And into Liverpool

A complicated stop-start day governed by the acts of vandals and the requirements of ‘open water swimmers’ in Salthouse lock today. After a surprisingly quiet night at Litherland services outside a 24 hour Tesco superstore we set off towards Stanley locks at about 10:30 after Peter and Margaret (ex nb Gecko), our guests for the day, had arrived.

We arrived at Stanley top lock, just over an hour later, to find the ABC hireboat that had also shared the moorings at Litherland sat in the open lock awaiting a partner. We slipped in beside them and then had a lunch of bacon sarnies whilst waiting until 1pm for the CaRT lock keeper to un-lock the bottom paddles and let us go down the flight.

Once on the move we back-set to assist the next two boats who were following us down the flight. Out of the bottom lock, through a very small bridge and found

ourselves in Stanley dock where we had to pass through another bridge into Collingwood dock and keep heading towards the clock tower, through Salisbury dock before turning left into the Central docks channel (known affectionately as Sid’s ditch).

We continued on, following a route marked with orange buoys, through four more docks before reaching Princes dock lock. We locked through and back-set for a trip boat that was following us and then passed through four tunnels that passed in front of the Liver building, under a pedestrian promenade and the Maritime museum.

The next encounter was Mann Island lock which only drops the level about 6 inches and then we were into Canning dock. Here we had to turn about 180 degrees to pass down into Canning half tide lock before swinging left into Albert dock and finally Salthouse dock where we had reserved pontoon mooring 18 for 5 nights.

Whist trying to get into our berth I managed to get Jannock broadside across the end of several pontoons due to the wind in Salthouse dock so I pulled her round and into the mooring with a stern rope whilst Brenda worked the engine to assist.

Steve and Heather from nb Just heaven were moored on pontoon 11 and so we hosted dinner for 6 on Jannock in the evening. Our guests brought three delicious desserts and so we all ended the evening feeling a little bloated.

Once all the guests had left we went for an evening stroll – it was still light at 10pm – to work off some of our dinner. There was so much to see on our little circuit, not least the last Mersey ferry disgorging it’s passengers who had enjoyed what could only have been a 70s night. We had heard the music as they were coming down river and couldn’t miss the day-glow leggings in the gathering dusk.

Brenda took this picture of me whilst we were walking.
Graham