Calcutt locks

[dogless]

The stop planks were out and ready at Calcutt marina (new looking planks too) as we came down Calcutt and Stockton locks yesterday.

 

Back pumps evidently working above both flights too.

 

Levels down between Long Itch and Bascote though.

 

Rog

 

Edited August 20, 2025 by dogless

[alias]

1 hour ago, Dorlan said:

Calcutt pump working an hour ago.

 

This time last week you could see the row of circular apertures a few inches clear of the water level.

[Lily Rose]

 

Here's a photo of a level indicator near the dry dock in Ventnor marina (below Calcutt locks) taken late morning today. It will be of more interest when I (or someone else) take subsequent photos. If I remember I'll take another before we go home Friday but after that the next will not be until we return in (probably) 2 or 3 weeks.

 

Even without further photos for comparison it gives a reasonable indication of how much the level has fallen by looking at the mucky section.

 

Each number section is 4 inches

 

It currently reads 5.8 and the highest muck point is about 6.8 so that suggests it is down 4 inches from the highest point*.

 

* It wouldn't be normally be at that point at this time of year. Going by past observations I reckon the difference between normal high level and normal low level is probably a range of about 3 inches.

 

 

[dogless]

 

Long Itch pound

[beerbeerbeerbeerbeer]

You boozing in the Two Boats or the opposite Cuttle Inn?

[dogless]

Two Boats yesterday 👍 ... dining and whisky onboard a mates boat tonight (Tullibardine).

 

Long Itch is terrific for a pub crawl. 😁 

 

Rog

[Dorlan]

Calcutt's stop planks at the ready!

[alan_fincher]

3 minutes ago, Dorlan said:

Calcutt's stop planks at the ready!

 

Is that really enough?

[beerbeerbeerbeerbeer]

7 minutes ago, alan_fincher said:

 

Is that really enough?

if they’re each at least 8” deep there’s possibly a minimum of 4’ there ?

 

 

 

[Stroudwater1]

2 hours ago, alan_fincher said:

 

Is that really enough?

I take it you’ve not played Jenga before then😉 ? 

[MtB]

2 hours ago, Dorlan said:

Calcutt's stop planks at the ready!

 

 

I bet they don't fit, given the relentless battering the entrance steelwork there gets (from memory)!

[Victor Vectis]

12 hours ago, beerbeerbeerbeerbeer said:

You boozing in the Two Boats or the opposite Cuttle Inn?

The pub in the village, the one by the church - can't recall the name, is much nicer, IMHO.

[matty40s]

14 hours ago, dogless said:

 

Long Itch pound

You can get cream for that you know...

[john6767]

Back at Calcutt Marina now, went to look at the entrance, there are 6 stop planks at about 8” each, so 4ft,  I assume that represents the depth they want to maintain as minimum at the entrance , and if the canal goes lower it can easily weir over the top from the marina, where Napton reservoir feeds. One plank now has a “tarpaulin” attached to it, presumably the top one to help with sealing.

 

Someone mentioned that the entrance steel work is bashed up, which it is, and they have been cutting away some parts, the horizontal fender piece that was on one side has been removed, and the top of the stop plank slot has been cleaned up, so it looks all ready to go now.

 

[beerbeerbeerbeerbeer]

22 minutes ago, john6767 said:

Back at Calcutt Marina now, went to look at the entrance, there are 6 stop planks at about 8” each, so 4ft,  I assume that represents the depth they want to maintain as minimum at the entrance

interesting,

I wonder why that wasn’t  spotted earlier?

 

 

 

 

[Dorlan]

10 minutes ago, beerbeerbeerbeerbeer said:

interesting,

I wonder why that wasn’t  spotted earlier?

 

 

 

I think there may be a horizontal steel channel set in concrete across the entrance to receive the bottom plank. The depth of water over that was 3ft when I probed the bottom with a boat hook this morning. 

[john6767]

15 minutes ago, beerbeerbeerbeerbeer said:

interesting,

I wonder why that wasn’t  spotted earlier?

 

 

 

 

These are new stop planks, not sure it there were any there at the marina entrance at all before.
 

