Two into one (boats in a narrow lock)

[Keeping Up]

21 minutes ago, Mike Todd said:

There is not a lot of point either at Aynho or Shipton Weir as the next lock follows soon and sharing is not possible. In my experience, two 60ft's do not pass - tried it! But it often mystifies new comers who are sure that it can be done. But, as I say, it is not worth the risk of having to back out and start again.

We are 67 ft and we have shared Shipton Weir with a 70 footer - although I agree, it is rather pointless (and defeats the very reason why the locks are that shape, ie letting more water down from the river)

[Athy]

13 hours ago, nbfiresprite said:

The owner of this boat, attacked "Maureen" lock keeper at Marmont Priory Lock a few weeks ago, when she asked him to share the loack with one of Foxes Hireboats. A local called the Police and five cars turned up. No action was take as he claimed to be a 'traveller' and the police have a hands off policy when it comes to travellers. I heard this from the hirer, who had been followed by the traveller all the way from Marmont Priory lock back to Foxes.  Council and Middle Level staff have been told to stay away from him for their own safety. So he's allow to do what he wants.  

 

That's shocking; but why would being told to share a lock provoke an attack? We heard a spate of cop cars hurtling in that direction and wondered what was happening.

I'm pleased to hear that Maureen is still looking after the lock - we have not seen her for a few years. Is her husband still helping out too? I recall that there was a son, though whether he was any help or not I'm not sure.

[bagginz]

Saltersford Lock on the River Weaver a few days ago.

 

I asked the lockie how many boats could he fit in.  He told me he had 21 boats in at one time, but was slightly miffed because the record was 22. 

 

The biggest vessel to use the lock displaced 1040 tons.

 

 

 

 

 

[john2443]

19 hours ago, David Mack said:

I can remember a hire boat trip in the mid 70s when we did the 'Bunbury Shuffle' with one 50ish ft narrow boat and 6 30-40 ft cruisers and narrow boats, swapping places at the intermediate level. All done under the direction of Dartline staff who were obviously used to it. I don't suppose they often get more than three boats doing it now.

We were going down Bunbury on our own, a single boat was coming up, she was getting the bottom lock ready, we started to get the top ready and she came up and told us were coming up. We said Yes, we know, it's fine we'll pass at half way.

She went away and then came back and said My husband says we can't pass, we said Don't worry about it, we'll sort it out. When the levels equalised, we opened the middle gates and went past each other, as far as I recall her husband didn't say anything! I guess they hadn't worked out the different between a narrow and wide staircase!

[pearley]

We shared Anderton Boat Lift with 2 short boats last month.

[nbfiresprite]

3 hours ago, Athy said:

That's shocking; but why would being told to share a lock provoke an attack? We heard a spate of cop cars hurtling in that direction and wondered what was happening.

I'm pleased to hear that Maureen is still looking after the lock - we have not seen her for a few years. Is her husband still helping out too? I recall that there was a son, though whether he was any help or not I'm not sure.

The problem is that he is a nutter who is a law into himself, a one man crimewave, boats and sheds are forever being broken into along the river in March. He concides tha water point and san station in March to be his private mooring. He claims to be a traveller,  And the police have a hands off policy when it comes to travellers. A very nasty price of work who carries a knife.

[Naughty Cal]

13 minutes ago, nbfiresprite said:

The problem is that he is a nutter who is a law into himself, a one man crimewave, boats and sheds are forever being broken into along the river in March. He concides tha water point and san station in March to be his private mooring. He claims to be a traveller,  And the police have a hands off policy when it comes to travellers. A very nasty price of work who carries a knife.

He will mess with the wrong person one day. Our local nutter had his eye stabbed out earlier this year after he started some trouble with the wrong people.

[Richard Fairhurst]

We've done it a handful of times (Iago is 40ft). We shared the locks down from Etruria to Stone once with a 30ft Sea Otter - bit of a tight squeeze. But the most fun was when there was an enormous queue at Tixall Lock: when we finally reached the front, we beckoned a cruiser from way down the queue to come in with us. Fair amount of seething from the shiny 56ft brigade who they were "queue-jumping"...

[haggis]

We used to trail our 26 foot Sea Otter, gamebird, down to attend IWA Festivals  and we were on our way to Wolverhampton, having launched at  Venetian marina. When we got to Audlem there was of course a queue of boats going to the festival and I went food shopping while Iain stayed on board. I came back to where I had left the boat (outside the Shroppie Fly) to find it gone! Walked up a couple of locks and found her. There had been another short boat further ahead in the queue and it was suggested that we join them and go up together.  Worked a dream and I don't remember anyone being at all bothered that we had queue jumped. One of my purchases was a box of red wine and Iain handed me a glass to sip as we went up the locks. I promptly knocked it off the balance beam and broke it. At the next lock, I was handed another wine - in a polystyrene cup ? 

 

haggis

[David Mack]

I have seen the Wilderness Owners Club out on an organised cruise where they get three boats in a narrow lock.

[bagginz]

2 hours ago, Richard Fairhurst said:

(Iago is 40ft). . But the most fun was when there was an enormous queue at Tixall Lock: when we finally reached the front, we beckoned a cruiser from way down the queue to come in with us.

Good on you for using your perfectly valid "short boat privilege" to increase efficiency.    

Quote

Fair amount of seething from the shiny 56ft brigade who they were "queue-jumping"...

Unwarranted seething:

 

The long boats in the queue in front of your selected cruiser would still have to wait exactly the same amount of lock cycles.

 

The long boats behind it would be sped up by one less lock cycle. 

 

 

 

[TheBiscuits]

4 minutes ago, bagginz said:

The long boats behind it would be sped up by one less lock cycle.

