upper Thames single handed

[blackrose]

I do the same sort of thing except going uphill I tend to just tie bow and stern lines off assuming there aren't many boats in the lock and there's plenty of space.

 

This is actually quite important if the particular lock is side fill because there's no way you're going to hold the boat against that force even with a turn of the bow or stem rope around a bollard. I think they're are half a dozen or so side fill locks on the Thames, but I could be wrong and there may be more? Anyway, since some people who are unfamiliar may not know which locks are side fill, if you're on your own in the lock or there are just a couple of boats nowhere near you I'd recommend just tying off with as short ropes as possible when going uphill (because your ropes are only going to get slacker). 

 

If the lock is full of boats you need to ask someone if the lock is side fill or not. If it is just tie off making sure you can untie and take up the slack as soon as possible once the side filling has stopped, if it isn't side fill then do as Scholar Gypsy says above. There isn't really that much fore aft movement and in a side fill lock two boats sat opposite each other will come together in the middle of the lock without an issue, but ideally you don't want plastic boats opposite.

Edited December 17, 2023 by blackrose

[Stroudwater1]

4 hours ago, blackrose said:

I do the same sort of thing except going uphill I tend to just tie bow and stern lines off assuming there aren't many boats in the lock and there's plenty of space.

 

This is actually quite important if the particular lock is side fill because there's no way you're going to hold the boat against that force even with a turn of the bow or stem rope around a bollard. I think they're are half a dozen or so side fill locks on the Thames, but I could be wrong and there may be more? Anyway, since some people who are unfamiliar may not know which locks are side fill, if you're on your own in the lock or there are just a couple of boats nowhere near you I'd recommend just tying off with as short ropes as possible when going uphill (because your ropes are only going to get slacker). 

 

If the lock is full of boats you need to ask someone if the lock is side fill or not. If it is just tie off making sure you can untie and take up the slack as soon as possible once the side filling has stopped, if it isn't side fill then do as Scholar Gypsy says above. There isn't really that much fore aft movement and in a side fill lock two boats sat opposite each other will come together in the middle of the lock without an issue, but ideally you don't want plastic boats opposite.

That’s what @Scholar Gypsy advised too I had thought? The “reasonable distance” presumably giving better leverage in case of need to pull stern or bow in, as well as bow line being nearer to the hand operated paddles? 

 

• 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

theres no side fill ones we encountered from Dukes cut to Lechlade, they are all hand opened to gate paddles as  the image Scholar Gupsy shows. However the OP is going Reading to Oxford, and some may well be especially the ones operated from a pedestal . Also best to keep the boat away from the top gates going up as in the picture. 
 

You are meant to drain the locks empty after use to slow  algae growth on the steps. 

Some of the hand operated paddle wheels can bounce back and open some way after they close so as usual check they are shut before opening the other ones, and make sure they remain shut when you are closing the hand operated ones. 
 

For the hydraulic operated paddles IIRC from years ago don’t keep pressure io the button, once the process starts as it can switch the thing off and need a reset. But annoying for the boats waiting as the resetting takes a while/hours but that could have changed now. 

 

 

[magnetman]

Sandford is the only side filling lock between Reading and Oxford. 

There is one manual hand wound lock (Kings) if you are going via Dukes Cut. 

 

The rest are mechanised and button controlled. Good point about not holding buttons down. For locks with the square box on round top pedestal just press until you hear the click then leave it until the indicator light stops flashing. Sluices go up in 3 stages on a timer. 

 

River is still shifting. 

[blackrose]

4 hours ago, Stroudwater1 said:

That’s what @Scholar Gypsy advised too I had thought? 

 

Yes that's right, that's why I mentioned him in my post. I was building on his advice.

[Scholar Gypsy]

For Sandford (which is tricky) I had a second bow line,  going back from the bow, of similar length to the stern line, and tied to a bollard. That enabled to hold the boat against the wall,  just. And it was hammering down with rain... 