At the connection between the two marinas, there are old stop planks, which look bigger and there are I think 12 in total.  Those ones would really only be needed is meadows marina sprung a leak (it is a dam on 2 sides basically), and I guess the depth within the actual marina is much greater than at the entrance to the canal.

 

The office had shut today but I will try and have a word in the morning before we go back home, and see if there is any more info.

5 minutes ago, Dorlan said:

I think there may be a horizontal steel channel set in concrete across the entrance to receive the bottom plank. The depth of water over that was 3ft when I probed the bottom with a boat hook this morning. 

Sounds that is why they only need 4ft of stop planks then!

[Dorlan]

5 minutes ago, john6767 said:

These are new stop planks, not sure it there were any there at the marina entrance at all before.
 

At the connection between the two marinas, there are old stop planks, which look bigger and there are I think 12 in total.  Those ones would really only be needed is meadows marina sprung a leak (it is a dam on 2 sides basically), and I guess the depth within the actual marina is much greater than at the entrance to the canal.

 

The office had shut today but I will try and have a word in the morning before we go back home, and see if there is any more info.

Sounds that is why they only need 4ft of stop planks then!

If I remember correctly, the stop planks were used when the meadows marine was being dug out.  They were left in place when it was filled with water and they were checking for leaks before it was opened.

 

12 minutes ago, Dorlan said:

If I remember correctly, the stop planks were used when the meadows .

before it was opened.

 

The depth of water in the meadows marina varies. The  pontoons are all on a shelf around the pond, the water is much deeper around the island. The locks marina is shallow in places, probably because of silt being washed in every time the bottom lock is emptied! 

[MtB]

3 hours ago, Dorlan said:

I think there may be a horizontal steel channel set in concrete across the entrance to receive the bottom plank. The depth of water over that was 3ft when I probed the bottom with a boat hook this morning. 

 

I seem to remember bumping slightly over a sill in the entrance when returning to my berth when I moored in there, in a boat drawing 3ft exactly at the deepest bit of the skeg. 

[Wafi]

9 hours ago, MtB said:

I seem to remember bumping slightly over a sill in the entrance when returning to my berth when I moored in there, in a boat drawing 3ft exactly at the deepest bit of the skeg. 

If the bottom plank won't fit properly into the receiving channel and all the water drains out of the marina, we'll know who to blame!

 

Having discovered that the centre of Ventnor Marina is several metres deep, my plan is to set a stern anchor in the deepest bit. If the level drops too far, I can use that to reverse out from the pontoon into deeper water. 

[magnetman]

The iron channels for the stop planks are called groove irons. 

 

 

But yes there is a risk of the horizontal part being broken. Ideally someone should clear it with the spud before fitting the planks. 

[john6767]

Here is a good one, Calcutt have permission, and keys, to use the locks for the hire boats whenever they want.

[Lily Rose]

20 minutes ago, john6767 said:

Here is a good one, Calcutt have permission, and keys, to use the locks for the hire boats whenever they want.

 

I was told by a staff member yesterday that they will be operating from above the locks, starting next week, for people who want to go ahead with their holiday even though they will be unable to do any locks. Customers are being offered alternative bookings by Hoseasons if they want. One chap has opted to stick with his 2 week booking from Calcutt.

 

Kate Boats have moved their boats back to Warwick.

 

Black Prince at Wigram's are shutting up shop early with customers offered alternative BP locations. Presumably no need to move boats as they can use existing vacancies.

 

[Graham and Jo]

At the moment they are emptying Napton Reservoir and running the back pumps to top up the level above the locks. The level above the locks has come up slightly since lunch time as Dotterel is now floating. 

[john6767]

4 hours ago, Graham and Jo said:

At the moment they are emptying Napton Reservoir and running the back pumps to top up the level above the locks. The level above the locks has come up slightly since lunch time as Dotterel is now floating. 

The back pump was running when we spent the night above the locks, the trouble is the top lock leaks badly, so much of it is going straight back down the locks.  If when the locks close the top gates on the top lock can be sealed up then it will make a big difference, that is assuming that boats will be moved from the wharf area as to would empty very quickly without the leakage from the top lock.