Catching The Cill...........

[FadeToScarlet]

Never cilled it, but I once got my bow fender caught under a beam in the gate while going uphill.

 

(First boat, first week)

 

That was scary too.

 

Sort of done that- I managed to hang the boat up, with the bow fender, when descending the Northampton flight. I didn't have an engine at the time (was punting the boat!) so I couldn't pull it back. Luckily the weak links snapped before things got too bad.

 

Not the cill, but an interesting one a few weeks back at Shipton Wier lock on the Southern Oxford.

 

Those that know the lock will know that it is 'Octagonal' in shape. If you plan it right you can get three boats in at once along side each other. About 55' on each side and 70' down the middle.

 

We put three boats in, with 'Ocelot' on one side, a 70'er in the middle and another 'small' boat on the other side. The lock emptied (about 18" drop), the 70'er went out first, then the other small one and then it was my turn.

 

It was at this point that I realised Ocelot was sat 6" further out of the water than normal. Well and truly on the bottom.

 

Embarrassingly, I had to flood up with a boat coming up and then work myself down (this time in the centre slot).

 

Note to self: Side slots in Shipton are silted to a depth of 4 feet with the lock full. Do not use them with a 3 foot draught.

 

Lucky Duck 1, Ocelot 0.

 

(18" draft, so we didn't get stuck when we went through! )

[Dekazer]

I have never been so scared in my life, thought that I was going to lose everything (personal property, our only home and our lives) at the first lock we came to - lesson learned!!!!

We are still learning - but thats life isn't it!!!

 

It's certainly an adventure. I have only once managed to tip the boat to about 45 degrees, resulting in one very frightened OH and a lot of drawers and crockery on the floor. It was the first (and hopefully last) time I used a bollard to slow the boat by looping the centre line round it twice. Ooops.

[denboy]

never done it in 13 years of chugging around,,,,,,,,,,till yesterday after reading this jinxed thread..boat slipped into reverse seen what was happening and dropped paddles rapidly

[Machpoint005]

Never caught the cill (probably only a matter of time...) but I did get the baseplate edge stuck between two courses of bricks coming down a wide lock on the southern GU. The angle seemed alarming, bow-down and pronounced list to the right (L-I-S-T, pronounced 'list' ) but it was probably only ten degrees or so. The sticky-out edge freed itself just as I realised something was amiss, and there was a very loud bang as we hit the water again. Lesson learned - don't hold the boat too tightly into the edge.

[Naughty Cal]

Not done it ourselves yet but shared a lock with a boat that managed to hang itself (well the owners hung it). Goes to show that someone should always be paying attention to everything. No harm done but some very red faced boat owners.

[MoominPapa]

Never caught the cill (probably only a matter of time...) but I did get the baseplate edge stuck between two courses of bricks coming down a wide lock on the southern GU. The angle seemed alarming, bow-down and pronounced list to the right (L-I-S-T, pronounced 'list' ) but it was probably only ten degrees or so. The sticky-out edge freed itself just as I realised something was amiss, and there was a very loud bang as we hit the water again. Lesson learned - don't hold the boat too tightly into the edge.

 

The Nene locks have "safety" chains bolted to the brickwork and the bolts are notorious for catching baseplate edges like this. I deliberately don't use ropes at both ends which will hold the boat parallel to wall. Instead I just use a single rope from the stern to endmost bollard and leave the bow loose. If we're unlucky the bow will be caught in current from the paddles and bounce off a wall, but that's only paint off the rubbing strake and much better than a capsize.

 

The rope from the stern is essential in the locks that have in excess of a foot of water coming over the top of the top gates. Going up, it provides an absolute guarantee that the front won't end up under the cascade and flooded. Going down it holds the boat against the current flowing though the lock until the guillotine is high enough: you can get good acceleration once it's released!

 

Mp.

[DHutch]

Caught the front end of the baseplate under a cill beam on the wya up once, held the bow about 6inchs down untill it came free. No real time to act on anything.

 

Never going down however. 58ft in a 70ft lock helps tho.

