Anchor needed for T&M canal to Sawley Marina?

[Cancunia]

I'm totally new to all this, so please don't shout at me!

I'm in the process of buying a boat that I need to sail along the T&M canal to moorings at Sawley. I know that officially I need an anchor and Life Jacket for river cruising and fully intend to get them in due course but I'm not sure if I can get them on to the boat in time for my trip due to the logistics of carrying them on the bus / train to the boat. 

I've looked the the maps and so far as I can see, the only potential river hazards are the Derwent mouth and the Sawley Weir? If I keep to the right while navigating, I'm guessing that I'll be OK in October?

 

Thanks.

[PeterScott]

2 hours ago, Cancunia said:

I'm in the process of buying a boat that I need to sail along the T&M canal to moorings at Sawley. I know that officially I need an anchor and Life Jacket for river cruising ...  the only potential river hazards are the Derwent mouth and the Sawley Weir? If I keep to the right while navigating, I'm guessing that I'll be OK in October?

 

Welcome to the forum.

 

I don't think anyone is in charge of insisting boaters wear lifejackets on the inland waterways, so if you are confident and feel safe on this bit of River Trent at Long Eaton, then go for it ...

 

 

 

As to the anchor, I suppose some insurers might be keen on the boat having one, and for river trips it's a good idea. The risk of being swept over a weir on this bit of river is quite small; the engine might give up becaue of fuel-crud in its tank particularly if the boat hasn't moved for a while. The most discomforting weir that you might come close to is the one at Alrewas. Maybe wait for another boat going your way on the river sections and watch out for one another ??

 

PS  we use 'sail' for those big triangular sheets to catch the wind ... 🙂

[Alan de Enfield]

Make sure you have food, water, bedding and clothes. I bought a boat and was stuck on that stretch of water for almost 3 weeks (in September when it was closed for flooding) - could not 'go back', or 'foward'. Tie up and wait it out.

 

There are no guarantes that the river will remain open with the weather we have been having, and October can be a bit 'iffy' even in good years.

 

The Trent has a huge catchment area 'up' in Derbyshire and Shropshire and with all the feeder rivers it can become high  with a fast flow in a short time.

You have no problems on the T&M (Canal) but the short stretches of the River around Sawley can be affected by flooding.

Edited September 25, 2024 by Alan de Enfield

[ditchcrawler]

3 hours ago, Cancunia said:

I'm totally new to all this, so please don't shout at me!

I'm in the process of buying a boat that I need to sail along the T&M canal to moorings at Sawley. I know that officially I need an anchor and Life Jacket for river cruising and fully intend to get them in due course but I'm not sure if I can get them on to the boat in time for my trip due to the logistics of carrying them on the bus / train to the boat. 

I've looked the the maps and so far as I can see, the only potential river hazards are the Derwent mouth and the Sawley Weir? If I keep to the right while navigating, I'm guessing that I'll be OK in October?

 

Thanks.

October, who knows, it was probably fun  last Monday. The section from Alrewas to Wynchor  was close, last Saturday it was like a mill pond, the photos taken before the storm. It all depends on the weather

 

[Cancunia]

Thanks for the replies. I'm now a bit more confident about the journey and much better informed about potential closures, so will make sure I have enough food, water & fuel. Hopefully there will be someone else going my way along the short stretch of the Trent at the same time, if so, I'll tag along with them.

 

 

 

[ditchcrawler]

2 minutes ago, Cancunia said:

Thanks for the replies. I'm now a bit more confident about the journey and much better informed about potential closures, so will make sure I have enough food, water & fuel. Hopefully there will be someone else going my way along the short stretch of the Trent at the same time, if so, I'll tag along with them.

 

 

 

Where are you starting from?

[Cancunia]

11 minutes ago, ditchcrawler said:

Where are you starting from?

I'm starting from the far end of the canal.

[matty40s]

2 hours ago, Alan de Enfield said:

 

You have no problems on the T&M (Canal) but the short stretches of the River around Sawley can be affected by flooding.

The bottom end of the T&M above Derwent Mouth lock is prone to flooding, it has been under(including towpath) several times this year. If you think you are going to have to.wait a few days more above, or IN Shardlow, where you will be protected by tjendlood gates.

I have never bothered with life jackets or anchor on the stretch you are talking about, but I am in charge of my own boat maintenance, have done it many times, and know rivers quite well.

[ditchcrawler]

3 hours ago, Cancunia said:

I'm starting from the far end of the canal.

In that case you will also need to cross the bit at Alrewas and that comes up very quickly after rain. 

 

Alrewas is a nice place to be stuck.

