West Stockwith

It has been quite a while since we last visited the village of West Stockwith, January 2009 was the last overnight visit, so this weekend we are going to change that. West Stockwith is located at the point where the Chesterfield Canal meets the River Trent. A large lock takes boats down from the canal onto the tidal waters of the Trent. For boats locking up off the river they are treated to the lovely canal basin with pretty surroundings and a friendly welcome from Sue the resident lock keeper who is always happy to help. Entry to the lock from the Trent can be quite tricky as the flow of the river is across the lock, boats need to turn against the flow before aiming for the lock wall and at the last minute backing off letting the flow of the water take the bow into the lock then a short burst of power has the boat nestled against the lock wall and into the lock safely.

The basin can get quite busy during the summer months so booking a mooring, even though this is a British Waterways basin is advisable. Sue the lockie will usually be able to find you a quiet spot but likes to be warned of visiting boats so that she can plan where to wedge you all in. Our last visit was in January so we were the only visiting vessel in the basin. We expect this to be different at the weekend due to the time of year. The basin also houses the club house for the West Stockwith boat club. They welcome visiting boat crews with a very friendly service and smile and are always on the lookout for new members. They have a selection of moorings for their members in the basin directly outside the club house. As well as the boat club there is a small hire company with a pair of narrowboats which are available for hire on the Chesterfield canal as well as a selection of both narrowboat and cruiser moorings available for long term rental from British Waterways. There is also a very smart facilities block in the corner of the basin adjacent the slipway and gas and diesel are available from the lock keepers office.

We have had the pleasure of mooring at West Stockwith basin previously as has one other boat in the group; however our friends who intend to travel with us on the pirate ship Wish You Were Here, this weekend have not been before. Quite what they will make of the entry into the lock from the Trent I don’t know. This run down the Trent will also enable the boats to stretch their legs a little for the first time in a while. The river below Gainsborough is under the jurisdiction of ABP (Associated British Ports) rather than British Waterways so a different set of regulations apply. This means that once through Gainsborough Road Bridge we can open the boats up and get them onto the plane. This will be Naughty-Cal's first chance to stretch her legs since we came back from the Broads back in July, so will be a good chance to check that all is well after such a long run at sea then a month back on the river. Hopefully all will go according to plan and we should have a great weekend. The tide time’s work in our favour, for once we won’t be having really early mornings and can spend some time having breakfast and relaxing before the off. If all goes to plan this should be a memorable weekend.