Spare a thought

[Oliver]

We were moored below Pigeon Lock on the Oxford a couple of weeks ago and early in the morning a boat went past us very slowly. As the stern came past I saw the reason for the slow approach. (No camera to hand so you'll have to imagine).

 

The tiller had two bits of what looked like 2" by 4" wood strapped on either side of it which were attached, somehow, to what looked like half a kitchen cupboard door which was acting as the rudder.

 

The boat got up through the lock with much use of the ropes. There were several narrowboats following, and the some of the guys at the back were making comments about the slow old so and so up the front who was holding them up - when I explained the problems the chap was having, some of them stopped grumbling.

 

Over the next couple of days I got several snippets of information and managed to piece together the following story - how much is true I don't know.

 

The boat was in a lock (I don't know where) with the chap operating the lock and his wife on the tiller. The wife went to the loo whilst the lock was emptying and the boat got caught on the cill. The rudder was a complete right off.

 

Presumably the boat must have winded because when we first saw it, it was going up the locks on the Oxford.

 

We set off up Pigeon Lock several hours after the stricken boat went through and passed it moored up just by Hayford Wharf Bridge opposite the boatyard there.

 

The following day we were chatting to someone who mentioned the stricken boat and told us that, whilst it had been moored opposite the boatyard, another narrowboat attempted to moor up behind it but had misjudged the distance and crushed the makeshift wooden rudder.

 

Never found out where the 2" by 4" had come from, whose galley had provided the cupboard door or if the wife was still alive!

 

Can't say that I noticed the name of the stricken boat, but if you're the skipper and reading this, I hope that you managed to get it sorted and, if the story of how you lost your rudder has got apocrophal in the telling along the cut, how did it actually happen? And did you have to cut up part of your galley to make the temporary rudder?.

[blackrose]

 

The boat was in a lock (I don't know where) with the chap operating the lock and his wife on the tiller. The wife went to the loo whilst the lock was emptying and the boat got caught on the cill. The rudder was a complete right off.

 

 

Absolutely no sympathy from me. There's no excuse for disappearing from the helm while the lock is actually emptying! If the wife had bladder problems and really needed the toilet then she should have explained this to the husband who should have been holding the boat on the centre rope. In my opinion they're lucky they only lost the rudder.

Edited September 23, 2006 by blackrose

[Hairy-Neil]

Why do people hold back in locks? Especially going down hill is asking for trouble. Ok it could have been a 72 foot boat in which case it would be totally foolhardy to leave the tiller till you knew it was clear of the sill. If you must abandon the tiller then use single handed procedures.

 

Going downhill I go forward to till the fender touches the gate, drawing the bottom paddles keeps the boat held steady against the gate. When the lock makes a level, the boat drifts gently backwards and is a sign that the lock is ready for the gates to be opened.

 

Going uphill I go forward till the fender touches the sill and leave the boat at tickover in forward gear. The draw of the lock filling also holds the boat forward if you work the paddles correctly. When the lock makes a level, the boat assists the opening of the gate and will take itself steadily out of the lock.

[Yamanx]

Why do people hold back in locks? Especially going down hill is asking for trouble. Ok it could have been a 72 foot boat in which case it would be totally foolhardy to leave the tiller till you knew it was clear of the sill. If you must abandon the tiller then use single handed procedures.

 

Going downhill I go forward to till the fender touches the gate, drawing the bottom paddles keeps the boat held steady against the gate. When the lock makes a level, the boat drifts gently backwards and is a sign that the lock is ready for the gates to be opened.

 

Going uphill I go forward till the fender touches the sill and leave the boat at tickover in forward gear. The draw of the lock filling also holds the boat forward if you work the paddles correctly. When the lock makes a level, the boat assists the opening of the gate and will take itself steadily out of the lock.

 

This is exactly the way do as well.

 

There have been times when the front fender has caught under some part of the lock gate when going up and when going down. This has caused on several occassions to snap the weak link, especially when going single handed.

[Hairy-Neil]

This is exactly the way do as well.