 

Edited September 25, 2024 by ditchcrawler
I like adding bits

[Ewan123]

I would be less inclined to go without a safe backup option (I.e. anchor) on a boat that's new to me.

 

@Cancunia do you know the engine will run well for an extended cruise with no overheating, and potentially at higher revs than normal on the canal? Do you know there is no muck at the bottom of the fuel tank that might get stirred up and block the fuel lines? Personally I wouldn't go without an anchor in your circumstances.

[LadyG]

When I got my boat I removed about sixty litres of diesel, let it settle, drew off about 5l from each of 3 x 20l containers, replaced fuel in tank, hoping to disturb the crud, removed as much as possible, repeated the procedure adding Marineset to get rid of water etc, I think I was able to use [coffee] filters as well,  it took about three days, rejected about 20 litres from the tank.

Changed the oil and filter, gave the engine a bit of a run, then changed the fuel filter and ATF in gearbox. Filled the tank  left it for a day and then set off. 

I would not take any unnecessary risks with a boat on a river. Yes, it might be better to cruise in company, but you can't be 100% sure they will be able to assist. 

Life jacket, anchor, 

and warp are pretty much essential, chain if possible. Its not too heavy to carry on a train, but you might end up buying a trolley for coal etc anyway.

 On a river there is likely to be more turbulence, due to currents and wind.

If the engine stops you will probably need to anchor. Point the bow in to the current. Go to the bow where your anchor is tied to the T ready to slip in to the depths. Best not throw everything in at once, start with anchor and feed in the rest.

Insurance claims will look for due diligence from a new policy holder, particularly if he has a new, untested boat and is a novice himself. 

Edited September 28, 2024 by LadyG

[LadyG]

OP could of course pay for a professional boat mover to do the job for him.

There may be servicing facilities en route?

He can join the RCR, but i think they have a 14 day delay to avoid folks taking the mick.

[ditchcrawler]

I did that very trip last week without unpacking my anchor, the amount of river you are boating on is probably less that ¾ hour. Provided its done in good conditions I would be confident with that. Its the little bit of the Trent from Alrewas to Wychnor  and then from Derwent mouth to the marina. By the time they gets to Alrewas they will know if the engine is reliable because they will have done a 100 or so miles 
I think for the water involved everyone is being very alarmist, yes it could go wrong but the chances are small, they are not going to be on the river for days and I would suggest that some of you offering advice have no idea where this is. Would you have an anchor to go from Napton to Oxford.

Edited September 28, 2024 by ditchcrawler

[BoatinglifeupNorth]

My thoughts exactly, just goes to show how important it is to seek local knowledge, two little stretches where he’ll be going with the flow. Alrewas and Derwent mouth to Sawley flood lock. Not worth spending £100’s on Anchor, Warp & Chain for those section, just watch the flood boards and go on green if a bit unsure or wait and partner up with another boat. 

[Rob-M]

We dropped down on to the river section at Alrewas recently to wind by the weir, didn't consider getting the anchor out but conditions were very calm although I was a bit surprised how much sideways pull there was when we were across the river.

[matty40s]

2 hours ago, ditchcrawler said:

 Would you have an anchor to go from Napton to Oxford.

We did this Summer.

 

 

 

 

...but we were heading out onto the tidal Thames after that.

[Ewan123]

5 hours ago, ditchcrawler said:

I did that very trip last week without unpacking my anchor, the amount of river you are boating on is probably less that ¾ hour. Provided its done in good conditions I would be confident with that. Its the little bit of the Trent from Alrewas to Wychnor  and then from Derwent mouth to the marina. By the time they gets to Alrewas they will know if the engine is reliable because they will have done a 100 or so miles 
I think for the water involved everyone is being very alarmist, yes it could go wrong but the chances are small, they are not going to be on the river for days and I would suggest that some of you offering advice have no idea where this is. Would you have an anchor to go from Napton to Oxford.

It is fair to say I don't know that stretch, but I still think on a recently bought secondhand boat it would be prudent to play it safe.

Here's another angle on it then - Does anyone know whether OP will pass a chandlery en-route where they could likely buy them? Since OP is planning on buying the anchor and lifejackets in the future anyway, and it's the short-term logistics of acquiring them which has prompted the question.

Edited September 28, 2024 by Ewan123

[BoatinglifeupNorth]

2 hours ago, Ewan123 said:

It is fair to say I don't know that stretch, but I still think on a recently bought secondhand boat it would be prudent to play it safe.

Here's another angle on it then - Does anyone know whether OP will pass a chandlery en-route where they could likely buy them? Since OP is planning on buying the anchor and lifejackets in the future anyway, and it's the short-term logistics of acquiring them which has prompted the question.

