A quiet night in Preston Dock - hardly a a romantic film or song title, but we were more than happy just to relax after the excitement of the previous day.
Something to eat, a glass or two of wine and we were as relaxed as could be and awoke refreshed and ready for another day on the Ribble. My mobile rang about 11am........
"Hi, it's Riversway control here.......Canal and River Trust guys have just rang and asked to let you out of the dock.......so if you are O.K to go, I have another boat ready and you can share the lock " Suggested the unseen guy in the glass tower above the dock.
" Will be with you in two minutes......many thanks " I replied.
Engine started, ropes off and I reversed into the blustery open dock where a 'real' sea-going boat was keeping station so that he could see the green 'ready' light that informed you the road bridge had been swung and the sea-lock was ready.
I managed to reverse into position- as if I knew what I was doing - waiting for the green light. Bridge turned open, red light turned green and I shot into the lock........
"Which side are you going for ?? " shouted Cap'n Denise
" Port Side to miss the silt" I replied
'Listen to me......Port? Port? what happened to 'left' I am taking this boaty thing far too seriously' I thought.
Putting a bow and stern line around the lock-wall chains really was not necessary
as the levels between lock and river were almost the same..........but still good practice as it is difficult to judge the different levels from your point of view and turbulence in the lock
could be the cause of a few embarrassing pirouettes, especially with a 'proper' boat captain looking on.
Off we went into the river not sparing the horses at about 2300 + revs. I rang the Canal and River Trust guys at the Savick brook rotating lock and informed them we were out of the dock and that we would be with them ASAP...........
I had channel 14 on the VHF and could hear the captain in the 'proper' boat behind informing Riversway control that his destination was the Isle of Man.............
Perhaps I should inform them that my destination was Savick Brook and the |Lancaster Canal........I thought.
Perhaps not...........I thought again.
A run of about a mile or two and we could the see the welcoming steady green light at the entrance to Savick Brook. I remembered that the west (left if going in ) side of the entrance had a sandbank, so I did a ninety degree and allowed a little room for drift and obviously stuck to the east side.
No problem as there was plenty of water in the brook and Andrew the friendly Canal and River Trust guy was waiting with the lock open........phew, made it this time.
We moored on the holding pontoons beyond the lock and Andrew explained that he was waiting for boats from Tarleton and we had about an hour to wait. Right on time after an hour or so a single boat arrived with the crew shaking their heads at our enquiry if they had a good crossing.
"Engine temperature was going into the red and we had to drain the hot water from the
and calorifier to keep it going worse" they said looking a little jaded.
"How far behind are the other boats?" we asked.
" A long way.......one has broken down with a split hose and the other is towing it to Preston Dock " was the reply......
" I am getting too old for this - I think I will get the bus back" joked the lady crew member with another shake of the head.
So we were not the only people to have an adventurous Ribble crossing. No point in waiting now so we both went up the flight of locks, culminating in the three 'staircase'
locks.
Entering the staircase lock is little tricky because most larger boats have to reverse into the lock as there is not enough room before the lock to turn around. Our companions managed to turn their smaller boat and it was the first time I had been in a lock with one boat pointing forward and the other backward !!!!
A new steel sculpture has been erected above the staircase lock. It is self-explanatory
with a narrowboat full of tools that would have been used to construct canals. Apparently
it replaced a wooded sculpture of a nude man holding his vital parts - perhaps there was a contact somehow with canals - but like many others perhaps it was lost on me. Never mind we are here to visit the Lancaster canal and despite our struggle to cross the River Ribble I am sure will be all worth it.
More to follow on the Lancaster canal............
 |
| On the Preston Docks visitor moorings |
Something to eat, a glass or two of wine and we were as relaxed as could be and awoke refreshed and ready for another day on the Ribble. My mobile rang about 11am........
"Hi, it's Riversway control here.......Canal and River Trust guys have just rang and asked to let you out of the dock.......so if you are O.K to go, I have another boat ready and you can share the lock " Suggested the unseen guy in the glass tower above the dock.
" Will be with you in two minutes......many thanks " I replied.
Engine started, ropes off and I reversed into the blustery open dock where a 'real' sea-going boat was keeping station so that he could see the green 'ready' light that informed you the road bridge had been swung and the sea-lock was ready.
I managed to reverse into position- as if I knew what I was doing - waiting for the green light. Bridge turned open, red light turned green and I shot into the lock........
"Which side are you going for ?? " shouted Cap'n Denise
" Port Side to miss the silt" I replied
'Listen to me......Port? Port? what happened to 'left' I am taking this boaty thing far too seriously' I thought.
 |
| Waiting in the lock at Preston Dock. |
Putting a bow and stern line around the lock-wall chains really was not necessary
as the levels between lock and river were almost the same..........but still good practice as it is difficult to judge the different levels from your point of view and turbulence in the lock
could be the cause of a few embarrassing pirouettes, especially with a 'proper' boat captain looking on.
Off we went into the river not sparing the horses at about 2300 + revs. I rang the Canal and River Trust guys at the Savick brook rotating lock and informed them we were out of the dock and that we would be with them ASAP...........
 |
| Leaving Preston dock for Savick Brook and the Lancaster canal |
I had channel 14 on the VHF and could hear the captain in the 'proper' boat behind informing Riversway control that his destination was the Isle of Man.............
Perhaps I should inform them that my destination was Savick Brook and the |Lancaster Canal........I thought.
Perhaps not...........I thought again.
A run of about a mile or two and we could the see the welcoming steady green light at the entrance to Savick Brook. I remembered that the west (left if going in ) side of the entrance had a sandbank, so I did a ninety degree and allowed a little room for drift and obviously stuck to the east side.
 |
| A green light ( yes I know it looks white on the picture) shows the entrance to Savick Brook |
No problem as there was plenty of water in the brook and Andrew the friendly Canal and River Trust guy was waiting with the lock open........phew, made it this time.
 |
| Rotating sea lock at Savick Brook. |
We moored on the holding pontoons beyond the lock and Andrew explained that he was waiting for boats from Tarleton and we had about an hour to wait. Right on time after an hour or so a single boat arrived with the crew shaking their heads at our enquiry if they had a good crossing.
"Engine temperature was going into the red and we had to drain the hot water from the
and calorifier to keep it going worse" they said looking a little jaded.
"How far behind are the other boats?" we asked.
" A long way.......one has broken down with a split hose and the other is towing it to Preston Dock " was the reply......
" I am getting too old for this - I think I will get the bus back" joked the lady crew member with another shake of the head.
So we were not the only people to have an adventurous Ribble crossing. No point in waiting now so we both went up the flight of locks, culminating in the three 'staircase'
locks.
Entering the staircase lock is little tricky because most larger boats have to reverse into the lock as there is not enough room before the lock to turn around. Our companions managed to turn their smaller boat and it was the first time I had been in a lock with one boat pointing forward and the other backward !!!!
 |
| Staircase lock leading to the Lancaster canal. |
A new steel sculpture has been erected above the staircase lock. It is self-explanatory
with a narrowboat full of tools that would have been used to construct canals. Apparently
it replaced a wooded sculpture of a nude man holding his vital parts - perhaps there was a contact somehow with canals - but like many others perhaps it was lost on me. Never mind we are here to visit the Lancaster canal and despite our struggle to cross the River Ribble I am sure will be all worth it.
More to follow on the Lancaster canal............
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