 

There have been times when the front fender has caught under some part of the lock gate when going up and when going down. This has caused on several occassions to snap the weak link, especially when going single handed.

 

To continue then, my procedure includes the person winding the paddles keeping an eye on the rising/dropping boat and taking action if or when it occurs. The person with the windlass is in charge of the boat whilst locking through, not the steerer who can be anything up to 70 feet away from the action.

[Dr Bradley]

Some years ago a friend and I were coming down the Llangollen. I was steering, he was operating the paddles. I thought he was unsure of what to do - me being the experienced one - so I got off to help/guide him. The boat drifted back and caught on the cill. Rudder bent at 90 degrees. So much for experience. I've been very careful ever since. It can happen to anyone with a moment of carelessness, lack of concentration or rushing where none is needed. I don't expect it to happen twice!.

[Guest]

Some years ago a friend and I were coming down the Llangollen. I was steering, he was operating the paddles. I thought he was unsure of what to do - me being the experienced one - so I got off to help/guide him. The boat drifted back and caught on the cill. Rudder bent at 90 degrees. So much for experience. I've been very careful ever since. It can happen to anyone with a moment of carelessness, lack of concentration or rushing where none is needed. I don't expect it to happen twice!.

Yes we all make mistakes. That is why they invented erasers.

[blackrose]

Some years ago a friend and I were coming down the Llangollen. I was steering, he was operating the paddles. I thought he was unsure of what to do - me being the experienced one - so I got off to help/guide him. The boat drifted back and caught on the cill. Rudder bent at 90 degrees. So much for experience. I've been very careful ever since. It can happen to anyone with a moment of carelessness, lack of concentration or rushing where none is needed. I don't expect it to happen twice!.

 

Yes, I agree it can happen to anyone, especially on some of the longer boats. Your mind was distracted because you were concerned that your friend didn't know what he was doing; the woman in the example above decided she needed the toilet, but that was very bad timing and is less understandable.

 

I do most locks on my own and it does require a bit of concentration, keeping an eye both fore & aft, and making sure the boat doesn't get hung up on the centre rope while operating the paddles. I suppose if something or someone distracted me it could happen to me too.

[rallyfan]

[quote Going uphill I go forward till the fender touches the sill and leave the boat at tickover in forward gear. The draw of the lock filling also holds the boat forward if you work the paddles correctly. When the lock makes a level, the boat assists the opening of the gate and will take itself steadily out of the lock.

Thats all very well if there is an adequate and continuous rubbing board up the cill and gate. In my experience (2 weeks ago on the Southern Oxford) there is often a gap between cill and gate and, if your really lucky a few big coach bolts sticking out where the board used to be. All in all, a recipe for bug...ing up your front fender, or worse, getting your bow seriously hooked up (down)

[alan_fincher]

Thats all very well if there is an adequate and continuous rubbing board up the cill and gate. In my experience (2 weeks ago on the Southern Oxford) there is often a gap between cill and gate and, if your really lucky a few big coach bolts sticking out where the board used to be. All in all, a recipe for bug...ing up your front fender, or worse, getting your bow seriously hooked up (down)

 

Yes, and be very wary going up in wide locks but with a single boat.

 

Particularly on steel gates with loads of exposed cross girders, and only narrow rubbing plates.

 

Whilst these are generally OK with 2 boats in the lock, both nosing the gates, if you have only the one, and it gets diagonally across the lock, then the nose can far too easily slip off the rubbing plate and into one of the voids.

 

I noticed on a recent passage up Braunston locks that many had had extra steel welded on to form a much wider rubbing surface.

 

Presumably someone had either pushed a boats bow under water, or lifted a gate out, or I can't imagine BW splashing out on such an extensive set of changes to the structures.

 

But there are still many other places on the GU where it would be very easy to get into trouble, particularly with a shortish boat, that can get across the lock at a greater angle to the sides than a long one can.

