Day 10 – West Stockwith – Thorne

We were in West Stockwith Lock at 8pm waiting for the tide to turn. As we waited Bob and the lock-keeper sat at a riverside bench and chatted. I washed my knickers. Their conversation, about engines, gear boxes and blacking, must have been fascinating because the tide had almost turned back before they registered it was time for us to go. Bob came back to the boat preening himself because he was complemented on his skill and dexterity in handling the boat.

It was a cloudy morning and out on the river there was a very strong wind blowing in our faces, whipping up waves and chilling us. My phone said the temperature was 19degrees but Bob said, ‘if this is 19degrees my ***** a kipper.’ Flecks of rain hit our faces. Our book warned of large commercial traffic in this area but the only big boat we saw was safely moored up. The entrance into Keadby lock was again tight against the strong out-going tide. A cruiser who had passed us, sensibly waited for us to enter the lock before they joined us. He needn’t have worried, once again Bob handled the entrance into the lock with skill and dexterity.

Released from the lock, passing under the swing bridge we headed towards Thorne. At the next swing bridge, which interrupted a railway line, the instructions were to sound the horn to alert the man in the signal box. At that point we found out the horn didn’t work. Bob told me to cross the railway line to speak to the man in the signal box. I refused. Bob set off. After scrambling under the fence and crossing the line he got an ear-bashing from the man in the signal box and a high-vis jacketed worker. ‘What’s your job?’ Bob asked the high-vis worker. ‘To stop bloody idiots like you from crossing the railway line.’ He replied. I don’t think he’s very good at his job.

After that it was uneventfully on to Thorne.