[Joseph Hopper - Bantock]

Hi

I'm trying to find a boat that was for sale at Great Haywood but didn't appear to sell - does anyone know its current whereabouts??

If it sold no worries but if it didn't and the owner wants to get in touch PM me here ........................

ALSO if anyone knows of a truly classic/historic boat for sale or coming up soon a tip off would be much appreciated.

J

[Nottingham to Leeds??]

If anyone's interested all the kit mentioned here is now LISTED IN THE FOR SALE SECTION - 2 lifejackets and chain and rope all as new, anchor used but that's not an issue and all bought last year as a result of this thread. Text only please to 07764 186095 is the ONLY way to get me as we are on the boat and moving about (Greater Midlands then Thames then Midlands - June July August respectively) and the phone is generally off during the day.

That's 30m new 12mm nylon rope, a "used" 14kg Danforth anchor, 5m of new 12mmx 78mm galvanised anchor chain with bag and shackles and 2 new "Bluewave" 150n automatic Adult lifejackets (in original packaging) - total cost £200 - £150 wanted no offers  - happy to split the 2 lifejackets from the rest at £75 + £85 (the rest) again no offers please.

BFN

[Nottingham to Leeds??]

Hi all (esp Alan and Tony),

 

After all that planning "life" has got in the way and we are not now making the journey for domestic (land related reasons)we may do it later in the year on what would then be a return trip going the other way!

 

Thanks for all the help I hope the thread was of use to others.

 

J

[Nottingham to Leeds??]

Sunday May 15th is next neap, and. is OK for the moon / Aegre.

4.0 metres HW at Hull at 14:10 hours.

 

The day before, or a couple of days after, are still small tides

VERY many thanks - can I assume its a 2 week cycle that I'm keeping an eye on i.e. the next neap period will be around the 29th?

 

The 13/14th looks like the best target for us starting Cromwell to Torksey on the 13/14th then Torksey to West Stockwith 15/16 depending on whether we venture up the Fossdyke or not and then West Stockwith to Keadby on the 16th/17th or 2 weeks later if we go up the Chesterfield - we would like to do the Chesterfield but we are deep drafted (2ft 8ins)so that may not be good for us depending on actual water conditions whenwe get there.

 

All good fun - I certainly feel much better equipped and informed now - thanks to CWDF.

[Nottingham to Leeds??]

Full moon is 22nd April so avoid 23rd - 27th April

New moon is the 6th May so avoid 6th - 10th May

 

Neap (small) tides are 30th April, 1st may, 2nd May (4.0 metres on the 1st)

Spring (big) tides are 7th, 8th, 9th May (6.0 metres on the 8th)

 

High water Hull on 1st May is 13:45 hours, and on the 2nd is 15:07 and the 3rd is 16:12 hours. (times are BST)

 

The charts will give you the 'LOCAL' tidal differences (height / times) to Hull, for various parts of the Trent

Many thanks for this - it seems to me we that we should concentrate on aiming for neap tides so that's 30 April -2 May incl - when is the next period?

 

I am only really concerned about turning into/against the tide flow and mooring or locking as 18hp driving 20 tons isn't all that powerful albeit driving a 24x20 prop but my DM2 isn't used to flat out use or anything like it.

[Nottingham to Leeds??]

Out of interest why "Halsey". Is it after Bull Halsey?

 

<just curious as it's my surname and not that common>

Mothers maiden name - originates from Hitchin area?

[Nottingham to Leeds??]

Life jackets are brand new 2016 direct from the manufacturer - thanks

 

Many thanks it's good to have my decisions/actions validated - J

Just a last question re TIMING of our trip .............. if its possible to answer this, to achieve the most favourable river/tide conditions, is there a time in the late April/early May period that we should avoid??

[Nottingham to Leeds??]

If the lifejackets are not 'new' then check when they were last serviced.

The majority of automatic lifejackets use a salt 'tablet' to keep the firing pin away from the gas cylinder - theses tablets dissolve in water and fire off the cylinder inflating the life jacket.

 

The salt tablets have a life of about 2 years as they absorb the moisture in the air and then become useless. They should be replaced every two years unless stored in vacuum storage bags with dessicant crystals, in which case 3 or even 4 years is OK.

 

The gas cylinders should be weighed annually.

 

If they have no service records then you can get service kits on ebay (about £16-£20 a time) and there are simple to follow videos on You Tube.

 

If you have purchased new lifejackets then forget the above.