[Mike on the Wey]

11 hours ago, blackrose said:

This is actually quite important if the particular lock is side fill because there's no way you're going to hold the boat against that force even with a turn of the bow or stem rope around a bollard. I think they're are half a dozen or so side fill locks on the Thames, but I could be wrong and there may be more?

The Thames locks with side sluices are Bell Weir (Staines), Romney (Windsor), Hambleden (below Henley) and Sandford (between Abingdon & Oxford).

I single hand a fair bit on the Thames. Going up - stern rope on, jump off boat with bow line in hand, adjust bow line as water rises (nice and easy as it's nearer to the upper pedestal). Going down - centre rope only ... if a lockie is on I ask permission to use centre rope only. If denied (very rare) I loosely hook the stern rope over a post but still rely on the centre. My boat's only 32' so I have very few issues. 

[magnetman]

Thats how I do it. I've done the entire length of the River (Limehouse to Lechlade) single handed many times the  biggest boat was 57ft x 12ft. All good fun no problems just find it easier without crew. 

 

One brilliant trick for winding up other boaters* is using the steamer hitch going down.  Only works with the bollards with pins. If you do it correctly the line will slip but needs quite a bit of weight. It is a non jamming hitch. The tripper boats use it. Needs sensible rope thickness. 

 

I did get a very agitated gin palace woman once hollering 'your Boat is going to hang up. I was doing the sluices. I explained it was alright and she repeated 'your Boat is going to hang up' in a slightly panicked voice.

 

Obviously it didn't hang up but the lines were both tight so I can see why she thought it might !

 

*a bit irresponsible I suppose. 

 

The Boat stays against the side in a controlled manner all the way down. 

 

 

It does take quite a bit of load before the hitch slips but due to the construction it is impossible for it to jam up. 

[Sailbadthesinner]

Magnetman, what's a steamer hitch?

Google couldn't tell me but I did notice you were asked the same question back in 2010, so come on don't keep us in suspense, pardon the pun.

 

[magnetman]

Its a bit awkward to describe. I'll try and doodle a picture. 

Quite tricky to draw. Its similar to a lightermans hitch but using the pins on the mooring bollard for extra friction. 

 

 

Sort of like this. Pay attention to not include any binding parts. 

 

Red is the rope, Blue is where the rope passes re over the other part of the rope, green is rope behind the bollard (out of sight) 

 

 

the key is to get turns on which can't bind but can provide good friction. *This image my be out of date and contain errors*

 

Disclaimer: If this is wrong and your boat hangs up and the rope breaks and smacks you in the teeth knocking you unconscious and you fall over and break your legs don't come running to me to complain. 

 

Its a modification of the tugboat hitch. 

 

[Onewheeler]

Looking at the river this morning it's likely to be on red for a few weeks yet. It's not far off our landing stage in Oxford and has been for a long while.

[magnetman]

ten dry days would be interesting. 

 

 

[Bacchus]

peaked a few days ago - there is a day of heavy rain forecast next week, but I think it should be largely navigable by Christmas week.

 

Lechlade went on to falling yellows today.

[Sailbadthesinner]

2 hours ago, magnetman said:

Its a bit awkward to describe. I'll try and doodle a picture. 

Quite tricky to draw. Its similar to a lightermans hitch but using the pins on the mooring bollard for extra friction. 

 

 

Sort of like this. Pay attention to not include any binding parts. 

 

Red is the rope, Blue is where the rope passes re over the other part of the rope, green is rope behind the bollard (out of sight) 

 

 

the key is to get turns on which can't bind but can provide good friction. *This image my be out of date and contain errors*

 

Disclaimer: If this is wrong and your boat hangs up and the rope breaks and smacks you in the teeth knocking you unconscious and you fall over and break your legs don't come running to me to complain. 

 

Its a modification of the tugboat hitch. 

 

 

Thanks.

Looks like a lot of friction though.

I dont think I'll try that, I've got a picture in my mind of my boat hanging up before that slipped.

