Coast to coast with 1.4m depth.... Possible?

[Tzusjourneyhome]

Hello, I need to bring my new-to-me boat home from the North East to the Welsh coast in April.

 

Plan A is to sail around but use the Forth and Clyde as a shortcut.

 

But would it be possible to enter the system at, say, Goole and exit it at Liverpool? I have 1.4 meter seawater depth - this is likely to equal about 1.45 m in fresh.

The masts will be dropped and fixed along the roofline so will extend the current 31ft to probably about 35ft.

 

I've looked on line and can find plenty of routes that look possible with regard to length and breadth but some don't seem to show depths or air draft. Anyone care to give me their thoughts?

 

Even a list of parts to definitely avoid would be appreciated.

[Grace and Favour]

Welcome to the forum TJH,

 

Other members will have better answers based on experience of the Leeds Liverpool canal, but I don't think there's sufficient depth to get you all the way through.

 

I'm sure you could get to Leeds from Goole, but think you may well have to lift her out there and carry her the rest of the way

[Guest]

Tzusjourneyhome, on 13 Mar 2014 - 3:48 PM, said:

Hello, I need to bring my new-to-me boat home from the North East to the Welsh coast in April.

 

Plan A is to sail around but use the Forth and Clyde as a shortcut.

 

But would it be possible to enter the system at, say, Goole and exit it at Liverpool? I have 1.4 meter seawater depth - this is likely to equal about 1.45 m in fresh.

The masts will be dropped and fixed along the roofline so will extend the current 31ft to probably about 35ft.

 

I've looked on line and can find plenty of routes that look possible with regard to length and breadth but some don't seem to show depths or air draft. Anyone care to give me their thoughts?

 

Even a list of parts to definitely avoid would be appreciated.

 

Subject to confirmation of your air draft I would say you would be fine air draft and depth wise up to Castleford/probably Leeds after that I think you might struggle on some of the shallow bits of the L&L especially over the summit.

[SamKingfisher]

That's almost 5'. No chance on the L&L.

[carlt]

When I had my lifeboat I wanted to do the same thing move my boat from the East to a mooring on the Welsh Coast.

 

The boat drew less than yours (4 feet in saltwater) but, after painstakingly studying every available route I concluded it couldn't be done and the English Channel was probably the quickest route (I was moored in Essex) but round the top was the prettiest and least traffic.

Edited March 13, 2014 by carlt

[Naughty Cal]

I would say no. We draw 3ft and found it a tad shallow in places on the way up to Leeds. It only gets shallower from there on.

[kris88]

No way over the L&L with nearly 5ft unless a lot of dredging happens

[bizzard]

You could perhaps empty packets of salt over the bow as you went along.

[Neil2]

Absolutely no chance on the Leeds Liverpool.

 

Even on the Forth & Clyde you are going to be close to the bottom, I think six foot is about the limit but being a canal you will doubtless encounter obstructions that make the workable draught less than that.

[harve90]

Why not sail all the way ?

[carlt]

Personally, If I had the time, I would go around the top but come down the Caledonian.

 

Much prettier and less stressful, in my opinion.

[Naughty Cal]

Welcome to the forum TJH,

 

Other members will have better answers based on experience of the Leeds Liverpool canal, but I don't think there's sufficient depth to get you all the way through.

 

I'm sure you could get to Leeds from Goole, but think you may well have to lift her out there and carry her the rest of the way

I'm not so sure it would even get to Leeds. I seem to remember we found the Knostrop cut amongst others shallow and we have nearly two foot less draft!

[Timleech]

The Leeds & Liverpool was only built, in the main, for boats with 4' laden draught, possibly a bit less than that over the summit and most of it has seen no commercial traffic (& probably not much dredging) for the best part of 50 years. Anything over 4' would be a non-starter, I'm expecting a bit of a struggle in places with our 3'3".

 

Tim

[Tzusjourneyhome]

Thank you all.. wasnt too bothered which route and Liverpool only thrown in as an example. I do know that the shallowest point on the Rochdale canal is 4'5 - Canal & River Trust staff on the relevant section are saying they may by able to increase the depth in that bit temporarily and enough to get me through. Manchester ship canal is also possible. Obviously i wouldnt want to have to turn round having invested a week in getting that far.

