5th October

Things really did get  in the way there! Right where was I?

We woke with an alarm clock, very unusual for us on a boat other than on a last day. Andy was due to join us and we wanted to have had breakfast before he arrived and be ready for the off. Mick set too with the bacon butties as I watched 20 geese coming into land, trying to negotiate their way past a swing bridge. We were all ready and waiting for Andy for a while, he'd been held up with the logistics of their other boat having a remote handover in Barnoldswick and things not quite running to plan.

Andy and I headed off to swing the bridge in front of us. The Leeds Liverpool has plenty of them, which we had experienced on a trip a few years ago. At the third bridge of the morning Andy suggested that I take the boat through, but Mick should treat it as though he was doing it single handed. Mick went to the bow and would have tied the boat to the bridge with the bow line. He then climbed off the bow and crossed the bridge to operate it. He then would have climbed back on board untying the bow, motored through. Then he would have had a choice, either to tie the boat up on the towpath side and then pull the bridge shut with the chain that goes across the cut (always wondered what they were for), or tie the stern line to the bridge and climb off to operate the bridge in the usual manor. Of course I just motored the boat through and picked them up on the other side, far less awkward and much more elegant.

Mick took over as helmsman and we approached our first lock which was a staircase of three locks. I jumped off to work the lock along with the lock keeper. Then a swap at the helm and I was to do my first lock and it was another staircase of three. Andy just gave me the advice to keep the boat straight in the lock and near to one side, not forgetting to keep an eye out for the cil. After chaperoning me through the first two chambers he then left me to it. I was a bit nervous but he must have thought I could cope, so continued down in the same fashion as I'd started.

 The last lock of the day came into view and we proceeded into it as it was full. Our mooring for the night was just the other side of the lock and a pint was beckoning along with a de-brief of the day. Andy and Mick set about closing the top gates behind me, but one of them just wouldn't shut, leaving a gap of about 2ft. Not good. Boat hook and barge pole were used to try to free what was trapped by the cil. Definitely something there, but it just wasn't budging. So an ideal chance for me to practice reversing out of the lock and moor at the landing whilst Andy rang CaRT. We abandoned the boat and headed to the pub for a pint and chat whilst waiting for the obstruction to be cleared.

We chatted through the day and were told that he thought that were likely to pass the course. Phew! Tomorrow he would more or less just leave us to it and only help out if really needed. We headed back to Mollymoo and Andy headed home. The lock gates were shut when we got there, so down the lock and moored non towpath side as there was more room and we were away from a party boat that had just moored up. We finished off the scones that had been left on board read up a bit more from our RYA handbooks and had showers. Then off to sample the delights of Leeds on a Saturday night.

Town was already busy and finding somewhere to eat was a bit hard. Eventually we stopped at a large Chinese restaurant and got a table. The menu was extensive so we chose a set meal which was very nice, but left us very full and in need of a walk round to aid with breathing. We walked up to Millennium Square where there was a projection of a clock on a building. There was a contraption that you could move which affected the projection. We stood and watched for sometime before heading back. 

The water level in the pound had dropped quite a lot since we had gone to eat, maybe by a foot. We were concerned that maybe a paddle had been left open on the lock into the river and went to investigate. But no all was how it should be, so we adjusted the ropes had another glass of wine and headed for bed.