Spring tide

23/5/2019

Yesterday we marshalled with 3 white fibre glass cruisers and another narrowboat in the big lock east of York, which deposits you onto the tidal Ouse, 35 miles from the North Sea. Miss the lock at Selby, 15 miles downstream, next stop ??? Both of us are wearing life jackets.

In the lock, all craft rope bow and stern to the vertical rails in the lock walls, holding steady while the lock empties.

As the lock gates open,  the cruisers leave first, as being lighter they are generally faster than narrowboats. Initially the rising tide seems OK, the boat making good headway. Then the river narrows, flotsam including 3m by 40cm logs, move upstream towards us, our boat weaving between, mostly. The odd thunk as the hull crunches into a log.  With the narrower river, the effect of the tide intensifies, and we are making very slow headway. This is a much fiercer tide than we've ever experienced.

Then the tide turns, and our speed goes from barely walking pace to an unaccustomed speed. Flotsam is now racing with us down towards the sea.

At Selby the lock walls rise like battlements from the mud of the Ouse. You sail past the lock, then attempt a 180 degree turn. Half way round the boat is side on to the tide, sweeping downstream while the propeller at hard over slowly brings the bow round. Creep upstream towards the lock, the opening hidden by shrubbery. After what seems an age, the lock walls are visible, creep close and pirouette the boat 90 degrees into the lock, a slight thump by the bow fender as we enter. Well done JJ.

The lock keeper, high above us, says laconically, 'yes, bit of a Spring tide at the moment'.