upper Thames single handed

[Harrington II]

Apart from the K&A I have very little experience on rivers. I am about to travel from Oxford to Reading on the Thames singlehanded, any advise? I know its on red at the moment,

 

 

[MtB]

52 minutes ago, Harrington II said:

Apart from the K&A I have very little experience on rivers. I am about to travel from Oxford to Reading on the Thames singlehanded, any advise? I know its on red at the moment,

 

In that case, I suggest you travel by car.

 

But more seriously, check your insurance. They might not like you travelling on red boards, if remaining insured bothers you. Even yellow boards might be off limits. You'll prolly have to wait until Spring for calm conditions. 

 

 

 

[Bacchus]

1 hour ago, Harrington II said:

I know its on red at the moment

 

 

There's reds and reds. this one is RED, I wouldn't try to navigate in anything less manoeuvrable  than a rib or a powerful Dory. A narrowboat would be right out.

 

The EA use something called Excedance to measure flow - up towards Oxford that is currently 2.8%, which basically means that 97.2% of the time it is carrying less water, and only 2.8% it would be carrying more, and that includes the floods of 2014.

 

If you have to move downstream because you are in danger, point the bow upstream and go backwards downstream so that you are going forwards through the water but backwards over the ground. This is not advised for anyone without significant experience, and if you're asking the question I would infer that that isn't you. There will be places where even then the flow will be faster than a narrowboat can push, which will be very dangerous. turning one round would also be an extremely foolhardy manoeuvre.

 

I think the current spate has peaked, but it is unlikely to be do-able until at least the new year, and that is if we don't have any more rain

 

Edited December 14, 2023 by Bacchus
spelling

[magnetman]

Reading rowing club website is a good guide 

https://rrcflow.azurewebsites.net/

 

 

Broadly speaking I would follow the rowing club traffic lights as they are a pretty good guide for narrow Boats. 

 

Current conditions: A LOT of water. Don't Go. 

 

https://rrcflow.azurewebsites.net/

 

 

The figure is in cumecs which is cubic metres (tonnes) of water per second. 

 

If going upstream another useful flow gauge is Sutton Courtenay. 

 

 

 

 

Edited December 14, 2023 by magnetman

[magnetman]

1 hour ago, Bacchus said:

 

 

 

I think the current spate has peaked, but it is unlikely to be do-able until at least the new year, and that is if we don't have any more rain

 

Flow still increasing at Maidenhead. Taplow was on 30 cumecs at lunchtime so they must have pulled another 10 this afternoon.

 

Of course this is below the Kennet and Loddon. 

 

A fair bit of water on the move. 

 

Nothing special in flooding terms but speed of water over the bed of the River is significant and handling a narrow boat is going to be hazardous. 

 

Chalfont park canoe club website is good for Maidenhead. 

 

[booke23]

2 hours ago, Harrington II said:

Apart from the K&A I have very little experience on rivers. I am about to travel from Oxford to Reading on the Thames singlehanded, any advise?

 

Yes.......don't. Some winters you can make this sort of trip (dry ones), this winter isn't one of them. Not to mention the state of the River Kennet, which is way above red board level, so it'll probably need 6 weeks of no rain for the levels to come down. 

 

[magnetman]

Lots of water further up as well. 

 

This is from gaugemap website. 115 cumecs at Sutton Courtenay is quite a lot. 50 would be more like it. 

 

The River did go onto yellow boards for a while recently. The dip is visible. I think two weeks of dry weather might do it..

 

Rain gauges 

https://check-for-flooding.service.gov.uk/river-and-sea-levels?q=Oxford&group=rainfall

[Harrington II]

I was not planning on going on red or yellow for that matter but thanks for your advise guys, much appreciated. Apart from the current is there anything else I should be aware of or worried about?

[Tonka]

16 hours ago, Harrington II said:

Apart from the K&A I have very little experience on rivers. I am about to travel from Oxford to Reading on the Thames singlehanded, any advise? I know its on red at the moment,

 

 

But that is what I would of called the middle Thames. I think of Oxford to Lechlade as upper Thames

[Kendorr]

I single handed the Thames from Brentford to Oxford 4 years ago during the summer, there's a few things I found.

 

1, when in a lock you're supposed to shut off your engine and use both bow and stern ropes, I found this difficult and decided the best way was to be off the boat with the centre line keeping control. This was only a problem in 1 lock. I came in with 1 other boat, a plastic with youngish male and female aboard. The lockie helped the female once he had closed the gates. When he was sure they were okay, he went and started to open the sluices. I was still on the side sorting my boat. Once the water was almost level he came around to me and told me that I should have switched my engine off, I pointed out that I was about to when he opened the sluice, to which he apologised and said that he should have noticed I was single handing.