Edited September 25, 2006 by alan_fincher

[Breals]

What a woeful tale - fancy the makeshift rudder getting crushed like that! The double whammy. Could have been worse though, getting caught up on the cill like that.

[Hairy-Neil]

Thats all very well if there is an adequate and continuous rubbing board up the cill and gate. In my experience (2 weeks ago on the Southern Oxford) there is often a gap between cill and gate and, if your really lucky a few big coach bolts sticking out where the board used to be. All in all, a recipe for bug...ing up your front fender, or worse, getting your bow seriously hooked up (down)

 

 

Thats why I said earlier the person winding the paddles is responsible for keeping an eye on the rising/dropping boat and taking action if or when it occurs.

 

I've always though fenders were consumable.....I've been wrong all these years.

[Sir Nibble]

Some years ago, I was crewing a yacht out of Portsmouth harbour. As we cleared the harbour, a yacht passed us with its mast snapped off at about 8' above the deck. The crew had shortened the shrouds to steady the stump, and turned a storm jib through 90 deg to act as a makeshift mainsail. The vessel was flying a "Q" flag indicating that is was arriving from international waters. I had to applaud this example of self reliance and fine saemanship, especially when it seems to have become the norm to call mayday and send for the helicopter when the gin runs out.

[Carrie]

Going uphill I go forward till the fender touches the sill and leave the boat at tickover in forward gear. The draw of the lock filling also holds the boat forward if you work the paddles correctly. When the lock makes a level, the boat assists the opening of the gate and will take itself steadily out of the lock.

 

Going up solo, I tie the bow rope to the bar on the gate or the balance beam and open the paddles slowly to make sure the bow doesn't catch in sliding up. Seems to work well. Going down, I haven't worked out a proper method yet! I couldn't tie up for fear of hanging up the boat and had to watch it banging about in the lock, unable to do much about it. I've only done 2 locks downhill and am now heading uphill for a long stretch, so any advice in the meantime for solos is welcome!

 

Is there a cill on the sides of diamond locks? I got caught with a sideways tilt in one, even though I had been careful to keep well clear of the bottom gate.

[DHutch]

Going up solo, I tie the bow rope to the bar on the gate or the balance beam and open the paddles slowly to make sure the bow doesn't catch in sliding up. Seems to work well. Going down, I haven't worked out a proper method yet! I couldn't tie up for fear of hanging up the boat and had to watch it banging about in the lock, unable to do much about it. I've only done 2 locks downhill and am now heading uphill for a long stretch, so any advice in the meantime for solos is welcome!

We usally use a center rope around the lower ballence beam when going up hill (narrowlocks)

- It works well for us, although it does required a center rope thats long enough to strech to the propeller, but in 15 years, this has never casused a problem.

- The main reason we do it is because of the bloomin vertical stem tho, So you may find it unnessary, i know most people just stick right forwards the whole way up.

 

 

Daniel

Edited September 27, 2006 by dhutch

[Hairy-Neil]

Going down, I haven't worked out a proper method yet! I couldn't tie up for fear of hanging up the boat and had to watch it banging about in the lock, unable to do much about it. I've only done 2 locks downhill and am now heading uphill for a long stretch, so any advice in the meantime for solos is welcome!

 

Is there a cill on the sides of diamond locks? I got caught with a sideways tilt in one, even though I had been careful to keep well clear of the bottom gate.

 

A line isn't necessary in a narrow lock, take the boat right forward to the bottom gates and the draw of the water will hold it there until the lock is empty. If you insist on tying the boat, try using the centre line, a long line back to the centre of the boat would never hang you up.

 

I've had three boats in the diamond lock at Shipton Weir. A modern narrowboat each side and a 72 foot Grand Union motor up the middle.

[Carrie]

I've had three boats in the diamond lock at Shipton Weir. A modern narrowboat each side and a 72 foot Grand Union motor up the middle.

 

Was that going downhill?! Ok, now I know I'm crap!

[Hairy-Neil]

Was that going downhill?! Ok, now I know I'm crap!

 

Was uphill. Most I've had in downhill was 2.....