CX54WEK
Well-Known Member
Friday evening finally arrived and with it the bank holiday traffic and caravans galore. A half hour late we arrived at the marina to find the other boats ready for the off twiddling thumbs waiting for us. Within 15 minutes we were loaded up and ready to rock. Away we went with the destination for the evening of Bardney village moorings. First obstacle of the evening the Lincoln bridges which we all managed to navigate safely then on to Stamp End lock and a bit of a shuffle to wedge the boats into one locking.
20 minutes later and we where off again in the fading light watching a magnificent sunset over Lincoln cathedral. We finally arrived at Bardney lock just as the sun was giving up and darkness descended, again with a little shuffle we fit all the boats in for their descent and final stretch to the village moorings. By the time we were all safely moored up it was time for a swift drink, or two and then an early night ready for tomorrows jaunt.
Saturday morning dawned grey, wet and windy, just the weather for the long boring run down into Boston. It was agreed we would have a dinnertime stop at the Packet Inn, Dogdyke. The weather was still no better come 12.30 when we arrived. So sodden and grumpy we all head into the pub in search of refreshment. A couple of pints later we all feel much better and head off to finish the last leg of this stage of the adventure still in the wind and rain. Come 3.30 we rounded the final bend into Boston, the stump in sight and the ramshackle moorings which seem to get worse with each passing visit. We pick the best of a bad bunch and land safely before helping the others in. Still only half the group here we head off for our first night out on the town. A phone call later suggests that the remaining sea farers have decided to stay in Dog dyke and head into Boston on Sunday. A very drunken night in Boston follows the details of which are a little sketchy.
Sunday and the weather is a little better, no rain but still a howling wind pinning the boats to the pontoons. The remainder of the group catch up and we head off to have a chat with lockie. Our worst fears are faced head on when he suggests the weather for tomorrow is set to be no better. With his advice of another day holed up in Boston we set off in search of another pub. Luckily Boston has no shortage, and yet again we have another boozy night aboard.
Monday, and day three stuck in Boston. Today as a group we head off up the Boston stump with woolly heads and hangovers. Never mind the breeze soon wipes the hangovers away and we are soon off in search of food. We aim for the Maud Foster windmill and are greeted with huge mugs of coffee and huge slices of cake baked with flour ground by the mill. By now cabin fever is setting in and all we want to do is head out to sea. A word with lockie confirms that the weather and sea state are set to be much better in the morning, so we book in and go to get the boats readied.
Tuesday, the weather is calmer if not slightly cloudy with some rain forecast for late morning. Bleary eyed we all wake and set too removing canopies and drinking large amounts of coffee, well it is 6am. At 7am we all gather at the sluice ready to be released into the murky tidal waters of the Witham. By 7.20am we are all penned down and slip quietly through Boston town centre as the population sleeps soundly. This section of river is littered with aging sunk fishing fleets besides rows of freshly painted working fishing fleets. Soon we are out of the town limits and heading down the Witham outfall and it isn’t too long before we grasp our first sighting of tabs head and the sea beyond. Reaching tabs head we soon set off in earnest reaching a cruising speed of around 27mph. The sea had as the lockie suggested calmed down to a rolling swell of around 1m at worst but the swell was well spaced out so didn’t hinder progress other than the odd time the boat suddenly didn’t have any water beneath her and she fell into a 1m deep hole!!! Before too long we were in sight of the leading buoy at Wells and the dreaded Bar. The water heading into the harbour at Wells is channelled over a shallow sand bar which creates some interesting waves some of which are taken beam on as you follow the winding channel. Once over the bar things calm down somewhat and the waters of the harbour are surprisingly calm. Once we reached the visitor pontoon the harbour master moored us where he wanted us with two 25ft cruisers on the end, the two larger 32ft cruisers in the middle and us on the side of a 40ft yacht. Luckily the owners of the yacht where on hand to help us rope her up before we set off as it dried out at low water and sat 1m higher than when we arrived!!!! After cleaning off the salt water spray from the boats we head off in search of fish and chips before the heavens opened again!!!!