 

2, Wild mooring can be a bit awkward as you're having to get off and onto rough ground. I only had to do this once and managed to tie to a tree.

 

3, Mooring spots can be few and far between, some boaters don't mind breasting up, but others are very anti and will make any excuse to stop you doing it.

 

It was, however, a very enjoyable experience.

[Bee]

I did a short trip when the river was high - probably on yellow boards- and it was sort of OK, note the 'Sort of' That was downstream. Going upstream would have been much safer but if the current gets hold of the fore end it can cause all sorts of issues and of course if things do go a bit wrong you can't just stop like you can on a canal. If the water level is low its a perfectly OK trip and rather lovely

[Hudds Lad]

I did Bourne End to Duke's Cut and then up the Oxford at the end of November '21 with my Father-in-law as crew. Luckily it was dry and not much flow. Very quiet apart from rowing maniacs with their chasing coaches, worse round Reading i think it was where they just decide to turn in front of you without looking.

Locks were 50/50 with lockies, they were happy enough with me onboard with a long centre line around a bollard or two and the engine off, only once had to share with a small fishing boat. Lockies seem to have some sort of power-user mode for the paddles which fills the lock quicker than when it's unmanned and you're pushing the button, this left me clinging on to the very end of the centreline in one lock and nearly required a change of underwear.

Moorings seemed very few and far between, didn't get collared to pay though even in Henley, so that was a bonus for a pair of Yorkshiremen  Our final Thames mooring was tied to two trees with the bow just close enough to the bank to get off and go to the pub (which wiped out all the brass we'd saved not paying for moorings).

I'd definitely go there again, but i'd make sure it was a warmer time of year. Would also like to see the upper reaches above Eynsham lock (yes we missed the turn to Duke's Cut after coming up King's Lock) to Lechlade. I'd also like to go below Bourne End and on the tidal bit, but i think J has been in too many water taxis when down at the London office at won't entertain it at all  

[Stilllearning]

I did Reading to Oxford on mainly red, then yellow, boards 25 years ago, in a narrowboat with a very pointy, riverboat style bow, which I think helped.

All I can say is that I got away with it, Wallingford Bridge was an interesting experience and NOT to be repeated.

[blackrose]

16 hours ago, Bacchus said:

 

There's reds and reds. this one is RED

 

Different reaches will vary of course and I've been out on decreasing reds going upstream which is generally fine as long as you have enough power, but even on a manageable red boards I wouldn't fancy heading downstream. Perhaps that's just because I've never done it on my boat but I've helped crew a Thames passenger boat going with the current on red boards several times and it seems much more tricky.

[Tony Brooks]

1 hour ago, Harrington II said:

I was not planning on going on red or yellow for that matter but thanks for your advise guys, much appreciated. Apart from the current is there anything else I should be aware of or worried about?

 

Be aware that the locks may not be manned and other users few and far between. Working the locks is easy, but doing that while keeping your boat secure is more difficult. Going downstream, you can't really tie the boat up while you press the buttons and walk/run back to the boat to tend the ropes. Take a second person if you can.

[MtB]

17 hours ago, Harrington II said:

I am about to travel from Oxford to Reading on the Thames singlehanded, any advise? I know its on red at the moment,

 

 

This doesn't seem totally consistent with:

 

 

1 hour ago, Harrington II said:

I was not planning on going on red or yellow for that matter but thanks for your advise guys, much appreciated. Apart from the current is there anything else I should be aware of or worried about?

 

 

Like Stilllearning above, I too have done Reading to Oxford on entirely red boards and my observation is that half the time it was hard to see why red boards were on, yellow would have been more appropriate. The other half of the time navigating was risky. My point being, red boards nowadays can mean anything from there's a bit of fresh on' to 'raging torrent, only an idiot would be out'. Once the yellows come out, the river is pretty much benign. 

[blackrose]

1 hour ago, Kendorr said:

I single handed the Thames from Brentford to Oxford 4 years ago during the summer, there's a few things I found.

 

1, when in a lock you're supposed to shut off your engine and use both bow and stern ropes, I found this difficult and decided the best way was to be off the boat with the centre line keeping control. 

 

There are techniques to using bow and stern ropes single handed on the Thames. I used to do it when I lived on the river as well as operating the locks by myself when on self service - if mine was the only boat in there.  But you really need to think about what the boat's going to do when all that water starts moving around.

