Love hate

2/8/2017

We love York.  Who wouldn't?  Great architecture, history, music, walks, food. But the Ouse, I believe I hate.

With Angie and Phil aboard from Naburn Lock, we cruised in the early evening the hour back to York, there to dine and stroll the medieval lanes and alleys. We moored near the Lendal Tower and Bridge, in front of rhe Museum Gardens.  To bed about 11.

Around 1.30am, banging on the boat, a warning from another boater, the river is rising! Stumble out of bed, tumble into jumpers, find a torch, step into rising water to untie ropes, JJ starts the engine, and by moon and streetlights, the boat's headlight, we do a U turn, pass under 2 bridges, to moor behind the boater, Clive, who kindly roused us. As the mooring point is above us,  Clive catches the bow rope, Angie dances up and over to grab the stern rope.....and so we fall back imto bed, securely moored against the river spirits.

This morning, a sunny day, to the Minster for a dose of Minster magic. Then to return our friends to their motorbike. They are far more intrepid than us, as they are heading overland back to Oz. Our doddles round the canal are tame by comparison. Like many of us, 'it's now or never'.

As they left, our lock keeper emerged,  would we like to leave now, for the dash to Selby and the canal system? Or wait, while the river rises further?
So we launch on to the Ouse, for a 2 hour tidal battle, ending in JJ executing a U turn below the lock, so we could approach the lock from downstream. For what seemed ages, the boat is sideways to the outflowing tide.

Putting Santiago into the lock is a delicate manoevre,  and we don't bump once! Congratulations  Cap'n! The bystanders applause, and the 1st mate joins in.