They wouldn't have been the ones complaining!

[ditchcrawler]

3 hours ago, pearley said:

We shared Anderton Boat Lift with 2 short boats last month.

I have done that but one of the other two going down was bloody close to the back gate of the cason when it came down

3 hours ago, john2443 said:

We were going down Bunbury on our own, a single boat was coming up, she was getting the bottom lock ready, we started to get the top ready and she came up and told us were coming up. We said Yes, we know, it's fine we'll pass at half way.

She went away and then came back and said My husband says we can't pass, we said Don't worry about it, we'll sort it out. When the levels equalised, we opened the middle gates and went past each other, as far as I recall her husband didn't say anything! I guess they hadn't worked out the different between a narrow and wide staircase!

Its when 2 are going up or down it gets interesting for some people

[Rob-M]

1 hour ago, ditchcrawler said:

I have done that but one of the other two going down was bloody close to the back gate of the cason when it came down

Its when 2 are going up or down it gets interesting for some people

That's what we did recently, us and another boat going down. We told the boat at the bottom to enter the lock so they just want with it. When we shuffled to let the lady coming up just boat forward she asked how did we managed to move the boats side ways without a bow thruster.

[cuthound]

On 14/09/2020 at 18:41, Captain Pegg said:

I think this is Wychnor lock. Taken a few weeks ago with my steel narrowboat behind a GRP cruiser.

 

I’ve also shared a handful of GU locks with a wide beam.

 

 

 

I remember the mantra from the sixties and seventies to prevent damage to GRP boats when sharing with steel boats - "steel in first and out last".

 

Just wondering exactly how that works in a narrow lock? ??

[magpie patrick]

26 minutes ago, cuthound said:

 

I remember the mantra from the sixties and seventies to prevent damage to GRP boats when sharing with steel boats - "steel in first and out last".

 

Just wondering exactly how that works in a narrow lock? ??

Normally just the first bit, even in a wide lock. I'm not too worried about being first in a narrow lock, but I'd never put Juno in first into a wide lock. 

[Richard Carter]

On 15/09/2020 at 16:57, Richard Fairhurst said:

We've done it a handful of times (Iago is 40ft). We shared the locks down from Etruria to Stone once with a 30ft Sea Otter - bit of a tight squeeze. But the most fun was when there was an enormous queue at Tixall Lock: when we finally reached the front, we beckoned a cruiser from way down the queue to come in with us. Fair amount of seething from the shiny 56ft brigade who they were "queue-jumping"...

I remember doing this way back in 1988 (on a tightly scheduled return trip from Ripon to Braunston over 14 days) in a 35' Springer - we got mixed up with boats leaving the IWA Rally in Manchester, and landed what felt like 20th in the queue at the first narrow lock in Middlewich, but a call came down the line for any boat under 36', and we were on our way again. It felt good!

[Dharl]

On 15/09/2020 at 14:58, john2443 said:

We were going down Bunbury on our own, a single boat was coming up, she was getting the bottom lock ready, we started to get the top ready and she came up and told us were coming up. We said Yes, we know, it's fine we'll pass at half way.

She went away and then came back and said My husband says we can't pass, we said Don't worry about it, we'll sort it out. When the levels equalised, we opened the middle gates and went past each other, as far as I recall her husband didn't say anything! I guess they hadn't worked out the different between a narrow and wide staircase!

We had 4 boats doing the Bunbury shuffle this year.    There was 3 boats (a 60ft hire boat and 2 shorter boats) coming down and self heading up.    There was several boats queuing in both directions so lots of people watching as well as some who had just popped along to watch and wouldn’t believe that we could swap them round like a giant game of jenga 

[TheBiscuits]

5 minutes ago, Dharl said:

We had 4 boats doing the Bunbury shuffle this year.    There was 3 boats (a 60ft hire boat and 2 shorter boats) coming down and self heading up.    There was several boats queuing in both directions so lots of people watching as well as some who had just popped along to watch and wouldn’t believe that we could swap them round like a giant game of jenga 

 

Isn't jenga the game where you pick up a block and place it crossways on top of the others? 

 

 

[Dharl]

Just now, TheBiscuits said:

 

Isn't jenga the game where you pick up a block and place it crossways on top of the others? 

 

 

Yes it is, but I can’t think of the name for the game when you slide he blocks of wood round horizontally.......anyway depending on who’s driving that could be the end result!

[WotEver]

Tetris?

[Dharl]

9 hours ago, WotEver said:

Tetris?

This is more that I was thinking off.....but couldn’t find a word for it

 

 

Edited September 17, 2020 by Dharl

[cuthound]

9 hours ago, WotEver said:

Tetris?

 

Nah, if that was the case when you got a line of boats together they would just disappear! ??

[Tonksy]

Woodnook Lock today. 4 squeezing in

[Movin' on]

On 14/09/2020 at 17:52, magpie patrick said:

Rationally we all know that two short narrow beam boats will fit in one narrow lock, but I can't recall the last time I saw it and I've had otuer members question my sanity when I suggest it...

 

Today, Marple locks... A sight that gladdened my heart. 

And that is a Teal and an Ormelite (one of my favourite boats of all time) unless I miss my guess ?

On 14/09/2020 at 18:41, Captain Pegg said:

I think this is Wychnor lock. Taken a few weeks ago with my steel narrowboat behind a GRP cruiser.

 

I’ve also shared a handful of GU locks with a wide beam.

 

 

Shouldn't the plastic be behind the steel to minimise crushing risk??

This situation doesn't happen very often these days but I'm sure that's what I used to do with my (first) 32ft steel rugby boat

Edited September 19, 2020 by Halsey