Crossing the Wash

[NBOusedunit]

Can anybody help. Late in the summer of 2011 we want to cross The Wash, in our 58ft narrowboat, from either the River Great Ouse or River Nene, to Boston.

 

Has anybody done it?

Does anybody have information about requirements, Pilots etc.?

Would anybody be interested in forming a small party to make the journey with a suitable pilot

 

Hope people will be interested.

I am reasonably experienced on tidal waters having done the Thames from Limehouse to Teddington and back, the Trent from Keadby upstream stopping at the Chesterfield from upstream and downstream, The Severn to Gloucester, the Ribble LInk, the New Bedford River and the Yorkshire Ouse.

The Wash would however be something totally different with its passage through open water.

[Tim]

I think there was an article on this in a recent Canal Boat or Waterways World!

[Woollymishka]

sounds interewsting and would be interestes but afraid it cannot be this year - sorry. If there is anything happening in 2012 we could be 'in'?

We do have friends who have undertaken the trip and they had a bbq on the sands waiting for the tide to come in.

Good luck with it and if you do it this year - and enjoy - may the weather and tides be with you.

[boatmoving]

Sounds like fun, but I'm not sure whether the insurance companies would be happy.

 

Having come down the tidal Trent against 3 foot waves and crossed the Ribble Link in a flat calm, my advice would be to wait for very settled weather. Narrow boats are not built for use in lumpy water. Crossing waves head on can be a bit unnerving, especially if the prop keeps coming out of the water, but crossing them sideways is a recipe for disaster. The questions discussed in the recent topic on 'when is a boat sunk' would hardly apply in this case.

 

Put plenty of extra ballast in the bottom of the boat, seal up your windows and doors, give your engine a good overhaul, use GPS to follow the route, make sure you have a means of staying afloat without the boat and of contacting the lifeboat men, and you should be ok.

 

I rather favour making a catamaran out of two narrow boats, but I'm not sure whether this has been tried.

[Strads]

I think neil from the Tuesday Night Club - a writer on here hasd on ethe trip and may be able to give a few pointers re technicsl difficulties.

 

One for fery fair (calm) weather me thinks, probably similar to going down the thames estary to to go roud the isle of sheppy to the Meday etc. (from what ive read...!)

[Naughty Cal]

You will need to pick a fair weather day that has followed a few other fair weather days. The weather and waves in the Wash take a couple of days after a bit of a blow to calm down again. If the wind direction has any East in it dont go, it will be lumpy.

 

You will need to be sure that your boat is up to the task, running well and that the fuel tanks are clean. Crud shook up from the bottom of the tank can block your filters and cut the engine.

 

You also need to bear in mind that you will be out there for some time. You wont be able to nip across the Wash in one tide as we can, you simply wont be quick enough. You will have to either pootle out further, if the weather is good, or find a sheltered spot to either anchor up or beach the boat.

 

You will need the up to date bouy locations, as these change constantly with the shifting sands. Also check with your insurers, they may not be too happy about you being out there.

 

Most of all if you do decice to go for it. Enjoy it. It is a trip you wont forget but you do need to be prepared

[Guest]

I think there was an article on this in a recent Canal Boat or Waterways World!

 

It is the January edition of Canal Boat.

[Chertsey]

We did look into this; you have to be in a convoy with a pilot and I said I would only go if the pilot was on our boat! We even got some names of pilots from somewhere, PB (or someone else) will be along in a minute to say where... My memory's hopeless!

We never got round to it in the end.

Insurance of course is overcomeable - you can arrange special cover for the trip.

[PaddingtonBear]

Here is the answer, courtesy of Neil Arlidge and the TNC

 

It is near on impossible to go from Denver out on the Great Ouse (as it is

so silted) as you will run out of water on the ebb and be lucky to get to

Kings Lynn. There are waiting buoys just downstream of the first bridge just

above Kings Lynn. We have always tended to do the tricky stuff incoming on a

flood tide.

I would say, although we left early on the flood to get up the Great Ouse to

Denver in one (and in the dark at the end), this was necessary to pass over

the terrible silting around the site of the old Railway Bridge, just above

Wiggenhall Saint Mary Magdalen. You can see this on Google Earth and Windows

Local Live aerials.

