Scholar Gypsy
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Posts posted by Scholar Gypsy
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I'm expecting to be heading down the Nene in the second half of August, so this timing works well for me. Here I am 10 days ago, with 31 boats following !
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On 01/07/2023 at 14:19, PaulJ said:
I've just been told its the big automatic floodgate (just before you reach the lock as you are heading toward Northampton) stuck in the up position. Seems its jammed while it was being tested/inspected.
Which would definetely prevent passage 😀
Also heard a rumour it *may* be sorted mid week as they hope to be able to lower it and repair it then.
Thanks for that, I was trying to work out why boats were not being allowed through, with the gate sitting on the bed of the river.
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On 30/06/2023 at 00:08, Midnight said:
Hundreds of teens swimming and jumping from bridges at Teddington last weekend. No grief but an unbelievable amount of bottles, rubbish and plastic either thrown in the river or left on the bank. And these cheeky twerps say my generation ruined the planet for their future. Plant ruiner me collected a bin bag full of rubbish from a few yards in front of the boat and dropped it in the bins near the lock.
And a bit later on Sunday I had some fun going through Kingston and Hampton. In places I reckoned I was keeping an eye on 50 plus people in the water, all having a lovely time.
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Just now, IanD said:
Blimey, that went up quick -- there was no sign of life on Monday afternoon, Tuesday morning it's up!
Still looks blocked off for pedestrians though, maybe that'll be cleared soon -- or even by now... 😉
A good example of measure three times, cut once. It was pretty clear they were reusing the existing abutments.
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The new bridge. Photo taken this morning by David L on the way back from SPCC tideway cruise
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On 15/06/2023 at 21:04, GUMPY said:
It might look like an EA mooring but I was told by John who works for the EA at Northampton Marina that Chester house have taken it over.
I like the signs on it saying "moor here to lock up" almost as if it was a lock landing 🤔
I think those signs are from the kayak hire company, you padlock your kayak to a designated section of the pontoon at the end of your trip.
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NB I think Whiston is still closed. It's a lovely river. This is the most up to date guide to facilities etc
https://www.oundlecruisingclub.co.uk/river_nene_moorings.php
Referred to in https://goba.org.uk/a-guide-for-visitors-to-the-east/7 minutes ago, Grassman said:Which direction is best? I presume that whether going upstream or downstream there's the same amount of work to be done but just in a different order, but are there other factors which makes you prefer one direction more than the other?
I prefer going upstream, just go straight into the lock. Some of the landing stages above the lock are quite tricky to stop at, when heading downstream, but easier to stop at when leaving the lock going upstream (eg to pick up your crew) - provided the cross wind is in the right direction!
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Thank you. I had a nice chat with James about his noisy engine!
Sadly the viewer doesn't get a full demonstration of my rather elaborate rope system when going uphill in wide locks.... -
53 minutes ago, MartynG said:
No a weekday. I suspect the bulk of the tonnage is further down river ? -
1 hour ago, Scholar Gypsy said:
This is a displacement activity for what I should be doing now, which is cleaning the contacts on my wiring loom. Briefly yesterday my engine refused to stop. It's working OK now, but I should give the connectors a clean. Signing off for an hour now!Problem fixed. I then discovered the bilge pump wasn't working, tracked that down to the fuse holder on the negative return. Aren't boats fun
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2 minutes ago, Jen-in-Wellies said:
The Sissons charts are dead easy to follow. The aren't like a sea chart, but a google earth style view of sections of river, with the safe line drawn on, along with photos of bridges and descriptions to flesh it all out. Having it in front of you as you steer, it helps you pick the optimum route, bridge arch and so on.
Edit: Post clash with @Scholar Gypsy again!
This is a displacement activity for what I should be doing now, which is cleaning the contacts on my wiring loom. Briefly yesterday my engine refused to stop. It's working OK now, but I should give the connectors a clean. Signing off for an hour now!-
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27 minutes ago, Mark R said:
Thanks SG, I appreciate your input. I would be single handed as I'd be picking up a boat. I could probably get assistance for the harder sctions of the journey but in reality they would be equally as inexperienced with me.
