Flooded Rivers? C'mon Tell Us Your Storys!!!

[Adam]

Hya c'mon and tell your storys. Have you ever bein stuck in a faster flowing river than your boat can go or just about have you being dragged in the side by the fast flowing river ???

 

HERE IS MY STORY READ IT IF YOU WANT BUT PLEASE TELL US YOURS!!!!!

 

Me and my dad havegot a 22ft fiberglass cruiser and we went down towards selby down the river aire it wasnt too bad when we went down the river a little windy but thats all. We had a nice night in selby but got woken up several times by the wind. However we got up bright and early in the morning and set off for wakefield again and the boat started slowing down but the throttle was flat out. We got to the flood lock to get on the river aire from the selby canal but realised the river was flowing so fas and the wind was so strong we realised that we would go down stream if we enterd it. So we cruised back up to selby boat center and they showed us that the diesel we had in was a dodgy batch with water in it (the diesel wasnt from them) they showed us we just had to emty the water ou of the fuel filter. so we set back off got down to the flood lock again and it started slowing down again so we drained the fuel filter and it was fine again. So we decided to tackle the river we openend the gates and me and my dad got on the boat put the power flat out and took on the river (we left the gates open incase we had to come back in again) we got going again but every time we went round the corners the river sucked us in and kept grounding out the boat we managed to get up but it was rather stressful!!!!

 

WELL THEREZ MY STORY WHATS YOURS????

[Supermalc]

Nothing has happened to me, but there have been a couple of incidents in the last few years through Lincoln.

 

I have only noticed all the sluices fully open twice. Now this must have happened before without me knowing. I walked round the river for 16 years to work, then 10 years dog walking when I had to stop.

 

When in full flow the river is sucked down through the narrow part. The first time I saw the river 'flat out' was before I had got a boat, and later learned one was sunk in the glory hole. This incident was caused by someone blocking the exit when his boat could not continue to make progress, and a boat caught in the water coming downstream, managed to get stopped, but the water entered the back of the boat through the vents. The poor chap had to stand and watch his boat sink, and the other owner would not move his boat.

 

Then we had a months rain in a weekend in August. A boat ran aground, sustaining damage to a prop and shaft, and 4 NBs were held at stamp end lock for 3 days.

[cheshire~rose]

When I was doing the Penine ring a few years back we were heading towards Leeds Basin with the intention of morring up there for 2 nights and exploring the city. We were on a hire boat and so our progress was fairly critical in order for us to get the boat back after the 3 week hire period. It was during late April.

We encountered a BW lengthsman some way out of Leeds who enquired what our plans were. He explained to us that they had not let any boatds out onto the river at Leeds for 3 days because it was in flood and the basin was at maximum capacity with boats moored 2 and 3 deep to try and accomodate the mass waiting to get onto the river. He suggested that we may prefer to moor well before the basin as it was unlikely we would be allowed into an already overful area.

 

We decided to carry on and see what the situation was for ourselves as we would have time to turn and head back out a few miles before the night if there were no moorings available in the basin.

 

As we came through the last lock into the basin we could see boats everywhere and a throng of people surrounding the lock out of the basin onto the river. We wondered what had drawn them all to that area. We tied up alongside another boat and wandered over to look. At that moment someone who had been off looking for a BW official managed to find him and brought him over to the lock. Everyone was waiting for him to come and look at the river level marker which in their opinion had, for the first time in 3 days dropped into the 'safe' zone and they wanted him to allow the use of the locks so they could finally get out of the basin and on their way.

It was around tea time and most of them would only be doing the short hop up to the Armeries where they could moor again but without the problem of further delays if the river rose again.

The BW official pondered for a moment and declared the lock safe to use.

You have never seen such a mass exodus as every boat that had been held prisoner there made a dash for the Armouries before the sun went down.

 

We of course were left with a choice of moorings in what was now and almost completely empty basin and also left wondering if it was something we said or did we really ought to shower more often!

[Keeping Up]

Back in the 1960's we hired a cruiser from Oundle on the River Nene. As the river flooded, we found it increasingly difficult to get under the guillotine gates on our way back upstream, even though we'd folded the canopy down and laid the windscreen flat. Sure enough, just a couple of locks short of Oundle, we found one where it wouldn't fit (as evidenced by the cracking sound as the windscreen broke off).

