BMC engine vs River Severn!

[Graham Davis]

18 hours ago, lulaperula said:

I absolutely appreciate all input and experiences. Looks like im stationary and spending loads of money on two separate moorings for the foreseeabke future.... just seen photos of debris on the severn too!

I

That sounds really hairy! I will wait til it's green but even then sounds like there is an element of luck involved!

Just think that plenty of hire boaters, with little to no experience, travel the Severn from Stourport to Tewkesbury and all points in-between every year when the levels are normal, so although it is big it really shouldn't be that scary. 

[lulaperula]

11 minutes ago, Graham Davis said:

Just think that plenty of hire boaters, with little to no experience, travel the Severn from Stourport to Tewkesbury and all points in-between every year when the levels are normal, so although it is big it really shouldn't be that scary. 

This is what I am hanging onto!

[mrsmelly]

18 hours ago, Keeping Up said:

You are of course absolutely right. I admit that I had forgotten about those. They are, of course, of no relevance at all to someone intending to travel from Upton to Worcester. 

 

I guess that Mr Smelly's search of Google found nothing relevant. I must remember to claim my pint of beer next time I come down the South Oxford. 

As you are quite blatantly wrong, you will be buying. I said most rivers had sluices and its been shown the severn also has. Which bit doesnt matter. I will still bet good money there are others especialy located near to lock weir elsewhere, I see no reason why it would be the only river without them. I have been out all day and will be offtut injun tonight so you have a google, you will find some sluices that let water into and or out of the river at other locations.

Edited November 14, 2019 by mrsmelly

[Keeping Up]

1 hour ago, mrsmelly said:

As you are quite blatantly wrong, you will be buying. I said most rivers had sluices and its been shown the severn also has. Which bit doesnt matter. I will still bet good money there are others especialy located near to lock weir elsewhere, I see no reason why it would be the only river without them. I have been out all day and will be offtut injun tonight so you have a google, you will find some sluices that let water into and or out of the river at other locations.

I disagree with your contention that I have been proven blatantly wrong. All that has been found is a sluice on a different river, which controls the rate at which it discharges into the Severn many miles downstream of the OP. They could be stuck open  or stuck closed, or yoyo-ing up and down all day long without affecting the OP in any way. I'd still stand by my assertion that the Severn has no sluices, unless someone else can find them.

 

Whichever way, I'll stop & share a beer or two next time I pass the Pig Place (didn't realise it was your mooring when we paused to shop there last month) - and naturally if I were navigating the Trent or any other river where you have full knowledge I would value your advice, just not on the sluice-less Severn.

[pearley]

20 hours ago, mrsmelly said:

Yes thats why I said most. Do you know for certain there are no sluice gates anywhere on the severn? The Trent has, the soar has, the Thames has,  but i havnt looked along the Severn for a few years. I was just passing some of my not inconsiderable experience on free of charge to a narrowboater.

Tim, where else on the Trent other than Holme. When we finally get away from Nottingham it would be nice to know where to look out heading to Newark.

[The Dreamer]

19 hours ago, lulaperula said:

Diglis

Look forward to welcoming you when you finally get here!

[lulaperula]

3 minutes ago, The Dreamer said:

Look forward to welcoming you when you finally get here!

Thank you..I am really looking forward to it! New beginnings. Just this final hurdle!

[The Dreamer]

1 minute ago, lulaperula said:

Just this final hurdle!

Before we got a mooring here we had to spend a few months at Evesham Marina, so this time last year, we got stuck at Stourport, waiting for the waters to reduce so we could motor down the Severn.  I know how frustrating your situation is!

[mrsmelly]

1 hour ago, Keeping Up said:

I disagree with your contention that I have been proven blatantly wrong. All that has been found is a sluice on a different river, which controls the rate at which it discharges into the Severn many miles downstream of the OP. They could be stuck open  or stuck closed, or yoyo-ing up and down all day long without affecting the OP in any way. I'd still stand by my assertion that the Severn has no sluices, unless someone else can find them.

 

Whichever way, I'll stop & share a beer or two next time I pass the Pig Place (didn't realise it was your mooring when we paused to shop there last month) - and naturally if I were navigating the Trent or any other river where you have full knowledge I would value your advice, just not on the sluice-less Severn.

I waved when you left us a few weeks ago, I hadnt seen you pull in. Please do always knock ont boat and if there is no mooring come alongside any time ?

[mrsmelly]

1 hour ago, pearley said:

Tim, where else on the Trent other than Holme. When we finally get away from Nottingham it would be nice to know where to look out heading to Newark.

