Home to Goole

The weather turned wet and water levels started to rise turning our thoughts to the return journey on the tidal Trent.  We moved on to Cromwell and had a walk down to the lock.  A dredger was working so we stopped to watch as bucket-loads of silt were scooped up and deposited in a barge.  Then we noticed a camera crew on the dredger and an interview taking place with us in the background.  When we watched the local news there we were - 2 minuscule blobs in the distance.  

That evening torrential rain and wind added to the noise of waves slapping against the hull so it wasn't a peaceful night.  In the morning we found a tree trunk had jammed under the jetty and against our stern.  Moving Brent III forward released the trunk which hurtled away towards the weir.  

At 12 o'clock the lockie let us through the lock and advised us the recent rain had raised the water level on the river by 10 feet.  There was no danger of grounding but in places we encountered 2 feet high waves.  We stopped overnight on the pontoons at Torksey and set off at 11.45am the next day.  This was the best time to gain an advantage from the tide and it certainly worked in our favour, after the tide had turned we sped along at 9.5mph.   We arrived at Keadby at 3.30pm, our fastest return journey. 

Passing the ruins of Torkey Castle which overlook the Trent

The approaching storm was making the news headlines so we decided to moor up at Thorne until it had passed.  On Sunday afternoon the wind picked up and we prepared for the gales, adding extra mooring ropes and clearing the roof of anything that might blow away.  The evening was quiet and so was the night.  Luckily the storm didn't come as far north as Thorne and on Monday morning we sailed up to the Junction and completed the journey home to Viking Marina on Tuesday morning. 

Moored up for the winter at Viking Marina.  

Since leaving Tattenhall we've travelled 1002 miles and come through 512 locks.  We haven't moored up for a rest, Kev has a list of jobs and minor modifications for us to do and I have been working on the plot for my November novel.  

The map shows the canals we've travelled during 2013