Trent - VHF, Nav lights and anchors -

[Guest]

We are currently at Nottingham going North and in the time we have available we will not get anywhere near the tidal sections before we have to turn back:(

 

We have bought an anchor as I considered it a sensible precaution for the river sections but I am curious about what else we would need when we will be in the future in a position to press on past Cromwell lock to the tidal bits.

 

Nicky's guide seems to say

 

- anchor essential for the tidal bits, fairy nuff - got one.

 

- Good idea to monitor VHF (Can't recall the channel) - OK could get one.

 

- Nav lights essential/mandatoy - errr why - is it very dark on the tidal bits.

 

Waterscape guide seems to say

 

- Anchor - no mention

 

- Essential to monitor VHF (again gives the channel which I can't recall)

 

- Nav lights - no mention.

 

Can anybody advise as to the the actual requirements?

Edited March 5, 2011 by MJG

[Keeping Up]

Anchor? Yes, very good idea

 

VHF? Very useful but certainly not essential

 

Nav lights? Really not needed unless you plan to be on the river after dark. However you need to think of a "Plan B" - if you got caught by the tide and had to wait 12 hours for it to come back in, what would you do? It happened to me on the Thames tideway once so we had 12 hours to lash up some torches with bits of red and green plastic as an emergency measure - not in accordance with the regulations (and hardly any narrow boats with lights DO meet the regulations anyway) but they sufficed for the unexpected emergency.

[nigel carton]

Lock keepers are on 74, boat to boat I think is erm... 6? Can't remember. Channel 16 when the shit hits the fan!

 

You will need 'The boating association' Chart No. 2 Cromwell to Trent Falls.

Edited March 5, 2011 by nigel carton

[Guest]

Cheers -

 

anchor I 100% agree with.

 

VHF - a decent one costs not a lot....

 

Nav lights?? - I would say Alan's plan B would suffice........

 

Thanks.

[NB Alnwick]

Cheers -

 

anchor I 100% agree with.

 

VHF - a decent one costs not a lot....

 

Nav lights?? - I would say Alan's plan B would suffice........

 

Thanks.

 

As long as you have decent lighting you shouldn't need nav lights on the non-tidal section up to Newark.

[Guest]

As long as you have decent lighting you shouldn't need nav lights on the non-tidal section up to Newark.

 

Well Graham,

 

I've read it, Jan's read it and even Dennis has now read it and all of us have no bloody idea what you are on about. Sorry.

[Tam & Di]

Anchor? Yes, very good idea

 

VHF? Very useful but certainly not essential

 

Nav lights? Really not needed unless you plan to be on the river after dark. However you need to think of a "Plan B" - if you got caught by the tide and had to wait 12 hours for it to come back in, what would you do?

 

Also navigation lights are not just for night time, but for any period of poor visibility. There were several photos on another thread recently about cruising in fog/mist, and this can come down very quickly without notice, as can very heavy rainfall. Not much time to get your Blue Peter torch conversion kit out. Also on rivers, though I don't know about mooring possibilities on the Trent, you might plan to stop somewhere but find it not possible and have to continue well after dark. Plan B should really be Plan A(i).

[Guest]

Also navigation lights are not just for night time, but for any period of poor visibility. There were several photos on another thread recently about cruising in fog/mist, and this can come down very quickly without notice, as can very heavy rainfall. Not much time to get your Blue Peter torch conversion kit out. Also on rivers, though I don't know about mooring possibilities on the Trent, you might plan to stop somewhere but find it not possible and have to continue well after dark. Plan B should really be Plan A(i).

 

I agree for somebody on a schedule - but would some of this simply not be about paying attention to forecasts, tide tables, comments/advice from the lockys and flood warnings and planning accordingly.

 

This of course assumes the time to do so, which we will have when we eventually do it.

Edited March 5, 2011 by MJG

[paddy r]

Lock keepers are on 74, boat to boat I think is erm... 6? Can't remember. Channel 16 when the shit hits the fan!

 

You will need 'The boating association' Chart No. 2 Cromwell to Trent Falls.

This book is a must,shame more peaple don't follow it.

Still haven't found the red line in the middle of the river though!

[Alan de Enfield]

This book is a must,shame more peaple don't follow it.

Still haven't found the red line in the middle of the river though!

 

If its on the chart it must be there somewhere - maybe the water was high and covering it ?

[paddy r]

If its on the chart it must be there somewhere - maybe the water was high and covering it ?

Some people must have found it because thay were on the inside of bends when we go past having a cuppa

[Alan de Enfield]

MJG - a nice days run up to Gunthorpe - good pontoon mooring, BW keyed gate to get off and a choice of pubs 100yds away.

 

Short morning run up to Newark (Kings Marina - Toilets, water, diesel, launderette, pump out) or stop just past the bridge by the castle and have a walk around Newark. A couple of hours up to cromwell lock (pontoon mooring, water and electicity, toilets - buy a card from the Locky - nothing else for miles and miles. No pubs, no chippy just fields.)

