Gunthorpe to Lincoln in a sailing dingy

[NickF]

Hurray! the trip is on, leaving Gunthorpe Tuesday (22/4/14) in a wayfarer dingy, we should get the morning tide from Cromwell on Wednesday. Lockie at Cromwell is happy, VHF radio is ready, plenty of fuel for the outboard in case we can't sail and the boat tent is all packed and ready!

Give us a wave if you see us ,... i think we must be slightly mad!

 

 

 

[NickF]

Just one more question occurs to me .... Nicholson's really is not very clear. Does anyone know what facilities are at Cromwell lock .. is there a toilet or a shower or only a water point?

[Barry]

That sounds like an exciting trip.

 

Boat tent? Are you a member of the dinghy cruising association by any chance?

[Alan de Enfield]

Just one more question occurs to me .... Nicholson's really is not very clear. Does anyone know what facilities are at Cromwell lock .. is there a toilet or a shower or only a water point?

 

Water and electricity on the visitors pontoon.

Toilet (cannot remember shower but maybe) 500yds downstream by the actual lock

 

Presumably you'll be on outboard going thru Newark as you will need to step the mast.

If perchance you have had to motor from Gunthorpe to Newark (and need to refresh supplies) then tie up on the C&RT pontoon (outside the C&RT offices at the Kiln), walk over the footbridge (100 yards downstream), past the scrapyard and Aldi onto the main road - turn left and 500 yards or so on the left is a petrol station.

There (was last week) a 2.5 mph flow that should help you - whats your estimated duration ?

 

(I reckon 4 hours, maybe 4.5 hours)

[NickF]

Thanks for that information that's really useful, yes we will motor through Newark, we will probably take the mast right off for that and put it on a cradle along the length of the boat. We hope on Monday to set up a pulley on the bow for the forestay so we should be able to drop the mast from within the boat hopefully without having to stop.

 

Time on the tidal Trent depends a bit on the wind speed and direction and whether we are sailing or motoring. The lockie at Cromwell reckons about 4 hours, we have a draught of 20 - 30 cm with the centre board up so that shouldn't be too much of a problem!

 

And in answer to Barry we are not members of the dinghy cruising association although we have done a few trips on the Broads in the past so have some experience of dropping the mast for low bridges.

[wandering snail]

I wonder if you'll just keep going, like Alex Mackinnon in his Mirror dinghy. He eventually stopped at the Black Sea having set off for just a little trip one summer from North Wales. It's a good read - The Unlikely Voyage of Jack de Crow.

[NigelMoore]

It is a good read. Some of the incidents might put off emulators though.

[jelunga]

Thanks for that information that's really useful, yes we will motor through Newark, we will probably take the mast right off for that and put it on a cradle along the length of the boat. We hope on Monday to set up a pulley on the bow for the forestay so we should be able to drop the mast from within the boat hopefully without having to stop.

 

Time on the tidal Trent depends a bit on the wind speed and direction and whether we are sailing or motoring. The lockie at Cromwell reckons about 4 hours, we have a draught of 20 - 30 cm with the centre board up so that shouldn't be too much of a problem!

 

And in answer to Barry we are not members of the dinghy cruising association although we have done a few trips on the Broads in the past so have some experience of dropping the mast for low bridges.

Coming down from Newark, no facilities at Town Lock. Water point and leccy on pontoon outside Crt kffjce just after Town Bridge.

Nether Lock (besf one on the River since J am seasonal lockie there) has toilet, water and Elsan.

Cromwell has water, leccy, waste disposal, toilefs and showers.

I look forward tk seeing you af Nether. (Jf you get there before Wednesday!)

[Naughty Cal]

We should see you towards the end of your journey.

 

Good pub at Torksey which also sells basic provisions. There is now a post office in the village which also sells provisions.

 

Saxilby visitor moorings are a nice spot for a BBQ although the pubs seem to have gone downhill recently. There is a mini supermarket for stocking up. Good fish and chips and Chinese and a pizza shop has just opened up opposite the moorings.

 

Woodcocks pub at Burton Waters does alright good and is a buy one get one free establishment.

 

Burton Waters offers all the boating facilities you might need and has a chandlers.

 

The Pyewipe does excellent food but you do pay handsomely for it. Worth it though and it's a short walk into Lincoln from the moorings.

 

Lincoln now has extra visitor moorings provided by Lincoln Marina. These are fully serviced and £10 per night which includes electric. Short pontoons mind but that shouldn't bother you.

 

Failing that there are CRT moorings but they are often full. We often anchor in the pool and take the dinghy to shore.

 

There are moorings through the Glory Hole right along the wall outside the waterside centre. Busy during the day but quiet and safe at night.

 

Lastly there is a small sanitary station above Stamp End lock with water and toilets. There are mooring rings in the wall there.

 

Hope you enjoy your trip and we will keep an eye out for you.

[Up-Side-Down]

Just one more question occurs to me .... Nicholson's really is not very clear. Does anyone know what facilities are at Cromwell lock .. is there a toilet or a shower or only a water point?

 

The new Nicholson - published February 2014 - marks all the Kilometer posts along the tidal Trent which is an accurate way of knowing exactly where you are if you're unfamiliar with the river.

[Naughty Cal]

Or use the Trent charts!

