Thames - Limehouse to Teddington

[boating-jean]

We are hoping to cruise upstream from Limehouse to Teddington in mid May. We are experienced narrowboaters,and have read up about safety issues/equipment/tide times etc, but still feel quite nervous! Is anyone else planning to make the trip around this time? We would feel much happier going in convoy...

[BenC]

Speak to the lock keepers at Limehouse closer to the time and see if anyone else is booked in. You'll be fine. Once you're on the river and heading under Tower bridge you'll wonder why you worried. Just watch out for the wake from the Thames clippers and even worse the stupid speed freaks in the ribs! Good luck and enjoy it.

[bottle]

Have a 'chat' with these people http://www.stpancrascc.co.uk/ they do regular cruises on the Thames from Limehouse.

[RichardN]

Have a 'chat' with these people http://www.stpancrascc.co.uk/ they do regular cruises on the Thames from Limehouse.

Better still I think they (SPCC) also have a trip planned to barking creek so that is out of Limehouse or bow, turn left, go past the O2 dome, throught the Thames barrier. Absolutely fantastic. They will always tell you that you go at your own risk but be assured you could not be in better or safer company.

 

For general guidance see thamescruising.co.uk

[Bee]

Done it a few times, don`t worry, take a camera, don`t fall in, borrow a nice big anchor with some weighty chain and a long bit of rope and go to the loo before you get on the river!, Oh and just keep an eye open for flotsam and jetsam and knock it out of gear and drift through patches of floating rubbish if you see any.

[steelaway]

Be wary of the speed you will be carrying - even at tick over it could be over 8 mph.

 

Alex

[Mike on the Wey]

I did Limehouse to Teddington last summer. The time was perfect - we locked out at 0645 on a Saturday morning, so there was very little traffic. You asked for fellow cruisers rather than advice, but here's some advice anyway.

 

Lifejackets (worn, not stowed), anchor and risk awareness are all essentials. Ensure that your crew knows the anchor drill. And if nbvincentjoseph.blogspot.com is your site (thanks google), then your boat is 61ft and you'll need VHF. Whether by VHF or mobile, you have to tell London VTS as you enter and leave the tideway.

Around Battersea we had to get clearance from the Ravensbourne to pass under the railway bridge. The Limehouse lockkeeper will tell you of any such restrictions/requirements. If you get told to go through a particular arch identified by number, the numbers start at the north side. Don't hang around - we could have been a little faster, as about 20 minutes before Teddington we saw some narrowboats coming downriver and realised that we were at the top of the tide.

There is plenty of width at Tower Bridge, but we went through the middle. It had to be done.

[NickF]

I agree the ribs chuck up more wake than the clippers. You need to spend as much time looking backwards as forwards as things catch you up pretty quickly! We took a hand held aerosol air horn which was really useful for sound signals as the horn on our hire boat was pretty puney. The only other tip we picked up was be very deliberate in your movements so everyone can see what you are doing and where you are going.

 

Have a great trip ... it is a great experience .... oh yes and keep your bow doors firmly shut!

[Scholar Gypsy]

Better still I think they (SPCC) also have a trip planned to barking creek so that is out of Limehouse or bow, turn left, go past the O2 dome, throught the Thames barrier. Absolutely fantastic. They will always tell you that you go at your own risk but be assured you could not be in better or safer company.

 

For general guidance see thamescruising.co.uk

 

Dear Jean - Richard is right, this trip is on Saturday 17th May, an early start from Limehouse, down to Woolwich and then up to Brentford/Teddington. It's a great run (though you will probably need extra insurance to go seaward of the .Barrier - I've never had a problem with my company).

 

I am a SPCC member, but my boat is not in London this year. If you would like an experienced crew (with radio & licence if you need one) please let me know - contact via my blog or sg@judgefamily.org.uk

Edited March 29, 2014 by Scholar Gypsy

[Peter X]

If you're going down below the Woolwich barrier, there's an additional hazard to beware of.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Behemoth,_the_Sea_Monster

 

In the film Behometh the Sea Monster (1959) which I saw on telly many years ago, the title character sinks the Woolwich Ferry. He'd make short work of your narrowboat. Not that I've spotted any problems on my voyages on the service.

 

To further worry you, here's a comprehensive guide to monsters you may meet in London:

http://londonist.com/2013/07/giant-monster-attacks-on-london-a-natural-history.php

The river seems to attract them, and it seems you must be particularly wary when passing Big Ben.