 

We walked to the nearest public phone box and called the boatyard. "You'll have to come and get us, you'll be able to spot us quite easily as we'll be near a boat that hasn't got a windscreen" we said. The boatyard owner sounded relieved, "You mean you're still on the river? Thank goodness; we've just had a call from another hirer who has just boated across the fields to get to the phone box!"

 

Allan

[Trafalgar Marine]

I still remember breaking down aboard NB Bosworth (my parents 55ft warble) on the Ouse about two miles from the flood lock outside York. The engine cut out so we panicked a bit before dropping anchor. We then tried to hitch a lift from passing vessels. Unfortunately for us these mainly consisted of large plastic gin palaces. The river was not in full flood but it was pretty hairy. On another Ouse trip further downstream we hit a spring tide that was particularly high (and scary).

 

Anyway after about half an hour a fully laden barge and tug steamed into view (Carrying newspaper reels to York). We signalled that we where in distress

 

The skipper managed to pull along on our the port hand side and his "mate" threw us a line. We then tried to recover the anchor only to find it was well and truly stuck in the thick Yorkshire mud (o dear). We Managed to get it out by reversing the barge and boat against the current.

 

We then continued on to York where we had to use the larger of the twos locks, which was nice. It was only then the skipper got out of the tug, too our surprise we now found that our saviour and pilot of some 100 odd foot of vessel only had one arm. Could not believe it, what a guy!

 

Think my dad (Dave Dawson) wrote an article about the experience in waterways world some years back.

 

Michael

[Graham Davis]

Some years ago we hired a boat out of a place (now closed) in Lowesmoor Basin in Worcester. They knew me well. Went up to Stourport, then up the Staffie to Wolverhampton, turned around and came back down to Stourport to be met by one of the chaps from the hire boat company, telling us that the river was coming up, and that they were offering to "crew" hirers back to Worcester. As they knew me they told me just to carry on down. Was OK for the first couple of locks but the flow was VERY noticable!! When we got to Holt Lock we were called straight in and then realised that all the gates were open and we went straight through, like a cork out of a bottle!!

Bevere was working normally but trying to get into the locks at the bottom of Diglis Basin was hard work, but the ladder up the side was quite short!

The next day someone is said to have brought a 70" down and totally ignored Holt and gone straight over the weir, as they used to with the trows when the Severn was up.

 

Couple of years later I was asked to bring a boat that had been "stranded" at Evesham when the Avon came up, and bring it back up to Black Prince at Stoke Prior, so got a nice weekend holiday for all the family. Thank you John.

Edited March 24, 2007 by Graham Davis

[Alastair]

We then continued on to York where we had to use the larger of the twos locks, which was nice. It was only then the skipper got out of the tug, too our surprise we now found that our saviour and pilot of some 100 odd foot of vessel only had one arm. Could not believe it, what a guy!

 

that's Acaster Towing with Little Shuva (only has a 550hp Caterpiller). Great bloke, he's still working her. Very professional pair, they towed me into Goole when my prop shaft coupling broke.

[KenK]

On the Kennet at Newbury a few weeks ago on a nice sunny Sunday we decided to take the boat up to the diesel pump to fill up. Went up through Greenham lock without any problem, filled up, then decided to go through Newbury and turn above Newbury lock, needed full power to get through Newbury bridge to the lock. Went up ok but winding was a nightmare, two big blokes on the rear rope and full engine power and we only just went round. Back in the lock with another boat, when we opened the bottom gates the water from the side channels was creating white water. After you he said politely, out we went but the boat couldn't go as fast as the current even on full power hence no steering. We missed the bridge, just, and shot around the corner with the boat heeled over to slightly calmer water. Ok through Greenham lock, then the big mistake trying to U turn back into the mooring, normally we can just make it but not that day, we ended up jammed across the river.

 

Its amazing how nice people are, after they stopped laughing. We had at least ten people hauling on the rope trying to pull the boat off, eventually with the help of a Spanish windlass and removing the rear button we got her round just as it was getting dark.

 

I'm hoping for a few dry days before Easter so the flow slows down somewhat. Still forewarned is forearmed I bought a winch just in case.

