sailing backwards???

[umpire111]

have to go onto tidal waters between Naburn and Selby lock- am told that I shall have to sail backwards when going into the Selby lock- can someone explain

 

1. why and

2. how to do it please

 

New to me

 

Cheers

[pete.i]

You don't have to reverse into the lock if that is what you are saying. Selby lock is slightly angled downstream so you have to sail past the lock a little way and then do a hard right to get in. I haven't done it myself although my boat has. The lockie at Selby will direct you when you get there but maybe it would be a good idea to have a word with him before you do it assuming you are near enough to Selby to make that viable.

 

Have a look on Google Earth, if you have it, to see the angle of the lock river entrance to the river. The angle isn't acute but it is enough to make it more difficult to enter if you turn adjacent to the lock entrance. The lockie will direct you to go past the lock slightly and then turn across the river to get in this means that you would be going, slightly, against the current I assume that this is why you have been told to sail backwards. I would think that actually sailing in reverse into the lock would be impossible and I certainly haven't seen anyone do that. The current can be quite fierce and you would have little or no steerage going in reverse. Hope that helps. As I have said it would be a good idea if you have a word with the Selby lock keeper if you can.

[mrsmelly]

have to go onto tidal waters between Naburn and Selby lock- am told that I shall have to sail backwards when going into the Selby lock- can someone explain

 

1. why and

2. how to do it please

 

New to me

 

Cheers

 

Hi

 

You need to " Round up " Do yourself a favour and ask the lockie a good time to get there and a good tide to do it on.

 

Tim

[Guest]

You don't have to reverse into the lock if that is what you are saying. Selby lock is slightly angled downstream so you have to sail past the lock a little way and then do a hard right to get in. I haven't done it myself although my boat has. The lockie at Selby will direct you when you get there but maybe it would be a good idea to have a word with him before you do it assuming you are near enough to Selby to make that viable.

 

Have a look on Google Earth, if you have it, to see the angle of the lock river entrance to the river. The angle isn't acute but it is enough to make it more difficult to enter if you turn adjacent to the lock entrance. The lockie will direct you to go past the lock slightly and then turn across the river to get in this means that you would be going, slightly, against the current I assume that this is why you have been told to sail backwards. I would think that actually sailing in reverse into the lock would be impossible and I certainly haven't seen anyone do that. The current can be quite fierce and you would have little or no steerage going in reverse. Hope that helps. As I have said it would be a good idea if you have a word with the Selby lock keeper if you can.

I think the op is referring to the technique of turning and allowing the flow to carry you backwards past the lock not reversing into the lock, and then entering the lock forwards against the flow.

 

I have never done it either but have watched boats do it. There was a video posted on here a while ago showing how it's done. I will see if I can unearth it.

[mrsmelly]

I think the op is referring to the technique of turning and allowing the flow to carry you backwards past the lock not reversing into the lock, and then entering the lock forwards against the flow.

 

I have never done it either but have watched boats do it. There was a video posted on here a while ago showing how it's done. I will see if I can unearth it.

 

Yep thatsthe way to do it.

 

Tim

[Guest]

Found the video.

 

http://www.canalworld.net/forums/index.php?showtopic=42148#entry768360

[matty40s]

It was the best way of getting into Limehouse on a fast running tide with one boat I did it on.

Not completely intentional, I turned too early from the other side of the river, however, it made getting in so much easier than punching the tide from below.

[Scholar Gypsy]

Here's another video, turning a bit late?

 

Some quite colourful commentary...

Edited April 3, 2015 by Scholar Gypsy

[Guest]

Here's another

, turning a bit late?

 

Some quite colourful commentary...

They sound as if they are from very local to me.!

[blackrose]

The technique is called ferry-gliding. Very useful on rivers on underpowered canal boats (or any boat for that matter). I've used it going into Limehouse too, even though I turned at the right time to make an upstream entrance. You still ferry-glide across the river whichever way you do it - but if you turned upstream of Limehouse and managed to get into the lock entrance right at the end of your ferry-glide that would look cool Matty, even if unintentional! I also used the technique regularly on my aluminium dinghy when I lived on and island on the Thames. Those red-board river crossings used to get the adrenaline going...

 

Ferry-gliding

You can harness the force of the tide or current current to move a boat sideways. For centuries, ferrymen have been using the stream to take the effort out of crossing rivers. Basically, if a boat is set at an angle to the stream and is driven slowly forward then the forward vector will combine with the current vector to produce a sideways movement. If the boat’s angle to the current is reduced and the speed reduced, then the sideways speed will also reduce. If the boat’s angle to the current is increased and the speed increased then the sideways movement will increase. Ferry-gliding is an extremely useful technique and most helmsmen will use it to a greater or lesser extent whenever they are operating in a strong current or tide.

http://www.books-for-sail.com/seamanship-and-boatcraft/22-boat-handling-basics-safe-boat-handlng-explained.html

Edited April 4, 2015 by blackrose

[GUMPY]

This is a ferry glide, no engine just a bit of wire across the river

Miravet Castle Ferry. Spain.:

 

The River Ebro carries more water at summer levels than the Thames does in full flood.

 

Ignore the commentary its the only vid I could find of the ferry

Edited April 4, 2015 by Loddon

[blackrose]

Some European rivers are bigger or faster, but the Thames can still be pretty scary in full flood.

 

[GUMPY]

 

Some European rivers are bigger or faster, but the Thames can still be pretty scary in full flood.

 

Indeed I have seen the Ebro come up 15ft overnight, one of the joys is that there is very little boating traffic, no more than five boats in 30 miles means you can run at 20knots and not get yelled at.

 

https://www.dropbox.com/s/shssixxdmvrz1jd/2014-06-11%2019.07.22.jpg?dl=0

 

ETA that was 3ft below normal summer level last year.

Edited April 4, 2015 by Loddon