After about an hour plus, the C&RT bloke gave us a shout from the corner to say that there was enough water for the rotating gate to open so we were off. We were the second to last boat away from the pontoon.
As we came to the narrows of the rotating lock gate the channel is restricted and the flow means that you hardly move as you pass through, and over the gate.
'Kai Tak' was the last boat away and with her pushing against the incoming tide it looked like she was making really good headway.
Once clear of the last lock on the Ribble Link, (Lancaster side), there is still plenty of curves before you get to the Ribble itself.
The Savick Brook meets the Ribble at 90degs and as the incoming tide is coming from right to left you will be set well up stream if not careful. The trick is to angle into the tide. There is a bank of mud at the entrance , to the right, but as the tide is pushing you off it, even if you touch it, you will be pushed clear. Unlike when inbound coming in the opposite direction with the ebb tide, you will be pushed on to it and so need to give it a wide berth.
If you are not careful you can get very close to a boat that has come out of the Brook, being set up river by the tide and is finally making headway down river. The second boat comes out just at the time the first gets to where the second one starts setting down. No problems this time though, you just need to allow for the tide coming in.
Much better weather than when we came in the opposite direction. I kept to the very edge of the channel so as to be out of the main tide. This meant that I was only on 2000 revs, where as in the other direction I was up to 2400 revs, consequently using loads more fuel etc.
As the leading boat of the convoy approached the Astland Lamp this Dutch barge was seen coming out of the Douglas, where we were heading. It could have been interesting, but before she got to the lamp she turned round and headed back to Tarleton.
The turning Light looked much better in the sun than the last time we passed this way.
Helen managed to get a photo of a Eurofighter that was flying out of Wharton Airfield just to the west of Preston. The airfield was opened in 1940 and was the main reception base for aircraft from America. In 1947 the aircraft company English Electric took over the airfield, and then BAC, and later BAe. It is now the main assembly point for the Eurofighter that is fabricated from parts from four countries. It is also home to two RAF Squadrons that are converting to the Eurofighter, so they are always in the air round here.
After rounding the lamp it seemed that the tide was still flooding up so we had its assistance so were still making a good speed. As we got close to the Lock there seemed to be a bit of a delay and it turned out to be this little fishing boat that was heading outward. You can see the Dutch barge approaching the lock and the two boats ahead of us.
There were plenty of waving on jestures from the lock so we cracked on, having thought that I need to hang back as they would only take two boats. But as you can see the Douglas was on a level with the canal and both gates were open and we could go straight through.
We got through and they were shutting the gates as we passed through. 'Kai Tak' and 'Wrights Away' had to pen through, but obviously the change in level was so small there would not be much delay.
The Dutch barge decided to swing and moor so we had to tread water a little while before heading to the visitor moorings. After a bite to eat we headed to the village for a well earned safe arrival drink. The we didn't need so many revs so we will have saved a bit of fuel on this transit.
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