Limehouse to Poplar... Best route?

[haldyson]

Hi guys,

 

I have to get a 42ft narrowboat from Limehouse Basin to Poplar Docks marina with my dad soon where it has a residential mooring waiting for it. Looking online there seem to be 2 different routes we can take...

1. Out of Limehouse Basin Locks straight onto the Thames and round the bottom of the Isle of Dogs to the West India Docks entrance lock.

2. Up the Limehouse Cut, through Bow Locks and down Bow creek to the Thames and then around to the West India Docks entrance lock. 

We have been looking around for as much information as possible to see which route would be best to take but there doesn't seem to be much out there... I wonder if anyone here has made the journey themselves and could advise us? We are both relatively new to boating and have a little trepidation. Also any information about Tides and the best timings to make this journey would be appreciated.

Another alternative we thought of was paying for pilotage by someone who has experience on the Thames and knows what they are doing however we can't seem to find anyone to contact about that either... If anyone has any useful contacts or a list of people that offer this kind of service it would be really helpful.

 

Thanks in advance, Hal.

[GUMPY]

Section  4 on page 9 this document might be of help.

http://www.stpancrascc.co.uk/sites/default/files/Thames%20Cruising%20Guide_0_0.pdf&ved=2ahUKEwik8-r25KLsAhUZQxUIHZdqBEkQFjACegQIARAB&usg=AOvVaw2q_pDyr6v_YdqSF-70-qge

 

@magnetman is local so he might know.

Edited October 7, 2020 by Loddon

[haldyson]

15 minutes ago, Loddon said:

Section  4 on page 9 this document might be of help.

http://www.stpancrascc.co.uk/sites/default/files/Thames%20Cruising%20Guide_0_0.pdf&ved=2ahUKEwik8-r25KLsAhUZQxUIHZdqBEkQFjACegQIARAB&usg=AOvVaw2q_pDyr6v_YdqSF-70-qge

 

@magnetman is local so he might know.

Really helpful bit of info, thanks very much! 

[Tim Lewis]

Have done both routes many times and there is not much in it really boating wise. Going out of Bow you have the interesting twisty Bow Creek but you will miss going past Greenwich.

 

much more important is preparing the boat and having the correct anchor and warp/chain. At 42’ you are not legally obliged to have VHF radio but you would be silly not to(and have someone with you licensed to use it)

 

there are people here with the experience to assist you, pm me if you would like a name

Edited October 7, 2020 by Tim Lewis

[haldyson]

32 minutes ago, Tim Lewis said:

Have done both routes many times and there is not much in it really boating wise. Going out of Bow you have the interesting twisty Bow Creek but you will miss going past Greenwich.

 

much more important is preparing the boat and having the correct anchor and warp/chain. At 42’ you are not legally obliged to have VHF radio but you would be silly not to(and have someone with you licenses to use it)

 

there are people here with the experience to assist you, pm me if you would like a name

Thanks for the reply Tim, the thing we are most concerned with is doing the trip as safely as possible... especially due to this stretch of the Thames having large high speed craft sharing the water with us... we are mostly worried about the wash from these larger vessels along with the strong current of the Thames and how it might affect our small narrowboat.

We have an anchor on board, I will have to check the requirements for the chain length and make sure ours matches up. We also have life jackets however we do not have a VHF, nor are either of us licensed to use one... 

I appreciate your reply and will send you a pm for more info, Thanks! 

[Tim Lewis]

Doing the trip via Bow (but in reverse)

 

 

 

Edited October 7, 2020 by Tim Lewis

[midnight cowboy]

I would definitely go out into Bow Creek - less exposed to weather and tidal currents which can both be strong round the Isle of Dogs, that's what a bunch of us did for the Diamond Jubilee Regatta.  A very experienced colleague nearly came to grief trying to go in atf Limehouse from the Thames after the event

[Tim Lewis]

48 minutes ago, midnight cowboy said:

I would definitely go out into Bow Creek - less exposed to weather and tidal currents which can both be strong round the Isle of Dogs, that's what a bunch of us did for the Diamond Jubilee Regatta.  A very experienced colleague nearly came to grief trying to go in atf Limehouse from the Thames after the event

The op will be leaving Limehouse rather than entering

Edited October 7, 2020 by Tim Lewis

[midnight cowboy]

The grief occurred in Greenwich reach near the O2

[David Mack]

52 minutes ago, midnight cowboy said:

A very experienced colleague nearly came to grief trying to go in atf Limehouse from the Thames after the event

 

49 minutes ago, midnight cowboy said:

The grief occurred in Greenwich reach near the O2

 

So did the grief occur at Limehouse or Greenwich?

 

I have experienced a hairy passage going in at Limehouse, but going out shouldn't be a problem.

[Scholar Gypsy]

2 hours ago, David Mack said:

 

 

So did the grief occur at Limehouse or Greenwich?

 

I have experienced a hairy passage going in at Limehouse, but going out shouldn't be a problem.

I remember that occasion a couple of days after the pageant.  I was further inland at the time, having left from Limehouse, not WID. As I recollect from the discussion over the VHF radio, the water around Greenwich was very lumpy that day. As they got closer to Limehouse things calmed down a bit. I think it was a wider boat, but I may be making that bit up. 

 

[Thanks to Tim, I am in touch with the OP].