How to work paddle gear with a hand spike

Sowerby Bridge to Cooper Bridge, Wednesday 13th August 2014

The day's boating started half-an-hour earlier than scheduled, as the CRT lockie knocked on Jubilee at 0830 and asked if we'd like to go down the lock with the other boat, which was booked in at that time. (We were booked in for 0900).

So, of course, we started the engine and untied our ropes and followed Dogstar into Tuel Lane Lock 4/3.

I can't think why this counts as two locks, even though it is as deep as two locks being just short of 20 feet. There is an extra set of bottom gates which, if they were used, would make the lock longer, but it's still one lock, isn't it?

Then it was straight into the tunnel under Tuel Lane. This has a couple of bends in it, the first much sharper than the second.

There's little danger of meeting another boat in there as it's all controlled by CRT.

The friends we met the day before took some photos of us emerging from the tunnel.

After filling up with diesel at Shire Cruisers in Sowerby Bridge Basin (and dealing with water and elsan) (oh, and a spot more shopping - handy Lidl up Tuel Lane) we continued on our way.

At the junction with the Halifax Arm we went straight on, i.e. onto the arm. At the end is Salterhebble where a Premier Inn dominates.

After winding ...

... we came straight out again, stopping to take a few logs from the recently fallen tree. Looking back we could see a pair of lock gates, apparently enclosing a private mooring. Did this go anywhere else? Was there a dry dock here at one time?

Then it was on to the fun and games at the Salterhebble Three. The top lock has no conventional paddle gear: a windlass is useless. Instead the paddles are lifted directly using a hand spike operating on a ratchet at foot level. A length of timber does the job.

The hand spike is inserted into the holes and pulled round to rotate the gear which lifts the paddle. A pawl stops the paddle falling down again. To lower the paddle you take the weight with the hand spike once more, disengage the pawl, and swiftly pull the hand spike away. The paddle then falls under its own weight, with no way of slowing its descent. Some gear of this type is stiff and so has to be wound down again.

Finally for this post a shot of Jan steering Jubilee along a leafy stretch of the Calder and Hebble. Actually it's all leafy (so far).

I'm now a day behind with this write-up of our summer cruise. I might catch up tomorrow but, for now, sleep calls. We are now just east of Horbury Bridge.