Help wanted near Kidderminster

[Andrew Denny]

Will anyone boats be passing Wolverley Lock on the Staffs & Worcs in the next few days, who could help me in trying to pull my boat off the mud? I arrived about 10 days ago and moored up above the lock, not realising that at the time the water level was much higher than normal. I returned a few days later to find the boat stuck, as the water level had gone down (to normal).

I will need a tow/tug to break free of the mud! 

[beerbeerbeerbeerbeer]

How much higher was the water? A foot?

 

[Andrew Denny]

No just 2-3in. A bit of rainstorm higher up the Stour valley the weekend before last, and a lot of water cascaded down the pounds from Stourton Junction. I tied up on a friend's private mooring, which hadn't been dredged for some years. RCR won't rescue me as part of my membership (I'm safely moored, the pound is now normal) and there are no CRT workboats around to help. I've got to wait for a boat to turn up who's willing to stop, but at this time of year there aren't many and I don't know when a boat will appear or whether the boater will be willing to help out. 

CRT will be there at Christmas (they are replacing Wolverley lock gates from 3rd Jan, the only works on the S&W this winter.) 

Edited November 3, 2022 by Andrew Denny

[Tracy D'arth]

Tick over in reverse and rock the boat, should eventually slide off.

[Andrew Denny]

Nope. Tried it all last weekend, inc 3 beefy men on the towpath on the other side trying to pull me off (not a euphemism). Stuck fast. I've been stuck often before, never like this! When I return to the boat this weekend I will try removing stuff from inside, emptying the last remains of the water tank etc. The issue is, when I moored up 12 days ago, I didn't think at the time how unnaturally high the water level was - and as I moored, the boat was already close to being stuck. 2-3in of water level drop (to normal levels) has really put it aground. I need a good tug!  (Tirfor might help) 

Edited November 3, 2022 by Andrew Denny

[Mike Tee]

If the bow is stuck, empty the water tank.

eta - forget that, we posted together!

Edited November 3, 2022 by Mike Tee

[Andrew Denny]

Tank is almost empty. but the stern is the problem. Look, I'm not asking for tips, I've been stuck many times before, not in these circumstances. What I'm asking is, are there any boats that might be going past this weekend that could oblige with a not-a-euphemism tug?  Thanks. 

[alan_fincher]

Can you get a rope to something solid, (maybe even the opposite bank)?

 

If so, one of these will exert far more pull than several strong guys all working together.

We recently used one to pull our tug off it's mooring where a large scour had built up, and all else had failed.  It did so with grease ease.

[Tam & Di]

And at the risk of teaching grandmothers (or Andrew, at least 😁) how to suck eggs, have you tried a Spanish windlass? Again much more powerful than a handful of guys, no matter how strong. It has worked for us even when partially loaded.

 

Tam

Edited November 3, 2022 by Tam & Di

[beerbeerbeerbeerbeer]

 

I’d hang on to the water in the tank,

the more water I take from my tank the further my stern will sink. 

And of course you might need the water if you’re gonna be stuck for the winter.

 

 

[Andrew Denny]

1 minute ago, Tam & Di said:

And at the risk of teaching grandmothers (or Andrew, at least 😁) how to suck eggs, have you tried a Spanish windlass? Again much more powerful than a handful of guys, no matter how strong. It has worked for us even when partially loaded.

Now, Spanish Windlass, that is a new one on me.

(*hurriedly googles it*)

[Tracy D'arth]

Always assuming you are on mud.........................

 

Not pulling, just moving from side to side on the stern so that it rocks, even a tiny bit, and it will come off.

 

If you can rig a windlass, don't pull sideways, just fore and aft.

 

If really stuck, use the windlass tied to the roof and use it to rock the boat sideways by tightening and releasing alternately with the engine in reverse.

 

Don't empty the bow tank, the stern will dig deeper.

Edited November 3, 2022 by Tracy D'arth

[Tam & Di]

Google will doubtless tell you, but it is basically to take a line from the boat, round a tree or something immovable, then back Then put a bar between the two strands and twist it round and round (careful not to let it slip and do serious damage to any bits of you in the way). Can be very effective.

Hope it works, rather than for you having to wait much longer.

 

Tam

 

p.s. as said by Tracy, you pull on one end, not pull sideways,

Edited November 3, 2022 by Tam & Di

[Tony Brooks]

1 minute ago, Tam & Di said:

Google will doubtless tell tou, but it is basically to take a line from the boat, round a tree or something immovable, then back Then put a bar between the two strands and twist it round and round (careful not to let it slip and do serious damage to any bits of you in the way). Can be very effective.

Hope it works, rather than for you having to wait much longer.

 

Tam

 

Absolutely, pulled a hire cruiser that was well stuck on a gravel bar in Whitchurch weir steam using that method when no other boats were about.

[Andrew Denny]

1 minute ago, Tam & Di said:

Google will doubtless tell you, but it is basically to take a line from the boat, round a tree or something immovable, then back Then put a bar between the two strands and twist it round and round (careful not to let it slip and do serious damage to any bits of you in the way). Can be very effective.

Hope it works, rather than for you having to wait much longer.

