 |
| Bridge working instructions |
12.6º C overnight. Lousy
weather – it was STILL raining. Mike went to Potze’s garage and hired a key for
the little Ruiten-Aa canal before we set off following Rosy at 8 o’clock. There
was no keeper at the liftbridge so Mike went off on foot down to the lock to
inform him we were waiting and got a lift back to the boat with him in his car.
The boats set off again at 8.50 a.m. turning right on the Stadkanaal, with a
couple of idiots in cruisers getting in the way on the turn. The keeper let us
through the other swing and lift-bridges. A white yacht that had moored by us
overnight, had set off before us and was in the lock chamber, waiting to go
down. We left the lock at 9.20 a.m. following Rosy. A cruiser had just tied on
the landing stage by the bridge which carries the main road over the entrance
to the Ruiten-Aa, a young lad had gone to work the bridge. We went through the
lifted bridge first, the white yacht carried on down the Stadskanaal, and Mike
told the crew of the waiting cruiser that we would do the next bridge. When we
got there the crew of a black steel-hulled yacht had just untied and they
 |
| Box for the key // |
were
working the next swingbridge. We went through and said we’d do the next. The
next was the first lock and a liftbridge. I got off and opened the liftbridge,
the lock was full with the gate open and so Mike called the cruiser and black
hulled yacht in first. Not enough room for all four of us in the 27m x 6m
chamber. Helped them through the lock, then turned the lock round for us. The
rain was still pouring down. Mike pressed the
 |
| Ruiten-Aa kanaal and landing for operating the liftbridge |
green button to empty the lock
and we waited and waited and nothing happened. By chance, a maintenance man in
a white van arrived and told Mike he’d forgotten to turn the key in the box on
the landing stage above the lock. Waah! We motored on down to the quay by the
next swingbridge at Roelagebrug and tied up. It was 11.30 a.m. I made some
potato salad ready for lunch. Mike put the satellite dish up and we had a quick
look at the
 |
| Mooring on the old quay by Roelagerbrug |
weather forecast. A great depression centred on Scandinavia was
throwing rain across the whole of northern Europe, from the Netherlands all the
way across to Poland. Mike put the TV on again ten minutes later, as I’d said
that there was a breaking news headline about a suspect suicide bomber being
shot in Stockwell. The TV came on with a horrible green screen. He turned it
off and then back on and it still wouldn’t come on again. Took the case off
when he noticed it was damp. Rain had leaked through the top edge of the window
and dripped on to the TV. Dried it out and left it to dry thoroughly before we
dared try it again (luckily, it worked OK later). Ate lunch, then Mike got
ready to go and get the car, dressed in waders! When he left at 1.15 p.m it was
still raining.
Here's a link to my map of today's route.
No comments:
Post a Comment