Had sea sailing experience

My wife and I travelled along the tidal Trent from Cromwell, for an 'over-night' outside Torksey Lock, before going on to Hull Marina, for a few days. We then ran down the Humber to Grimsby, writes Tim Stewart.

Our 59ft narrowboat was fitted with a Beta 43 and a standard prop (whatever that is). At no time were we in danger. This is not everyone's idea of fun, I know, but we both had a great time and arrived safely. After a lengthy stay in Lincolnshire, we returned to the canal system at Goole, via the Humber and Ouse.

Sailing in North Sea

An intrinsic problem with using tidal rivers, all things being equal, is possibly a lack of familiarity and confidence in running in this type of watery environment. I hasten to add that my experience, prior to a life on the canals, was 17 years sailing mostly in the North Sea, which included much enjoyable time on the Humber and Trent.

It can be particularly daunting to experience the fast moving Trent for the first few times, but, it is well worth making the effort to work with the river, rather than against it.

Given a well-found vessel and good preparation, there should be nothing to stop others from enjoying something a bit different, by 'doing' the Trent.