On the Move

[Lizette]

Hi All

 

Ok, so I am moving from the Great Ouse on Mon day ,where I have stayed at a marina for over a year. I have had very little experience , a few holidays in the past, a two day course and the marina staff are taking me out each day to build my confidence.

 

I am heading towards Oxford, to re-introduce myself to the world of work as I have taken some time out and been re-training.

 

If anyone is going in the same direction ,please feel free to help me out as it is going to take a number of miles of going it alone to feel anyway confident!

 

Any advice very welcome

 

 

[Scholar Gypsy]

Are you single-handed? If so you will need a decent technique for going uphill on the Nene. I can offer some suggestions. 

Also, make sure you buy the special windlass for the Middle Level, and the Yale key, from Salters Lode. You need to ring Paul there to get the time of the tidal transit at Denver. That's a bit tricky too, but just ask the lockkeeper at Denver for some advice.

[Bee]

You'll be fine after a few miles and locks. Its the same with us, 'first lock syndrome' bounce off the walls, miss the bollards with the ropes, pick up the stuff that's fallen down and after that we criticise everybody elses boat handling skills!

[Stilllearning]

Make sure you have some basic engine spares, such as fuel filters, fan belts, and the tools you will need. And know and feel confident about how to use them!

[Lizette]

3 hours ago, Scholar Gypsy said:

Are you single-handed? If so you will need a decent technique for going uphill on the Nene. I can offer some suggestions. 

Also, make sure you buy the special windlass for the Middle Level, and the Yale key, from Salters Lode. You need to ring Paul there to get the time of the tidal transit at Denver. That's a bit tricky too, but just ask the lockkeeper at Denver for some advice.

 

Hi All

 

Thanks for your response. Yes single handed. This is a time when I wish I had rental written on the side , so everyone avoids me?

 

 

[Scholar Gypsy]

Don't worry - most boaters secretly enjoy offering advice to newbies.  

 

The River Nene locks are unusual - see some photos (link 1 below) from a recent trip Peterborough to Northampton.  What follows relates to the guillotines locks - the majority:

1.  The good news is that going uphill the guillotine should be up. 
2. Just cruise in, and get off up the ladder on the right side of the lock (normally!), at the lower end. The control panel is normally on the right side of the lock going uphill, but there are a couple of exceptions.
3. I would normally throw a stern line up, and also take a bow line ashore. I do this via a long thin line that lies on the roof and which I use to get the bowline ashore. Some people use a centre line but it's a bit harder to control the boat.
4. Tie off stern and bow lines. It's safe to do this going uphill. NEVER do it when going downhill.
5. Only use one of the top gate paddles, on the same side as the boat. Open them gently - they are very powerful. Take in the bow rope as the boat rises.
6. You may be able to exit using just one gate. At some locks you need to make a sharp turn on exit, or there may be a crosswind, and so there it's a good idea to open both.
7. The bad news is that you then need to moor up on the upstream landing stage, and go back and shut the top gates and raise the guillotine fully.  Failing to do this is a surefire way to annoy other boaters.

Mooring needs planning ahead. Link 2 is a good source. I would join Friends of the River Nene - only £10  a year I think and they have some lovely wild moorings, see link 3.

 

Oh and link 4 below is a handly guide to the peculiarities of the Middle Level. There are some very nice wild moorings, just before the junction with the twenty foot, to east of March, and just south of Angle Corner on Beavills leam.

PS I assume you have, as a moorer on the Great Ouse, an Environment Agency Abloy key, to operate the Ouse and Nene locks?

https://scholargypsy.org.uk/2019/05/05/easter-cruise-2-river-nene-peterborough-to-northampton/

https://noproblem.org.uk/blog/nene/ 

http://www.friendsoftherivernene.co.uk/index.html

https://middlelevel.gov.uk/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/Navigation-Notes-2019-Web-Version.docx

Edited September 12, 2020 by Scholar Gypsy

[Lizette]

26 minutes ago, Scholar Gypsy said:

Don't worry - most boaters secretly enjoy offering advice to newbies.  

 

The River Nene locks are unusual - see some photos (link 1 below) from a recent trip Peterborough to Northampton.  What follows relates to the guillotines locks - the majority:

1.  The good news is that going uphill the guillotine should be up. 
2. Just cruise in, and get off up the ladder on the right side of the lock (normally!), at the lower end. The control panel is normally on the right side of the lock going uphill, but there are a couple of exceptions.
3. I would normally throw a stern line up, and also take a bow line ashore. I do this via a long thin line that lies on the roof and which I use to get the bowline ashore. Some people use a centre line but it's a bit harder to control the boat.
4. Tie off stern and bow lines. It's safe to do this going uphill. NEVER do it when going downhill.
5. Only use one of the top gate paddles, on the same side as the boat. Open them gently - they are very powerful. Take in the bow rope as the boat rises.
6. You may be able to exit using just one gate. At some locks you need to make a sharp turn on exit, or there may be a crosswind, and so there it's a good idea to open both.
7. The bad news is that you then need to moor up on the upstream landing stage, and go back and shut the top gates and raise the guillotine fully.  Failing to do this is a surefire way to annoy other boaters.

Mooring needs planning ahead. Link 2 is a good source. I would join Friends of the River Nene - only £10  a year I think and they have some lovely wild moorings, see link 3.

 

Oh and link 4 below is a handly guide to the peculiarities of the Middle Level. There are some very nice wild moorings, just before the junction with the twenty foot, to east of March, and just south of Angle Corner on Beavills leam.

PS I assume you have, as a moorer on the Great Ouse, an Environment Agency Abloy key, to operate the Ouse and Nene locks?

https://scholargypsy.org.uk/2019/05/05/easter-cruise-2-river-nene-peterborough-to-northampton/

https://noproblem.org.uk/blog/nene/ 

http://www.friendsoftherivernene.co.uk/index.html

https://middlelevel.gov.uk/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/Navigation-Notes-2019-Web-Version.docx

Super -thanks, some great advice and tips. I am banking on friendly boaters, for sure!

 

[GRLMK38]

All the above is good advice but I would add:

 

Be very careful to tie up properly if you have to drain a lock on the Nene e.g. to let another boat down.  The lock landings are not narrowboat friendly as they are short and allow the gunwales underneath the walkway.  Do not try and "hover" in midstream while you are waiting as the currents are way beyond what a boat can overcome.

 

How do I know?  We didn't tie up and I have the paint damage to prove it.