 

[magnetman]

It works if you get the turns right and the Boat is heavy enough. I would not use it with a light weight Boat. Both my Boats are 16 tons and it works alright but I did have a light GRP Boat for a time and never used this hitch. 

 

 

As I said it needs to be constructed such that there are no places where the hitch will bind. The Thames lock bollards with the pins do work for this because of the shape but it needs to be done corr

ectly and with sensible diameter rope (16mm+ ideally) 

Obviously rope is meant to be expressed as circumference so lets say 50mm rope. 

Or larger. Most of the heavier Boats on the River like steamers and tugs use 25mm diameter (80mm rope). 

Edited December 17, 2023 by magnetman

[ditchcrawler]

20 hours ago, Scholar Gypsy said:

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)

I do the same for unattended locks while Diana works the buttons. A good Bowlin in the very end of the stern line. On some of the Thames locks going up I wouldn't even attempt to hold the boat on a centre line 

Edited December 17, 2023 by ditchcrawler

[GUMPY]

A lightermans hitch does not slip!

 

 

[magnetman]

17 hours ago, magnetman said:

. Its similar to a lightermans hitch but using the pins on the mooring bollard for extra friction. 

 

A lightermans hitch won't slip but a similar hitch (steamer hitch) will. 

Its not the same hitch. 

It only works on the bollards with the pins. A lot of locks on the River have the other type of bollard designed for an eye to be thrown over rather than a line hitched to the bollard. 

 

I never worked out why the variation of bollard types. 

Edited December 18, 2023 by magnetman

[Tacet]

On 16/12/2023 at 23:11, Scholar Gypsy said:

 

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.  

Please sir, Pythagoras can't claim the credit for this phenomena.  More to do with Galileo.

 

It's because at small angles there is little difference between the sine and tangent.  And the longer the rope, the smaller the angle.

 

Galileo's observation that the period of a pendulum is (nearly) the same regardless of its amplitude also only works with smallish swings relies on the same thing.

[Scholar Gypsy]

4 hours ago, Tacet said:

Please sir, Pythagoras can't claim the credit for this phenomena.  More to do with Galileo.

 

It's because at small angles there is little difference between the sine and tangent.  And the longer the rope, the smaller the angle.

 

Galileo's observation that the period of a pendulum is (nearly) the same regardless of its amplitude also only works with smallish swings relies on the same thing.

I will ask my son, who is a maths teacher...

If you want a rough estimate, then the movement of the boat (forwards going up, astern when going downhill) is

 

 M = L - (L^2-h^2)^0.5  ~ 1/2 . h . h/L  (to first order, as h/L <1)

 

So if h is 8, L = 32, then M is about 1.

 

(The pendulum result depends on the fact that sin (x) ~ x for small x.)

[manxmike]

You'll need to be careful above Lechlade, some of the bridge holes are quite low. Check your air draft and remember the higher the river the less room under bridges!

[Scholar Gypsy]

2 minutes ago, manxmike said:

You'll need to be careful above Lechlade, some of the bridge holes are quite low. Check your air draft and remember the higher the river the less room under bridges!

I guess you mean "above Oxford".

[magnetman]

5 minutes ago, manxmike said:

You'll need to be careful above Lechlade, some of the bridge holes are quite low. Check your air draft and remember the higher the river the less room under bridges!

 

Good point (above Oxford not Lechlade) Osney bridge is 7ft6 at summer levels. 

[ditchcrawler]

6 hours ago, GUMPY said:

A lightermans hitch does not slip!

 

The advantage of a nice bowlin is you can flick it off from the boat when you are ready to leave

[GUMPY]

2 hours ago, manxmike said:

You'll need to be careful above Lechlade, some of the bridge holes are quite low. Check your air draft and remember the higher the river the less room under bridges!

If you get to the next bridge above  Lechlade you are doing well. I failed 20 years ago, ran out of water under the boat.

[manxmike]

We did get past it in a hire cruiser, we had to take the cabin roof off, but we did it! The roof was a sliding one and after we refitted it the boatyard was amazed because the roof now worked