 

Ken

[Keeping Up]

Extreme narrowboating - Bath to Bristol in May 2000

 

If you haven't seen this one before, you really must read it (unless you're of a nervous disposition).

 

Allan

[John Orentas]

If you go on the Caldon Canal this year, call at the Holly Bush at Denford, one of the nicest pubs on a canal with lots of nice pubs, alongside the fireplace about four & a half feet from the floor in the lounge you may see a small brass plaque inscribed with something like 'Level of the great flood 1984'. In that year we were spending a week or so on the canal, the weather wasn't too good, in fact it had rained on and off for a couple of weeks, we called at the Holly Bush just a couple of days after the place had been given a complete make-over, carpets, upholstery, re-painted, the lot, the landlord was very keen to show us around his 'new pub'.

 

We carried on and moored for the night at the end of the garden of the Red Lion at Cheddleton, still raining. The following morning, still raining we were about to set off when we noticed the water rising at an alarming rate, flowing over the tow-path and the gates of nearby lock 13. The bloke who owned the restaurant across the canal was panicking and eventually a couple of BW guys turned up to try and sort things out (by this time I was tied to a tree, the bank having disappeared), they told us that a dam at Rudyard Lake the main feeder for the waterway was in danger of collapse, water was flowing uncontrolled over it and sluices had to be opened. We stayed the day and following night tied to the tree in the pub garden, 'It was Hell'.

 

By morning the water had gone down somewhat but all the land around was under water along with the Flint Mill and lot's of other properties, the canal and river were constanly swapping places, we got to Oak Meadow Ford Lock. A local the night before had told me, "Ignore the height gauge, if you can get under the bridge you will be OK" we got under the bridge 'just' and we were OK 'just'. The river and canal are 'one' along this stretch we were travelling so fast that the boat over-shot Consall Forge weir and moorings by 100 yards. After a few more adventures we headed home calling in once again at the Holly Bush. The place was devastated, flood water had covered the bar. The good natured landlord said that being commercial premises they were insured but he felt for the residents of the adjacent cottages as the area was prone to flooding they could not get insurance.

 

He did tell me though about one of his locals who canoed through the front door at the height of the flood and moored to the bar, "The optics were OK."

Edited March 26, 2007 by John Orentas

[Hairy-Neil]

Extreme narrowboating - Bath to Bristol in May 2000

 

If you haven't seen this one before, you really must read it (unless you're of a nervous disposition).

 

Allan

 

Looks like natural selection at work to me.....

 

 

In that situation if you had to move the boat you should go backwards with the flow, then you (hopefully) have full control against the current.....trying to run with the flow in those sort of flood conditions is foolhardy to say the least.....

[Theo]

Looks like natural selection at work to me.....

In that situation if you had to move the boat you should go backwards with the flow, then you (hopefully) have full control against the current.....trying to run with the flow in those sort of flood conditions is foolhardy to say the least.....

 

If I had been so daft as to do what they did I would keep very quiet abut it rather than advertise my folly to the world!

 

Nick

[matisok]

If I had been so daft as to do what they did I would keep very quiet abut it rather than advertise my folly to the world!

 

Nick

 

Publishing it makes people learn from others

[Guest]

Publishing it makes people learn from others

 

5 years to respond where have you been all this time?

[WJM]

Tidal Thames, Brentford to Teddington: I can normally do it in about 40 minutes. Did it one winter when the river was on full 'Red Board' flood alert. But my cunning plan was to go just as the tide turned, the strong incoming tide would negate the outgoing flood. Three hours later I crawled into Teddington Lock. It was then that I heard the London VTS Radio broadcast announcing that the Thames Barrier had been raised and that there would be no incoming tide that day!

[carlt]

5 years to respond where have you been all this time?

Formulating a carefully considered response...

[bizzard]

I once forgot to put the securing clip on a mast side stay clevis pin on my old Fireball sailing dinghy and at the first gybe during an winter open series race on the R.Crouch the pin flew out whist i was hooked up on the trapeze.I got yanked through the air,boat capsized,the mast severely damaged the boats fore-deck,shipwrecked.But we survived to tell the tale,though everyone saw it happen,we were the laughing stock at our club for ages.

[14skipper]

Must be a slow news day,so lets drag up a five year old topic

 

14skipper

Edited February 1, 2012 by 14skipper