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going through locks backwards single handed


FidoDido

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On my new mooring, I have a choice each time I need a pump out.. I can either cruise 5 miles through 2 locks to the nearest winding hole, then back, through a further lock, and get a pump out. OR.. I could reverse into the lock between me and the pump out (4.5ft drop, broad lock), go down, reverse out and wind in the basin just below it.

 

I would then have a choiuce of going back up the lock backwards and reversing the 300 ft or so to my online mooring, or go up normally.

 

Any tips for single handing backwards down a broad lock? Cant be that tricky?

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Hiya,

 

It's not that tricky, use ropes, and keep both front and stern ends away from the hazards - remember you could cill your bow when you drop, or catch the rudder on a gate paddle at the bottom of the lock.

 

Cheers,

 

Mike

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On my new mooring, I have a choice each time I need a pump out.. I can either cruise 5 miles through 2 locks to the nearest winding hole, then back, through a further lock, and get a pump out. OR.. I could reverse into the lock between me and the pump out (4.5ft drop, broad lock), go down, reverse out and wind in the basin just below it.

 

I would then have a choiuce of going back up the lock backwards and reversing the 300 ft or so to my online mooring, or go up normally.

 

Any tips for single handing backwards down a broad lock? Cant be that tricky?

As its a double lock share it with somebody going in forwards.

It might help if you explain to them whyhelp.gif

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As its a double lock share it with somebody going in forwards.

It might help if you explain to them whyhelp.gif

That sounds sensible, but I was thinking I might do this very early in the morning, in order to avoid the hazard of me travelling backwards down the cut and into the lock!! I could go and open the lock gates, and reverse straight in... Of course, things never quite work out like that!

 

Good to hear others have done it though! Its not such a deep lock, which will help, though I'm 70ft, which wont.

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Hiya. It's my impression that you don't need to pumo out all that often, so perhaps you could time your cruises to coincide with pump out time and go past forwards :) And get a cassette to tide you over in case of emergencies ;)

 

Also try to get to know your local working boats who will be hugely helpful!

  • Greenie 1
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I pumpout about every 6 weeks, so yes, not too tricky to involve a bit of a cruise in summer months. But I'm not a liveaboard (half-time), and life can get highly hectic, so sometimes I wont be able to take her for a 5 hour round trip to turn round, but will have a couple of hours only to go and get her pumped out. Not on the boat enough to see working boats - I work 9am till 7pm or thereabouts. Not thought of them though.. good call.

 

Will probably be doing the cruise thing this time, but quite like the idea / logic challenge of going down backwards.. It will also save £5 diesel to do it that way :)

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Going down a lock, backwards, single handed, is arguably easier than going forwards, because you are controlling the boat from the end where you will also be working the lock. It's the steering (or lack of) in reverse that raises the issues, not the lock or being single handed.

 

Going up a deep lock single handed and backwards is slightly more problematic as the business end of the boat is against the top gates, and just stepping off as the boat enters the lock doesn't really work. If I were in your position, I'd go up the shallow lock in forward to reach the mooring, and go down it backwards not only for the pump out but every time I wanted to cruise in that direction

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Not on the boat enough to see working boats - I work 9am till 7pm or thereabouts. Not thought of them though.. good call.

Many would be happy to do the job in your absence if you left payment hidden somewhere :) Worth getting their phone numbers if you can :)

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Many would be happy to do the job in your absence if you left payment hidden somewhere smile.png Worth getting their phone numbers if you can smile.png

I had several customers when I worked Alton that I have never seen. I am sure Brian, who works her now, is in the same position.

 

George ex nb Alton retired

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Just go for the reversing option, first time allow twice as much time as you would normally expect, pick a dry day, do the lock really slowly and only paddles on one side, and if possible take a mate along to help/take the piss/act as a bowthruster.

The thought of doing it is far more worrying than actually doing it.

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Going down a broad lock, forwards or backwards, with a 70' footer isn't that bad. I tuck the front up in the vee between the gate and the lock side, so it can't swing out or go anywhere else. Then I take a stern line off, loop it once around a bollard then drop it on the floor. As the boat descends, the rope is drawn around the bollard, holding the stern in. No knots, so no chance of hanging the boat up

 

Open the gate, drop the rope on the deck, down the ladder and off you go

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As they said, it's thinking about it that's worst. Doing it won't be so bad.

I would confirm the advice to go down backwards & up forwards.

Admittedly I've not yet done it solo, but we regularly go up Meadow Lane lock from the Trent to water, then back into the lock to return to the river. The weir above the lock makes the reversing interesting because of the strong draw towards it, but it's do-able.

Doing it solo would be more of a challenge, but I'm confident it would be fine.

Before anyone asks why we don't water at Holme Lock, we often do, but the water pressure there is poor and sometimes it's non-existent. When that happens, Meadow Lane is the back-up.

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We were walking the Chesterfield Canal in Shireoaks earlier this year and came across a single-hander reversing from his mooring, up the locks to the basin do do a pump-out. He knew exactly what he was doing, but was grateful for the bit of help we gave him with gates etc.

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A pump-out every 6 weeks and you only live on the boat half of the time? So if you were there full time it would be every three weeks?

 

a. you have a very small tank.

b. you have lots of people living on your boat.

c. you're an elephant in disguise.

 

I'm hoping it's a or b. although an elephant on the tiller would be a sight to see.

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Once you are actually in the lock, there's almost no difference to whether you were going one way or the other....except that if you're going downhill, you'll need to keep your stern away from the cill, and if you're going up, the cill will be visible, but keep your bow away from gate "bits" that it can catch on. You know all this already I'm sure. The hardest for me is steering in reverse and having no control over the bow direction. I find it sometimes easier to get it to the towpath, put in reverse, and steer it by walking alongside holding the centre line and stern line.....especially if theres a wind and you have a long boat. :)

 

ps . I have casettes :)

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A pump-out every 6 weeks and you only live on the boat half of the time? So if you were there full time it would be every three weeks?

 

a. you have a very small tank.

b. you have lots of people living on your boat.

c. you're an elephant in disguise.

 

I'm hoping it's a or b. although an elephant on the tiller would be a sight to see.

 

It would't surprise me. We ran an ex-Challenger for 2 seasons and once measured the tank capacity. It was less than 100 litres which is definately on the small side (compared to our ex-Black Prince which is 1000 litres)

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Its quite a small tank. And its probably every 6-9 weeks depending on who's been onboard etc.. I'm on there 4 days a week, family sometimes at weekends, etc.

 

Anyway, I can report back that indeed, going down backwards is no more of an issue than forwards. Even going into the lock is fine. It was very tricky to reverse past 15-20 moored boats, though.. I collected a bit of a bush, and was close to hitting some peoples boats with the bow, so had to stop, run along the gunwales, and push the bow over with a short pole every now and again.. Several other boaters asking me if there was something wrong / broken etc...

 

There are times when a bow-thruster would definitely be of massive help...

 

Ta for the advice everyone :)

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