River Severn - Single Handed

[jeddlad]

I'm planning a trip down the Severn from Stourport to Gloucester, I'll be single handed. Does anyone have any advice or experience to pass on? I've been on rivers before but nothing like the Severn.

I've got VHF, life preserver, anchor with chain, phone numbers of the locks, will be checking the river state via the EA.

 

Do I need a bow rope that I can hold from the stern? I'm a bit concerned about the locks and of course Gloucester lock and the wier!

 

Thanks

PS I've plenty of canal experience just not so much on rivers

[TheBiscuits]

5 minutes ago, jeddlad said:

I'm planning a trip down the Severn from Stourport to Gloucester, I'll be single handed. Does anyone have any advice or experience to pass on? I've been on rivers before but nothing like the Severn.

I've got VHF, life preserver, anchor with chain, phone numbers of the locks, will be checking the river state via the EA.

 

Do I need a bow rope that I can hold from the stern? I'm a bit concerned about the locks and of course Gloucester lock and the wier!

 

Thanks

PS I've plenty of canal experience just not so much on rivers

You will be fine.

 

The locks are easy, because the lockies (mostly!) know what they are doing, and of course they are all worked for you.  Your thoughts are good - it shows you have done your research - but a lot of first time hire boaters use that stretch with minimal training and very few catastrophes!

 

The trick with Gloucester Lock is to ring or radio the lockie when you come past the Upper Parting before you hit the East Channel, and follow their advice, and the lock will likely be open and green lighted when you reach it.  If not, it's critical to get your stern line on the chains first which won't be a problem for you single handed.

 

Best tip for the river: don't be scared to spin your boat 180 degrees to work against the flow if needed.  It's much easier to control the boat bow into flow than trying to do it in reverse if there is a bit much fresh on the river.

[MtB]

35 minutes ago, TheBiscuits said:

Best tip for the river: don't be scared to spin your boat 180 degrees to work against the flow if needed.  It's much easier to control the boat bow into flow than trying to do it in reverse if there is a bit much fresh on the river.

 

I disagree for mooring up. For a single hander its far easier and safer to moor heading downstream.

 

Engage astern and ferry glide to the bank, step off with the stern line snd secure the boat. Try to do it going upstream and the single hander has to run to the bow and tie that on first before the stream catches the bow and spins the boat around.

 

All assuming the OP has a narrowboat not a cruiser, but he doesn't actually say. 

 

 

[TheBiscuits]

1 minute ago, Mike the Boilerman said:

Engage astern and ferry glide to the bank, step off with the stern line snd secure the boat.

I'll pay good money to watch you try that on the chains above Gloucester Lock, especially if it's a bit fresh!

 

I don't disagree with the rest of your comment, and that is indeed normal practice,  but if you can't stop in reverse heading for one of the big weirs, then it's worth rounding up and gunning it as an "OMFG I'm gonna die!" manoeuvre ...

 

 

[MtB]

2 minutes ago, TheBiscuits said:

I'll pay good money to watch you try that on the chains above Gloucester Lock, especially if it's a bit fresh!

 

I don't disagree with the rest of your comment, and that is indeed normal practice,  but if you can't stop in reverse heading for one of the big weirs, then it's worth rounding up and gunning it as an "OMFG I'm gonna die!" manoeuvre ...

 

 

 

I bow to your greater experience! I've never done the Severn. Just the Thames on red boards quite a bit. 

 

 

[TheBiscuits]

8 minutes ago, Mike the Boilerman said:

 

I bow to your greater experience! I've never done the Severn. Just the Thames on red boards quite a bit. 

 

 

It's not the skill - it's the 20 foot jump vertically to get ashore there!

 

"Just step off with a stern line" isn't something I'd want to try there ...

[MtB]

10 minutes ago, TheBiscuits said:

It's not the skill - it's the 20 foot jump vertically to get ashore there!

 

"Just step off with a stern line" isn't something I'd want to try there ...

 

Chucking a line over a bollard is basic stuff, Shirley!!

 

???

 

[TheBiscuits]

1 minute ago, Mike the Boilerman said:

 

Chucking a line over a bollard is basic stuff, Shirley!!

We don't have a photo, as we were concentrating!

 

Here's one I found on google image search ...

 

 

That's the lock mouth ahead, and your step off/throw a line point is to the left of the picture.  You really don't want to go too far past that tree on the right!

