We all enjoy to read trip reports when we are away from the water, and recently there has been Terry Streeter's northern voyage (one day of which I was fortunate to share), covering large distances and negotiating many locks, Brian H and Harnser's July cruise and Brian D's trip to Saul. I don't normally send trip reports, but as an exception I submit for your consideration and entertainment the log/trip report of nb Seth Ellis (a Chesterfield Canal Trust Trip boat) for Tuesday 24th June 2008. my first on this boat: Last Tuesday I helped out with the Canal Trust trip boat in Retford. This was certainly an eventful trip with a cargo of Primary School children. Below for your enjoyment is my brief log: Tuesday 24th June 2008 09:30 According to plan, load children and set off westwards into first lock (Town Lock - 25 metres distant). Bottom lock gate, towpath side, will not close due to an obstruction. 09:35 Contact British Waterways for lock repair. Reverse out of lock turn boat around at adjacent turning point, head east to turning point (winding hole), consider but dismiss continuing to Hop Pole pub winding hole in case boats are moored there preventing turning being possible. 09:40 collide with sunken supermarket trolley under bridge (pedigree Aldi), disentangle boat from same and proceed 400 metres to winding hole. 09:50 disperse angry fishermen from winding hole and turn boat, return towards Town Lock, avoiding aforementioned submerged trolley (colliding with bridge in the process), negotiate red washing-up bowl and other floating flotsam. 10:00 arrive back at Town Lock, BW maintenance workers had arrived and freed the gate so we entered lock and filled it. 10:10 Emerge after uneventful locking to find upper pound 60cm below normal level. Skipper explained situation to school teacher and suggest that rather than do two return trips the students be swapped over at the halfway point and each group only do a one direction cruise as progress would be very slow through the mud. Imagine how well this was received! 10:20 Begin slow slither over mud to next lock (me steering for this section). Use of full engine power needed to get through exit of River Ryton aqueduct. 10:35 Manoeuvre past three moored working-type boats stopped on a tight shallow bend. 10:50 Skipper takes over helm on approach to next lock. Because of shallow water, set two crew off from nose of boat at lock landing, keeping stern afloat in 'deeper' water (to little avail). 10:55 I remain on board with skipper and am put in charge of boat pole. Use boat pole to get off mud bank. Members of crew previously landed set lock for boat. 11:00 Discover insufficient depth of water to enter lock over silted up bywash outfall - Open top paddles to flush down more water to increase depth in pound. 11:15 Liberal use of boat pole, foul language and full engine power enable us to get into the lock. 11:20 Lock through. Change over passengers, proceed to winding hole (100 metres) ahead just above Worksop Road bridge (ample depth of water here of course - Sod's Law applies to the waterways as we know), wind, and return to lock. I take over lock duties and remain on the towpath for the return journey. 11.35 Proceed back to Retford. Run aground at bend where working boats are moored. Use of boat pole and ropes are necessary to free NB Seth Ellis. Proceed back to Retford Town Lock with minimal of incident (except for unplanned grounding in the aqueduct) on the way. 11:55 Unload passengers. Waterways maintenance worker appears with wet, battered and muddy shopping trolley, some rope, half a dozen dirty bottles and a washing-up bowl (red). He indicates that his previous venture into the murky depths hereabouts uncovered 11 Aldi trolleys all chained together. A £1.00 coin had been used repeatedly to remove the trolleys from the canal, one by one. 12:05 Depart for home. Trip Statistics: Actual: distance travelled: 1.25 mile approx. locks: 2 time taken: 2 hours 25 minutes average speed: 1.34 lock-miles per hour Plan: distance: 2 miles locks: 4 time allowed: 2 hours planned average speed: 3 lock-miles per hour.
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