[Up-Side-Down]

 

The new Nicholson - published February 2014 - marks all the Kilometer posts along the tidal Trent which is an accurate way of knowing exactly where you are if you're unfamiliar with the river.

 

............. looks like they've also been marked along the Fossdyke & Witham too!

 

The Trent Charts are certainly a valuable addition and cover tidal waterways further north as well.

[Alan de Enfield]

 

The new Nicholson - published February 2014 - marks all the Kilometer posts along the tidal Trent which is an accurate way of knowing exactly where you are if you're unfamiliar with the river.

 

Has anyone actually checked if the positions shown on the new 'chart' are correct ?

 

The 'Old' Nicholson also had the Kilometre posts marked - unfortunately they actually positioned them 1 mile apart (and not 1 Km apart) - hence you were looking for one (say) on a particular bend in the river and found it was in fact about 500 yards before the bend, and as you progressed the differences compounded.

 

Example - Actual sign showing 38km was in fact no 24 in Nicholsons.

 

I'll be intersting to see if they have corrected this in the 2014 edition

[Captain Fizz]

Dinghy cruising is great fun if a little wet at times.

Back in the 70's, I spent a great week cruising the east coast rivers in a tented wayfarer, brilliant!

Frank and Margaret Dye travelled all over in their wooden Wayfarer, including a passage to Iceland.

[mattlad]

Don't forget, the smaller the boat the bigger the adventure!

[NickF]

Thanks for all your comments everyone. We'll lo

ok out for you Naughty Cal and Jelunga.

[NickF]

Just to report back we had a really great trip. The lock keepers where all really friendly and offered great advice. We sailed pretty much the whole of the Trent apart from using the engine all the way through Newark and briefly at Hazelford lock to stop us drifting too close to the weir as we approached the lock.

The sail from Cromwell to Torksey was superb. We spent the night on the pontoons below Cromwell Lock and set off about 8am for a lovely sunny sail down the tidal Trent to Torksey and we didn't have to start the out board once. We took about four hours to make the trip and only had to drop the mast once (for Dunford bridge). We sailed towards the bridge, dropped the mast onto a cradle at the back of the boat, drifted under the bridge and back up with the mast. Why is it when something is done slickly and well there is no one around to see! There only seems to be an audience when it all goes wrong!

 

The Fossdyke was a different story with the wind right on the bow so we motored all the way to Lincoln, again a really nice trip in the sun.

 

We spent the night on the visitor moorings just before Brayford Pool (thanks for the info "Naughty Cal")

 

[Grace and Favour]

Lovely to read your report, Nick.

 

And super photo's too!

 

 

(The Trent is a beautiful river isn't it(?))

[Barry]

Those are very interesting photos NickF

 

And a very cool thing to do!

 

 

I have the hull of an old 14ft Enterprise in my back garden waiting for re-decking and rebuilding...hmmm

[Alan de Enfield]

You get some idea of the scale of the lock

 

[NickF]

We did feel a bit small at Cromwell, the whole place is set up for boats a little bigger than ours!

[George94]

I wonder if you'll just keep going, like Alex Mackinnon in his Mirror dinghy. He eventually stopped at the Black Sea having set off for just a little trip one summer from North Wales. It's a good read - The Unlikely Voyage of Jack de Crow.

 

He stopped at the Black Sea? That man has no stamina. Had you said Arkangelsk, I should have been impressed.

 

Joking apart, I believe somebody was trying to do that in a Narrowboat. Anybody know how they got on?

[NigelMoore]

It was a Motor and Butty pair, built by Evans for Nick Sanders in order to do his “Black Country to the Black Sea” trip in the mid 90's.

 

He made it up to the last lock without passing through to the Black Sea itself, for reasons which escape me. The return journey was largely by tow by reason of the currents. He did produce two DVD’s, which I purchased from him personally, but not sure where they are available. I think he may have a website.

[jelunga]

Just to report back we had a really great trip. The lock keepers where all really friendly and offered great advice. We sailed pretty much the whole of the Trent apart from using the engine all the way through Newark and briefly at Hazelford lock to stop us drifting too close to the weir as we approached the lock.

The sail from Cromwell to Torksey was superb. We spent the night on the pontoons below Cromwell Lock and set off about 8am for a lovely sunny sail down the tidal Trent to Torksey and we didn't have to start the out board once. We took about four hours to make the trip and only had to drop the mast once (for Dunford bridge). We sailed towards the bridge, dropped the mast onto a cradle at the back of the boat, drifted under the bridge and back up with the mast. Why is it when something is done slickly and well there is no one around to see! There only seems to be an audience when it all goes wrong!

 

The Fossdyke was a different story with the wind right on the bow so we motored all the way to Lincoln, again a really nice trip in the sun.

 

We spent the night on the visitor moorings just before Brayford Pool (thanks for the info "Naughty Cal")

 

Glad you got down safely after seeing me at Nether

[George94]

It was a Motor and Butty pair, built by Evans for Nick Sanders in order to do his “Black Country to the Black Sea” trip in the mid 90's.

 

He made it up to the last lock without passing through to the Black Sea itself, for reasons which escape me. The return journey was largely by tow by reason of the currents. He did produce two DVD’s, which I purchased from him personally, but not sure where they are available. I think he may have a website.

 

 

Thank you.

 

Having observed the current in the Danube, I long ago decided that if I ever went that way, it would be a one-way trip.