Embrace a Maiden Voyage with Volusia Dave Beet

With Chris and Sharon finally aboard their new fully fitted Jonathan Wilson 57’ trad Embrace we, that’s Christine and I, aboard our not yet internally completed, 57’ Josher style trad Volusia, departed from Jonathans yard at 0920 hours for the journey from Sheffield to, in our case West Stockwith, known colloquially as ‘Stocky’. Stocky, lies at one end of the Chesterfield canal and Shireoakes lies at the other. The latter being the final destination for Embrace.

The weather, feeling more like June, that September Thursday was unbelievably warm,

We had arranged with BW to arrive at the head of the Tinsley flight at 1000, and we arrived on the button. All the locks were set for us by Derek the lock keeper and he cycled between each lock arriving in time to make sure our passage was a smooth one. However after the first lock Embrace experienced a bit of a problem with water in the diesel. This soon resolved itself but Chris was seen more during the first three hours with his head down the engine hole bleeding of the water via the water trap than actually cruising. However, once it settled down, everything was hunky-dory.

All first time cruises on a new boat are somewhat of an apprehensive nature. My fears were that the water system might overheat, well an air lock is not out of the question, but happily I had no grounds for such fears. 

We had set ourselves a hefty target for the first day intending as we did, to make it as far as Barnby Dun, which is the other side of Doncaster as the crow flies, 20 odd miles and 20 odd locks. Now the last time I made this journey was in 1979 and the locks then were all self operated with heavy paddle gear. What a difference today!

Beyond Rotherham for instance they are all worked by hydraulics, and the time to pass through them is so short! Time was that the only part of the journey which had any natural beauty and attraction was the stretch between Conisborough and Sprotborough, Not any more! The scenery almost all the way is wonderful. All in all then, a journey I was not really all that sold on turned up so many nice surprises.

It was just going dusk as we passed through the centre of Doncaster and the site of sea cadets on their parade ground saluting the flag as we meandered through was a nice touch. The Church (one could be forgiven for thinking it a cathedral)

in the centre of Donny looked really nice and the new University building somehow seemed to fit also. By the time we passed Strawberry Island boat club, it was now dark and the remaining lock before our evenings destination gave us a chance to decide whether to stay there or push on with our original plan. Chris aboard Embrace was reluctant to think about stopping, he had enjoyed the day so much,

so we pressed on mooring up about 20 minutes later. Journey time about 11 and a half hours. Knackered, ready for a drink, we tied up and relaxed for the night.

The following morning was in sharp contrast to the day before and, as we cast off to go through the road bridge just opened by Christine and Sharon, the heavens opened! So, donning the Australian made leather hat bought on a whim at last years boat show, we pressed on! We were only making the short journey to Stanilands boat yard in Thorne today and as we approached the moorings there a narrowboat carrying a camera crew. Cameras were pointed in our direction as we passed and I remarked afterwards that perhaps having seen my new hat they thought Harrison Ford was taking another canal holiday this time away from Llangollan! I don’t know why, but much uncalled for derision followed this remark!

The evening was spent in the marina club house.

Day three saw us cruising to Keadby and we had a good meal in the pub there. Sunday morning we departed for the final leg on the Trent to West Stockwith. The tide arrived on time and we let it run for a while, that way we would reach Stocky at around high water. We got there just before so had to round up to enter the lock. The lock keeper Sue had the lock ready for us and we entered followed by Embrace. Now here is an anomaly! The tide runs over a 24 hour cycle but BW office bound staff, in their wisdom, have decreed that from October the lock will operate only between the hours of 0900 to 1600, some one will come out form 0700 by arrangement. But after 1600 forget it. Now this is a tidal haven and we all pay for a years moorings so why a half year service? It is not insignificant this enforced closure of the haven, as the Trent, as can be seen from Sharon’s face in the above picture, is a hell of a river, and this was only a neap tide we were going out on. I mentioned in the editorial the journey from Lowestoft and this is how the BW opening hours affected our plans for that journey. The tide on Sunday is just out of operating hours so arriving there that day is out of the question. The berth for Johns boat has been paid for, for almost a year and the boat has not been there for any of that time. The first time he wants to take up his mooring, he cant. Whoever decreed this ludicrous piece of legislation at BW ought to be sat down in front of an inrushing tide below chart datum and tell it to come back during office hours. Mind you it has been tried before,  not far from Stocky at Gainsborough in fact, by a guy called Canute! Moan out of the way! This particular journey had been excellent and the help from the various BW waterside staff  was, from start at Tinsley flight to finish at West Stockwith, second to none!