[Guest]

Thank you all.. wasnt too bothered which route and Liverpool only thrown in as an example. I do know that the shallowest point on the Rochdale canal is 4'5 - Canal & River Trust staff on the relevant section are saying they may by able to increase the depth in that bit temporarily and enough to get me through. Manchester ship canal is also possible. Obviously i wouldnt want to have to turn round having invested a week in getting that far.

 

So if you really have previously researched it and found a way why did you come on here and ask?

[Timleech]

Thank you all.. wasnt too bothered which route and Liverpool only thrown in as an example. I do know that the shallowest point on the Rochdale canal is 4'5 - Canal & River Trust staff on the relevant section are saying they may by able to increase the depth in that bit temporarily and enough to get me through. Manchester ship canal is also possible. Obviously i wouldnt want to have to turn round having invested a week in getting that far.

 

Really? I find that hard to believe, given what people who know the Rochdale have told me. Where did you glean that bit of information?

 

Tim

[David Mack]

I do know that the shallowest point on the Rochdale canal is 4'5 - Canal & River Trust staff on the relevant section are saying they may by able to increase the depth in that bit temporarily and enough to get me through.

We were dragging the bottom in places on the Rochdale at 3ft draft. Not seriously, but 4ft 5 would be a very different matter.

[saltysplash]

head north and do the Caledonian, too good an oppotunity to miss

[Tzusjourneyhome]

So if you really have previously researched it and found a way why did you come on here and ask?

 

Becausei thought there was a decent chance of getting better information here. the observation about the Rochdale seems to support this.

 

please feel free to ignore me

[Grace and Favour]

I stronglysuspect that you have received a better quality of information on here, Tzuetc, without wishing to appear know-it-all in any way - as I suspected the number of our members who regularly traverse the Leeds & Liverpool, and often struggle - with only 3' draught, the likelihood of Tzu getting through is somewhere on a scale between Zero and none

[Neil2]

You'll never get through the Rochdale with a 5' draught, I've heard of several boats with draughts approaching 3' having trouble. I don't think you can take the Calder and Hebble for granted either, it is surprisingly shallow. And to get to Pomona Lock to access the MSC you have to do a section of the Bridgewater which again you couldn't guarantee navigating on a boat of this type.

 

I have heard of sea going cruisers such as the Princess 32 successfully managing this crossing, but they only draw around three foot or so.

 

[Alan de Enfield]

I reckon your best bet would be to get one of those "Man & Van & Trailer" types that advertise on ebay - bet you'd get it from Goole to Liverpool / Holyhead for a couple of hundred pounds.

It would probably cost you that in food alone if you tried to sail around.

 

It always used to amuse me (when we moored in Holyhead) when talking to the 'rag & stick' guys it had taken then 'days' to get there from Isle of Man - or Liverpool when we did it in under 3 hours

 

Their argument was always 'wind is free' - true - we used 1 gallon diesel per 1.5 miles

[Dave_P]

Anyone who told you that the Rochdale has at least 4'5 depth is either misinformed or lying. Even by regular canal standards, the section between immediately east of Manchester through Failsworth is very shallow. You have no chance that way.

 

I can't think of an east-west route for you. Even if you come south along the Trent and Soar, you're still gonna end up in shallow waters.

 

North to the Caledonian would seem your best bet. Good luck!

[Guest]

Tzusjourneyhome, on 13 Mar 2014 - 9:10 PM, said:

 

Becausei thought there was a decent chance of getting better information here. the observation about the Rochdale seems to support this.

 

please feel free to ignore me

 

I think anybody who thought you could get sufficient depth on the Rochdale must be bonkers TBH.

[Naughty Cal]

Anyone who told you that the Rochdale has at least 4'5 depth is either misinformed or lying. Even by regular canal standards, the section between immediately east of Manchester through Failsworth is very shallow. You have no chance that way.

 

I can't think of an east-west route for you. Even if you come south along the Trent and Soar, you're still gonna end up in shallow waters.

 

North to the Caledonian would seem your best bet. Good luck!

Going that way he wouldn't get along the Zouch Cut!