[MtB]

5 minutes ago, TheBiscuits said:

We don't have a photo, as we were concentrating!

 

Here's one I found on google image search ...

 

 

That's the lock mouth ahead, and your step off/throw a line point is to the left of the picture.  You really don't want to go too far past that tree on the right!

 

I'm sure Naughty Cal would manage it first go.....

 

 

[TheBiscuits]

Add: for scale, look at the 6' door on the lockies cabin or the 3' lifering on the post.

 

I'm not trying to be a smartass - it's a ship navigation that narrowboats are allowed on, not a narrowboat navigation big enough to take ships. 

 

It needs treating with respect, but isn't to be feared.  It's just different to most other navigations - the Manchester Ship Canal is closest if you know that one, or the River Weaver *without* the handy small craft landings.

 

Think Liverpool without the floating pontoons ...

8 minutes ago, Mike the Boilerman said:

I'm sure Naughty Cal would manage it first go.....

I agree - but then we are talking about a seaworthy boat with bigass twin engines, and a skipper used to taking her in to commercial waterways and dodging big ships!

[TheBiscuits]

1 hour ago, TheBiscuits said:

Best tip for the river: don't be scared to spin your boat 180 degrees to work against the flow if needed.  It's much easier to control the boat bow into flow than trying to do it in reverse if there is a bit much fresh on the river.

 

For clarity, taking @Mike the Boilerman's comments into account, my suggestion is so you get a second or third chance to pull in! 

 

I fully agree with Mike that getting your boat flipped end for end, near a weir, while you are stood at the other end of it from the controls and desperately holding a rope is not a good thing ...

[john6767]

6 hours ago, TheBiscuits said:

You will be fine.

 

The locks are easy, because the lockies (mostly!) know what they are doing, and of course they are all worked for you.  Your thoughts are good - it shows you have done your research - but a lot of first time hire boaters use that stretch with minimal training and very few catastrophes!

 

The trick with Gloucester Lock is to ring or radio the lockie when you come past the Upper Parting before you hit the East Channel, and follow their advice, and the lock will likely be open and green lighted when you reach it.  If not, it's critical to get your stern line on the chains first which won't be a problem for you single handed.

 

Best tip for the river: don't be scared to spin your boat 180 degrees to work against the flow if needed.  It's much easier to control the boat bow into flow than trying to do it in reverse if there is a bit much fresh on the river.

This sounds spot on to me.

 

For all the locks radio them as you approach the lock cut to let them know you are coming.  At Upper Lode lock when you are in the lock the keeper should talk to you to see if you been down to Gloucester before.  You should get given a leaflet with info about how to approach Gloucester lock.  The important points are to radio Gloucester at Upper Parting before you enter the east channel, if there is something big, like Edward Elgar, coming up then you may need to hold there.  I always call the lock agin as I go under the “3 bridges” on the approach to Gloucester to confirm that the lock is open and ready.  If there is a lot of fresh on the river, as you approach the lock keep to the left and hug the wall and do not take power off until in the lock, it’s plenty long enough to stop in the lock.  If you had to hold on the wall stop early and get a stern rope quickly round a chain, but so far I have not had to do this.

 

Spinning 180 is appropriate if you are stopping on the pontoon at Upton fro example.

 

In the locks there are vertical riser cables, which you normally have bow and stern lines through, but I think as  single handed you can use the centre line, the locks are not too fierce.

[frangar]

A couple of years ago after rescuing a large wooden cruiser who’s steering had failed in the partings & having chatted to the lockie on the VHF to inform them we had it on tow we came round the corner only to find the lock gates still shut and the lights on red....that concentred the mind somewhat...as I was sending a slightly panicked radio transmission the gates magically opened and all was well...

[blackrose]

7 hours ago, TheBiscuits said:

You will be fine.

 

The locks are easy, because the lockies (mostly!) know what they are doing, and of course they are all worked for you.  

 

Either my memory is worse than I thought or I was on a different river, but the only locks I remember being worked for me was leaving Gloucester and leaving the Severn at Tewkesbury. I'm sure I did the others myself? I was going upstream single handed so probably a bit easier than the OPs journey but I had no problems. I haven't been any further up the Severn.

