The dreaded locks

[Smelly]

We saw a good example of why poles are a bad idea at locks a few years ago. I can't remember the name of the lock but it was the first uphill lock past Wrenbury on the Llangollen. The wind was up and the bywash flowing; it was evidently an experienced steerer as there were no ABC bods aboard. Anyhoo...

 

As they approached the lock the bywash/wind combo left the bow heading toward the wall and the steerer was trying to correct with some throttle. The lady on the bow took the shaft and tried fending off. She was poking at the wall with the end of the pole under her armpit. As she lost control and the angle of the pole became steeper the boatward side disappeared into the door of the boat.

 

We thought it would go through the window but it caught on something on the cabin ceiling, probably a light fitting, as the momentum of the boat drove toward the lockwall.

 

The shaft bent to a wonderful angle before it failed with a noise like a gunshot (it must've been Ash). The boatward end of the shaft circled beautifully into the cut a few feet away and the lady who'd begun handling it was lucky not to end up with a broken jaw as it fired past her. If she'd've had the shaft end against her shoulder I hate to think what might've happened.

 

Using a shaft for fending off is silly!

[Water Woman]

This thread has got me thinking. I am going to be having a few crew members who have had little or no experience with locks and I will be steering on my journey towards Cheshire. I will talk them through locks and do a couple with them but do you know of anything I can print off re locking up and locking down that will act as guides for them to look at now and then? Or am I over worrying. I have done so many locks myself that I believe the person doing the lock has more to do than open the gates. Any ideas of what I could print off for my inexperienced crew members?

[rgreg]

ame='Water Woman' post='504384' date='Mar 16 2010, 09:25 PM']This thread has got me thinking. I am going to be having a few crew members who have had little or no experience with locks and I will be steering on my journey towards Cheshire. I will talk them through locks and do a couple with them but do you know of anything I can print off re locking up and locking down that will act as guides for them to look at now and then? Or am I over worrying. I have done so many locks myself that I believe the person doing the lock has more to do than open the gates. Any ideas of what I could print off for my inexperienced crew members?

 

The boaters handbook in www.waterscape.com contains a comprehensive lock guide that you can print off.

www.waterscape.com/media/documents/1784.pdf

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

edited to add full web address

Edited March 16, 2010 by rgreg

[RLWP]

This thread has got me thinking. I am going to be having a few crew members who have had little or no experience with locks and I will be steering on my journey towards Cheshire. I will talk them through locks and do a couple with them but do you know of anything I can print off re locking up and locking down that will act as guides for them to look at now and then? Or am I over worrying. I have done so many locks myself that I believe the person doing the lock has more to do than open the gates. Any ideas of what I could print off for my inexperienced crew members?

 

To be honest, I'd rather show them at the lock and give them simple tasks to do rather than try to teach them with something to read. Give them some simple things to think about (you fill or empty the lock to make the boat go up or down. Paddles at the bottom empty, paddles at the top fill) while they are working.

 

Richard

[Water Woman]

To be honest, I'd rather show them at the lock and give them simple tasks to do rather than try to teach them with something to read. Give them some simple things to think about (you fill or empty the lock to make the boat go up or down. Paddles at the bottom empty, paddles at the top fill) while they are working.

 

Richard

 

 

Thank you both. I will do a mixture of giving them the print out to remind them and do simple instruction thing. I think maybe because I am so new to being in charge of it all I am a bit ... wary. My husband always implied that his part of standing on the back looking beautiful was beyond mere women. Now that I realise that he only used his hands to steer in the same way that I can I am much happier ... much more confident and very happy to be on my own. Probably much more than I planned to write then but in my defence I am watching a tv programme about porn and the sex noises are distracting me!!

 

Also, every time I read a post from you I can hear 'Life's a long song' in my head for hours.. lovely

[mikevye]

Hi all..

 

2 Mph?.. is that warp factor 10? Blimey you people go fast. Seriously though.. fantastic replies, and all taken on board. Kudos to all of you!!

