Sunday 2 August 2009

From Selby Canal, along river Aire to Knottingley and onto Aire and Calder Navigation and down to Pollington Lock

A much better day, everyone was keen to make an early start - not us at 6am but some did! Perfect boating weather though and out onto the River Aire where the water level marker at orange meant that levels were high and navigable with care, but not in the dangerous red zone. Fortunately we didn't encounter any water skiers along the way, we saw them getting ready, with beer bottles in hand! Progress into the wind was tricky, but we battled on, consequently we feel quite weatherbeaten this evening.

We are covering new ground as we go down more of the Aire and Calder navigation, moving south from Knottingley towards Thorne and Doncaster. We passed several Tom Pudding boats, sadly disused now, just rusting alongside the colliery sites, they previously served. Not overly attractive countryside, but different none the less, and a good chance that we will meet commercial boats along the way, mixed in with the huge powerful cruisers, with aerials and masts and sonar and vhf and tinted windows, and and and........