Chester Basin & the Dee Branch

Finally Will recieved the call he'd been hoping for. One of the inspectors for the seaworthiness certificate was available and could meet us at Ellesmere Port whenever we were able to get there! The certificate is one of the requirements for vessels travelling on the Manchester Ship Canal, which we planned to do in order to get to the River Weaver.

Will agreed to meet John Pope the day after tomorrow, so we set off from King Charles Tower Gardens to get the Northgate triple staircase locks out of the way before the 8 mile run to Ellesmere Port the following day. Unfortunately there weren't any other boats to pair up with and Vicky had been hitting the shops a bit hard so she wasn't able to help work Rainboat through the locks. She stayed on the towpath with the dogs and Will started off. There are often a number of 'gongoozlers' at these unusual locks (non boaty people who enjoy watching boats). We lucked out when local resident Chris came by and offered to lend a hand. He'd been on a number of boating holidays with his friends and enjoyed locking. He was a brilliant help, making the process so much easier for Will. He teaches axe throwing skills for a living and had a few tales to tell, including the time he applied for a mortgage. We were very grateful for his help and for the community spirit that exists along the canals.

There wasn't any mooring space in the basin so Will pulled in at the water point and began filling while we thought what to do. Vicky needed a few bits and bobs from the retail park a mile away so she took Tiger while Leo stayed with Will and they moored on the towpath just beyond the basin. It was tea time by the time we'd got everything done so Vicky picked up fish and chips from the small chippy near the basin.

There used to be access to the River Dee from Chester Basin via three locks but there have been problems with lock gates and the channel is silting up. The Inland Waterways Association have made the Dee Branch a Silver Propeller Location, encouraging boaters to visit and show it is still needed as part of the canal system. Will decided he couldn't leave without visiting, even though it felt a bit silly reversing into the first lock, then backing out and along the channel to the second, which is closed. The wind made maneuvering difficult, but a kind woman helped by pushing Rainboat away from the side of her boat and the next. To counter this, a guy working in the dry dock came and accused Will of scratching his boat (he hadn't). He said the channel was all silted up, Will shouldn't be going down and the people with permanent moorings would shout at him too 😲 Luckily people like him are rare on the canals, the channel wasn't too silted up and one of the residents offered to catch a rope in order to help Will moor 😊

Vicky took photos for evidence and the Dee Branch became the thirteenth out of the twenty sites we need to be awarded the little Silver Propeller plaque.Read more