Expectations At Tidal Locks - Other Experiences Please

[cheshire~rose]

Last weekend was our first experience of the Tidal Trent. We enjoyed it even though we are certain there was more water falling from above us than what was below us

 

The thing is that with it being our first experience you tend to review things and decide what you might do differently new time.

 

The thing that concerns us slightly did not actually cause us any problem at all but we can see how, if it were to happen again it could cause a big problem - and has the potential to be quite dangerous depending which lock it were to involve.

 

Upon arrival we took guidance from the duty lockeeper on what time we should lock out onto the river. He checked (and double checked) the tides and said we should lock out the next mornng at 8am then overnight on the pontoon outside Torksey before continuing our journey to West Stockwith the following morning at 7am. He proceeded to book our passage for 8am the next morning and called West Stockwith to book us in there for a day later.

 

Later that evening as light was failing a largish motor cruiser arrived at the lock. They had finished work that day and set off for a nice bank holiday weekend cruise.They were heading into Lincoln for the weekend. They do that stretch regularly and they know if they rock up at the lock they can usually suss out if any other boats are booked to go through the lock the next day and even though they have not booked the lock they ready themselves for the time other boats are booked passage so they get through at the earliest opportunity. They told us they would see us at 8am and not to worry as they would radio the lock keeper at 7.45 amd to remind him to get the lock ready. (We did not have VHF)

The next morning we were all ready and waiting. They had both radioed and called the lockie on the phone but got no reply. At 8am the lock was still deserted. They continued to try and contact them without success. Then the chap said he had read in his book that if they could not raise anyone on the phone or radio then knock on the cottage door. At 8.45 they went off to try this and a short time later came back to the boat just as we saw activity at the lock.

We ended up locking out onto the river an hour later than planned. This was not going to cause us any problem at all because there was a lot of fresh water on the river from all the rain and we did not have to get through the lock at Torksey.

It was a bit frustrating that we were ready and waiting as instructed and if we had set off on time we would have experienced an hour on the river in the dry instead of the entire journey being in torrential rain.

 

We arrived at Torkey to find the crew from the cruiser standing under an umbrella to greet us. We were most surprised as they were supposed to lock through and be on their way, they had planned to do some shopping in lincoln that afternoon.

They told us that they had been in radio contact with Torksey to book their passage with them as they locked out onto the river. The lock was aware they were on the way. From about 30 minutes before arriving at Torksey they had been unable to raise any contact from them by phone or radio. The lock was due to close at 11am and they had tried to confirm their position to ensure Torksey knew they would arrive in good time before they closed (and of course, hopefully have the lock ready for them)

They arrived at 10.45 to find the lock closed and no one on duty. They had to wait until it re-opened laster in the afternoon before locking through and they were not happy as the plans for the day had been spoiled. The combination of not getting out onto the river until an hour later than they expected and then the other lock closing earlier than they expected had thwarted them. We later talked to some people on a couple of narrowboats on the pontoon there who had locked through at 10am and been told that the lock was being closed after their passage.

 

I have no experience of tides etc and I am aware that the lock might have been closed due to lack of water over the cill but as we had been told there was 6 foot of "fresh" under us as we locked onto that section I felt sure that this would assist the levels for locking through at Torksey? Maybe my understanding of the situation is skewed?

 

My concern for the future is that, being on a narrowboat, passage is always going to be slower than on a cruiser. If we had been booked to go through Torksey (which had been our original plan) we would also have been stuck, albeit in a safe place. But the idea that locks not being manned later than expected or closing earlier than expected when boats are out on a tidal section and booked passage through concerns me a great deal. In other peoples experience is this "the norm" or did we just happen to be travelling the same tide as someone who was unlucky that day?

 

I have to say that our arrival at West Stockwith was fine, when I called they confirmed they had our booking and told me exactly where to call so they could have the lock ready for us. In fact everyone we spoke to at all the locks was really helpful and seemed to take a great deal of time to ensure our passage on the tidal section was safe and make sure we understood the reasons why they were suggesting the times and methods they did. I just don't want to be worrying that a lock keeper will one day "forget" we are on the river and clock off before we arrive.

[Alan de Enfield]

A couple of weeks ago we were going theu Torksey (down onto the Trent) we had been gven a time and arrived a little early. We waited and waited but the gates did not open, we found a couple of C&RT staff who were doing lock duty that day, we were told that the tide was very late that day (it does happen due to high pressure etc) and we had to wait for 'another 4 feet', and due to the late (and now 'small' tide) it was another hour and a half before we could get over the cill.

 

Obviously if C&RT staff were not about - thats another matter, but remember "the tide abides for, tarrieth for no man, stays no man, tide nor time tarrieth no man"

 

The tides will do what they want.

[Purple Fairie]

Jan, I'm sorry you've had a bad experience at the Trent locks. It's almost a year since we came through the last time, but in the 8 years we regularly did the Trent we never had any problems, in fact Neil at Torksey has even waited long past his finishing time as he knew we'd left West Stockwith and would be with him eventually!