If you go from Wisbech to Boston, you will have to go well out to keep in

the channels, then mill about (not recommended, we just took advantage of

the good weather) and beach during low water on the flat Roger Sands, just

to the south of the Freeman Channel.

The only guy we ever trusted (he became a mate of John Chapman) was Clinton

Dorrington, who was not anti-narrowboat and knew like minded pilots.

I am afraid the TNC stuff (of which I presume you have already looked at, I

have even scanned the Admirality Wash chart) is now getting a bit historic,

but Clinton is still about:

http://www.fenland. gov.uk/ccm/ navigation/ environment/ harbour/wisbech-

yacht-harbour/

Also, we have never done a "conventional" passage across the Wash, as we

wanted to visit the Glen / Welland and Nene / Great Outfalls (which was in

our case the only point of doing it).

Going across the Wash at high water and punching the tide is NOT

recommended, especially going to Boston as you would not have anywhere to

hang about, until you could through the Grand Sluice at around high water.

Quite a few have recently done conventional piloted trips across the Wash.

 

http://www.tuesdayn ightclub. co.uk/Tour_ 04/Tour04_ 19.html

http://www.tuesdayn ightclub. co.uk/Tour_ 01/fen8.html

 

--

Neil Arlidge - NB Earnest

Follow the travels of TNC, now in Ireland

http://www.tuesdayn ightclub. co.uk/tour. html

[DJR]

sounds interewsting and would be interestes but afraid it cannot be this year - sorry. If there is anything happening in 2012 we could be 'in'?

We do have friends who have undertaken the trip and they had a bbq on the sands waiting for the tide to come in.

Good luck with it and if you do it this year - and enjoy - may the weather and tides be with you.

Skipper saw pics. of Barbeque and said,'I want to do that',How do you get from ship to shore with all the stuff and dry feet? Will ask if he is serious as would love to join in.

[Neil TNC]

Here is the answer, courtesy of Neil Arlidge and the TNC

 

It is near on impossible to go from Denver out on the Great Ouse (as it is

so silted) as you will run out of water on the ebb and be lucky to get to

Kings Lynn. There are waiting buoys just downstream of the first bridge just

above Kings Lynn. We have always tended to do the tricky stuff incoming on a

flood tide.

I would say, although we left early on the flood to get up the Great Ouse to

Denver in one (and in the dark at the end), this was necessary to pass over

the terrible silting around the site of the old Railway Bridge, just above

Wiggenhall Saint Mary Magdalen. You can see this on Google Earth and Windows

Local Live aerials.

If you go from Wisbech to Boston, you will have to go well out to keep in

the channels, then mill about (not recommended, we just took advantage of

the good weather) and beach during low water on the flat Roger Sands, just

to the south of the Freeman Channel.

The only guy we ever trusted (he became a mate of John Chapman) was Clinton

Dorrington, who was not anti-narrowboat and knew like minded pilots.

I am afraid the TNC stuff (of which I presume you have already looked at, I

have even scanned the Admirality Wash chart) is now getting a bit historic,

but Clinton is still about:

http://www.fenland. gov.uk/ccm/ navigation/ environment/ harbour/wisbech-

yacht-harbour/

Also, we have never done a "conventional" passage across the Wash, as we

wanted to visit the Glen / Welland and Nene / Great Outfalls (which was in

our case the only point of doing it).

Going across the Wash at high water and punching the tide is NOT

recommended, especially going to Boston as you would not have anywhere to

hang about, until you could through the Grand Sluice at around high water.

Quite a few have recently done conventional piloted trips across the Wash.

 

http://www.tuesdayn ightclub. co.uk/Tour_ 04/Tour04_ 19.html

http://www.tuesdayn ightclub. co.uk/Tour_ 01/fen8.html

 

--

Neil Arlidge - NB Earnest

Follow the travels of TNC, now in Ireland

http://www.tuesdayn ightclub. co.uk/tour. html

 

The best thing to do is fone or e-mail Clinton Dorrington, the Wisbech Yot harbourmaster...he is the man!:

Wisbech Harbour Linky

[stewey]

Can anybody help. Late in the summer of 2011 we want to cross The Wash, in our 58ft narrowboat, from either the River Great Ouse or River Nene, to Boston.