Hi Pete

Only Holme has the huge gate sluices. They were fitted to control a level as possible flow through Nottingham and can be used to sacrifice places further downstream even as far down as Newark. There are sluices at each lock but fixed weirs. The beauty of Holme sluices as you know is that when working correctly which is most of the time levels above them at places like Trent bridge are not compromised too badly except in the worst of floods, then even with the gates all lowered the levels rise dramaticaly. My fave mooring down that way is just above Stoke lock on the floating pontoon or against the wall if levels are steady, have you moored there?

[pearley]

1 hour ago, mrsmelly said:

Hi Pete

Only Holme has the huge gate sluices. They were fitted to control a level as possible flow through Nottingham and can be used to sacrifice places further downstream even as far down as Newark. There are sluices at each lock but fixed weirs. The beauty of Holme sluices as you know is that when working correctly which is most of the time levels above them at places like Trent bridge are not compromised too badly except in the worst of floods, then even with the gates all lowered the levels rise dramaticaly. My fave mooring down that way is just above Stoke lock on the floating pontoon or against the wall if levels are steady, have you moored there?

We have in the past, and it is a lovely mooring. Currently reduced to going to and fro between Beeston and Nottingham.

[lulaperula]

3 hours ago, The Dreamer said:

Before we got a mooring here we had to spend a few months at Evesham Marina, so this time last year, we got stuck at Stourport, waiting for the waters to reduce so we could motor down the Severn.  I know how frustrating your situation is!

At least you were coming with the stream! How long did it take for water to go down?

[Richard Fairhurst]

If the Severn is on the cusp between amber and red then I would be wary of doing Upton-Diglis. We did it a couple of years ago and wouldn't repeat the experience, though our engine is smaller than yours (3-cyl 1.0l Beta). A few things to note:

 

- There is nowhere to moor, unless you squat on the boat clubs at Kempsey and the bypass bridge. So once you get going, you're committed.

- If the wind is up then you can get significant breakers around Clevelode, which is a pretty uncomfortable experience.

- We found the current really increased around the Worcester Bypass bridge. We were at full throttle and making less than 1mph over land. 

 

Once it's comfortably in the amber you'll be fine.

 

I've recently found an automated Twitter feed of the level at Diglis which is really useful: https://twitter.com/riverlevel_0039

 

Richard (another Diglis moorer!)

[0000]

I'm moored in Diglis Basin and have done that trip many times (always on green). Unfortunately for you, the Severn continues to rise so you will be stuck at Upton for the next few days. In normal flow a 45ft with a 1.5 BMC would manage without any problem and my advice would be to wait for the Severn to go back to or very near to green. If you want to leave on amber, I would give Diglis lock a call (01905 354280) and ask for their advice and if you do decide to proceed, they will know you are on your way. 

 

[magpie patrick]

20 hours ago, mrsmelly said:

As you are quite blatantly wrong, you will be buying. I said most rivers had sluices and its been shown the severn also has. Which bit doesnt matter. I will still bet good money there are others especialy located near to lock weir elsewhere, I see no reason why it would be the only river without them. I have been out all day and will be offtut injun tonight so you have a google, you will find some sluices that let water into and or out of the river at other locations.

You'd be wrong - there are no sluices controlling water on the Severn below Shrewsbury (the limit of my detailed knowledge - although I can't think of any above either) - whilst the Avon ones theoretically have some effect they discharge downstream of Upper Lode Lock, over a mile down the Mill Avon from the sluices. and they really are not on the Severn, as the water they draw is from the Avon above Avon lock, not the Severn above Upper Lode Lock

Edited November 15, 2019 by magpie patrick

[0000]

Just stated by the Environment agency that the Severn will peak at Upton at 12:00 noon Sunday so I would say it will be Wednesday before the river is back to normal - provided there is no more rain!!

[The Dreamer]

20 hours ago, lulaperula said:

How long did it take for water to go down?

Boat was collected from Wrenbury Mill, for us by a professional skipper, because we didn’t have time to move her before the winter stoppages, on Monday 17 December, by Wednesday the river was shut.  He got to Stourport on the Saturday, Couldn’t move it any further so had to abandon the plans to get her to Evesham and there we sat for the next week.  Really annoyingly the river reopened on Thursday, but as we couldn’t predict that, and in the winter you have to book passage through the locks 24 hours in advance, we had to sit tight for an extra day.  At this point the river was only navigable to Worcester, so a further week was spent in ABCs yard, before we could move on.  You are right, we were coming downstream, which was fast and fun.  Also navigating through Stourport Basin and it’s five locks, on a midwinters morning, just before sunrise, was interesting...

