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The Tuesday Night Club on Tour
Tour 2001
Fenland Tour Summer 2001
26 - Downham Market to Outwell - Relief Channel, Ely Ouse, Tidal River Great Ouse, Middle Level - Well Creek.
Monday 23rd July 2001
We were woken up by the early rattle of the pontoon as JC ambled of to seek out
the little bakery, just across the bridge and level crossing into Downham. He
went round the back and got some loaves of bread as they came out of the
oven.........yum! When he came back we were stirring and he exchanged some
loaves for Neil's drilling services, to fit his new navigation lamps.
An
agitated man came down the pontoon, explaining that he was the contractor
responsible for the building of the pontoon. He came to commission the water
point. After turning the main stop-cock on and some more fiddling we were the
first to use this new facility, after a good flush out. After the ceremonial
"Offering the Commode D' Or a pack of Macaroons" we bade farewell to JC, Pat,
Aunty Joan and the careworn, sturdy TNC Fleet Auxiliary - Frogmoore II. (09.40)
We worked out that the locking from Denver to Salter's Lode would be around
11.00. After negotiating the new Relief Channel Lock for the second time we
moored up to a private and a Fox Boat, waiting at Denver. It was coming off high
tide and a Dutch barge was waiting just below Denver Sluice, for the level to
come down enough for him to be let up in the lock. During the nearly 2 hour wait
(the tides at Denver Sluice are not an exact science - still a fair bit of fresh
about.) Neil attacked the overhanging willow tree that was obscuring half of the
lock waiting area.
Eventually we locked out on a fairly gently ebbing tide at
12.20. Uneventful turn into Salter's Lode and was locked down at 12.42. We
apologised to the slightly miffed Paul (he had got a shitty letter from Mr
Philips the spectacle loosing Chief Engineer of the MLC.) He tended to blame
Paul for not informing him that a boat was due to go up to the Old Bedford
River. The
outcome was that the now repaired and serviceable Horseway Lock was to be Paul's
responsibility! We said that we would also write to Mr Philips, saying that it
was our fault for not informing him of a passage through Horseway Lock and of
Paul's wonderful efforts of getting Frogmoore through the Old Bedford Sluice at Salter's
Lode.
The level was a bit down in the Well Creek, so had a bit of a
trashed weed stirring passage. Just before Mullicourt Aqueduct (the pump was on
taking water up from the Main Drain) we spotted a
drifting NB – “Iceni”. The solo liveaboard was in distress as the end
rubber cap on his BMC manifold cooler had split, loosing most of his water. He
wanted to borrow some super glue!! Neil soon put him right and gave him a rubber
glove!.........all you have to do is cut a bit of rubber from the glove and
refit split cap with this behind!.......old Beatty BMC trick.
Eventually we stopped
for the night at Outwell Basin (16.00) - old entrance to Wisbech Canal. No one
was on the moorings at this time. The “chicken Lady” came down to talk to us and
went net fishing with Wendy, Linda snoozed, Julian E strolled, Peter radio
controlled boated (complete with de-weeding stops!) and Neil had a final touch up session, in this very hot
afternoon.
We were going to the “Five Bells” again that evening. Complete
cock-up. After walking up to Five Bells, found it did not do food. This we
should have known!….as it was a Monday that we could not get food here last
time through! We ended up walking right past the boat and to the edge of Outwell – we
went to the “Crown lodge Hotel” again. Excellent reasonably priced meal. It
was a pleasant evening and we saw Upwell and Outwell from above the Creek.
On
the way we met the “Chicken Lady” again, she was being pursued by a bloke
who was obviously “Chicken Man”. He sounded totally pissed, but probably
wasn't. He was shouting at a group of young kids who were loitering, waiting for
the chippy to open. His ramblings went something like this – “I don't care
if you are just kids, I'll slap you down, so don't go telling your parents that
I’m selling you drugs, alcohol and cigarettes............You know who my
girlfriend is.......and she is NOT my girlfriend (referring to the “chicken
lady”, that he was actively perusing),.................and I don't round
molesting kids!!!” .........Ah!......the true sound of a local Outwellian.
We say goodbye to Frogmoore at Downham Market Visitor Mooring Pontoon. The Great Ouse Relief Channel.
Denver Sluice - Waiting for the Lock. River Great Ouse.
Denver Sluice. River Great Ouse.
Denver Sluice - Looking down the Tidal Great Ouse. River Great Ouse.
Denver Sluice - Waiting for the Lock. River Great Ouse.
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