 

 

 

Daniel

[Ange]

July 2007 - we had just picked up 70 foot hire boat Baldric from Viking Afloat at Whitchurch. We entered Grindley Brook staircase with our 19 year old son Matthew steering, Dave & I operating locks and grandad advising . The boat entered lock, top gates closed, paddles open. Grandad shouts at Matthew to stay back so the nose doesn't get caught. Dave happened to look at Matt and saw the puzzled expression on his face as he tried to move the tiller which was now stuck on the cill and then noticed the slight list . Dave shouted to the lockie who immediately clocked the situation, closed the paddles by releasing the latch (probably not the right term - sorry). I'm not sure if either Dave or I would have reacted that quickly at that time. The boat refloated - phew! Day 1 of holiday nearly ended in disaster.

[GrahamSop]

On 26/05/2009 at 15:06, Proper Job said:

Agreed, but the math doesn't stack up. Luckily its a fairly long pound and the amount of water that leaks around the gates overnight make up for the usage during the day (if BW are reading this - it's your excuse as to why you're not fixing the leaks - you can send the cheque in the post)

 

I thought the diamond shape of Shipton and Aynho weir locks was just to add in more water to the canal each time they are used, since they are both just below river sections/crossings (both the Cherwell).

 

We also got 3 boats up Aynho weir lock, and I never thought to consider the silt build up on the sides, though we were the middle boat. None of us got stuck though. My bigger worry was getting wedged coming out as one of the side boats was long enough to not be able to get fully over..

[Bee]

Never done it so I am very clever.... except..... coming down a lock backwards (Don't ask) of course did the usual thing, shoved the fore end up to the gates, lifted the paddles, water drained out, fore end stuck on cill. Idiot.

[midnight cowboy]

Locking down at city road many years ago after a long hot day.  My colleague was steering and shouted.  I tried to drop the bottom gate paddle but it’s the one you can only wind down.  Result - rudder off the skedge.  Fortunately we were able to get into city road basin and moor up.  Took a heavy lifting tool and 4 of us several hours to replace the rudder on the skedge.

not recommended 

 

 

[Tracy D'arth]

1 minute ago, midnight cowboy said:

Locking down at city road many years ago after a long hot day.  My colleague was steering and shouted.  I tried to drop the bottom gate paddle but it’s the one you can only wind down.  Result - rudder off the skedge.  Fortunately we were able to get into city road basin and moor up.  Took a heavy lifting tool and 4 of us several hours to replace the rudder on the skedge.

not recommended 

 

 

Is it anything like skedgeree? 

 

Why does the steerer always forget that there is a horn?

[Alan de Enfield]

21 minutes ago, Tracy D'arth said:

Is it anything like skedgeree? 

 

Why does the steerer always forget that there is a horn?

 

 

Maybe skedge is the SKEG EDGE ?

[Naughty Cal]

In 13 years with NC we managed to catch the cill twice. Both in Torksey Lock and both times the middle cill. Both times the lockie has assured us we have enough water and both times we didn't 

 

Same lockie both times as well.

 

We got away with only the one lock hanging when the bow line snagged a chain around the same bollard going down in Keadby Lock. Lockie managed to stop the lock and un jam the rope before I cut it. She landed with a splash that day.

 

And only once we managed to semi hang it on a tidal mooring at St Olaves. Well I say we someone had adjusted one of our back mooring lines while we had been at the pub so that they could get their boat under it. They told us they had done it when we got back from the pub but we foolishly didn't double check it, went to bed and woke up to the sounds of a straining rope and water rushing under the boat as it was hung with it's R Send in the air. 

[magpie patrick]

23 hours ago, GrahamSop said:

 

I thought the diamond shape of Shipton and Aynho weir locks was just to add in more water to the canal each time they are used, since they are both just below river sections/crossings (both the Cherwell).

 

We also got 3 boats up Aynho weir lock, and I never thought to consider the silt build up on the sides, though we were the middle boat. None of us got stuck though. My bigger worry was getting wedged coming out as one of the side boats was long enough to not be able to get fully over..

 If you're going up not a problem - as you will increase the depth beneath you, going down in a deep draughted boat runs a small risk

The purpose of the locks is presumed to be passage of a greater volume of water, but this is supposition as the reasons are not recorded. What is beyond doubt is that yyou can only get one full length boat in, and they were built for full length boats! I think CRT's "don't share" missive is because the locks were not designed for sharing and if you get stuck it's not their fault.

Water supply downstream is now achieved as each gate has one paddle and also has a second valve which is permanently open to maintain a flow through the lock