Life jackets are brand new 2016 direct from the manufacturer - thanks

If the lifejackets are not 'new' then check when they were last serviced.

The majority of automatic lifejackets use a salt 'tablet' to keep the firing pin away from the gas cylinder - theses tablets dissolve in water and fire off the cylinder inflating the life jacket.

 

The salt tablets have a life of about 2 years as they absorb the moisture in the air and then become useless. They should be replaced every two years unless stored in vacuum storage bags with dessicant crystals, in which case 3 or even 4 years is OK.

 

The gas cylinders should be weighed annually.

 

If they have no service records then you can get service kits on ebay (about £16-£20 a time) and there are simple to follow videos on You Tube.

 

If you have purchased new lifejackets then forget the above.

14Kg anchor is a bit 'light', but in normal conditions the Trent is not particularly fast flowing.

 

Mostly the Trent seems to be from 6 feet to 20 feet deep. The tidal section will vary depending on the size and state of the tide.

With 100% chain you should have 3x water depth so something like 20 metres of chain.

If using chain and rope then 7x depth is ideal so with your 5 metres of chain your chain + rope will be sufficient, particularly as Nylon rope does have a 'spring / stretch' effect that is good for anchoring.

 

Make sure that the chain is connected to the anchor with a moused shackle

Ensure your rope is well spliced onto the chain

Ensure the bitter-end (the 'loose end') of the rope is firmly attached to a strong point on your boat - if you do not have a strong point (the T-Stud is not necessarily strong enough) you can make a bridle to reach two mooring cleats which will help spread the load.

 

In an emergency the anchor and chain/rope MUST NOT be just thrown/kicked overboard as you will just end up with a knotted up heap on the river bed which will do little to arrest your movement.

The anchor, chain/rope should be lowered overboard and 'paid' out as the boat drifts it will lay the chain/rope out perfectly.

 

Act promptly - if there is a problem, don't try and sort it out, deploy your tackle and then try and sort out the problem. If you deploy it early enough there is plenty of time to do it properly and get the desired result - ie, stopping safely and secured.

 

In the event that your anchor is not heavy enough and you are 'dragging' the anchor, get your grapnel anchor, or any other heavy weight, and slide it down the rope to help hold the chain in the horizontal position.

Many thanks it's good to have my decisions/actions validated - J

[Nottingham to Leeds??]

All done now - as running out of time for deliveries before we leave - 30m new 12mm nylon rope, a "used" 14kg Danforth anchor and 5m of new 12mm galvanised anchor chain and 2 150n automatic lifejackets - total cost £200 incl delivery and collection petrol - not too bad for my peace of mind.

Thanks to all contributors,the wider internet and of course - my good friend eBay!

 

BFN

[Nottingham to Leeds??]

Right, thanks for that Martin, I'll do that next time I want to refer to an old Topic.

I haven't really got the hang of working computers yet, . . . . much better with stuff that runs on paraffin.

Hi Tony,

I have now acquired a 14kg Danforth anchor and 2 150n automatic lifejackets - what type and length of chain/rope do you advise I appreciate weight is good BUT my wife and I do also need to be able to lift it to deploy it and that is a concern due to age/and the usual infirmity issues/hips/knees/backs etc. The boat is 55ft and we do have a small chuckable grappling anchor already.

[Nottingham to Leeds??]

In that case there's nothing you need worry about at all, and the best thing I can say to you is don't be put off from using the Trent by any tales of bad experiences or near disasters that you may hear or read. When boats get into trouble, or don't have an enjoyable trip the cause almost invariably will be down to something that could have been so easily avoided by means of better preparation and/or advice.

Like any other big river, it has the potential to be overwhelming and dangerous if not treated with respect, but, it also has the potential to be a thoroughly enjoyable experience that you will want to repeat.

If you choose the Trent for the northerly leg of your round trip, then the first few miles of tidal waters below Cromwell will almost certainly turn out to be something of a non-event for you, due to the minimal effect the tide has after it's 52 mile journey from the Humber.

For the journey from Cromwell to Torksey you can set off from Cromwell as and when it suits you to do so, and if you have to wait for the next tide to make enough depth over the cill at Torksey for you to get into the Fossdyke, then there are floating landing stages in Torksey Cut for you to wait on.

