Lower and Upper Avon

[Keeping Up]

 

We've never had a conflict like that with a volunteer lockeeper, do you think you were especially unlucky, or we are especially lucky?

 

I think we were unlucky. Even his wife was screaming at him.

[Mac of Cygnet]

 

 

Going upstream the most important rope is the bow line.

 

I usually take the bow line around a bollard and back to the T-stud on the bow as there can be quite a lot of load on it. The stern rope is less important.

 

 

 

But of course it is not possible to pull the boat in parallel to the lock wall using only the bow line - only with centre line or two lines can one do that. Apart from the fact that going forward to get the bow line, climbing the ladder (if the boat hasn't drifted away), putting it round the bollard, then climbing back down again to tie it to the T-stud (again If it hasn't drifted away!) is an awful lot more complicated (and IMO risky) than just going up with the centre line and securing it.

 

If you look at my second pic, you will see the boat being held in to the side by the current. Although this doesn't always follow theory (!), it is possible to control the boat with the centre line but not with the bow only.

 

I had far fewer problems on the Avon locks than on other wide locks I regularly use (eg Calder & Hebble, Rochdale) which can be much fiercer, and where such edicts don't exist.

[KenK]

Interesting we went from Stratford to Tewkesbury last August and apart from the lockie at Tewkesbury we didn't see anyone at the locks. Knowing no better we just treated them as we do all wide locks, centre line and open paddle gently.

Lockie at Tewkesbury was really nice guy and very helpful, we came under the bridge and saw a boat pulling out of a mooring, promptly nipped in it and tied up. Went to pay and ended up with a hire boater claiming I had stolen his space, I asked where his boat was and he pointed to one on the water tap mooring filling up. It was at least 70 ft and there was no way it would have fitted into the space, we are 60 ft and had about two inches either end. I offered to let him brest up but he didn't want to do that. Then I said we could see if his boat would fit and if so we'd move out and brest up to him, oh no he wasn't having that either, he became really stroppy not helped by his family / relatives joining in. The lockie solved it eventually by finding him and his tribe of objectionable relatives a different mooring. I've seldom come across such a wound up unpleasant individual especially when he and I assume family were supposed to be on holiday, they were not English either so they were paying a lot not to enjoy themselves.

 

Ken

[john6767]

Interesting we went from Stratford to Tewkesbury last August and apart from the lockie at Tewkesbury we didn't see anyone at the locks. Knowing no better we just treated them as we do all wide locks, centre line and open paddle gently.

Lockie at Tewkesbury was really nice guy and very helpful, we came under the bridge and saw a boat pulling out of a mooring, promptly nipped in it and tied up. Went to pay and ended up with a hire boater claiming I had stolen his space, I asked where his boat was and he pointed to one on the water tap mooring filling up. It was at least 70 ft and there was no way it would have fitted into the space, we are 60 ft and had about two inches either end. I offered to let him brest up but he didn't want to do that. Then I said we could see if his boat would fit and if so we'd move out and brest up to him, oh no he wasn't having that either, he became really stroppy not helped by his family / relatives joining in. The lockie solved it eventually by finding him and his tribe of objectionable relatives a different mooring. I've seldom come across such a wound up unpleasant individual especially when he and I assume family were supposed to be on holiday, they were not English either so they were paying a lot not to enjoy themselves.

 

Ken

 

I have not seen a lock keeper other than at Tewkesbury either, but ANT do make it clear that the use of a centre line only is not acceptable and that bow and stern ropes need to be used. It is even on the back of the visitor licence I think. Going down you would have been fine on centre line only in my opinion, but not going up. The force of water means you need a bow rope to keep control of the boat when gonig up.

 

I don't really see any of this is a big deal though, it nt different to how it works on the Thames really, and the Thames locks, particularity those where the sluices come in at the side put a real force on trying to push the boat across the lock, and again I don't think you would keep control with just a centre line in those cases.

 

The lock keeper at Tewkesbury is very helpful indeed, I like the way that he gives you his business card, and says to call him with any questions or problems, a nice touch.

[Mac of Cygnet]

Going down you would have been fine on centre line only in my opinion, but not going up. The force of water means you need a bow rope to keep control of the boat when gonig up.

 

I don't really see any of this is a big deal though, it nt different to how it works on the Thames really, and the Thames locks, particularity those where the sluices come in at the side put a real force on trying to push the boat across the lock, and again I don't think you would keep control with just a centre line in those cases.

 

 

 

The difference is that there are lock keepers on many Thames locks, and they were willing to take a bow rope from a singlehander, leaving me to go up the steps (not ladder!) with the centre or stern rope. Where there was no lockie (mostly very early morning, so no other boats in the lock), I adopted my usual centre rope only method, with no serious problems.