 

Has anybody done it?

Does anybody have information about requirements, Pilots etc.?

Would anybody be interested in forming a small party to make the journey with a suitable pilot

 

Hope people will be interested.

I am reasonably experienced on tidal waters having done the Thames from Limehouse to Teddington and back, the Trent from Keadby upstream stopping at the Chesterfield from upstream and downstream, The Severn to Gloucester, the Ribble LInk, the New Bedford River and the Yorkshire Ouse.

The Wash would however be something totally different with its passage through open water.

Well worth reading Andrew Denny's blog on crossing the Wash in his narrow boat Granny Buttons:

 

http://www.grannybut...a-the-wash.html

 

Stewey

[muddywaters]

I think there was an article on this in a recent Canal Boat or Waterways World!

Yes it is in the febuary canal boat magazine second part of a 3 part series covering cruising tidal waters.

And febuarys covers the wash.

Know because I only finished reading the article Friday night

Edited January 24, 2011 by muddywaters

[Sunset Rising]

I thought it had been agreed on another thread that narrowboaters didn't do wash(ing)

[Guest]

Yes it is in the febuary canal boat magazine second part of a 3 part series covering cruising tidal waters.

And febuarys covers the wash.

Know because I only finished reading the article Friday night

 

seems I have my months mixed up (forgetting the Feb issue comes in Jan)

[Naughty Cal]

<snip>

Going across the Wash at high water and punching the tide is NOT

recommended, especially going to Boston as you would not have anywhere to

hang about, until you could through the Grand Sluice at around high water.

<snip>

 

There are a couple of options avaliable for awaiting high water at the Grand Sluice. The EA have put in a pontoon for users of the Black Sluice Drain. This is located in Boston Docks adjacent to the Black Sluice entry lock. The pontoon can bottom out at low water though and the larger commercial vessels will rock you around. This would be our prefered waiting point and we have used it before.

 

The second option is to tie up outside the entrance to the Grand Sluice where poles are provided. Not the most secure of moorings and the wall is pretty uneven which can give some problems with mooring safely. We caught our bow rail under the lip of the wall on a rising tide which could have been nasty had we not been aboard. Not a mooring to leave the boat unattended.

[mykaskin]

There are a couple of options avaliable for awaiting high water at the Grand Sluice. The EA have put in a pontoon for users of the Black Sluice Drain. This is located in Boston Docks adjacent to the Black Sluice entry lock. The pontoon can bottom out at low water though and the larger commercial vessels will rock you around. This would be our prefered waiting point and we have used it before.

 

The second option is to tie up outside the entrance to the Grand Sluice where poles are provided. Not the most secure of moorings and the wall is pretty uneven which can give some problems with mooring safely. We caught our bow rail under the lip of the wall on a rising tide which could have been nasty had we not been aboard. Not a mooring to leave the boat unattended.

 

Is it possible to leave Sutton Bridge at say first water, push the incoming tide, cut across the wash and reach Boston for on the level transit ('cause my boat is 72 foot). My boat does 6 mph through the water, do you know if it would be possible with them timings for interests sake.

 

Mike

[Naughty Cal]

Is it possible to leave Sutton Bridge at say first water, push the incoming tide, cut across the wash and reach Boston for on the level transit ('cause my boat is 72 foot). My boat does 6 mph through the water, do you know if it would be possible with them timings for interests sake.

 

Mike

 

I would doubt it. If your boat can make 6mph with no tide, then pushing the incoming tide of the Nene estuary would mean you were not doing much more than say 3mph at the best. It is 7 miles from Wisbech Harbour to the entry to the Wash so this would take you a couple of hours at the best. You then have to follow the safe channel out of the Nene which will take you out into the wash estuary proper. It is far better to take account of making a stop somewhere to await a tide unless you are absolutely sure you can make the time window. There are for example waiting bouys, you can moor to in the Nene safe channel if waiting entry to the Nene.

 

The lockie at Boston prefers everyone coming up onto the non tidal Witham to come through on a level tide. We usually aim to be there about 15 minutes before the predicted level tide to make sure we have plenty of time and make some allowance for tide time fluctuations.