 

Allow 30% - 50% extra time for the return journey if using the same revs.

 

You have an anchor - what about warp ?

You'll ideally need 20 feet of chain and 60 feet of warp.

[Guest]

Tne helpful guy at the chandlers at sawley marina sorted the chain and line. He seemed to know exactly what he was talking about in terms of lengths.

[paddy r]

Tne helpful guy at the chandlers at sawley marina sorted the chain and line. He seemed to know exactly what he was talking about in terms of lengths.

That'll be Chris.

[Mac of Cygnet]

This book is a must,shame more peaple don't follow it.

Still haven't found the red line in the middle of the river though!

 

Erm... If it's a must, how are people able not to follow it? I use a combination of Nicholson's and the Ripon Motor Boat Club chart.

 

Mac

[paddy r]

Erm... If it's a must, how are people able not to follow it? I use a combination of Nicholson's and the Ripon Motor Boat Club chart.

 

Mac

because the all numpty's i've pulled off the sand didn't have one,can't listen to lock keepers,and before thay got stuck said thay didn't need one.

[mickeyduff]

Last time I went through all we had in terms of comms were mobile phones, we spoke to the lock keeper at Cromwell who advised us what time to leave Newark so we would be with the tide and we also had to wait at Gainsbourgh for a few hours and also due to the time of year we had to stay at Torksey overnight then leave mid morning in order to get into Keadby with the tide, all the way the lock keepers new we were on our way and were waiting for us, so I would say give them a ring prior at Cromwell to discuss your plans

[haggis]

because the all numpty's i've pulled off the sand didn't have one,can't listen to lock keepers,and before thay got stuck said thay didn't need one.

Where do we get one of these books? We plan to go to the Chesterfield next month and the guide we have used in the past was the Ripon one which must be well out of date by now. We seem to have had it for ages :-)

 

haggis

[Alan de Enfield]

Where do we get one of these books? We plan to go to the Chesterfield next month and the guide we have used in the past was the Ripon one which must be well out of date by now. We seem to have had it for ages :-)

 

haggis

 

£6.50 from BWML. or maybe BW Newark would have them.

Alternatively, as they are printed by the Boating Association, you could try :

 

http://www.theboatingassociation.co.uk/

[the grinch]

Well Graham,

 

I've read it, Jan's read it and even Dennis has now read it and all of us have no bloody idea what you are on about. Sorry.

 

whats not understood? the trent only becomes tidal at Cromwell, occassionally the weir there is overtopped and the tidal influence reaches further upstream towards Newark Nether lock

 

all the way the lock keepers knew we were on our way and were waiting for us, so I would say give them a ring prior at Cromwell to discuss your plans

 

yes they are very good, last time we made the trip we had to wait at West Stockwith as we had run onto the sand and lost an hour so couldn't make it to Keadby in time the lockkeeper there helped us to get a line ashore and also let Keadby know we would be down on the next tide!

[Dalesman]

A good guide to the Trent is the small hand book "Narrow Boat On The Trent" by John Lower price £4.50 can be found at www.richlow.co.uk

Edited March 5, 2011 by Dalesman

[NB Alnwick]

Well Graham,

 

I've read it, Jan's read it and even Dennis has now read it and all of us have no bloody idea what you are on about. Sorry.

 

Quite simply a full set of navigation lights are not really necessary on most inland waterways. Nice to have on bigger rivers and probably essential (and a legal requirement) when travelling at night or during poor visibility on tidal waterways.

 

Having said that, we have been up the Trent as far as Torksey without navigation lights.

 

What we do if obliged to travel at night on the bigger waterways is put our lights on - that is tunnel light up front and cabin lights. That way we can be seen clearly by other craft.

[blackrose]

Cheers -

 

anchor I 100% agree with.

 

VHF - a decent one costs not a lot....

 

Nav lights?? - I would say Alan's plan B would suffice........

 

Thanks.

 

But won't you need a VHF operator's licence to go with that or do you already have one?

[paddy r]

£6.50 from BWML. or maybe BW Newark would have them.

Alternatively, as they are printed by the Boating Association, you could try :

 

http://www.theboatingassociation.co.uk/

Also the lock keepers on the Trent

[Tam & Di]

I agree for somebody on a schedule - but would some of this simply not be about paying attention to forecasts, tide tables, comments/advice from the lockys and flood warnings and planning accordingly.

 

This of course assumes the time to do so, which we will have when we eventually do it.

 

I don't know the bottom of the Trent, but I've certainly been on rivers where I've suddenly come into a belt of low lying mist which has required me to put the nav lights on and call to announce my presence to other traffic on the VHF. It's usually caused by cold water and warm air or vice versa and more likely in Spring and Autumn than in Summer (or even winter), so it does depend on when you do your boating. It's not necessarily something you would get from forecasts, though possibly a local might know when/where it is most likely to occur.

Edited March 6, 2011 by Tam & Di