Narrowboat accessing Yorkshire canals via Trent Falls

[Jen-in-Wellies]

5 minutes ago, magpie patrick said:

Any idea why passage is supervised? In Anthony Burton's "Back Door Britain", written in the 1980's, they just turned up and went through the locks

Various reasons get given. Water conservation and vandalism. All the water for the summit has to be pumped up from the river Don. The padlocks take a non-Watermate key. Also the severity of the current in the chamber you can get opening a gate paddle too wide too soon. There are no ground paddles, except on deep lock, which replaced two locks to allow clearance for a railway line built in around 1960. Also no bywashes, so can get a lot of water over the top gates, which has the potential to swamp a boat. The walkways over the bottom gates have already been mentioned. Easy to catch a tiller, underneath heading up. I know of one boat sunk that way. Nothing that isn't present on other locks on the Yorkshire waterways, but not so many things over so many locks I don't think.

Jen

[PD1964]

1 hour ago, magpie patrick said:

Any idea why passage is supervised? In Anthony Burton's "Back Door Britain", written in the 1980's, they just turned up and went through the locks

 The main reason is that there is no direct water supply to Victoria Quays to maintain the top level. The water is pumped up from a pumping station located between lock 9 & 8, with water taken from the River Don and pumped through a pipe up to lock No1.  So the flight is assisted as all the paddles are locked when not in use and only unlocked when there’s boat passage. When not in use there’s various feeds left on to keep the pounds between locks watered. If it was not assisted/supervised and gates and paddles were left open by users the level to Sheffield would drop leaving the boats at Victoria Quays and TinsleyMarina in trouble.

[midnight cowboy]

We have brought a Narrowboat from Google docks to the Trent via Trent falls.   Provided you have a decently powered and recently checked engine and avoid the strongest moments in the tides you can easily do it.  (We went out too early on the advice of the Google lock keeper, sharing with a German freighter, and were going backwards on the end of the flood tide at one point, despite our Gardiner goon flat out, managed it by swapping to the inside of the slight bend.  Sweaty moments!) Do take a wide swing around the marker post at the ‘Falls’ as the sandbanks are very shallow and even a small draught boat will ground there.  VHF radio and phone a must.  Keadby lockie only answered the phone not the radio.

[Jen-in-Wellies]

10 minutes ago, midnight cowboy said:

Google docks

Autocorrect strikes again!

[Scholar Gypsy]

12 minutes ago, Jen-in-Wellies said:

Autocorrect strikes again!

There's a nice thread on Facebook recently about things your phone does when it recognizes you as a boater, eg when you type Google you get Goole..... 

[midnight cowboy]

On 07/12/2021 at 09:04, Jen-in-Wellies said:

Autocorrect strikes again!

😅😂🤣