There is some peculiar latter day belief that the upper reaches of the tidal Trent are best avoided at or near low water because this stretch of the river is relatively shallow, but the reality is that a boat drawing as little as a canalboat and keeping reasonably well to the channel is no more likely to ground at or near low water [LW] than at any other time, and if you do happen to get it wrong somewhere and get fast on a shoal or a ness, then the closer you are to LW, the less time you'll have to wait before the next tide floats you off and you're on your way again.

Being on the move as LW time approaches does in fact make it a lot easier to judge where the deepwater channel is by the extent and the steepness of the exposed stones, sand, gravel or mud on either side of you.

Thanks for that

[Nottingham to Leeds??]

With regard to your question about engine power, you have more than ample power with, what I assume is, a 2 cylinder RN, always provided it's turning a correctly matched propeller that can do justice to it. However, reliability and an engine cooling system that will cope with continuous full power running far outweigh the merits and usefulness of a high top speed, and every year a considerable number of boats from the canals find this out during their first lengthy runs on rivers like the Trent and Ouse.

 

As has been mentioned earlier, an anchor and chain/rope cable should be carried. There aren't any weirs to get washed over below Cromwell, but there are a few bridges that you would come off worst in an argument with. You should also get a copy of the Trent navigation charts that were mentioned earlier. I have never seen any of them so I can't comment on how good or accurate they are, but the deepwater channel does follow an odd and unexpected course in some places, especially above Gainsborough.

 

If you want to divert off onto the Fossdyke and the river Witham towards Boston, then you may be best doing that on your way out in May rather than when coming back in July. I haven't been up through Torksey Lock since commercial traffic to Lincoln finished in the 1970's, but I've been told that by mid Summer the weed along there, particularly in the Witham, can get quite bad. Another reason for going North via the Trent instead of the canals is that if there are any doubts as to whether your boat's cooling system is up to continuous full power running, you'll be able to find that out on the upper Trent between Shardlow and Cromwell, instead of it coming as a nasty surprise a few miles upriver from Keadby on the way back.

 

After you've been to Lincoln and/or Boston, there's an easy 15 mile run from Torksey to Stockwith for the Chesterfield Canal and then a 13 mile jaunt from Stockwith to Keadby. If you want to avoid what has nowadays become the usual practice of entering either Stockwith or Keadby locks with the ebb running down past them at a good pace, then it's easy enough to do so by timing your arrival to coincide with local HW, although you won't be able to get the necessary info on departure times for doing that from any of the present day lock keepers.

 

I do provide a pilotage service for pleasure craft on the lower Trent and the Ouse to Naburn, but you're very welcome to any amount of help and advice either via further posts on here, or by PM and/or phone.

Thanks for all the comments esp the above - I don't have too many engine concerns as she has done Thames and Severn both ways and Trent/Soar Shardlow to Leicester and, weather permitting, we are doing the Nene pre this jaunt - its the tidal aspect that was the concern and the number of possible stop off points for a slow (not a "how quickly can I do it") cruise.

 

Cheers

[Nottingham to Leeds??]

Wow - and someone told me this was a sleepy forum!

 

Thanks for all the advice - so far so good - it is making me feel more confident about actually taking this on - my view is those who seem to post stress and related problems are those possibly with not enough time to take whatever comes in their stride and if needed be prepared (or able) wait.

 

I've been there as have most of us I'm sure but retirement should ease that pressure for us this time.

 

Given that we are committed to do the full "ring" is this the best way round?

 

Clearly if we went up the West coast and came back down the East coast the river conditions would be different but so would the time of year (back on this section of the Trent in July instead of May?)

 

Comments?

 

Thanks all so far.

[Nottingham to Leeds??]

Hi all,

 

I am a seasoned inland waterways user BUT not familiar or particularly comfortable with wide or tidal waters.

 

We are heading north of Manchester for the first time this year and as part of that trip are contemplating cruising from Nottingham to Leeds in early May and are aware that the Cromwell to Keadby stretch can throw up some challenges.

 

My main question is given we have all the time in the world and want/intend to explore the Fossdyke and Chesterfield Canal if we simply start the cruise and when we get to the relevant locks/junctions seek advice from Lockkeepers is that good enough or MUST we plan more and accept other constraints on our activity.

 

Our very heavy old tug (57ft) has a DM2 in her - is this man enough for that which the tidal Trent could throw at us?

 

ALSO and very important we have 2 elderly dogs and are not that fit ourselves - are there any issue about getting dogs on shore?

 

If the general consensus is that the issues will outweigh the pleasure then we will simply go the other way to the L&L - its not a major concern its just that we would like to do the ring!

 

Thanks all.