[frangar]

4 minutes ago, blackrose said:

 

Either my memory is worse than I thought or I was on a different river, but the only locks I remember being worked for me was leaving Gloucester and leaving the Severn at Tewkesbury. I'm sure I did the others myself? I was going upstream single handed so probably a bit easier than the OPs journey but I had no problems. I haven't been any further up the Severn.

All the Severn locks are manned. 

[Dave123]

19 minutes ago, frangar said:

All the Severn locks are manned. 

Yes they are manned only, no self service out of hours like most other big rivers. And there are a few locks without proper landings suitable for spending the night on (eg below Bevere lock afaicr) so don't get caught out missing the lock opening hours or it can be a long trip back to the nearest mooring. 

[Onewheeler]

When going in to Glos lock, especially if there is some fresh, remember that the current flows fairly fiercely across the entrance. Aim at the left hand wall and be prepared to go in a bit faster than normal.

[Chewbacka]

If there is a spring tide (more than about 8.2m at Sharpness) then it comes over the weir at Gloucester and you do not want to be on the parting when that happens, so if there is a spring tide due, give Gloucester lock a call a couple of days before travel and he will advise times to avoid arriving in Gloucester.

[Keeping Up]

Lots of good advice there. Nobody seems to have mentioned the fact that if you do have to stop and wait for Gloucester Lock, the river at that point would be too narrow to allow you to turn around even if you wanted to. Hence the advice to put the stern rope through one of the chains on the wall. BTW you may find it easier to catch the chain with a boathook first, as you can hold that in one hand and still hold the tiller or work the throttle with the other whereas passing the rope through generally takes both hands.

 

I have seen many people, especially single handers, get into trouble on flowing rivers by insisting on heading upstream to get a bow (or centre) line ashore. By the time the stern is close enough to let you step off, the current has usually caught the bow and started to take it out into mid-river and it can be almost impossible to hold it if the river is flowing fast. Yes it's the best way with boats other than long narrow boats, but years of experience have taught me that in strong conditions you are far safer to defy the conventional advice and come in downstream with lots of reverse power applied and then step ashore with a stern line.

[Alan de Enfield]

35 minutes ago, Keeping Up said:

BTW you may find it easier to catch the chain with a boathook first, as you can hold that in one hand and still hold the tiller or work the throttle with the other whereas passing the rope through generally takes both hands.

 

I don't know the area, but would one of these work on the chains ?

 

They work on cleats and buoys and make SWMBOs life much easier that trying to lasso a cleat.

 

 

[Keeping Up]

27 minutes ago, Alan de Enfield said:

 

I don't know the area, but would one of these work on the chains ?

 

They work on cleats and buoys and make SWMBOs life much easier that trying to lasso a cleat.

 

I'm not sure, it depends how much you need to push against the loop to make the first prong "let go" as ISTR there is a fair bit of slack in the chains.

[Alan de Enfield]

37 minutes ago, Keeping Up said:

I'm not sure, it depends how much you need to push against the loop to make the first prong "let go" as ISTR there is a fair bit of slack in the chains.

Not a lot of force, but it doesn't work on the 'Risers' in the Trent locks, due to them being recessed about 6" into the lock wall.

 

You can just see one here (below where the 'white square' is half way along the boat on the right).

 

 

[ditchcrawler]

11 hours ago, TheBiscuits said:

 

 

The trick with Gloucester Lock is to ring or radio the lockie when you come past the Upper Parting before you hit the East Channel, and follow their advice, and the lock will likely be open and green lighted when you reach it.  If not, it's critical to get your stern line on the chains first which won't be a problem for you single handed.

 

 

And tell the lock keeper you are single handed

[sharpness]

12 hours ago, Alan de Enfield said:

 

I don't know the area, but would one of these work on the chains ? 

 

They work on cleats and buoys and make SWMBOs life much easier that trying to lasso a cleat.

 

 

From personal experience I would say not, the chains hang/lay in loops flat against the wall. It really is best to use a hand to get a rope round the chain if necessary.

[Rob-M]

We had a surprise at Gloucester when coming round the corner in Scorpio with a bit of fresh on, the lock keeper had said the lock would be ready for us to go straight in but unfortunately it wasn't and the red light was on but also there was already a boat hanging on the first chain waiting for the lock. We went hard astern and put the stern line round a branch of the offer hanging tree and sat alongside the other boat.