[Keeping Up]

I have not seen a lock keeper other than at Tewkesbury either, but ANT do make it clear that the use of a centre line only is not acceptable and that bow and stern ropes need to be used. It is even on the back of the visitor licence I think. Going down you would have been fine on centre line only in my opinion, but not going up. The force of water means you need a bow rope to keep control of the boat when gonig up.

 

I don't really see any of this is a big deal though, it nt different to how it works on the Thames really, and the Thames locks, particularity those where the sluices come in at the side put a real force on trying to push the boat across the lock, and again I don't think you would keep control with just a centre line in those cases.

 

The lock keeper at Tewkesbury is very helpful indeed, I like the way that he gives you his business card, and says to call him with any questions or problems, a nice touch.

And therein lies the inconsistency. You say it would be fine to use just the centre line when descending, but you also point out that it is one of the licence conditions that you must use bow and stern lines. It also becomes a big deal when a volunteer lockie claims to have CCTV footage of you having descended locks with only one rope and tells you to expect to be prosecuted within 30 days for having done so particularly in the context I described earlier.

 

On the other hand, I agree that the Tewkesbury keeper is one of the friendliest, most helpful, and most skilful that I have met.

 

Just to emphasise though, there is no way I would attempt to ascend an Avon lock with just one rope.

[blackrose]

I rarely see volunteer lockkeepers on the Avon. I think Bob at Tewkesbury is the only paid lockkeeper on the river - not sure about the bloke at Evesham.

 

Ultimately I'd have thought it's up to the skipper of the boat to decide how they safely handle it, despite the licence conditions. I doubt anyone's ever actually been prosecuted for only using a centre rope.

[john6767]

And therein lies the inconsistency. You say it would be fine to use just the centre line when descending, but you also point out that it is one of the licence conditions that you must use bow and stern lines. It also becomes a big deal when a volunteer lockie claims to have CCTV footage of you having descended locks with only one rope and tells you to expect to be prosecuted within 30 days for having done so particularly in the context I described earlier.

 

On the other hand, I agree that the Tewkesbury keeper is one of the friendliest, most helpful, and most skilful that I have met.

 

Just to emphasise though, there is no way I would attempt to ascend an Avon lock with just one rope.

I agree with everything you say there; I was just pointing out that in practice going down a centre line would work, but by the licence conditions you must use bow and stern ropes.

[Guest]

I shall be ascending the Avon and as I'm a singlehander, it looks like I shall be up and down the ladders a few times. Firstly to shin up with the centre line and then back down to gather the bow rope and back up again. Hopefully, there will be a volunteer to whom I can throw a rope to save me one of the journeys!

[Murflynn]

Hopefully, there will be a volunteer ..........

unlikely.

 

suggest you have the bow and stern ropes ready on the cabin roof and, after securing the boat with the centre line, you pick them up with a boat hook.

[keble]

A warning to anyone coming south/down river into Evesham lock.

The current can be VERY strong and its hard to hold your boat as you wait to enter the lock.

It didn't used to be like this.

I have heard it's due to the installation of a turbine; anyway it gave me a nasty scare!

[Dorlan]

In the late 1980s / early 1990s we had an 'arrangement' with the Tewkesbury lockies where we didn't use ropes at all when we in the lock on our own. We put the stem of the boat in the angle between the gates, kept the boat in gear and were locked through in half the time it normally took. This worked both going up and down the lock with a 70' boat! As far as I know we were the only boat they locked through like that!

[Dorlan]

Fladbury Lock, showing the reason why I always used bow and stern ropes at this lock. If the paddle on the same side as the boat was even partially opened the boat would always be pushed across the lock. If the opposite paddle was opened too quickly, the same thing happened. If both paddles were opened at the same time the effect was even worse, with the danger that the bow would end up under the flow from the opposite paddle. I watched once as a crew member from a pair of hotel boats, which were ascending the lock, opened the paddle fully. The jet of water went straight through the open front doors of the butty!

 

This is one lock where we had a real problem with one of the volunteers, one of the reach masters as it happened. He started fully opening one of the top paddles before I had even got the boat fully into the lock, never mind doing the 'shuffle over' to be able to close the gates or even tie up the boat! The air turned blue and it was only when I started crossing the top gates to his side that he reluctantly closed the paddle.

We eventually received an apology from the trust for his behaviour.

 

Another time, an elderly female volunteer took the bow rope from the missus and pulled the front of the boat into the middle of the V in the side of Wyre Piddle Lock. She didn't seem to realise that the back end of the boat was still sticking out of the tail end of the lock! When we pointed out that we needed to right up to the top gates she grumbled that the locks weren't built to take boats of our length!

