Well, finally we've started the holiday. We were supposed to be starting on Thursday, but weather and circumstances got in the way. Dad managed to damage his car after the floods by trying to get through a puddle that was to deep, and he still had to finish some work off before being able to leave. There was no rush however, as the Trent was flooding, and the flood gates at Newark were still closed when we set off.

On Wednesday we went up to the boat just to get it a bit more ready before the off, but found that the drains had over flowed at Hempholme and had flooded the shed where we were keeping wood panelling for the boat. Many of the fields around had flooded, and when we came back to the boat on Friday the lane was flooded as the gravel pits started to over flow. It was quite deep, and I did wonder if my car would get through, after Dad did his in!

At 12:50 we set off, and headed down the swollen River Hull. The water was level at the lock, so all we had to do was open and close the gates – no paddles needed. It was only a steady flow on the river, no more than normal even though the height was much more. There were good views over the flooded fields.

When we reached Hull, never really going through a proper low water point, the flow continued down even though normally it would be gushing in at speed. We entered the Humber at 4pm, and while we did play with going in at the marina, the rain that started as we approached Hull started to ease off again, and while the wind was strong, the southerly didn't really lift the water.

The Hessle whelps struck as we passed under the Humber Bridge (we topped 11mph), but it didn't last long as we hit a bit of slow moving water in the north channel. We were mostly making 9.5-10 mph through the Humber, but the speed soon dropped when we entered the Trent (about 8.5mph), and by the time we had reached the Butterwicks we were starting to run out of tide. As it was getting late, and the flow was already going downwards we stopped (8:15pm) at Owston Ferry, mooring alongside the EA launch there.

We left Owston Ferry early in the morning to catch the tide, which never really happened. We did get a small push at first, but it soon ran out, and by Stockwith it was flowing out at quite a lick. After Torksey, which we reached in just under 4 hours, we were pushing a 2.5 mph flow, and only keeping our speed up by hiding in the slack water on the inside of bends.

We had a couple of showers, one was very heavy with hale stones thrown in. I think Cromwell Lock was quite surprised when we phoned up, and he seemed quite impressed that we made it through the flood waters. The rise at Cromwell was small, as the waters were a lot higher below than above. The reason soon became apparent as we slowed to 3mph in the full force of the waters. Cromwell radioed ahead to Newark Nether, who was also quite shocked to here a boat was on the move (first one all week), but Cromwell told him we had come across the Humber – which presumably means something around here.

We struggled through the strong flow, with few bends to break the flow, but as we left the weir behind the flow slowed a little. Nether called up again, wanting to know where we were. When I told him the A1 bridge, he said we were a lot further than he thought we would be! The flow out of the main river as it joined the Newark Dyke was again very strong, and slowed us to 2.6 mph, but once passed we sped up to 5.3 mph.

A boat was moored above the lock, waiting to go down to Torksey – we couldn't work out why he didn't go as it would be easy for him going down, but he was worried about stopping... The lock keeper said we could moor at the lock, but we continued up and got a pump out at Kings Marina. The water level on the Newark level wasn't to far off normal now, but there was still a good flow on it.

The gates at Newark were still closed, and though Newark Lock did mention when I phoned them earlier they were going to try and open them this evening, it was obviously to early. Newark also said that the level was rising at Sawley again, and so we might only get a short chance. Nether told us they were going to try again in the morning, and so after mooring up above bridge to have a look at the gates (not much water difference really). We had some mediocre chips from the chippie on the main road, and returned to the marina for a quieter night.

Dad went to get a licence from the Newark BW offices, and found that the only person there who knew how to do it was out, and would be back in about half an hour! At 10:30 while waiting for Dad to return I heard Newark Town Lock talking to a boat about the flood gates. He said they were just filling the short pound between the gates and the lock, and if it didn't come over they would open the gates, which they did just before 11am.

Our first shower hit while we worked through Town Lock, and by the time we were going through the flood gates it was stopping again. Newark Dyke, while slow going wasn't too bad, but once we reached the main river we were slowed right down. At the tight bend near East Stoke we were slowed to just 2.3mph, but it didn't last long, and we managed about 3.5mph mostly. The Hazelford lockie was still asleep (not literally) when we arrived, thinking we would be another hour.

We kept surprising lock keepers all the way up the river, and finally arrived at Meadow Lane lock in a heavy shower – so we waited. It didn't take long before the sun came out again, and managed to get to Sainsbury's without further ado.

Day 4 – Tuesday 3 July 2007
Nottingham to Cranfleet
14:00 - 17:25 7.71 Miles 3.5 Hours (ave 2.21 mph) 2 Locks

A noisy night spent at Nottingham thanks to the ducks nibbling at the boat sides – there is no weed, they just want someone to come out with bread. We went shopping, both for food, and a chip fryer at Curries. It was after lunch we left, with a heavy sky above. It mostly rained all the way up, at times very heavily. It was nice being able to do 4mph without running the engine flatout, but soon we were at the flood lock, and after a bit of thought we decided to continue up to Cranfleet.

