06-22 RAIN RAIN RAIN

Some days it just makes more sense to write your blog during the day that life is happening because THIS is a memorable day.

This axiom comes to mind as I sit in our warm boat after 2 hours of pouring rain and very windy conditions on the canal standing on the stern of our boat piloting us along at 3 MPH.

It HAS been raining all day. Oh, it may have stopped for 5 minutes but I think I'm safe to say it rained all day today AND HARD. Not your whimpy Seattle drizzle-all-day rain but an England rain that only a farmer could love.

We started off this morning with 6 locks in a row all within a 1 mile stretch. We love doing the locks but they lose their romantic appeal the wetter things get. It was so wet and we were so wet that I think we were ready for a divorce from the locks despite the cheery looking wave from me.

With 4 locks done and both of us soaking wet (Karen's 10 year old coat is no longer waterproof like my new one she bought me for Christmas) we docked for awhile to dry out and eat lunch.

The locks can hold two boats at the same time. Sometimes you lock through with another boat and sometimes there are no other boats going your way. As we were getting ready to get wet again another boat was coming up through the lock below us. We quickly got ready again and joined them in our next lock.

The other captain and I joyfully commisurated about what a lovely day we were having as the locking duties were masterfully handled by our first mates.

We locked through the two remaining locks together sharing the load and making the difficult task in the rain half as hard. They stopped in a couple of miles for lunch at a Pub they asked us about and we motored on without locks or swing bridges for the 4 miles to the bottom of the Greenberfield trio of locks.

Once we got there in the pouring rain and very windy conditions it was time for me to dry off again. Karen had been rotating the wet clothes in the cabin but I was soaked to the skin once again.

About an hour later our new-found friends came by in their boat intending to head up the 3 locks and we quickly got ready to join in the party.

Karen got out of the boat and headed up to help the lady with the locking duties in the 1st of the locks and I got the boat ready to leave in the continously pouring and windy rain.

We locked through in tandem through all 3 locks in just 1 hour. We pulled over 100 yards past the top of the last lock to spend the night in the wind and the rain. Tomorrow we shall travel the last mile to our boat's home in Barnoldswick.

Our lock total for today is 9 locks and so much rain and wind that our 4 hours and 15 mintues seemed like twice that.

06-20 Second Verse Same as the First

As Karen will tell you, if possible, I like to take a different road home when we're on trips. On the Canal that's just not possible. So our first destination this morning is...the Bingley Three Rise locks followed by the Bingley Five Rise locks.

As we round the corner to view the locks we see TWO boats (our friends are first in line) waiting to go up and THAT'S not a good thing when the lock can only hold two boats.

So, we indeed DO have to wait about 100 minutes before we get to start up. We try and put a good spin on it by playing lock master. I don't get to do the locks that often so we went up and helped the two boats lock through the three locks.

By the time our turn came to go up another boat had come up and they wanted to go through also. Great, because it is easier with two boats.

Our NEW locking buddies were bringing their boat up from another canal and they were now going to continue remodeling it closer to their home.

With sunshine and 3MPH this never gets tiring.

There are more people around this time when we arrive at the Bingley Five.

Sometimes the lock gates or the paddles don't close all the way and a stream of water will cascade into your bow. If the water enters faster than the scuppers can drain it then you get wet carpet in your living room. NEVER a good thing. The lock master was an expert at knowing his lock and how to open the water gates to keep the boat bows from filling with water.

We locked up without incident and pulled off to the side at the Cafe (beyond the STOP sign) to fill our water tanks up and use the free Wi-Fi to send off some updates from Karen. Our friends from Australia were still at the top waiting for us! After all this time? That's their boat on the left.

The cool thing about two boats going together is you can play hopscotch with the Swing Bridges. One crew opens the swing bridge for both of you. You keep motoring along and by the time you get to the next swing bridge and open it they have caught up with you and THEY sail through. It cuts your swing bridge delays in half.

Karen has opened the bridge and they are moving on to the next one.

After awhile we catch up to the boat that was ahead of us at the Bingley Three and they have a bridge open and BOTH of us sail through. Karen and I decide to visit a city so we leave the two of them to continue on up the canal without us.

Typical scenery along the way. There's a bridge up around the bend.

Just a motorin' along...

At the town of Silsden we walk into town and don't find much to do. We buy some more supplies (food) and then head back to the boat.

We find good fortune in the next few hours of boating in that two more bridges are open for us by other boaters before we stop for the night. It was a great day to be out on the water.

06-18 Big Cities on the Canal

One of the biggest cities on the canal is just up ahead. We're all dressed in our short sleeved shirts ready to hit the town.

BUT FIRST...We must navigate a few SWING BRIDGES to get there.



These bridges can be out in the middle of nowhere to allow people to get from one side of the canal to the other or they can be in the cities where you actually stop traffic.

They can be completely manual or completely electric or some combination.

So this manual bridge is locked and it takes a special key (that you can buy anywhere) to unlock it so that you can swing it.





Karen is standing and pushing against the lever arm and swinging the bridge open AND taking a picture. They all are not that easy. Some need more work than others.



Here is the bridge open all the way and I've already moved the boat through.



After I motor on through she will swing it back so that it is usable. Then she will lock it again, walk across the bridge, and climb aboard the boat that I've masterfully landed without deck hand assistance.



In addition to all of the locks that we went through we also went through 48 swing bridges during our week on the boat.

Skipton is the largest town we'll be going through this week. We found someplace to tie-up the boat (which is pretty much ANYWHERE along the canal) and walked about a 1/4 mile to the center of town.



They have a market in the streets about 3 or 4 days out of the week. It's kind of like our street fairs at home but they do it more often. You can see a few of the white tents in the background.



Their other big deal in town is the Skipton Castle which we paid $7 pounds to visit.



This is a greatly preserved castle that, despite having no furniture in it, gave you a great sense for what the living conditions IN a castle were.

There were many school groups with teachers who were giving excellent tour guide information on the castle that we occasionally eavesdropped on. This guy had a sword as a pointer.



The castle courtyard with a tree planted many years ago by the lady of the house.



Rain drain upgrades were one of the "newer" improvements to the castle.



The great banqueting hall.





They had used a kitchen from the 1400's for awhile...



...and then they upgraded to this one with cast iron.



Yep, it's what you think it is. They called it the "long drop" and they usually went directly into the river off the back side of the castle.



We enjoy castle exploring. It makes us appreciate our easy living.

We shopped a little bit in town and Karen found a great deal on a Disney Brave Little Tailor piece.

The "famous" fish and chips in town is Bizzie Lizzies and on our way back to the boat we picked some up and had lunch on the boat on the canal with it. Karen said it was very good because it was cod.



As we continued on through town on the water we came upon the intersection of two canals. The main canal that we are on bends around to the right. The Skipton Spring Canal bends to the left and within a 1/2 mile will be behind the Castle.





My kind of boat!



Along our route today we found a memorial to Polish Airmen in WWII who were in England training and their plane crashed.



Houses and other boats along the canal.





After a long day of "swingin' bridges" Karen gets a break.