Thanks for the link, I'd certainly take advantage of that!
Again thanks Jen,
The information you give is invaluable. I need to think very carefully about this. For example, would I even be able to read a chart? I'm assuming that my journey listed above my circumnavigate some of these issues.
Mark
Here's a sample from the standard Trent chart (not a normal Admiralty style chart). Pretty easy to follow, and especially if you buy it before you arrive at Cromwell lock (where the tidal section starts).
It is handy to have one person who is reading the chart and giving you advance warning of what to do next, enabling you to keep your head up and spot eg any floating rubbish, or ducks that appear to be standing up (never a good sign!). Good luck!
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I would encourage you not to give up. The first part of the trip is on tame canals and a good place to learn. You don't say if you are single handed. At least for a first trip I would encourage you to have crew, as single handing does add complications.
For the Trent, you have made a major step in asking for advice. The foolhardy thing is to just go without any prior planning. There is lots of advice and support available on the Trentlink group (earlier link and the associated Facebook page) . That page can also be used to arrange buddying - it's a good idea to go with another boat - and there are locals who may be able to crew for you for a pint and a minicab fare. Also, some boatmovers will offer paid support. For example Conor has just advertised this service
Finally there is now (hurrah) some commercial traffic on the NE waterways up to Leeds. Just keep an eye out. Another reason for getting VHF, which is not that expensive.
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10 minutes ago, howardang said:
that is true but VTS have many responsibilities controlling traffic on the estuary which keep them busy which is why they broadcast vessel movements on the radio. VTS would prefer leisure boaters to get their movement information in that way - one of the many reasons for the need to monitor the radio.
Howard
I agree. Sadly there is rather less traffic now, on our 2021 trip down to Hull we didn't see a single ship moving, nor hear a single bit of traffic info on the radio. -
4 hours ago, enigmatic said:
The point was that the charts advise you of a number of fixed hazards which might be non-obvious throughout the entire length of the tidal journey and also give you a reasonable idea about journey times to indicate whether you're on course to arrive as planned, which might be considered more essential than real time voice updates on commercial vessel movements of which only the short stretch near Keadby before you leave it is a concern, where the river is wide and any commercial traffic planned in advance and extremely visible.
Trentlink's unofficial guidance to boaters suggests that if you're going to Keadby and no further (and you wouldn't go any further taking a narrowboat to Leeds) you should be able to get vessel movements above Keadby bridge by calling Humber VTS. https://trentlink.wordpress.com/comms/. The Keadby lockies, who are actually good, will also advise.
Thank you, I was just about to plug that bit of guidance.... -
18 hours ago, Mike Todd said:
Of course but not, I suspect, on the line of the Cut off and Relief Channels.
A propos their purpose: am I right in recalling that Vermuyden was only concerned about drainage whilst the Cut Off Channel especially is about moving water around (an idea that is coming back into fashion elsewhere) or was that a further development after it was first built?
As designed and built (1960) the cutoff channel was for drainage, though some extra sluices at Denver were added (1972) so that the water could flow backwards and then be pumped to Essex. And ten years after that a lock was added to make the relief channel navigable most of the way to Kings Lynn.
https://greatbradley.weebly.com/water-transfer-scheme.html
Anyway here we are punching the tide at Denver yesterday. There was so much fresh water coming off the Ouse washes that Denver sluice cannot drain by gravity.
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14 hours ago, Mike Todd said:
The river had not moved much in that time either!
Some bits had, eg the Great Ouse between Ely and Littleport, built in C19th.
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55 minutes ago, Midnight said:
I had a lot of trouble getting my Anglian Pass in 2021. I had to apply online but EA said they would ring for the payment. Two weeks and several emails still no call. When we arrived at Bottisham lock. I rang the Cam Conservators and explained so they allowed us onto the river. The EA called several weeks after we left but I paid anyway as I had promised the Cam people I would do so.
Apply early!!!