[David Schweizer]

I have travelled the Thames single handed from Reading to Oxford, and vice versa, quite a few times, but usually in late Spring or early Autumn. I never had any problems and the Lock Keepers were always very helpful. I always preferred to get off the boat and hold it on two ropes, and was only ever told to switch the engine off once, and that was by a summer relief keeper. When I tried to explain that it would be difficult now I was off the boat, he got very authoritarian and did not like it when I indicated that I was steering Narrowboats before he was born. The full time keeper then came across and said it was ok for me to stay on the lock lockside, adding that "these narrowboat skippers know what they are doing"

 

Edited December 15, 2023 by David Schweizer

[blackrose]

1 minute ago, David Schweizer said:

...he got very authoritarian and did not like it when I indicated that I was steering Narrowboats before he was born. 

 

Hahahaha. I'm not really surprised 🤣

[David Schweizer]

The relief keeper being authoritarian was from the very beginning, and I only made my comment about my experience after my several attempts to explain, caused him to become even less accomodating. He also stated that leaving the engine on was a fire risk, which I contested. The full time Keeper later told me that leaving the engine on was nothing to do with fire risk, but because it could prevent the steerer from hearing instructions from the keeper, which was irrelevant as I was standing almost next to him.

 

 

Edited December 15, 2023 by David Schweizer

[Mac of Cygnet]

I singlehanded the Thames from Oxford up to Lechlade and back down to Brentford a few years ago (with a diversion up the Wey) and found it all very pleasant, except very early one morning at a lock when the electricity ('public power') hadn't been yet turned on.  But it was summer, and the river was very gentle, and my boat was small and easily handled.

TBH, I have found the Yorkshire Ouse and the Trent much more difficult when singlehanding.

 

[Tonka]

28 minutes ago, David Schweizer said:

The relief keeper being authoritarian was from the very beginning, and I only made my comment about my experience after my several attempts to explain, caused him to become even less accomodating. He also stated that leaving the engine on was a fire risk, which I contested. The full time Keeper later told me that leaving the engine on was nothing to do with fire risk, but because it could prevent the steerer from hearing instructions from the keeper, which was irrelevant as I was standing almost next to him.

 

 

If the boat was the only boat in the lock then it doesn't have to turn the engine off.

When there is a lockfull then it has to be turned off unless it is a Bolinder, because of the smoke and noise pollution but also because it can impede the lockkeeper hearing a shout for help

[magnetman]

3 hours ago, Tonka said:

But that is what I would of called the middle Thames. I think of Oxford to Lechlade as upper Thames

Upper Thames Rowing Club is in Henley.

Above Oxford is the Upper Reaches.

 

As for boating on the Thames I go out most days regardless of conditions in the coaching lauch for shopping or scenic cruises.

 

I'm not keen on taking narrow Boats in red boards although I have done it. It doesn't seem worth the agro.

 

As mentioned above the red board notification doesn't tell you all that much. The flow of the River is far more relevant.

 

One obvious hazard with navigating during flood conditions is an increase in the amount of general debris in the River. Low lying gardens donate things such as benches and ornaments. Increased chance of prop foul just when you really don't want a prop foul.

 

 

Edited December 15, 2023 by magnetman
minor typo and cabbages

[Harrington II]

Thank you all for your advise. Doesn't look as if I will be going anywhere soon though!

[Scholar Gypsy]

I did the whole river from Teddington to Lechlade last summer.  Going uphill I do this:

 

• get off the boat at the stern, with a stern line and a long light line that lies on the roof and is tied onto the bow line. Stop the boat completely before doing this & then stop the engine
• tie off the stern line, a reasonable distance astern of the boat
• tie off the bow line, a reasonable distance in front of the boat
• close the  bottom gates
• start the automatic sequence for filling the lock
• take in the slack on the bow line as necessary

Going downhill

•  Use as long a stern line as possible, and tie it off to a bollard (25 feet plus)
• Do NOT secure the bow line, but make sure it stays on the bank (eg wind the end very loosely around a bollard, or put a bowline in the end and drop it over a bollard alongside the boat)
• Close top gates, operate bottom sluices
• Tend the bow line, take up the slack and then letting it out as necessary

In both cases, Pythagoras is your helper. For example with a 25 foot stern line between the boat and the bollard, then as the boat goes down (or up) 8 feet (more than most locks) the boat will move forwards/backwards about 16 inches.  

Here is Shifford, one of the deeper locks on the Upper Thames (and hand operated of course)