 

Edited January 9, 2015 by Dorlan

[blackrose]

I always have my bow ropes ready on each side at the front of the roof. Going uphill I chuck the stern rope up as soon as I'm positioned in the lock and then I walk along the roof to to grab the bow rope and throw that up too. Most of the time you need to get onto the roof anyway to get to the ladder - unless you like walking along the gunwale next to the lock wall. Personally I find the roof safer.

 

 

 

suggest you have the bow and stern ropes ready on the cabin roof and, after securing the boat with the centre line, you pick them up with a boat hook.

You carry your boat hook up the ladder?

 

I always try to have both hands free on the ladder. Also, unless you have quite a long boat hook, with your method you'll be leaning over the side of the lock trying to hook the rope. It all sounds a bit unsafe and unnecessary to me.

Edited January 10, 2015 by blackrose

[blackrose]

A warning to anyone coming south/down river into Evesham lock.

The current can be VERY strong and its hard to hold your boat as you wait to enter the lock.

It didn't used to be like this.

I have heard it's due to the installation of a turbine; anyway it gave me a nasty scare!

 

Yes, it caught me out too the first time.

 

There's not enough signage there, but you're actually supposed to moor up against the landing next to the weir to open the lock (obviously not when the river's running fast, but then you shouldn't be on the river in those conditions anyway). In almost every other situation you stay away from weirs, but coming downstream towards Evesham lock you moor against the weir.

[Murflynn]

 

You carry your boat hook up the ladder?

 

I always try to have both hands free on the ladder. Also, unless you have quite a long boat hook, with your method you'll be leaning over the side of the lock trying to hook the rope. It all sounds a bit unsafe and unnecessary to me.

lightweight aluminium jobbie, throw it up onto the lockside.

 

you're right, I wouldn't want to do it with a wooden pole.

[Mrs Trackman]

All replies interesting. Need to do again to try out various theories. Next time will book tickets at theatre too. Snag is that relies on river levels not being up.

[blackrose]

lightweight aluminium jobbie, throw it up onto the lockside.

 

you're right, I wouldn't want to do it with a wooden pole.

 

So you throw up a centre rope and a pole? Why not just throw the bow and stern ropes up instead?

[matty40s]

 

So you throw up a centre rope and a pole? Why not just throw the bow and stern ropes up instead?

It is fairly normal practice not to have the stern rope tied on whilst cruising, I only have it ready to go on if cruising downstream, or practicing closing narrow lock gates when descending.

[Murflynn]

 

So you throw up a centre rope and a pole? Why not just throw the bow and stern ropes up instead?

no, I carry the centre rope up the windlass key up the ladder. Not ideal but practical.

With a small launch, which does not have straight sides, the boat rarely stays still and if I threw up any ropes they would surely be in the drink by the time I got to them.

[Tony Brooks]

I can't remember any problems on the Avon lockwise but we were going down stream. However we did have our long "river lines" on and we are a cruiser stern with a gas box to make scrambling onto the roof easy. As far as I remember I treated them just like an unmanned Thames lock. Front line running down the roof. Scramble onto the roof with stern line in hand, grab the bow line and get onto lock side.Drop the stern line around a bollard and back to the crew. Take a few NON-RIDING turns around the bollard with the bow line and leave it while taking time with the paddles, going back to adjust the bow line as required. I do not see why this would not be workable and safe in reverse when going up.

[blackrose]

no, I carry the centre rope up the windlass key up the ladder. Not ideal but practical.

With a small launch, which does not have straight sides, the boat rarely stays still and if I threw up any ropes they would surely be in the drink by the time I got to them.

 

Fair enough. The mass of my boat tends to keep it more or less in the same position once I've stopped it properly.

 

I don't like carrying ropes up ladders though - it's an accident waiting to happen.

[PaulG]

All replies interesting. Need to do again to try out various theories. Next time will book tickets at theatre too. Snag is that relies on river levels not being up.

If you are going though Evesham don't miss the best cinema in the area:

http://theregal.ac/

Comfy armchairs, your own table and a bar - what's not to like!

[Mrs Trackman]

If you are going though Evesham don't miss the best cinema in the area:

http://theregal.ac/

Comfy armchairs, your own table and a bar - what's not to like!

 

 

sounds brilliant thanks for that

[Peter Reg]

Hello everyone, I'm living aboard now for 2 months on my first narrowboat, a Les Wilson trad 57ft, a lovely boat and my home and I'm enjoying it very much even though it is winter, I've just got a Gold license, does any know if it covers me for the Avon and Severn rivers, because I want to go up or down the Avon end of February into March !? I admit I don't have any experience of navigating rivers yet, but I'm sure taking it slowly and talking and learning from other boaters, reading these useful comments here,I should be alright, I'm singlehanded on my boat aswell,