O M G Standedge Tunnel

As you know we were planning to go through the tunnel on Monday. As BW were fully booked we did it today. We were advised to be at the tunnel mouth by 8.30am. We had already moored outside the BW office last night and were up nice and early ready for the off. We had just suffered a night of no phone or telly signal. You don't realise how much you rely on technology until you are devoid of its luxuries!  It was that bad I even walked up to the top of the nearest hill to see of I could get a phone signal and still no joy!!
At about 8am another boat pulled alongside and managed to squeeze his 57' boat into the 56' space in front of us. We thought his determination to be first through the tunnel was quite amusing. He obviously wanted it over and done with as much as we did!!
We waited for 'Mr I'm First so there!' to go through and 30 minutes later we were ready for our turn.   Standedge is the longest and deepest tunnel in the UK and you have only recently been able to drive yourself through it.  BW provide a bod to escort you through and supply you with hard hats and life jackets as well as help navigating your way through, help that is much needed in this tunnel!


It was bad enough last time, but we agreed afterwards that this time was definitely worse. I think the fact we are 66.5 feet long didn't help the situation at all. They say max length of 70' but judging by some of the corners within the tunnel, a 70' boat would definitely struggle. We certainly did.  There are a couple of dog leg corners which left very definite scars on Silver Blue and how she isn't banana shaped now I will never know! Our first journey through the tunnel took 1hr 20mins, this one took longer and felt a lot bumpier and scrapier! There was also less room as The water level was 2" higher.  We have since found out that the chap in front of us badly damaged his boat.  He managed to smash his rudder and tiller up as well as picking up about 3tons of rubbish from around his prop!  The insurance assessor is coming tomorrow to have a look. :0(


The tunnel itself is actually round so what you see above the waterline is pretty much the same below. And when you see rock jutting out from the wall of the tunnel, chances are that rock is also under the water so you get a very unnerving 45 degree tilt effect when you are unlucky enough to pass over it.

Buster barked the whole time we were in the tunnel. So much so that I came out of the tunnel with a headache which I didn't have going in. He was less stressed this time though as he didn't wet himself like he did on our first trip through, he just barked the place down instead! Lol
It was such a rough passage that anything hanging up within the boat was swinging like a pendulum! At the 2nd dog leg we were swinging about so much that my coveted Le Creuset Wok full of cooking oil, went flying off the side onto the kitchen floor. I had to try and mop up all the oil whilst sliding all over the place with a now strangely quiet buster watching my every move with amused interest!
Meanwhile the wind changed in the tunnel and yog spent ages breathing in diesel fumes from the back of the boat.




When we finally emerged from the tunnel on the Diggle side. All battered and bruised from the journey. Our first words to earth other were "never again!!".  Yogi has had to hoover out apx 7 buckets of water from the bilge too, so we may have caused ourselves a problem as well.  We are monitoring that one and will keep you posted.
All that being said, and taking into account the places we have seen and visited at this end of the Huddersfield, it has been worth the effort.  Saying that, I for one am most glad we wont be going through the Standedge Tunnel again for a very long time!!