This is strange. In both 2022 and 2023 it took an hour (in total) between the email arriving and the finished licence coming out of my laminator. I think I may have rung them to make the payment. And it may be that a repeat licence is faster than a new one.
The EA have a project to deliver a properly online system, but it will not be quick....
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38 minutes ago, Stroudwater1 said:
Point of information the uncivilised savages failed to insert proper foundations so the tower fell down less than 200 years later in 1322 🤣.
A tour up the Octagon tower that replaced it is highly recommended- it’s a masterpiece, and all rebuilt within 18 years.
Absolutely, the 1,000 year old tree trunks are quite something. Not for those afraid of heights..
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1 hour ago, nicknorman said:
No I’m pretty sure you can get a daily, weekly or monthly licence for ML with just a CRT standard licence. But you can’t get a short term licence for the Cam and the only way to get an “Anglian pass” which covers ML and Cam, is to have a gold licence (or annual EA registration)..
But doing the sums it looks like trading our CRT licence in for a gold one will be the best deal and certainly removes any timing hassles. Also means our licence will renew in January as opposed to April which means we might miss an increase!
You are correct re the Cam (of which I am now a Conservator - it's not as grand as it sounds!). -
6 minutes ago, Mac of Cygnet said:
In the 15 years I had Cygnet, three summers were spent in East Anglia, I liked it so much. Including buying the boat at Calcutt, and taking her to Sowerby Bridge via Cambridge. The most magical mooring? Wicken Lode (but of course limited by Upware lock). I could have been back in the Middle Ages. There were some very ad hoc moorings to allow me to explore (and it did feel like exploration) some less frquented parts, but of course Cygnet was only 27ft. and I felt I could always turn round and retreat if necessary!
I think I would agree. Konik ponies featured in the latest David Attenborough series, February 2023: https://scholargypsy.org.uk/2023/02/11/wicken-fen-in-the-winter/
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1 minute ago, john6767 said:
We have done the Nene and the ML, but we ran out of time, and still need to do the GT Ouse.
I thought with the new licensing you had to have a gold licence, as you can not buy a licence for the ML if you just have a CRT licence and an EA visitor licence? That said the EA visitor licence for Nene and Ouse are even more expensive than the Thames, so I think if you intend to spend more and a month on EA, then it will be cheaper and certainly more convenient to get a gold licence.
the windlass you need is for the ML, and there is also a ML Yale key, principally for the service at March, at least I think that is all we used it for. You get them from Stanground lock.
The way Stanground lock worked when we were there is that they give you a specific time to get to the lock.
I joined Friends of the River Nene, there is a lack of mooring on the Nene so it was worth it, I suspect they have more mooring now.
We went off piste on the ML and there was quite a lot of weed, and of course some very low bridges, but well worth it.
You'll need the Yale Key if you go really off piste eg to get through Lode End lock to Holme Fen, the lowest point in England. -
1 minute ago, pearley said:
Just finished reading "The Draining of the Fens" by HC Darby. I find the reclamation if the Fens fascinating.
So do I ! There are a lot of new and good books around, I would commend The Fens by Francis Pryor which explains the new archeological techniques, and Imperial Mud by James Boyce which makes an interesting analogy between the Fens in C17 and later, and English attitudes to colonialization. (ie the Fenlanders were uncivilized savages etc). A lot of the "accepted wisdom" has been debunked in recent years. A community that could have built this in 1083 can't have been that poor...
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And here is another lovely map, showing how things were about 1,000 AD. (source: Chisholm https://www.abebooks.com/first-edition/Anglo-Saxon-Hydraulic-Engineering-Fens-Chisholm-Michael/31367675444/bd )
Denver to Boston via Kings Lyn and the Wash
in Cruise Diaries & Reports
Posted
Our insurers also required a pilot - mainly for advice on weather, like you I was confident I would not get lost. We had quite a strong NNE wind, hence the dog leg in our course (B to E) to avoid the wind and waves being beam on. Once we turned at point D it all got a lot calmer..