[mykaskin]

I would doubt it. If your boat can make 6mph with no tide, then pushing the incoming tide of the Nene estuary would mean you were not doing much more than say 3mph at the best. It is 7 miles from Wisbech Harbour to the entry to the Wash so this would take you a couple of hours at the best. You then have to follow the safe channel out of the Nene which will take you out into the wash estuary proper. It is far better to take account of making a stop somewhere to await a tide unless you are absolutely sure you can make the time window. There are for example waiting bouys, you can moor to in the Nene safe channel if waiting entry to the Nene.

 

The lockie at Boston prefers everyone coming up onto the non tidal Witham to come through on a level tide. We usually aim to be there about 15 minutes before the predicted level tide to make sure we have plenty of time and make some allowance for tide time fluctuations.

 

Thats why I said Sutton Bridge, which is only a couple of miles from the mouth. I'm not sure when the Nene gets deep enough on an incoming tide, but I would guess it's running nicely by 4 hours before high water (it's not far off an equal period tide), so 2-3 hours reaching the turning point in the wash, and 1 hour going up with the tide to Boston sounds do-able.

[NBOusedunit]

Thanks everybody.

 

Some useful information given but nobody interested in forming a group to do the crossing

 

I will look at the feasibility of going it alone, with a pilot of course.

 

Paul

[Naughty Cal]

Thats why I said Sutton Bridge, which is only a couple of miles from the mouth. I'm not sure when the Nene gets deep enough on an incoming tide, but I would guess it's running nicely by 4 hours before high water (it's not far off an equal period tide), so 2-3 hours reaching the turning point in the wash, and 1 hour going up with the tide to Boston sounds do-able.

 

If you did try and didnt make it what would you do?

 

It is entirely up to each boat crew what they try and achieve but i firmly belive it would be pushing it for a NB to make it across in the one tide. You have a long way to go out into the wash to get to the end of the Nene channel and the beginning of the Boston channel. Doing it against the tide is going to seriously slow you down, of course with the tide you will speed up and make up some time.

 

Would be good to hear if anyone has tried it though.

[mykaskin]

Thanks everybody.

 

Some useful information given but nobody interested in forming a group to do the crossing

 

I will look at the feasibility of going it alone, with a pilot of course.

 

Paul

 

I've expressed an interest with another group that is going July 2011, but they are full up. I've also not quite planned my route either because I don't know what to do for best. I'm heading up the Chesterfield for the do September, but I also want to do a run down to Boston as well as do a run up to Rotherham (and possibly Leeds) but there is also Shackerstone a week before the Retford do, and Black Country Living Museum do a couple of weeks after. So much to do, so little time to do it in!

 

Mike

[Joshua]

Enjoyable reading.

How does one get to Wisbech or Denver in a NB, I wasn’t aware that a link had been made yet between the Great Ouse and GU?

How does one get back onto the main canal network from Boston?

Also enjoyed the links to the Tuesdaynightclub site, pity I didn’t know about their trip last year up the river Sarthe to le Mans, I live near Le Mans, I could have guided them through troubled waters to the best wine in the area!

 

Joshua

[Neil TNC]

Enjoyable reading.

How does one get to Wisbech or Denver in a NB, I wasn’t aware that a link had been made yet between the Great Ouse and GU?

How does one get back onto the main canal network from Boston?

Also enjoyed the links to the Tuesdaynightclub site, pity I didn’t know about their trip last year up the river Sarthe to le Mans, I live near Le Mans, I could have guided them through troubled waters to the best wine in the area!

 

Joshua

You go across the Middle Level from the Nene, then a small tidal connection between Salters Lode and Denver.

From Boston you traverse the Witham/Fossdyke, then Tidal Trent.

We are going back in the spring, to move NB Falcon from Le Mans down the Loire to Nantes. I have requested doing the Mayenne, before NB Falcon departs.

[Joshua]

You go across the Middle Level from the Nene, then a small tidal connection between Salters Lode and Denver.

From Boston you traverse the Witham/Fossdyke, then Tidal Trent.

We are going back in the spring, to move NB Falcon from Le Mans down the Loire to Nantes. I have requested doing the Mayenne, before NB Falcon departs.

Many thanks, any chance of meeting up with you in the spring?

 

Joshua