We love reading your reports Brian. Hope the dreaded Blanket weed on the Fens doesn't get you. We did a write up for WW many years ago about all the bits and the weed and weed boats opened for business around now. But talk about quiet cruising once off the Ouse. Our favourite mooring was Wicken fen - if they still let you moor up there. Crystal clear water and not a soul about. You can find if they still let us nasty boaters moor there. (Mind you when the wind blows there it can be bloody cold - we had to jam things in all the cracks as the wind howled across!) And, speaking of fens - when you go back across the Middle levels the Nightingales might still be singing at Woodwalton fen.
--- On Sat, 7/12/08, Brian <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: From: Brian <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Subject: [canals-list] Harnser's trip report July 2008 To: "Canal list George" <[email protected]> Date: Saturday, July 12, 2008, 9:49 PM Date - 12/07/08 Day - Saturday Start - 0930 Upwell End - 1900 river Wissey Yesterday made me appreciate how slow Well Creak would be, its about as wide as the South Oxford and half as deep, a comfortable speed was about 2 mph. For this reason we decided to set off at 9-30 to be at Salter's Lode by 1330. Things went well for the first mile and a bit until at Outwell a large Ash bough had split out of a waterside tree and was blocking the navigation, ahead of us a Fox 's hire boat were just squeezing through between the tree and the bank, we tried to follow but drawing 12" more water we had no chance. Luckily the hire boat had called Fox's yard to say they were stuck so a rep from the yard had contacted the Middle Level Commissioners. This resulted in a couple of chaps turning up with a 4X4 and a length of climbing rope which they attempted to hook the tree with, luckily the boat behind us had a dingy and he used this to attach a rope to the bough, they then managed to drag it towards the side by about a meter before the rope snapped. This gave us just room to get through, We had lost over an hour so now we needed a bit more speed than I have preferred to travel at. We arrived at Salter's Lode just after 1 pm behind the hire boat. Just after 1330 the lock keeper called the hire boat in and we made ready to follow down, much to our surprise the lock keeper opened the bottom guillotine but didn't close the top gate and told the other boat to follow through as we were mid channel and well down towards the lock he told me to follow on, so all three of us went straight through a level lock in one operation. We turned right and followed the other two up the tidal Ouse towards Denver Sluice, unfortunately the hire boat out front didn't know the way and headed off up the New Bedford River, we all waved madly and he managed to back up and swing in through Denver Sluice, this was also on a level so again all three of us sailed straight through onto the no tidal Great Ouse. We carried on up stream for about a mile before turning left into the River Wissey. We went all the way upstream to the head of navigation before turning and coming back down stream, we were unable to find anywhere to moor at the head so we are now tied to two trees about a mile below the sugarbeet factory. -- Brian <[EMAIL PROTECTED] info> Join SOW and help save our waterways http://www.saveourw aterways. org [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