 

Tam

Unfortunately there's nothing within roping distance of the bow. Nothing across the canal on the other side to fasten to, either. The boat is stern-in to a small layby, and can't reverse any further (even if I wanted to). The only way is forward and out. Believe me, I'm stuck. My solution is another boat going past that will pick up my bow rope and give a good tug. Even flushing a lockful of water from the lock above won't work, because the lock above is nearly a mile away. Were I to do that, the surge would dissipate by the time it reached my boat and be lost through the spillweir on the lower lock 1/4-mile away, let alone by the time I returned to my boat 20 mins later.  Alternative solutions when I return tomorrow: Remove stuff in the engine compartment, the mattress in my rear bedroom, etc. But it's that other boat going past that I really long to see... 

[IanD]

10 minutes ago, Tam & Di said:

Google will doubtless tell you, but it is basically to take a line from the boat, round a tree or something immovable, then back Then put a bar between the two strands and twist it round and round (careful not to let it slip and do serious damage to any bits of you in the way). Can be very effective.

Hope it works, rather than for you having to wait much longer.

 

Tam

 

p.s. as said by Tracy, you pull on one end, not pull sideways,

 

Also take care that this can generate a *lot* of force if the boat is *really* stuck on the mud, possibly enough to snap the rope under tension if the thing on the bank really *is* immovable...

 

Haven't had this happen trying to pull a boat off the mud, but it did happen when I was trying to uproot a tree... 😞

[Andrew Denny]

11 minutes ago, Tony Brooks said:

 

Absolutely, pulled a hire cruiser that was well stuck on a gravel bar in Whitchurch weir steam using that method when no other boats were about.

Sounds cool, thanks but I will need to get another rope (maybe two), the nearest tree is about another 60 feet away.

[IanD]

6 minutes ago, Andrew Denny said:

Unfortunately there's nothing within roping distance of the bow. Nothing across the canal on the other side to fasten to, either. The boat is stern-in to a small layby, and can't reverse any further (even if I wanted to). The only way is forward and out. Believe me, I'm stuck. My solution is another boat going past that will pick up my bow rope and give a good tug. Even flushing a lockful of water from the lock above won't work, because the lock above is nearly a mile away. Were I to do that, the surge would dissipate by the time it reached my boat and be lost through the spillweir on the lower lock 1/4-mile away, let alone by the time I returned to my boat 20 mins later.  Alternative solutions when I return tomorrow: Remove stuff in the engine compartment, the mattress in my rear bedroom, etc. But it's that other boat going past that I really long to see... 

Again, if you want to use the other boat to "snatch" you off (go from slack rope to tight with the other boat moving past) be careful that you don't either snap the rope, or even pull a t-stud off the hull... 😞

Edited November 3, 2022 by IanD

[Andrew Denny]

1 minute ago, IanD said:

 

Also take care that this can generate a *lot* of force if the boat is *really* stuck on the mud, possibly enough to snap the rope under tension if the thing on the bank really *is* immovable...

 

Haven't had this happen trying to pull a boat off the mud, but it did happen when I was trying to uproot a tree... 😞

It also could snap off my front T-stud. Once, going down the Great Ouse from Denver to do a Wash crossing, the pilot tied my boat up to another nb as a breasted pair. One of the boats hit ground on a river bend, and the stress pinged my T-stud off, and it just missed me! 

[Tony Brooks]

1 minute ago, Andrew Denny said:

Sounds cool, thanks but I will need to get another rope (maybe two), the nearest tree is about another 60 feet away.

 

No whaling bar on the opposite bank I suppose. I had to tie three mooring lines together and then do the twisting using just the single line. No doubling back to the boat. This made it harder and I had to do it while out of my depth in the water. I had to ensure all four lines were laid the same way and that I turned the bar to increase the twist in the lay, rater than untwist.

[Andrew Denny]

3 minutes ago, IanD said:

Again, if you want to use the other boat to "snatch" you off (go from slack rope to tight with the other boat moving past) be careful that you don't either snap the rope, or even pull a t-stud off the hull... 😞

Ha, you anticipated the danger of the t-stud coming off too. Yes, it's got to be gentle, steady and coordinated.  But I have to go forward and slightly outward.

[Tam & Di]

3 minutes ago, Andrew Denny said:

It also could snap off my front T-stud.

 

If you do get a passing boat to give you a snatch you might best try to come off backwards. As an alternative maybe just to pull the fore-end sideways into deeper water first.

 

Tam

Edited November 3, 2022 by Tam & Di

[IanD]

1 minute ago, Andrew Denny said:

Ha, you anticipated the danger of the t-stud coming off too. Yes, it's got to be gentle, steady and coordinated.  But I have to go forward and slightly outward.

 

The problem is that if you're *really* stuck on the mud "gentle" might not get you off, unless you can break any stiction by rocking the boat or similar...

[Stilllearning]

1 minute ago, Tam & Di said:

 

If you do get a passing boat to give you a snatch you might best try to come off backwards. As an alternative maybe just to pull the fore-end sideways into deeper water first.

 

Tam

I think he’s moored arse end down a small inlet...

[Andrew Denny]

2 minutes ago, Tony Brooks said:

 

No whaling bar on the opposite bank I suppose. I had to tie three mooring lines together and then do the twisting using just the single line. No doubling back to the boat. This made it harder and I had to do it while out of my depth in the water. I had to ensure all four lines were laid the same way and that I turned the bar to increase the twist in the lay, rater than untwist.

Opposite the mooring, on the towpath is a 10ft dry stone wall. Last week two 10m ropes tied together barely reached to the towpath to allow those three  beefy guys to pull, and they couldn't get a proper purchase. I would need a third to reach higher to the trees/field above. My friends are themselves not very strong.  As I said at the start, what I'm hoping for is to snag a passing boat.