Back Up River

After a great day yesterday messing about in the dinghy we sadly have to head back up river to the Fossdyke and home this afternoon.

We have had a great little mini break but it is over far too quickly.

Dinghy Day

Today we are exploring the Chesterfield Canal by dinghy. No idea where we will end up but we are four locks down already!

It is very pretty.

Under the Bridge

Told you it would be no speed contest today. We have only just passed under Gainsborough bridge!

Very pedestrian by our standards!

On Our Way

We are finally out onto the river. The tide was a little late, but better late than never I suppose.

We are now pushing a big tide downstream and making steady progress.  We won't be breaking any speed records today!

All Set

After a quick sprint around the supermarket this morning to pick up a few last minute bits and bobs, we are now ready for the bank holiday weekend. Only the working day to get out of the way first.

Naughty-Cal is ready and waiting. We topped up the diesel tank last weekend and refilled the water tank on Monday morning, so all we have to do is load our gear onboard and we are ready to set sail this evening. The destination for this evening is Torksey Lock ready for our descent onto the tidal Trent in the morning.

We are heading to West Stockwith tomorrow, where we plan to spend a couple of days chilling out and unwinding in the pleasant surroundings of the basin. We are taking the dinghy with us, as on Sunday we plan to spend the day exploring the canal. We have previously made it through the first two locks but not much further, so this time we plan to spend the whole day exploring this very pretty stretch of water.

Another New Purchase

On Saturday we made another new purchase for the boat. Now we don't normally fall for all of the marketing ads and videos. But in this case this Copper Stone pan by JML seemed to tick all of the boxes. We needed a new multipurpose pan for the boat anyway and for what seems to be a quality item it was only £20. What was there to lose?

The marketing video makes some very bold claims about nothing sticking, they melt plastic in it, let it cool down and then it just slides straight out, same with caramel and eggs. Impressive we thought but not really what we need from a pan, although any good non stick is always a bonus. 

So we parted with our purple note and decided we would give it a try, if nothing else it looks the part!

Actually we were really quite impressed with it. At first glance while making omelettes I thought everything had stuck to the pan but actually after I had left it alone a few minutes the whole omelette slid away from the pan leaving no trace in the pan. Not bad for something cooked with no oil. 

So far so good. We were so impressed in face that we may well buy the bigger version to keep at home as we are getting ready for a new pan at home as well.

Inoperative

The lock gates at Hull Marina are currently inoperative due to a fault with the gates.

From their Facebook page:

"It is with sincere regret that due to severe mechanical lock failure on the eastern inner gate, that for reasons of safety we shall not be operating the lock gates until further notice.

We have been working with the council who plan on sending divers down ASAP to inspect the extent of the damage and then formulate a plan to repair."

The last time the lock was shut for this type of repair it was shut for around 12 weeks. If that is the case this time it could be a long and frustrating season for some people locked up in the marina. No doubt this will be scuppering plenty of bank holiday plans!