I'm hoping that this was a one off.

[Naughty Cal]

Neil isn't working Torksey anymore and to be quite frank the last few times we have been through we were not impressed with the temporary lockies on duty.

 

We always work out our own tide and lock times as we have never really trusted the lockies advise. They tend to air on the side of caution with cruising times which doesn't really work for us as we get where we are heading much quicker than they anticipate which in itself causes problems.

 

Boston is the lock we have most waiting at as Micky is a bit pessimistic with his timings so we usually end up waiting salty side on the nasty poles on the wall below the lock!

[Derek Porteous]

Can't say we have ever had a real problem with the timings the lockies have given us, but that is usually the River Ouse. Had trouble raising the lockie at Keadby occasionally on both the VHF and mobile phone as we were approaching the lock, but they got there eventually, and the lock keeper at the Great River Ouse (not the River Ouse) does tend to ask you to get there a little early. I guess that is his safety margin for those tardy narrowboaters, (yes, there are a few).

 

On the whole they do an excellent job, although Naughty Cal's comments have been noted.

[cheshire~rose]

Thanks guys

 

We did not really have a "bad" experience. The delay at the start was a little frustrating, yes but we just put it down to experience. It is only when I started to review the overall experience it made made me little concerned that if it had been us that was wanting to lock through on a different lock then we could have found ourselves in a very tricky situation so I wanted to know if it was "the norm" or not. We now have possession of the little tide times booklet and we will talk to the people in the boat club who are very experienced in doing that journey to get a better understanding of how to "read" the tides and conditions before we travel next time so we can double check what we are being told sounds correct with more confidence. We also plan to ensure we get VHF for the next trip, which is unlikley to be until next year - plenty of time to make sure we are up to speed with it all!

[pearley]

The publication 'Narrowboat on the Trent' by Richlow will tell you howvto work out when to leave the various locks in either direction using tide tables.

[cheshire~rose]

Thanks Pearly

 

When I said I would talk to the people at the club who do that section regulalry that includes the author of that guide

 

I better buy a copy now though or he might think I am a cheapskate!

[David Mack]

Since you weren't going through Torksey, the Cromwell lockie didn't contact them, he only booked your passage at West Stockwith. Your departure was delayed through no fault of yours, but otherwise the trip went more or less to plan. The cruiser on the other hand failed to book for Torksey and got there after the lockie had gone. Isn't the lesson from this that one should make arrangements to book in rather than just turning up and hoping?

[cheshire~rose]

They did book the lock as they set off. They did this via their radio.

[wreckferret]

Not sure if this has a bearing on anything but Dave, the lockie at West Stockwith sadly died a few weeks ago and has not been replaced yet.

Just wondering if this is putting a strain on rescources??

[NickF]

We went through Cromwell the other day and got excellent advice and help form the lockie ... (Tommy I think), we actually went down at about 7pm the night before our booked passage and moored to the pontoons below, that way we could set off when we wanted in the morning.

We got into Torkey no problem as we draw about 6 inches with the centre board up! (the centre board did actually hot the cill as we went in so we brought it up pretty quickly!)

[cheshire~rose]

I suspect it could well have a bearing on it. I had heard that one of the much loved and very experienced guys from W. Stockwith had died. Sadly I never knew him but I suspect his loss will have had an impact not just on staffing levels but on the morale of the staff still doing the job.

 

We had excellent treatment at W. Stockwith with the lockie there spelling out to us exactly what to do to get safely into the lock. Nothing was too much trouble for him.

[Guest]

Thanks Pearly

 

When I said I would talk to the people at the club who do that section regulalry that includes the author of that guide

 

I better buy a copy now though or he might think I am a cheapskate!

When you buy it you also get any updates via. Email. Eg they use buildings/structures as reference points and when something substantial was demolished last year (cooling towers IIRC) an email was sent pointing this out as they were referred to in the version of the guide I had bought.

 

Haven't had the chance to apply them in practice but they look very helpful.

 

They do one for the Ouse and the Ure too if you plan to venture up there.

[cheshire~rose]

When you buy it you also get any updates via. Email. Eg they use buildings/structures as reference points and when something substantial was demolished last year (cooling towers IIRC) an email was sent pointing this out as they were referred to in the version of the guide I had bought.

 

Haven't had the chance to apply them in practice but they look very helpful.

 

They do one for the Ouse and the Ure too if you plan to venture up there.

 

Thanks Martin.

 

I know all the Richlow guides are very useful and they are printed to order so you always get the most recent version available when you buy one. We looked at our copy of The Chesterfield Canal one last night and realised it is now 4 years old and is a little out of date. (for out of date read there is another whole section of restored canal and a basin opened in that time! - The Chesterfield Canal Trust don't let the grass grow under their feet!)

 

If anyone is interested in buyng any of The Richlow guides Then I can supply them and The Chesterfield Canal Trust gets a small cut of the profit on them - please PM me if you want more info.