 

I'm in complete agreement with the one side only brigade, line the boat up with the lock wall from the control side of the boat and most importantly maintain a reasonable speed until you've entered most of the lock. The inexperienced boater will slow down or worst still take the boat out of gear, steering is lost and it all goes pear shaped from there on!

[Tiny]

Willeymore Lock is a right b*****d, if you approach with speed and get it wrong...crash! best I think to stop and creep along the piling. I like the ones where the by wash is angled just right, enough to create a balance between push and pull and takes you along midstream.

 

 

Willeymore is OK as long as you have the guts to get the speed on and aim for the wall while watching the flow which can vary. The worst locks in general are Swanley bottom, Baddiley middle and Grindley 2 and 3. Here, even if you get the front in clean as you slow the water will chuck the back end over to make you hit as you go in. You can see where you will normally hit from the damage to the brickwork inside the gates in these locks. In each case a deflector on the offside to funnel the bywash water along rather than across (as was fitted some years ago to at least a couple of locks on the Audlem flight) would be a very cheap and easy solution to the water flow H&S problem.

 

Of course the worst lock for flow is lock 12 on the Audlem flight. The flow here varies from the (rare) nothing to a raging torrent which you can't stop throwing you across into the (thoughtfully provided by BW) alcove in the wall. Of course if the alcove was filled in to give a straight approach with NO fendering then boats would bump along the wall rather than smash into it. One current way to reduce the cross flow here is to open the top paddle fully and come in against the flow, getting the crew to shut it when the front end is into the lock.

 

Needless to say the BW unit boss who controls both these canals ignores suggestions for improving the H&S at these locks as all their money is spent on important things like bollards, fencing, stiles and steps. (Hey BW bosses - if you actually used these locks you would know that opening the top ground paddles does not throw boats forward - the locks were actually designed like that - With so little movement these and Shroppie and Llangollen locks do not need your 'one size fits all' 3 bollard solution - which wastes loads of money that might be better spent - on taming the REAL H&S problem of the cross flows previously described for example!)

Edited March 18, 2010 by Tiny

[Tiny]

I disagree. It is far far easier to enter a narrow lock cleanly, by looking down one edge (preferably the side with the controls) and lining it up with the side of the lock.

 

I look along the side and try to come in about an inch or less off. (I also check the other side quick as lock entrances vary in width and the odd floating thing can bugger up any entry if it chucks you across or jams you against the wall.

 

The one difficulty of lock entry is the shadow often cast by the lock side (when coming in at the bottom) that makes the wall seem futher away than it is. (Some good examples of this on the Shroppie where lock walls can be slightly worn.)

 

Coming into the top of a lock can also be made difficult if, like the locks of heartbreak near the red bull yard, the locks have massive metal guides to shepherd the boat in at water level. If the level of water in the pound puts these underwater your first inckling that there is a real sticking out one on this lock is when you hit it!

 

But my unfavorite locks for coming in at the top are some on the Shroppie with overthick top gates that include a large chunk of metal - complete with sticking out bolts - all neatly placed at around gunnel level when the gate is open. Even the stop lock at the end - that really needs very thin gates or no gates - has a set of these. But the worst example is the nasty at Adderley top - where you can get a cross wind in the few yards clear air due to missing hedge at the lock.

 

One thing has always puzzled me though (O experts.) That is that coming into a full lock (at the top) with loads of water under the boat, you need to use a heck of a lot more reverse to stop the boat than you need coming into an empty lock (with little water under the boat) at the bottom end. Why?

Edited March 18, 2010 by Tiny

[capnthommo]

I look along the side and try to come in about an inch or less off. (I also check the other side quick as lock entrances vary in width and the odd floating thing can bugger up any entry if it chucks you across or jams you against the wall.

 

The one difficulty of lock entry is the shadow often cast by the lock side (when coming in at the bottom) that makes the wall seem futher away than it is. (Some good examples of this on the Shroppie where lock walls can be slightly worn.)

 

Coming into the top of a lock can also be made difficult if, like the locks of heartbreak near the red bull yard, the locks have massive metal guides to shepherd the boat in at water level. If the level of water in the pound puts these underwater your first inckling that there is a real sticking out one on this lock is when you hit it!

