Limehouse to Brentford

[Hawkmoth]

Hi All

I'm hoping to do the trip from Limehouse to Brentford this coming Saturday 17th August. 60ft narrowboat.

Looking at the recommended times and tides I think that about 6.30 am looks about right.

1. Anybody know if I've got that wrong?

2. Anybody going around that time to make a convoy?

All advice/help gratefully received.

Cheers in advance,

Bob

[Tim Lewis]

It's good to go early to miss the wash from the trip boats and the clippers!

[Ray]

You need to book your passage through the lock 24 hours in advance - that would make it some time on Thursday. The lock keeper will confirm your choice of time.

[Scholar Gypsy]

Hi All

I'm hoping to do the trip from Limehouse to Brentford this coming Saturday 17th August. 60ft narrowboat.

Looking at the recommended times and tides I think that about 6.30 am looks about right.

1. Anybody know if I've got that wrong?

2. Anybody going around that time to make a convoy?

All advice/help gratefully received.

Cheers in advance,

Bob

 

Bob

 

High tide (edit: London Bridge) is 1030 (BST), so 0700 from Limehouse will be about right.

 

If you go too much earlier you are likely to arrive at Brentford before the locks open (at 0930) - hardly a disaster! (edit: HW Brentford is at 1130).

 

Enjoy!

Edited August 11, 2013 by Scholar Gypsy

[NigelMoore]

You may have read the tables wrong – did you allow for BST and/or the hour differential between London Bridge and Brentford?

 

Top of the tide at Brentford on Saturday 17^th August will be around 1130 hours and it is a pretty low tide – less than 6 mtrs at London Bridge. If you left Limehouse at 0630 [supposing you physically could] you would be lucky to find enough water to get you over the Brent sandbars and as far as the Thames Locks, even if you took a couple of hours over the trip [and the locks are not officially opened anyway, outside of the 2 hour window either side of the highest point.]

 

Leave at least an hour later would be my suggestion, and ride the tide up effortlessly – but best of to ask the Limehouse lock-keepers for advice by phone; at that time of the morning you’d need to arrange things with them out of hours anyway.

[Hawkmoth]

Thanks all for the replies. Specially the GMT v BST, I'd missed that one!

Would be good to share if there's anyone out there planning a trip that day.

Bob

[RichardN]

Have a read of the cruising guides - click here. The normal advice is to leave Limehouse 2.5 hours before HW London Bridge and as NIgel says beware of GMT/BST - the CRT tide tables are corrected for BST, the PLA tide tables are all in GMT.

 

Do prepare for the trip, have an anchor ready to deploy, check that your VHF radio is working, get life jackets on, pop up to New Era just above Bow Locks to top up your fuel tank if you don't meet a diesel boat on your way to Limehouse, make sure your filters are clean, do your engine checks thoroughly. The tideway guides have a check list, there is a far longer one here. If you don't have a VHF radio then LImehouse sell hand held sets, not sure for how much but it is well worth keeping a listening watch, that will also tell you if you still have to contact Ravensbourne at Battersea.

 

Probably not in the check lists: Make sure your camera is fully charged and your memory card has lots of space. Above all ENJOY!

[Hawkmoth]

Have a read of the cruising guides - click here. The normal advice is to leave Limehouse 2.5 hours before HW London Bridge and as NIgel says beware of GMT/BST - the CRT tide tables are corrected for BST, the PLA tide tables are all in GMT.

 

Do prepare for the trip, have an anchor ready to deploy, check that your VHF radio is working, get life jackets on, pop up to New Era just above Bow Locks to top up your fuel tank if you don't meet a diesel boat on your way to Limehouse, make sure your filters are clean, do your engine checks thoroughly. The tideway guides have a check list, there is a far longer one here. If you don't have a VHF radio then LImehouse sell hand held sets, not sure for how much but it is well worth keeping a listening watch, that will also tell you if you still have to contact Ravensbourne at Battersea.

 

Probably not in the check lists: Make sure your camera is fully charged and your memory card has lots of space. Above all ENJOY!

Thanks for the list. I've done most of it except the life jacket bit.

Someone else on here pointed out the BST/GMT thing, and I hadn't.