[Albion]

When we left Limehouse we were given a guide which showed the bridge arches to go under. What amazed us was how fast the bridges seemed to appear initially and how you had to keep a constant eye open as arch after arch appeared and decisions about which arch from the guide one should use. We also got surprised at Tower Bridge when, just as we were lining up to go through the centre (just to say we'd done it) the scintillating light started flashing. We had looked behind beforehand and hadn't seen anything and then when the scintillating light came on we looked behind to see a tug with four empty refuse barges fast approaching. Be aware how fast some of the commercial traffic can be. Other than that, enjoy, but don't approach the Houses of Parliament too closely or you will attract the attention of the river police.

Roger

[blackrose]

The guide Roger referred to is available online. I'm on my phone otherwise I'd do it for you but Google "Tidal Thames Upstream edition BW" (I never understood why it was a BW publication, but it's very useful). I think there may be a guide pinned somewhere on the forum.

 

You need someone at the stern to read notes from the guide to the steerer as he or she will be too busy concentrating on river traffic and bridges to look at the guide. It just does a bit of the decision-making for you in terms of which bridge spans to take - but you should also check with the PLA before your journey to see if there are any current notices regarding navigation before you leave Limehouse.

 

The person reading the guide should also keep a good lookout behind for fast approaching boats. Follow the guide and you can't really go wrong.

[Scholar Gypsy]

The guide Roger referred to is available online. I'm on my phone otherwise I'd do it for you but Google "Tidal Thames Upstream edition BW" (I never understood why it was a BW publication, but it's very useful). I think there may be a guide pinned somewhere on the forum.

 

 

You can get it (this is rated at the lowest level of fun/lunacy) half way down this page: http://www.thamescruising.co.uk/wordpress/?p=67

 

I would advise, for your first trip, making a simple passage plan, showing which arch you intend to go through (and which bridges you need to be careful of the isophase light ie there is only one upstream arch, and which bridges are bi-directional ie just one arch for all traffic). Here is one I did a couple of years ago. NB now out of date (eg the buoy at Hammersmith is now green not yellow).

 

The PLA notices to mariners are on their website, and key points are repeated on their regular broadcasts.

[adam1uk]

The guide Roger referred to is available online. I'm on my phone otherwise I'd do it for you but Google "Tidal Thames Upstream edition BW" (I never understood why it was a BW publication, but it's very useful). I think there may be a guide pinned somewhere on the forum.

You need someone at the stern to read notes from the guide to the steerer as he or she will be too busy concentrating on river traffic and bridges to look at the guide. It just does a bit of the decision-making for you in terms of which bridge spans to take - but you should also check with the PLA before your journey to see if there are any current notices regarding navigation before you leave Limehouse.

The person reading the guide should also keep a good lookout behind for fast approaching boats. Follow the guide and you can't really go wrong.

This guide is invaluable. We printed out the pages with all the bridge diagrams, laminated them, and had them in a ring binder.

[David Mack]

If you're going down below the Woolwich barrier, there's an additional hazard to beware of.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Behemoth,_the_Sea_Monster

 

In the film Behometh the Sea Monster (1959) which I saw on telly many years ago, the title character sinks the Woolwich Ferry. He'd make short work of your narrowboat. Not that I've spotted any problems on my voyages on the service.

 

 

When I was steering up Woolwich Reach on our way back from a trip to the Royal Docks a few years ago, this behemoth cam up behind us!

[Peter X]

 

 

When I was steering up Woolwich Reach on our way back from a trip to the Royal Docks a few years ago, this behemoth cam up behind us!

 

Yes, that's the Woolwich Ferry. Or the other identical one, ISTR there were two of them last time I went on one in1995. They do a little dance around each other as they cross, making their little contribution to the ever-increasing job of keeping London traffic moving. Very handy when you want to cross the river with a bicycle downstream of Tower Bridge.

Looks less rusty than I remember it, maybe they maintain them better nowadays.

[David Mack]

Yes, that's the Woolwich Ferry. Or the other identical one, ISTR there were two of them last time I went on one in1995. They do a little dance around each other as they cross, making their little contribution to the ever-increasing job of keeping London traffic moving. Very handy when you want to cross the river with a bicycle downstream of Tower Bridge.

Looks less rusty than I remember it, maybe they maintain them better nowadays.