 

But my unfavorite locks for coming in at the top are some on the Shroppie with overthick top gates that include a large chunk of metal - complete with sticking out bolts - all neatly placed at around gunnel level when the gate is open. Even the stop lock at the end - that really needs very thin gates or no gates - has a set of these. But the worst example is the nasty at Adderley top - where you can get a cross wind in the few yards clear air due to missing hedge at the lock.

 

One thing has always puzzled me though (O experts.) That is that coming into a full lock (at the top) with loads of water under the boat, you need to use a heck of a lot more reverse to stop the boat than you need coming into an empty lock (with little water under the boat) at the bottom end. Why?

i wonder if that one is down to pressure wave. you know how a boat travels easier on deeper water wher the pressure can spread away easier? on the nene you can really notice how you seem to go smoother as you get into deeper and bigger areas of river. so coming into the full lock is effectively giving you much deeper water for a while under the keel so there is less resistance from pressure wave so more back needed to stop.

just a thought

cheers

nigel

Edited March 18, 2010 by capnthommo

[MoominPapa]

One thing has always puzzled me though (O experts.) That is that coming into a full lock (at the top) with loads of water under the boat, you need to use a heck of a lot more reverse to stop the boat than you need coming into an empty lock (with little water under the boat) at the bottom end. Why?

 

To put the boat into the lock, you have to move the same volume of water out of it. That water has to go back past the boat in the gaps between the boat and the sides and bottom of the lock. In an empty lock these are small, (especially with a deep draughted boat.) In a full lock, once the swim goes over the sill, the area available to get water from the front of the boat to the back is much bigger, so it doesn't "pile up" in front of the boat and slow it down.

 

MP.

[NBDensie]

The technique I use is to line the boat up well outside the lock. So when approaching the lock at an angle, if possible from the left, aim for a spot well outside the lock and when the bow is some way past the centre point do a fairly left sharp turn.

 

I guess it doesnt sound that convincing but it works on the whole for me!

 

What never works is to try to go in at an angle, then you will hit one side, bounce off and hit the other.

[Guest]

This thread has got me thinking. I am going to be having a few crew members who have had little or no experience with locks and I will be steering on my journey towards Cheshire. I will talk them through locks and do a couple with them but do you know of anything I can print off re locking up and locking down that will act as guides for them to look at now and then? Or am I over worrying. I have done so many locks myself that I believe the person doing the lock has more to do than open the gates. Any ideas of what I could print off for my inexperienced crew members?

 

Speaking as a lock operating novice, the first ones we actually operated rather than just glide through with everybody else doing the work, were on our trip last month.

 

I read a couple of pamphlets and of course had seen our crew operating them on previous trips - however I didn't feel as if I knew what I was really going to be doing until I was actually doing it 'hands on' so to speak.

 

If you do want something to print and show them in advance pages 10-19 in This - clicky to BW boaters handbook covers locks.

 

 

edit to add that I see this has already been referred to (Mine was 'clicky' though )

Edited March 19, 2010 by MJG

[mykaskin]

The technique I use is to line the boat up well outside the lock. So when approaching the lock at an angle, if possible from the left, aim for a spot well outside the lock and when the bow is some way past the centre point do a fairly left sharp turn.

 

I guess it doesnt sound that convincing but it works on the whole for me!

 

What never works is to try to go in at an angle, then you will hit one side, bounce off and hit the other.

 

At the end of the day, it doesn't matter if it's a glancing blow, so long as you are ready for it and counter act the bounce. Just ensure everything inside is well anchored so it doesn't end up on the floor.

 

While not necessarily a good entrance, the following is OK - just try to avoid hitting the bottom gates, unlike myself! In my defence it was the second single narrow lock I had ever decended in Victoria (the first being Welford).

 

http://vimeo.com/3921762

 

Cheers,

 

Mike

[matty40s]

That corner is my worst enemy, I have only managed a couple of collision free runs through there, usually when there was a strong west wing blowing. The problem is that for a heavy 70 ft, you need to be turning while the rear of the boat is still in the lock.