Bob

[tommytelford]

You say that vhf radios are available from the lock keeper but don't you require a licence to use one

 

[Hawkmoth]

You say that vhf radios are available from the lock keeper but don't you require a licence to use one

Yes

[blackrose]

I didn't know that the lockkeepers had gone into the vhf radio sales business?

[RichardN]

You say that vhf radios are available from the lock keeper but don't you require a licence to use one

 

 

 

The PLA want is for people to maintain a listening watch, my experience is that it is well worth doing that. You don't need a licence to listen to a VHF radio.

 

Before the rules about having a VHF radio came out, we went out on the tideway without a radio. Once the rules changed requiring any boat over 45' to have a radio we fitted a radio, did the course and then realised just how useful a VHF radio was, the river broadcasts are good to listen to, you hear what other traffic is up to, you hear when a large barge towing stuff needs to go through a different arch to where the isophase light is etc. So my first bit of advice would be get a radio if you are going out onto the tidal Thames.

 

Without a doubt it is better to go on a VHF radio course so you can communicate and know how to do an effective mayday and having seen what happens when a boat sends out a mayday I have to say that doing it by radio is the way to go as everybody around you hears, they react instantly and they help - it was almost like watching a science fiction movie with boats materialising all around the boat in trouble. I am sure that reactions would have been slower if the mayday had been done by phone.

 

If you get into trouble and send out a mayday on a radio even if unlicensed, you will be heard.

 

No radio then ring VTS (whilst thinking about throwing out your anchor) - have the VTS number (020 8855 0315) programmed into your phone. We are always told that VTS and the Coastguard sit at adjacent desks so if you talk to one then you can assume that the other will be promptly informed. I have no experience of ringing 999 / 112 and asking for the London Coastguard but VTS seem to pick up their phones promptly and I imagine if you dial 999 then there is a delay as you need to talk to an operator first ...

 

 

 

 

I didn't know that the lockkeepers had gone into the vhf radio sales business?

 

 

The small chandlery in the Limehouse Office sells VHF radios. The office nowadays seems to be often manned by the lock keepers but that is another story.

[Hawkmoth]

The lock at Limehouse seems to now be run by the marina, not the EA. They no longer give advice because they don't want to be liable for bad advice. They will tell you the times to go out, but that's all. They don't sell Thames licences, you buy that when you get out at Brentford or Teddington.

We've now decided that Friday is a better day to go because of the earlier time, still hoping someone will join us.

Bob

[Tim Lewis]

The lock at Limehouse seems to now be run by the marina, not the EA. They no longer give advice because they don't want to be liable for bad advice. They will tell you the times to go out, but that's all. They don't sell Thames licences, you buy that when you get out at Brentford or Teddington.

We've now decided that Friday is a better day to go because of the earlier time, still hoping someone will join us.

Bob

 

The lock has never been run by the EA,(The Tidal Thames is run by Port of London Authority)

 

The present lock was built and run by British Waterways and is now run by BWML.

 

You cannot buy Thames licenses at Brentford.

 

In response to an earlier post there is no requirement to give 24 hour notice if you use it within normal working hours

 

Tim

[Hawkmoth]

 

The lock has never been run by the EA,(The Tidal Thames is run by Port of London Authority)

 

The present lock was built and run by British Waterways and is now run by BWML.

 

You cannot buy Thames licenses at Brentford.

 

In response to an earlier post there is no requirement to give 24 hour notice if you use it within normal working hours

 

Tim

Ok, Limehouse Marina tell me that they now run the lock, and that I must buy my licence at Brentford. If Brentford don't sell licences it looks like I get a free trip!

We do intend to go out earlier than normal working hours so will give the 24 hrs notice.

Bob

[ditchcrawler]

Ok, Limehouse Marina tell me that they now run the lock, and that I must buy my licence at Brentford. If Brentford don't sell licences it looks like I get a free trip!

We do intend to go out earlier than normal working hours so will give the 24 hrs notice.

Bob

You dont need a licence until you get above Tedington, where are you trying to buy your licence for?

[Hawkmoth]

You dont need a licence until you get above Tedington, where are you trying to buy your licence for?

It seems that once again I have got it wrong! I thought I needed a Thames licence just because it's The Thames.

Thanks for the advice.

Bob