[Naughty Cal]

Not sure if this has a bearing on anything but Dave, the lockie at West Stockwith sadly died a few weeks ago and has not been replaced yet.

Just wondering if this is putting a strain on rescources??

He has been replaced. Our friend Neil from narrowboat Toby Jug found out yesterday he had got the job.

[cheshire~rose]

Aww Congratulations to Neil!

[maggie-y]

Last weekend was our first experience of the Tidal Trent. We enjoyed it even though we are certain there was more water falling from above us than what was below us

 

The thing is that with it being our first experience you tend to review things and decide what you might do differently new time.

 

The thing that concerns us slightly did not actually cause us any problem at all but we can see how, if it were to happen again it could cause a big problem - and has the potential to be quite dangerous depending which lock it were to involve.

 

Upon arrival we took guidance from the duty lockeeper on what time we should lock out onto the river. He checked (and double checked) the tides and said we should lock out the next mornng at 8am then overnight on the pontoon outside Torksey before continuing our journey to West Stockwith the following morning at 7am. He proceeded to book our passage for 8am the next morning and called West Stockwith to book us in there for a day later.

 

Later that evening as light was failing a largish motor cruiser arrived at the lock. They had finished work that day and set off for a nice bank holiday weekend cruise.They were heading into Lincoln for the weekend. They do that stretch regularly and they know if they rock up at the lock they can usually suss out if any other boats are booked to go through the lock the next day and even though they have not booked the lock they ready themselves for the time other boats are booked passage so they get through at the earliest opportunity. They told us they would see us at 8am and not to worry as they would radio the lock keeper at 7.45 amd to remind him to get the lock ready. (We did not have VHF)

The next morning we were all ready and waiting. They had both radioed and called the lockie on the phone but got no reply. At 8am the lock was still deserted. They continued to try and contact them without success. Then the chap said he had read in his book that if they could not raise anyone on the phone or radio then knock on the cottage door. At 8.45 they went off to try this and a short time later came back to the boat just as we saw activity at the lock.

We ended up locking out onto the river an hour later than planned. This was not going to cause us any problem at all because there was a lot of fresh water on the river from all the rain and we did not have to get through the lock at Torksey.

It was a bit frustrating that we were ready and waiting as instructed and if we had set off on time we would have experienced an hour on the river in the dry instead of the entire journey being in torrential rain.

 

We arrived at Torkey to find the crew from the cruiser standing under an umbrella to greet us. We were most surprised as they were supposed to lock through and be on their way, they had planned to do some shopping in lincoln that afternoon.

They told us that they had been in radio contact with Torksey to book their passage with them as they locked out onto the river. The lock was aware they were on the way. From about 30 minutes before arriving at Torksey they had been unable to raise any contact from them by phone or radio. The lock was due to close at 11am and they had tried to confirm their position to ensure Torksey knew they would arrive in good time before they closed (and of course, hopefully have the lock ready for them)

They arrived at 10.45 to find the lock closed and no one on duty. They had to wait until it re-opened laster in the afternoon before locking through and they were not happy as the plans for the day had been spoiled. The combination of not getting out onto the river until an hour later than they expected and then the other lock closing earlier than they expected had thwarted them. We later talked to some people on a couple of narrowboats on the pontoon there who had locked through at 10am and been told that the lock was being closed after their passage.

 

I have no experience of tides etc and I am aware that the lock might have been closed due to lack of water over the cill but as we had been told there was 6 foot of "fresh" under us as we locked onto that section I felt sure that this would assist the levels for locking through at Torksey? Maybe my understanding of the situation is skewed?

 

My concern for the future is that, being on a narrowboat, passage is always going to be slower than on a cruiser. If we had been booked to go through Torksey (which had been our original plan) we would also have been stuck, albeit in a safe place. But the idea that locks not being manned later than expected or closing earlier than expected when boats are out on a tidal section and booked passage through concerns me a great deal. In other peoples experience is this "the norm" or did we just happen to be travelling the same tide as someone who was unlucky that day?

 

I have to say that our arrival at West Stockwith was fine, when I called they confirmed they had our booking and told me exactly where to call so they could have the lock ready for us. In fact everyone we spoke to at all the locks was really helpful and seemed to take a great deal of time to ensure our passage on the tidal section was safe and make sure we understood the reasons why they were suggesting the times and methods they did. I just don't want to be worrying that a lock keeper will one day "forget" we are on the river and clock off before we arrive.

We were certainly not impressed with the guy on Torksey Fri/Sat. Took ages to contact him on Friday and yes on Saturday am as he locked us down he said he was on a spilt shift and was knocking off after he had put us thru. All the other lockies from there onwards were great.

[Naughty Cal]

We were certainly not impressed with the guy on Torksey Fri/Sat. Took ages to contact him on Friday and yes on Saturday am as he locked us down he said he was on a spilt shift and was knocking off after he had put us thru. All the other lockies from there onwards were great.

The tidal lockies often work a split shift. No point being there if there is not enough water to let boats through!