[Keeping Up]

A few years back some hirers who had been told they needed to turn right after the Watford staircase in order to get to Braunston, took their instructions literally and turned right at that very point, accelerating forwards until they got well stuck in the sidepond.

[Tiny]

If you want the nastiest bit between locks I reckon it is the pound between the two sets of narrow risers at Stourport coming up. There is a current from left to right yet you have to come out of the bottom pair, immediately turn left, (To shuffle about 30' to the left) then turn right (To align on the lock entrance.) With the cross flow this is near impossible and the wood protecting the entrance is smashed to prove it. It is about the one place on the cut that you do need a bow thruster! I always think of the alignment as Brindley's greatest mistake. (If he did the original plan knowing about the cross flow.)

 

 

Thanks for the explaination about the boat not slowing chaps. Makes sense to me.

[Vicky]

Hi. I'm new to this forum thing, so excuse any mistakes. My least favourite lock is Gloucester, for two reasons. You have to phone the lock keeper if you are coming down the Parting, which is not a problem, but I hate having to wait on the wall (which you have to do obviously if the lock is already in use) - incidentally I am the crew part of all this, not the skipper! You have to tie up stern first because of the strength of flow, and because the chains are difficult to get hold of this always seems to be a problem, as my other half has to get the stern in, stop the boat and get a line through the chain at the same time. Let me state now, I am a 'nervous boater'with a vivid imagination, but the current can carry you forward at quite a rate, and if you get carried beyond the chains your chance of catching hold of anything are slim. Just round the corner from the lock is a weir and I am always frightened that we might get it wrong and go down it. My other half thinks I am nuts and worry too much. To be fair, if you are coming down the river in strong stream conditions the lock keeper will endeavour to make sure the lock is ready for you. My other bugbear about Glos lock is that they used to take your lines off you with a hook, pass then round a bollard and pass them back to you. Now they have put pipework in the side - well, it's not that slightly flexible plastic covered stuff, but rigid steel hawser type stuff, which is oddly postioned and difficult to get hold of. You can't really line yourself up with the side and come in slowly because of the cross current in front of the lock. Does anyone else have these problems with this lock or is it just me?

I am not being totally neurotic, as boats have overshot the lock entrance and been rescued off the weir by the fire brigade.

[Keeping Up]

Personally I really prefer the new steel risers to the old way of using the bollards. They have made the lock much easier to use. I did feel bit of a fool last year, coming into the lock with our longest ropes attached ready to pass up to the lock-keeper, only to find that a couple of feet of rope would have been plenty.

 

I think if the current was so strong that you were likely to have real problems, you'd have been given plenty of warnings by the lock keeper beforehand.

 

Having said that, I admit I always feel slightly nervous coming down the Partings when the river is flowing well, even though I've never had a problem catching the chains when I needed to; the current takes you into the wall as it's on the outside of the bend. A couple of years ago as we came down the Partings, the lock-keeper called us on the radio and asked if we could try and hurry as much as possible because there was a narrowboat ahead of us whose engine had stopped (overheated) and he was afraind it might drift past the lock entrance; we arrived just in time to watch the current carry him gently into the wall; the steerer then passed a rope around the chain and waited while we came alongside and picked up their ropes to take them into the lock.

 

Coming in fast so that the current doesn't have much effect is easy; it's a wide entrance, and there's plenty of time to stop. It's really not a lock to panic about. Give it plenty of respect of course, but then just calm down and enjoy it.

[antarmike]

Hi all,

 

Just done my first set of locks (narrow) in anger ( i.e. we're newbies). We did the Northampton arm of the Grand Union, from Gayton junction to Cotton End Wharf (ugh!). Winded there as I didn't want to start mucking about with rivers, but I digress. My question is.. is it natural to "clatter" into locks? (by clatter i mean bump and scrape into the jaws?) I'm not saying BANGING or CRASHING, but as far as I can tell its impossible to go into locks totally smoothly ((the pigging wind was horrendous). Any comments, comical, anecdotal or constructive would be gratefully received.