Wednesday dawned bright and early. So canopies off and we set off to do a spot of sea fishing. Out of the harbour at 8.30am and the sea was as calm as you like and very blue. We had a couple of hours of unsuccessful fishing before having a quick play and heading back into Wells before the water ran out, again. Lunch was eaten in the harbour view cafe with fine views out over the water before we set off to look around the shops.
Thursday was supposed to be a quiet day. All we needed to do was refuel. So at 11am we set off to the fuel berth on the fishing quay moored up and waited and waited and waited. The OH decided to find out where the harbour master was only to discover he had gone to rescue a beached boat. Not a problem we would have breakfast and wait. The secretary then hit us with the bombshell that if we didn’t get refuelled and off the fuel berth in just over an hour we would be stranded there for a tide. Luckily the harbour master arrived just in the nick of time and refuelled us. In the time this had taken another yacht had taken our mooring spot so we ended up rafted three abreast on the end of the pontoon. At this point it was suggested we have a BBQ as the weather had been so nice. So much for a quiet night in.
Friday, departure day for a couple of the group. At 9.50am we set off out of the harbour straight into a stiff breeze and choppy seas. Not a big chop but enough to throw the boat off balance at any given moment. Still we soldiered on and made it back to Boston too early having to moor up and wait a half hour for the tidal Witham to make a level with the non tidal river. After a quick break on the non salty side we set off for home. The plan had been to stay at Bardney again but we arrived there in good time so decided to plod on a head for Burton Waters. We arrived back at about 8pm. So just over 10 hours to get from Wells to Burton Waters not bad going.
Saturday dawned and we have a problem. Overnight an oil slick had appeared around Naughty-Cal. A couple of hours later and we have diagnosed a hydraulic oil leak from the stern drive trim ram, the evidence plain to see in the oil reservoir which appears to now be full of strawberry milkshake!!! A word with the office and we soon clear up the slick and set too cleaning Cal again. The yard can’t lift Cal yet so we head out as intended to Saxilby to watch the lads play in the Sun Inn again. Well that was the plan anyway. I never made it to the pub having gone to bed early. Too much skittles vodka!!!!
Sunday turned out to be a day of rest and recovery. Neither of us wanting to drive home so we had an extra day of peace and tranquillity before heading out to work this morning. We still don’t know when Cal will be lifted out or the extent of the damage but we do know that she performed superbly all week and never put a foot wrong. We now have even more confidence in her and can’t wait until the next opportunity to get her out to sea.
Some more pics
20 minutes later and we where off again in the fading light watching a magnificent sunset over Lincoln cathedral. We finally arrived at Bardney lock just as the sun was giving up and darkness descended, again with a little shuffle we fit all the boats in for their descent and final stretch to the village moorings. By the time we were all safely moored up it was time for a swift drink, or two and then an early night ready for tomorrows jaunt.
Saturday morning dawned grey, wet and windy, just the weather for the long boring run down into Boston. It was agreed we would have a dinnertime stop at the Packet Inn, Dogdyke. The weather was still no better come 12.30 when we arrived. So sodden and grumpy we all head into the pub in search of refreshment. A couple of pints later we all feel much better and head off to finish the last leg of this stage of the adventure still in the wind and rain. Come 3.30 we rounded the final bend into Boston, the stump in sight and the ramshackle moorings which seem to get worse with each passing visit. We pick the best of a bad bunch and land safely before helping the others in. Still only half the group here we head off for our first night out on the town. A phone call later suggests that the remaining sea farers have decided to stay in Dog dyke and head into Boston on Sunday. A very drunken night in Boston follows the details of which are a little sketchy.
Sunday and the weather is a little better, no rain but still a howling wind pinning the boats to the pontoons. The remainder of the group catch up and we head off to have a chat with lockie. Our worst fears are faced head on when he suggests the weather for tomorrow is set to be no better. With his advice of another day holed up in Boston we set off in search of another pub. Luckily Boston has no shortage, and yet again we have another boozy night aboard.
Monday, and day three stuck in Boston. Today as a group we head off up the Boston stump with woolly heads and hangovers. Never mind the breeze soon wipes the hangovers away and we are soon off in search of food. We aim for the Maud Foster windmill and are greeted with huge mugs of coffee and huge slices of cake baked with flour ground by the mill. By now cabin fever is setting in and all we want to do is head out to sea. A word with lockie confirms that the weather and sea state are set to be much better in the morning, so we book in and go to get the boats readied.
