Short summary of 2015 cruising.

The pace is not really letting up at home, but it must at some stage, mustn't it? I thought I would take a moment to take stock of this years truncated time out on the canals hoping that it may just settle me down a little.

We set off from Savile Town Basin in Dewsbury on 1st April. We were lucky to get to see the Mikron Theatre compnay performance of Rising Agent in the Leggers pub by the basin and very good it was too, and was a good start to the year aboard.

Figure of three Locks on the Calder and Hebble Canal. We are 58'8'' plus fenders and so far we haven't had to do anything other than be a little careful in the locks of the Calder and Hebble. However I understand that they are a little shorter going from Cooper Bridge Junction with the Huddersfield Broad to the west, especially Salterhebble Locks but we haven't been that way yet on 'Holderness'. We don't have an proper hand spike for use on the locks here but have found that a hickory handle for a sledge hammer works just as well. Actually we have found that as there is such a mix of lock gear on the canal we have done there has been no need for one as there has been always a paddle that doesn't require it to open.

We have actually traveled along 37 waterways this year. That compares with 38 last year.

Dewsbury Arm, Calder and Hebble.

Calder and Hebble

Aire and Calder

New Junction Canal

Stainforth and Keadby canal

River Trent

Nottingham Canal

Beeston Cut

Trent and Mersey Canal

Coventry Canal

Birmingham and Fazeley canal

BCN Main Line

BCN Old Line

Netherton Branch Canal, BCN

Dudley No.1 Canal, BCN

Dudley No.2 Canal, BCN

Stourbridge Canal

Staffordshire and Worcseter Canal

River Severn

Droitwich Barge Canal

Droitwich Narrow Canal

Worcester and Birmingham Canal

River Avon, Worcestershire one

Gloucester and Shrtapness Canal

River Avon, Bristol and Somerset one

Kennet and Avon Canal

River Thames

Oxford Canal

Grand Union Canal

Titford Canal, BCN

Gower Branch Canal, BCN

Wednesbury Old  Canal, BCN

Walsall Canal, BCN

Wyrley and Essington Canal, BCN

Digbeth Branch Canal, BCN

Saltly Cut, Grand Union

Ashby Canal.

The two Severn Crossings on our trip from Sharpness to Portishead.

If were to count the Severn Estuary as another waterway then we would be equal with last year at 38.

From start to finish we used 974.9 ltrs of diesel, that compares with 1062.6 ltrs last year for a months more cruising.

Our engine hours this year were 560.5 hrs  and last year 686.5 hrs. in all that time we had the Hurricane on for 95 hours. This is mainly for heating the water in the morning for a shower. I can't remember having the Hurricane on to heat the boat for more than a couple of hours all the time 

aboard.

Thornes Lock on the Aire and Calder near to Wakefield. In April it was still cool enough to have the stove lit for most of the day as can be seen by the smoke from the chimney.

As best as I can work out we have traveled 752 miles this year where as we put in many more last year at 1027 miles.

This year we have completed 524 locks where as last year it was a very large 764 locks. maybe that accounts for why I am a couple of pounds heavier this year!

This is the lock into Portishead where sat over a low water before heading into the Avon and through to Bristol. It was a fantastic day on the Severn and it was like arriving in another world as we ascend the locks as when the gates opened we thought we had arrived at a Mediterranean marina.