Edited November 15, 2019 by The Dreamer

[The Dreamer]

6 hours ago, Richard Fairhurst said:

We found the current really increased around the Worcester Bypass bridge. We were at full throttle and making less than 1mph over land. 

Also worth noting that they are building a second bridge for the dualing of the bypass, there are dredgers, cranes and all sorts moored up there at times...

[Keeping Up]

6 hours ago, Richard Fairhurst said:

If the Severn is on the cusp between amber and red then I would be wary of doing Upton-Diglis. We did it a couple of years ago and wouldn't repeat the experience, though our engine is smaller than yours (3-cyl 1.0l Beta). A few things to note:

 

- There is nowhere to moor, unless you squat on the boat clubs at Kempsey and the bypass bridge. So once you get going, you're committed.

- If the wind is up then you can get significant breakers around Clevelode, which is a pretty uncomfortable experience.

- We found the current really increased around the Worcester Bypass bridge. We were at full throttle and making less than 1mph over land. 

 

Once it's comfortably in the amber you'll be fine.

 

I've recently found an automated Twitter feed of the level at Diglis which is really useful: https://twitter.com/riverlevel_0039

 

Richard (another Diglis moorer!)

There is one other good temporary mooring, albeit not all that far above Upton,  at the old jetty a mile above Severn Stoke on the East bank. It's useful if you set off and decide not to proceed because of the current, especially as it's on the outside of a bend so the current pushes you sideways into the mooring. It has good road access too. We have often stopped there.

 

Definitely the fastest current is around the area of the Bypass Bridge, especially when there's a lot of water coming out of the Teme. Keep well to the left as you approach there when going upstream, as you pass the boat club, to avoid the bouts which are positioned mid-river to keep you away from the moorings.

[The Dreamer]

6 hours ago, BrandyMark said:

I would give Diglis lock a call (01905 354280) and ask for their advice

Passage through the Severn locks needs to be booked through Gloucester Lock, 01452 310832, at this time of the year.

 

https://canalrivertrust.org.uk/notices/16532-river-severn-opening-times-for-the-winter

[Rob-M]

8 hours ago, magpie patrick said:

You'd be wrong - there are no sluices controlling water on the Severn below Shrewsbury (the limit of my detailed knowledge - although I can't think of any above either) - whilst the Avon ones theoretically have some effect they discharge downstream of Upper Lode Lock, over a mile down the Mill Avon from the sluices. and they really are not on the Severn, as the water they draw is from the Avon above Avon lock, not the Severn above Upper Lode Lock

What about the sluice above Avon Lock, opposite Tewkesbury Marina, that discharges the Avon in to the Severn below Avon lock so above Upper Lode.

[TheBiscuits]

50 minutes ago, Rob-M said:

What about the sluice above Avon Lock, opposite Tewkesbury Marina, that discharges the Avon in to the Severn below Avon lock so above Upper Lode.

If you want to be picky that discharges into the Avon. 

 

Admittedly the water flows into the Severn a few hundred yards downstream, but it doesn't go into the Severn at the sluice.  The Avon ends at the confluence, not the lock.

 

 

[Rob-M]

13 minutes ago, TheBiscuits said:

If you want to be picky that discharges into the Avon. 

 

Admittedly the water flows into the Severn a few hundred yards downstream, but it doesn't go into the Severn at the sluice.  The Avon ends at the confluence, not the lock.

 

 

I knew that and deliberated whether to say it flowed in to the Severn or not.

[Graham Davis]

9 hours ago, BrandyMark said:

Just stated by the Environment agency that the Severn will peak at Upton at 12:00 noon Sunday so I would say it will be Wednesday before the river is back to normal - provided there is no more rain!!

I suspect you could easily add another couple of days onto that!!

Water is still pouring into the Severn from it's tributaries up here.

[blackrose]

On 13/11/2019 at 20:54, dmr said:

Too many variables, is this your own boat that you have owned for ages, maintained well, and taken on rivers before? or a boat that is new to you and an unknown quantity? Do you have experience of boating and rivers? How good is your skipper and does he have real experience of narrowboats on that river? Heard a story recently of a professional pilot who got people into a dangerous situation because he had lots of river experience but zero narrowboat experience.

 

...............Dave

 

Interestingly, when I went up the Bristol channel with a Gloucester Pilot, although he knew that a lot of canal boats tended to overheat when pushed hard, he didn't know why and I had to explain to him that my boat was keel cooled. He'd never heard of keel cooling and had assumed all boats were raw water cooled.

Edited November 16, 2019 by blackrose