Opps! at the Denver Sluice this morning

[Biggles]

That is the third boat I know of that has spent a tide on the sandbar.

It has been dredged once this year but all the flood water made it worse than it was before they started.

You can see how to do it here with Paul of waterway routes.

There is a Google airial photo of the sand bank and the route you have to follow here

 

 

I wouldn't thought that centre rope was a good idea.

 

 

I've just looked at the areial shot and the approach is now the same as the exit. I looked at the sand bank at low tide the night before and it has a few bow dents in it, but old approach is long gone.

 

We are exploring the relief channel ATM.

[Grace and Favour]

Is it beyond the wit of man to mark the shoal with a couple of buoys?

 

Howard

 

It's currently marked with a boat and a couple of gurls

[Guest]

Boats heading up to Denver from Salters are told to keep well to their right and then swing round across below the sluices and turn sharply into the lock.

 

There is no need to get the crew back on board as the lock is keeper-operated. The crew will be on board in the lock.

The OP suggested that this crew had not followed the locky's advice.

 

Cheers - I'd assumed as there was a lock landing there it would be used and that the lock is not permanently manned.

 

There is a Google airial photo of the sand bank and the route you have to follow

 

 

That is one tricky manoeuvre for anybody.

[nbfiresprite]

Towed off on yesterdays evening tide.

 

 

 

 

 

That looks like alot of anodes, or are they something else?

 

Foxes prefer to spread out the anodes on their boats, Fitting eight rather then the usual four.

Edited August 3, 2012 by nbfiresprite

[blackrose]

That is the third boat I know of that has spent a tide on the sandbar.

It has been dredged once this year but all the flood water made it worse than it was before they started.

You can see how to do it here with Paul of waterway routes.

There is a Google airial photo of the sand bank and the route you have to follow here

 

That makes it look like an incredibly tight turn out of the lock!

 

Edited August 3, 2012 by blackrose

[Naughty Cal]

I predict we will be visiting that sand bank next spring

[Gibbo]

 

Why does the recommended approach go right over the sandbank but not the exit?

[Athy]

That makes it look like an incredibly tight turn out of the lock!

It is. Last time we did it, we had no problem avoiding the sandbank, but had to turn hard to avoid meeting the opposite bank.

[ditchcrawler]

Cheers - I'd assumed as there was a lock landing there it would be used and that the lock is not permanently manned.

 

 

 

 

That is one tricky manoeuvre for anybody.

The red line is nolonger usable, The blog was written before the latest bank movement, the bank is changing shape by the week depending on water flows down the New Bedford

 

Why does the recommended approach go right over the sandbank but not the exit?

Its because its a Google photo so out of date.

[Theo]

Not often you see a hire boat with such a small front well area.

 

Unless it is a Canal Time boat. In which case there is none. Met one on the way up the B & F towards Farmers Bridge. The lady said she would never hire one again because it was so gloomy inside.

 

Nick

 

 

 

[blackrose]

The red line is nolonger usable, The blog was written before the latest bank movement, the bank is changing shape by the week depending on water flows down the New Bedford

 

 

Its because its a Google photo so out of date.

 

So if the sandbank isn't marked with buoys, then on your approach to the lock how are you supposed to know what route to take? Or do you just stay over to the left?

[Chris Pink]

Is it beyond the wit of man to mark the shoal with a couple of buoys?

 

Howard

Dredging would be out of the question then?

 

 

Well I for one think it's stupid not to dredge a bar that is not only slap bang outside the lock but on the obvious route to the pontoon mooring.

 

This is not the hire boat's fault, it's sheer incompetence of the part of the EA.

 

And as Howard says, even if it couldn't be dredged it could be marked

 

unbelievable

Edited August 3, 2012 by Theo
Removal of bad language

[PaulJ]

It does vary an alot. Last time I went through we were stuck on the mud and my stern had only gone out about 3ft out of salters lode.Think that was a Neap tide.

Not that I have a clue what one of those is...:-)

[pearley]

The only time we used it we came straight out of the lock and down river. And that was when Salters Lode was having problems so we went through that lock on the level so tide was already well on the way out.

 

Regards

Pete

[Neil TNC]

I predict we will be visiting that sand bank next spring

 

If you are coming in from the Wash I predict you will hit a few more before Denver!

[Phil Ambrose]

Possibly -

 

but do you have a you tube vid. though and then we could really take the mick out of some hirerers who made a mistake, after all we have never ballsed up have we?

 

Er,um, well just once or twice.

 

Phil

[ditchcrawler]

Well I for one think it's stupid not to dredge a bar that is not only slap bang outside the lock but on the obvious route to the pontoon mooring.

 

This is not the hire boat's fault, it's sheer incompetence of the part of the EA.

 

And as Howard says, even if it couldn't be dredged it could be marked

 

unbelievable

It has been dredged this year. and a month later it was worse than before they started.

[dekker]

We crossed to Denver Slice quite easily in June 2010. We are planning to come again in about 3 weeks but have heard that it has become more tricky.Is this the case? Advice please.

[GUMPY]

Seems to me an excellent reason to go straight up to Earith and miss out the ely ouse and old west completely

[dekker]

Seems to me an excellent reason to go straight up to Earith and miss out the ely ouse and old west completely

 

Now that's a good idea. What are the issues with returning the same way?

[Phil Ambrose]

It's not called The Denver Complex for nothing.

 

 

Phil

 

Seems to me an excellent reason to go straight up to Earith and miss out the ely ouse and old west completely

 

Not an advised route,

 

Phil

[ditchcrawler]

Phil

 

 

 

Not an advised route,

 

Phil

Why not, I am planning to do it when I can time the tide right. It doesn't help you can't get out of Salters untill the tide has made about 30" due to the silt.

[BlueStringPudding]

I do like canals....

[FadeToScarlet]

I do like canals....

 

Where's your sense of adventure?

[cl@rkey]

Is it possible to wander down from Salters Lode to Denver Sluice to see the lay of the land/silt before attempting passage? If/when I get a boat, I will have to bring her through here. With little to no boating experience, the prospect is a bit daunting.