was a gap between 2 boats moored along the bank and it was suggested Ken try to moor up there instead. Cutting a long story short, as he tried to come across to it he got caught by the flow, the back swung round and he ended up wedged across the river! Talk about embarrassing!
On top of this it started raining, deep joy! It took a lot of people, a lot of effort and quite a long time to eventually get ‘Waveney’ unstuck. I kept apologising but no one seemed bothered. I think they were secretly glad it was us and not them! I have to say, all that rope pulling has done wonders for my tennis elbow (not)! Anyway we got the coal and various other bits and pieces and after some minor problems unberthing managed to continue down to Mountsorrel where we had to stop for Ken to go to the fishing tackle shop!
We moored up near the ‘Waterside Inn’ and felt it would be churlish not to take George for a pint! He was pleased, especially when the landlord produced a chew for him. After this we went to Budgen’s and the fishing tackle shop. When we got back we couldn’t be bothered to move on any further so we decided to stay the night. It isn’t a race after all. We saw Terry who is moored up here at the moment and he said the red light was on at Barrow still so the level will have a chance to go down a bit more.
Hopefully tomorrow won’t be quite so eventful!
