Sunday 8 July 2012

We left home by car  at 9 am. this is a good hour earlier than we get away on the boat. The weather wasn’t to bad but local radio was reporting heavy rain. Sure enough we found it on the Norwich bypass.
We arrived at the marina at 11 am. it was difficult sticking to the 5 mph speed limit as we went through the marina, arriving at the boat, there on the seat on the front deck sat our yellow plastic box containing the boat keys, Diana’s camera, all the current boat paperwork plus other bits and pieces.

With the box safely in the car we headed off to Denver Sluice where we hopped to see “nb. Waterway Routes” crossing from Salters Lode to Denver. When we arrived at about 12 the water was quite high and had only just started to flow out, having been held back by the fresh breeze.

Waiting to leave Denver was the Fox Narrowboat that had moored beside us on Friday night outside The Crown Hotel They were due to leave the lock at the same time as Paul left salters Lode passing on the river and at 1230 they were off. Once out of the lock it was hard left and full power. We watched him go down stream flat out arriving at Salters Lode minutes after Paul had managed to turn in the flow and start making his way upstream. From what I could see was that the Fox boat didn’t lift the power until he entered the lock and made a perfect approach.

Paul powered nb. Waterways Routes upstream against the falling tide but even so it took him what seemed a life time to reach us. He held true until he was well up and opposite the landing before turning in towards the lock.  He then crossed parallel to the sluices above the sandbank. This just left him with the problem of swinging the bows into the lock. This is not as easy as it may look, due to the fast flowing water swirling pushing the stern of the boat of the boat towards the sluices. Once Paul had her on her way into the lock he looked more than happy to be off the tideway. We met him the other side of the lock where he moored on the EA 48 hr. before we retired to The Jenyns Arms for Sunday lunch before heading back home.