Tuesday, the weather is calmer if not slightly cloudy with some rain forecast for late morning. Bleary eyed we all wake and set too removing canopies and drinking large amounts of coffee, well it is 6am. At 7am we all gather at the sluice ready to be released into the murky tidal waters of the Witham. By 7.20am we are all penned down and slip quietly through Boston town centre as the population sleeps soundly. This section of river is littered with aging sunk fishing fleets besides rows of freshly painted working fishing fleets. Soon we are out of the town limits and heading down the Witham outfall and it isn’t too long before we grasp our first sighting of tabs head and the sea beyond. Reaching tabs head we soon set off in earnest reaching a cruising speed of around 27mph. The sea had as the lockie suggested calmed down to a rolling swell of around 1m at worst but the swell was well spaced out so didn’t hinder progress other than the odd time the boat suddenly didn’t have any water beneath her and she fell into a 1m deep hole!!! Before too long we were in sight of the leading buoy at Wells and the dreaded Bar. The water heading into the harbour at Wells is channelled over a shallow sand bar which creates some interesting waves some of which are taken beam on as you follow the winding channel. Once over the bar things calm down somewhat and the waters of the harbour are surprisingly calm. Once we reached the visitor pontoon the harbour master moored us where he wanted us with two 25ft cruisers on the end, the two larger 32ft cruisers in the middle and us on the side of a 40ft yacht. Luckily the owners of the yacht where on hand to help us rope her up before we set off as it dried out at low water and sat 1m higher than when we arrived!!!! After cleaning off the salt water spray from the boats we head off in search of fish and chips before the heavens opened again!!!!
Wednesday dawned bright and early. So canopies off and we set off to do a spot of sea fishing. Out of the harbour at 8.30am and the sea was as calm as you like and very blue. We had a couple of hours of unsuccessful fishing before having a quick play and heading back into Wells before the water ran out, again. Lunch was eaten in the harbour view cafe with fine views out over the water before we set off to look around the shops.
Thursday was supposed to be a quiet day. All we needed to do was refuel. So at 11am we set off to the fuel berth on the fishing quay moored up and waited and waited and waited. The OH decided to find out where the harbour master was only to discover he had gone to rescue a beached boat. Not a problem we would have breakfast and wait. The secretary then hit us with the bombshell that if we didn’t get refuelled and off the fuel berth in just over an hour we would be stranded there for a tide. Luckily the harbour master arrived just in the nick of time and refuelled us. In the time this had taken another yacht had taken our mooring spot so we ended up rafted three abreast on the end of the pontoon. At this point it was suggested we have a BBQ as the weather had been so nice. So much for a quiet night in.
Friday, departure day for a couple of the group. At 9.50am we set off out of the harbour straight into a stiff breeze and choppy seas. Not a big chop but enough to throw the boat off balance at any given moment. Still we soldiered on and made it back to Boston too early having to moor up and wait a half hour for the tidal Witham to make a level with the non tidal river. After a quick break on the non salty side we set off for home. The plan had been to stay at Bardney again but we arrived there in good time so decided to plod on a head for Burton Waters. We arrived back at about 8pm. So just over 10 hours to get from Wells to Burton Waters not bad going.
Saturday dawned and we have a problem. Overnight an oil slick had appeared around Naughty-Cal. A couple of hours later and we have diagnosed a hydraulic oil leak from the stern drive trim ram, the evidence plain to see in the oil reservoir which appears to now be full of strawberry milkshake!!! A word with the office and we soon clear up the slick and set too cleaning Cal again. The yard can’t lift Cal yet so we head out as intended to Saxilby to watch the lads play in the Sun Inn again. Well that was the plan anyway. I never made it to the pub having gone to bed early. Too much skittles vodka!!!!
Sunday turned out to be a day of rest and recovery. Neither of us wanting to drive home so we had an extra day of peace and tranquillity before heading out to work this morning. We still don’t know when Cal will be lifted out or the extent of the damage but we do know that she performed superbly all week and never put a foot wrong. We now have even more confidence in her and can’t wait until the next opportunity to get her out to sea.
Some more pics