 

There are three identical ferries: the John Burns, the Ernest Bevin and the James Newman. Normally two are in service with the third moored up in reserve or undergoing maintenance.

 

On the trip pictured we were the last of a convoy (being a bit slower than many of the other boats taking part). Our convoy leader had been in radio contact with the ferries and we all waited until we were given the go ahead to pass. But by the time we got there the ferries had unloaded, reloaded and left the jetties and were part way back across. As we made our way through the John Burns came up very fast behind us, but he was heading for the jetty off to the left so we weren't in any danger - it just looked a bit scary.

[Peter X]

I'm sure they spotted you... unlike in the film where there was dense fog. Behometh the Sea Monster loomed up out of the fog and the ferry had no chance.

[Rog Davies]

As others say, prepare, enjoy, but don't hang around.

 

It is some years since I've done that trip, but it's worth remembering that you can go too fast. On a couple of occasions, especially when coming up from the Isle of Dogs, I arrived below Richmond Footbridge/Lock before the tide was high enough for the for the half-tide sluice gates to be lifted. It's a good excuse to use the lock to add to the logbook; don't know if they still charge for using it though.

 

On another occasion I just stooged around until the gate was lifted; found out that it does drip a lot at first!

[Keeping Up]

We had a good tide last summer so arrived at Richmond half an hour too early despite travelling slowly. They do charge for the lock nowadays so we and the boat we were travelling with just amused ourselves doing figure 8s around each other in the still water while we waited. You're right, it does drip a lot at first!

[Tacet]

 

There are three identical ferries: the John Burns, the Ernest Bevin and the James Newman. Normally two are in service with the third moored up in reserve or undergoing maintenance.

 

There used to be four, John Benn, Squires, Will Crooks and Gordon with up to three on. The paddle steamers each had two V Twin engines operating the paddles independently. They were side loading - and came alongside heading into the flow, such that vehicles usually embarked one side and disembarked the other (i.e no reversing). But when the tide changed, it was great fun as all vehicles had to be turned on deck. The deckhands knew their job and lightly loaded that ferry so there was space to turn the first one or two cars, thus eventually freeing up more space for larger vehicles.

 

Most satisfying was the shortish period when both paddle steamers (hurrah) and new-fangled diesels (boo) were running together. For a couple of reasons, the steamers could load/unload quicker and joy-of-joys, would sound their whistles with great impatience as they caught the diesels.

Edited March 29, 2014 by Tacet

[Loafer]

Has anyone here doneTeddington to Limehouse and back in one day?

 

Ta

[Scholar Gypsy]

Has anyone here doneTeddington to Limehouse and back in one day?

 

Ta

 

No, but it would be perfectly feasible (in the summer) if high tide London Bridge is say between 6 and 9 in the morning.

 

• Leave Teddington about 30mins before High Water (ie 30 mins after HWLB)
• go down to Limehouse on the ebbing tide, arriving about 3 hours after HWLB
• wait about 6 hours, until 3 1/2 hours before the next high tide
• go back to Teddington where you will arrive about 13 hours after you started, possibly still in daylight....

[RichardN]

 

 

When I was steering up Woolwich Reach on our way back from a trip to the Royal Docks a few years ago, this behemoth cam up behind us!

 

 

Over the years we have accumulated lots of photos of you playing with the Ferry, eg:

 

 

 

 

 

as anyone here doneTeddington to Limehouse and back in one day?

 

Ta

 

We did it several times last year. Going up and down takes a lot of concentration so have a good nights sleep beforehand!

 

[Victor Vectis]

The paddle steamers each had two V Twin engines operating the paddles independently.

Did they have some sort of an exemption from BoT regulations?

 

The reason I ask is I was on a trip on PS Waverley and was watching the engine with a friend, a Commander (E), RN rtd. We got into conversation about operating paddles independently and he said it was forbidden, ie paddle steamer engines designed so that the paddles could not be operated that way, due to cases of early paddlers capsizing when one wheel went full ahead and the other full astern.

 

Changing the subject slightly, I can remember the Woolwich paddle steamers from Saturdays out with my Dad aroundabout 1960.

Bus from Barking, where we lived, to East Ham Town Hall for the 101 to North Woolwich. Across on the ferry, from the pedestrian accommodation I can remember that you could look down into the boiler room on one side and the engine room on the other, and then another bus to Greenwich for the Cutty Sark and the Maritime Museum.

 

Gawd, I don't arf feel old sometimes!