After a good night in Saxilby apart from the fish and chips which by the way I have put a review on Trip Advisor we pulled ropes from around bollards and headed towards Lincoln passing these wigwams on the way.With the rain starting to fall we weren't that bothered as it was only a short cruise in to the city.
This is the first time that we have ever seen one of these contraptions. Its used for cutting the weed in the canal which it does extremely well . There is then a conveyor which picks all the cuttings up and puts them in the boat. Yet again more care seems to be taken of the network up North than down South.
As we get closer to Lincoln we pass all of the student accommodation on the Campus of Lincoln university.
Such a shame to see this sunken Springer narrowboat . We still see them everywhere we go but being built of thinner steel than most narrowboats they need a bit more taking care of.
Springer built steel canal boats from the late 1960's until the early 1990's. They were one of the most prolific builders of narrow boats and there are still many Springer built boats on the Inland Waterways today.
The majority of the boats that were built were between forty and fifty feet in length. Springer were based in Market Harborough and the company changed ownership several times before folding in approximately 1992.
Springer narrowboat hulls were produced using thinner steel and were built in a V shape to create a stronger structure. Their Water Bugs were built using a 3mm steel hull and the larger boats were built with 5mm steel hulls. The Water Bug was developed as a trailerable version of the narrowboat and they were built in two sizes, twenty and twenty three feet in length. They were aimed at the smaller boat market so that they could be transported on a trailer easily.
Springer boats offered a good budget option when buying a boat. The fact that there are still so many Springer narrowboats on the canal system today proves that they were one of the most produced boats until their demise, and proves that even though the hulls were manufactured using thinner steel, Springer's are often still very serviceable and reliable after more than twenty years on the waterways.
Always love passing trip boats as we give them a friendly wave.
Oh dear another sunken boat.
To get to the visitor moorings we have to pass through the town bridge and with the river Witham coming in on the right which is liable to go in to flood we have to take note of the traffic light system. Luckily it was on green so we could carry on through.
What a surprise this is . We never expected anything like it.
Above us is the main street which runs the full length of the city up towards the Cathedral and Castle.
This is where the moorings start on the left of the picture and as you can see they are not exactly ideal as there are no gates to get through the railings.
What a great name for a pub . Worth a visit later me thinks.
We carried on down and eventually got to Stamp end lock which is a very large guillotine lock . At this point we decided to ring Brayford pool marina which is right in the middle of Lincoln and ask if they had a spare visitor mooring which luckily for us they did. We then winded (turned) above the lock and headed back through to the marina.
Just the ticket we have a good mooring with free electric hook up which we will no doubt hammer, not only that but we have use of some of the university facilities .Not long after mooring the rain stopped and the Sun came out. We have booked in for a couple of nights which will hopefully give us time to explore the city of Lincoln.
Happy Days
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