 

ps My final strategy was to employ use of boat pole to push off the bank whilst having the bow in the "mouth of the lock".

 

Martin.

If there is a secret, it is not to aim for the lock, but to aim the bows two feet to the side of the lock in the direction that that the wind is blowing you, at the very last minute steerthe bows into the wind into the wind and if you get it right the boat will just swing into line with the lock when the bows are a few feet away., The stern will still be on the windward side of the lock, and as you enter the boat will straigten up, and you should slide straight in.

[steelaway]

If there is a secret, it is not to aim for the lock, but to aim the bows two feet to the side of the lock in the direction that that the wind is blowing you, at the very last minute steerthe bows into the wind into the wind and if you get it right the boat will just swing into line with the lock when the bows are a few feet away., The stern will still be on the windward side of the lock, and as you enter the boat will straigten up, and you should slide straight in.

 

 

There's the one flaw with this technique

 

Alex

[antarmike]

There's the one flaw with this technique

 

Alex

Practice makes perfect

[Ynot]

If you want the nastiest bit between locks I reckon it is the pound between the two sets of narrow risers at Stourport coming up. There is a current from left to right yet you have to come out of the bottom pair, immediately turn left, (To shuffle about 30' to the left) then turn right (To align on the lock entrance.) With the cross flow this is near impossible and the wood protecting the entrance is smashed to prove it. It is about the one place on the cut that you do need a bow thruster! I always think of the alignment as Brindley's greatest mistake. (If he did the original plan knowing about the cross flow.)

 

 

Thanks for the explaination about the boat not slowing chaps. Makes sense to me.

 

Totally agree, what a relief. I thought I was the only one who has a problem with this couple of locks.

 

As has been said many times before, the worst part is that there always seem to be loads of gongoozlers there for the entertainment.

 

I keep meaning to go back and see how other folks cope.

[magpie patrick]

If you want the nastiest bit between locks I reckon it is the pound between the two sets of narrow risers at Stourport coming up. There is a current from left to right yet you have to come out of the bottom pair, immediately turn left, (To shuffle about 30' to the left) then turn right (To align on the lock entrance.) With the cross flow this is near impossible and the wood protecting the entrance is smashed to prove it. It is about the one place on the cut that you do need a bow thruster! I always think of the alignment as Brindley's greatest mistake. (If he did the original plan knowing about the cross flow.)

 

 

Thanks for the explaination about the boat not slowing chaps. Makes sense to me.

 

They are not Brindley's, he built the basins with just the two large locks, as no one in their right mind would take a horse dran narrow boat onto the Severn before it's locks were built.

 

They have another snag too, I single handed down them and you need to get the lower locks ready before you can leave the upper ones. Not a problem in itself but the corollary of that is you need to get the boat into the lower locks before you can go back and close the gates on the upper ones. A boat following you can't easily see the bottom gates of the upper locks are open because of the bridge, and by the time I'd got back they'd started emptying the upper lock...

[MoominPapa]

Totally agree, what a relief. I thought I was the only one who has a problem with this couple of locks.

 

As has been said many times before, the worst part is that there always seem to be loads of gongoozlers there for the entertainment.

 

I keep meaning to go back and see how other folks cope.

I've clanged there too.

 

MP.

[Janet S]

I well remember having to steer a narrowboat into a lock for the first time...it was at Stoke Bruerne almost ten years ago, and I was absolutely petrified. It was our first narrowboat cruise, and I'd managed to avoid it for several days...however, this time my travelling companions were working the locks and I was left with no choice!

 

Wouldn't you just know it...I glided in through one gate and didn't even touch the sides! (Pah! There were no gongoozlers to witness this momentous event!)

 

I entered the lock in tears, I was so scared and I came out with the biggest grin you have ever seen...I haven't looked back since! Locks hold no fear now...

 

I do tend to faff around a bit, hopping from side to side to check distances, as I'm so used to being on the right hand side that I just can't judge distances accurately from the left! Common sense tells me that if I'm clear on the left then I'm also clear on the right, but I still have to look!

 

As for clattering/banging...I prefer to call it just gently nudging....

 

Janet