[Tidal Trent to Lincoln and Boston]

I had no axe to grind with the keeper on duty that day, and would have gladly listened to his explanation for his strange actions if he tried to give one, but he didn't. I've reported it on here as a warning to any newcomers on the Trent to always expect the unexpected!

In my opinion however I would insist that waiting outside Keadby lock is a grim place to be -especially for an inexperienced boater, and the quicker you're in the lock the better. It could be very daunting if you've never seen the entrance before, and unlike Torksey/Cromwell and to some extent Stockwith there's no easy place to 'hang on' and wait. 

Maybe I've been lucky over the years but have never really had a problem punching a flood or batting against the ebb. Yes you'll be going a lot slower, maybe for hours if heading for Cromwell but I've always preferred that to sitting it out another day if you need to be somewhere. I've often wondered why many boaters are worried about losing the push between Torksey and Cromwell when the flow really isn't much worse than the upper Trent in some places after a bit of rain.

[Tidal Trent to Lincoln and Boston]

You're right Phil that turning the lock against an incoming boat would save maybe 5 minutes or so on the journey of the upstream craft. In the real world though that wouldn't have made any difference to them, most boats are quite capable of pushing against an ebbing tide if need be, despite what the keepers seem to think. Getting a boat off the river, especially at Keadby should always take priority. To be honest I wouldn't have been so pissed off with him at the time if that was his excuse, but "how was I supposed to know it was you?" was absolute crap. 

[Tidal Trent to Lincoln and Boston]

No VHF on the boat Matty, I was helping the new owner take it to Thorne as he had no tidal river experience. 

As I said though the keeper knew exactly where we were, because he looked straight at us heading for his open lock. Some keepers ask you to ring them on your approach as you pass under the M180 bridge, but this wasn't mentioned either when I booked us in or when he spoke to Cromwell the previous day. 

For some reason on the day he just thought it was more important to drop another boat down from the safety of the canal than to get us in off the river. That's definitely something that one of the old boys wouldn't have done.

[Tidal Trent to Lincoln and Boston]

Although the Trent is a great place to go boating, I feel a word of warning should be given that many of the current keepers have less actual boating experience than my pet greyhounds. 

The volunteers above Newark can be helpful but some 'real world' training should be given, including a boat trip through their own lock!   One of my personal favourites is their insistence to secure the boat at fore and aft when decending, even when boating single handed. I've pointed out that this is dangerous as ropes often snag on the cable sleeves and you can't keep check on them both, but the usual response is "Do as I say or you won't be passing through MY lock"

It's always fun to remind them at this point that they'll be knocking off in an hour and then you can let yourself through - quite safely, with a bit of common sense - as you have been doing for years.

A more serious problem was highlighted on a trip down to Keadby last summer. I'd booked in advance, and been told to arrive from Torksey at 9am sharp to meet the flood. I double checked this as we passed through Cromwell (no complaints here, excellent advice and always friendly) and he rang Keadby on my behalf who confirmed the booking. The following morning we made perfect time and approached the lock from the far side of the river at exactly 9am. A boat emerged from the lock heading towards us as the keeper watched from his balcony, all good so far we thought..  What we didn't know at this point was the keeper had now decided to shut the gates and turn the lock against us as we cut across the river towards it!  Anyone who's spent time outside Keadby lock will know it isn't the best place to be hanging around, especially with a flooding tide and all the oil drums, timber, etc it brings. I held the boat against the gates while he filled the lock and dropped a boat down from the canal above and then politely asked why he didn't let us up first, while the lock was in our favour. His response believe it or not was "I didn't know it was you." Despite the fact that we were the only boat heading downstream, on time and halfway across the river heading for his lock when he saw us! 

Call me old fashioned but I think that on a tidal river where things can quickly go wrong, some boating knowledge should be compulsory for a keeper.

[Tug Ezra For Sale]

I'll agree that the proportions issue to make a tug look right is a tricky one. The Five Towns boat I bought instead of HECTOR had a loose planked 24' deck on a 60' hull. As it was to be a livaboard I had the cabin extended (properly with recessed panels and just a couple of portholes) leaving a 9' deck. I lived with this for years but it never looked right, so one day the angle grinder and welder came out and a good 7' section was removed!

What's more worrying is the stuff being put out by reputable builders. While in a yard - in the North I'll say- I spotted a new shell tacked together from pre-cut steel in a modern 'trad' style. A chalk line over the cabin 5' from the front meant this was to be cut off and plated over as a customer wanted a 'tug'. In my humble opinion a tug replica should be built from the baseplate up with a deeper draught, welded not folded gunnels to give it more shape etc etc. Maybe it's a cost thing.

[Tug Ezra For Sale]

I can remember HECTOR up for sale back in '98 when I was looking to buy something interesting. Complete with FR6 and saddle making workshop it was on at 24k! What is it they say about hindsight.. Another Fuller tug did tempt me from the classifieds, just as distinctive but with a slightly smaller engine. The one at Hoo Mill is certainly very shapely and I think is also one of his earlier shells. It's looked unloved for years, draped in a tarpaulin with no ballast- could be a bargain.

[Tug Ezra For Sale]

I wouldn't worry about missing out on Ezra too much Pete, having experienced a few Tyler/Wilson tugs I think a 'test drive' would have left you disappointed. Although the lines are good and the steelwork well finished, they seem to lack the heavy feel of a proper boat.

Maybe it's the shallow draught or over balanced rudder, there's just something that doesn't feel as right under way as a brinklow/Harris/kemp etc. If I was in the market for something similar I'd be chasing the owner of the Fuller tug moored above Hoo Mill lock. Apparently it's not for sale but it's been in the same state for years and there's no harm in asking..