As @ditchcrawler has said they would have done a lot of hours before these little stretches of the Trent, so they would have sorted any gremlins out if any. These short stretches of the Trent are nothing like the tidal Trent or from Cromwell to Beeston to Sawley locks. I’ve never regarded them “Anchor panick” stretches especially when on normal level not pushing any fresh.

 Buying the relevant anchor, warp and chain will run into several hundred of pounds and weigh a lot. I don’t think many get their anchors at the ready for these stretchers compared to the sections I mentioned.

Edited September 28, 2024 by BoatinglifeupNorth

[BCN Challenge]

16 hours ago, LadyG said:

OP could of course pay for a professional boat mover to do the job for him.

 

I never leave home for a job without packing a spare anchor in my kit bag.

[LadyG]

16 hours ago, ditchcrawler said:

I did that very trip last week without unpacking my anchor, the amount of river you are boating on is probably less that ¾ hour. Provided its done in good conditions I would be confident with that. Its the little bit of the Trent from Alrewas to Wychnor  and then from Derwent mouth to the marina. By the time they gets to Alrewas they will know if the engine is reliable because they will have done a 100 or so miles 
I think for the water involved everyone is being very alarmist, yes it could go wrong but the chances are small, they are not going to be on the river for days and I would suggest that some of you offering advice have no idea where this is. Would you have an anchor to go from Napton to Oxford.

The guy us asking for best advice for himself as a complete novice, with a boat which is of unknown reliability, that's a different scenario from an experienced boater with a tried and tested boat.

When doing a journey on a river I make a little paper chart showing times from departure and significant features. I can estimate boat speed as eg 3kt, so I can be pretty sure when I expect to see the white fence of the lock entrance.

 

Edited September 29, 2024 by LadyG

[BCN Challenge]

9 minutes ago, LadyG said:

The guy us asking for best advice for himself as a complete n9vice, with a boat which is of unknown reliability, that's a different scenario from an experienced boat with a tried and tested boat.

 

The OP actually asked a specific question to which they have hopefully isolated the sensible answer.

 

That said I think the point made by @Ewan123 is a good one. This is a boat to be based on a river so if the owner has any intention of taking it out of the marina to cruise in future then purchasing an anchor en route makes sense.

 

As a boat mover the prevalence of boats without basic functioning navigational equipment is a constant source of frustration. I’ve done the T&M river sections numerous times without an anchor as a result.

Edited September 29, 2024 by BCN Challenge

[BoatinglifeupNorth]

1 hour ago, BCN Challenge said:

The OP actually asked a specific question to which they have hopefully isolated the sensible answer.

 

That said I think the point made by @Ewan123 is a good one. This is a boat to be based on a river so if the owner has any intention of taking it out of the marina to cruise in future then purchasing an anchor en route makes sense.

 

As a boat mover the prevalence of boats without basic functioning navigational equipment is a constant source of frustration. I’ve done the T&M river sections numerous times without an anchor as a result.

Then you’ll know the two section that he’s doing are not long tidal section and he’ll be running with any fresh, a bit different then pushing against high fresh on the section from Beeston to Sawley locks.

 Everyone is saying the boat could be unreliable, how do we not know he’s bought a £80K two year old boat?

 Yes I would advise getting an anchor once at Sawley after doing his research. If bought on the way, he could easily buy the wrong one, weight, warp and chain length from a Chandelier who is after a £500 sale. 
 Yes the river Trent needs to be respected especially the tidal and the sections after Sawley to Cromwell, but there’s a lot of scare mongering for newbies doing it for the first time, the two sections are little stretches and if on green boards for a newbie it should be fine., if nervous pair up, I’m sure there will be boats moving in the same direction.

 

[matty40s]

12 hours ago, Ewan123 said:

It is fair to say I don't know that stretch, but I still think on a recently bought secondhand boat it would be prudent to play it safe.

Here's another angle on it then - Does anyone know whether OP will pass a chandlery en-route where they could likely buy them? Since OP is planning on buying the anchor and lifejackets in the future anyway, and it's the short-term logistics of acquiring them which has prompted the question.

Mercia Marina has a Midland Chandlers, so the OP could pop in there and wait until they get the stock in....

[Alan de Enfield]

 

And then they could sell him a 10kg Danforth and some blue string : "as recomended by narrowboaters"

[Paul C]

11 minutes ago, Alan de Enfield said:

 

And then they could sell him a 10kg Danforth and some blue string : "as recomended by narrowboaters"

 

And set aside a few days for reading through the thread(s) on the right anchor for a narrowboat.