It was a long hard slog through the flooded Trent, and just before the lock we slowed to just under 2mph, making the flow of water about 4.3 mph. When we arrived at the lock, the local BW man came down to meet us. We talked about the levels, and he said earlier in the week the water was backing into the cut – Nicholson's shows the rise of the lock 7ft 9in normally. He was hoping to open the gates today, but after leaving the cut to fill overnight from the leaks in the flood gates, he found that the level had increased again, and was now too high.

We went to have a look at the height, it was about 2 feet difference, the canal could maybe just take the extra water and I bet during commercial days they wouldn't close the gates until they really needed to. As Dad had to go back to Hull to sort out his car which was at the garage, Mum had come down to pick him up. On our walk to Trent Lock we looked again at the gates, and found it had risen another half inch. Looks like we are going to stuck for awhile longer.

Day 5 – Wednesday 4 July 2007
Cranfleet

The river was up another inch, lets hope it starts dropping soon.

The river didn't drop far enough for the gates to open until Monday. Dad wanted to sort some things out at home, and I was still working, so we didn't get back to the boat until today. It was 8pm when we got going, and while the river was still running at a decent rate it didn't take us long to get to Shardlow. We stayed the night just beyond the ever growing pile of boats moored above the lock.

Day 7 – Thursday 12 July 2007
Shardlow to Fradley
25 miles 10:15pm - 8:50pm

A few boats passed earlier in the morning, but at about 10am one passed going our way. At 10:15am we set off, and just nicely caught up with them at the lock. We shared the next couple of locks with them, and then didn't see them at Swakestone where another boater coming down opened the gates for us. I didn't bother with ropes, and had no problem holding our 50ft boat in the lock. At Stenson we had to wait quite awhile for a couple of boats to finish going through the lock, and another to come down. We did the lock again without ropes, and opened all the paddles in fairly quick succession. I held the boat in the back of the lock, and only bumped the bow because I was too busy filming!

A boat arrived at the top just as the lock was nearly ready, and I thought that the women on the boat was going to step off and come to help, but they saw me in the lock and stayed on the boat. I asked Dad to start to close the gate, just to make the point, but he wouldn't. As I pulled away from the lock the other top gate blow open, so it just serves them right!

At Willington we caught up a slow boat, but thankfully pulled into the sanitary station while another was reversing back to a mooring opposite, then just as I approached the bridge another narrowboat came the other way, with the BW launch following it.

We caught up to another boat just as we neared Dallow Lane, the first narrow lock. They waited at the boat while Dad went up and helped another boat up in front of them. A first for a hire boat, they actually went up to the lock gates while it was emptying, rather than waiting for the gates to open. I followed him upto the gates, and held it there with the engine in tickover to help with the lock. Behind were some friends? of theirs who actually started to lift the bottom paddles before we were through the lock. They all pulled in at Burton.

We had a mixed bag with the other locks, and we were above Alrewas by 7:20pm, where we stopped for 30 minutes for tea. A fibre glass boat that had been following us up the last few locks were trying to make for Fradley for the night, but that didn't even bother to slow down for moored boats, and pulled us about on our moorings.

They were long gone when we reached the locks, and we had a clear run up all the locks, even having the top one ready for us. Unfortunately the boat had pulled into the sanitary station there, and I thought we would have to moor alongside another boat while I put our rubbish off. Thankfully there was plenty of space, and Dad had already walked down, so I just passed him the bag I had ready on the back deck. We moored just before the first arched bridge on the Coventry, or is it the Birmingham and Fazely.

We wanted to fill the diesel tank, but Barton Turns was closed before we reached there (47p), I wished we stopped at Burton as they were doing it at the same price (for 100+ litres). A 5 gallon tank was put in the tank, which should happily get us to Streethay Wharf.

We wanted to get off early this morning, but after starting my breakfast at 8:30am and reading some emails I found it was getting on. A boat passed at 9:00am, and so I left it a little while before following. It was raining all day today, and never really stopped.

I stopped at Streethay, but at 57p a litre (advertised in gallons!), I only bought £20 worth to keep us going. A boat passed us while waiting for the fuel, and it didn't take to long to catch him up again – however he wasn't the major problem – just through Huddlesford we caught up to a really slow boat (less than 3mph), and he didn't try to overtake. After what seems like ages in the rain, they finally pulled over at Howpas (I tried to say hello, but they didn't look up). Once into the B+F, we were finally free to do our own speed again, and had some luck (finally) with the locks.

We didn't feel like continuing into Birmingham in the rain, so stopped at the very noisy (because of the road more than anything) Kingsley Pub near Minsworth.