Red Wharf On The Trent

[Victor Vectis]

Those CWDFers with a long memory might remember a spat between two certain CWDF members a year or two ago when we ventured south from Keadby to Torksey.

 

We are currently moored in Newark and will be going the other way, ie north, tomorrow or tuesday.

 

LADEES AND GENLEMEN place your bets for what time we might arrive at Torksey and or Keadby.

 

And a tad more seriously...........spoke to the lockie at Cromwell this afternoon. He said if we went out from Cromwell at 05:30 on tuesday morning and festered at Torksey for an hour or so we could get to Keadby in on hop.

Thats 45 miles in one day!!

 

Is it doable?

[Dave_P]

If the lockie says it, it must be true. Why the rush though?

 

I can't possibly imagine who the two spatters were...

[ditchcrawler]

Those CWDFers with a long memory might remember a spat between two certain CWDF members a year or two ago when we ventured south from Keadby to Torksey.

 

We are currently moored in Newark and will be going the other way, ie north, tomorrow or tuesday.

 

LADEES AND GENLEMEN place your bets for what time we might arrive at Torksey and or Keadby.

 

And a tad more seriously...........spoke to the lockie at Cromwell this afternoon. He said if we went out from Cromwell at 05:30 on tuesday morning and festered at Torksey for an hour or so we could get to Keadby in on hop.

Thats 45 miles in one day!!

 

Is it doable?

I would say do it, why sit around for half a day outside a lock, you cant really do the trip slowly

[NilesMI]

The last time I made the trip we overnighted at Torksey. But as we were waiting to leave for Keadby another boat came along and joined us. He had come down from Cromwell that morning, so yes, I think it's perfectly feasible that you can make Cromwell to Keadby in the day.

 

There will be quite a tide by the time you get to Torksey so be aware as you make the turn in.

[StephenA]

We've done it with a couple of hours layover at Torksey... We did it it torrential rain and gale force winds..... it looks like you should have good weather.

[Tony Dunkley]

 

And a tad more seriously...........spoke to the lockie at Cromwell this afternoon. He said if we went out from Cromwell at 05:30 on tuesday morning and festered at Torksey for an hour or so we could get to Keadby in on hop.

Thats 45 miles in one day!!

 

Is it doable?

 

Cromwell to Keadby isn't quite 45 miles, . . . more like 43, and assuming your boat is capable of achieving and maintaining 5 knots, and assuming you don't 'park it' in/on any of the shallows/shoals, it's 'doable' [on Tuesday] in just over 6 hours, without the need to stop at Torksey.

 

Leaving Cromwell 2 hours before High Water at Hull, as you would be at 0530 on Tuesday 5 July, and running at around 5 knots you will probably meet the Flood around Marton, HW around Lea Marshes and have the ebb pushing you along again by Gainsborough.

 

You'll be at Keadby about 3 hours after local HW, with plenty of depth still left over the heap of muck in the lock tail.

Round up towards the ness [East side] as soon as you've got Keadby Light [West side, halfway between Keadby Bridge and the Lock] on the beam, drop down sternfirst to the lock and come to a standstill very close [less than a boats length off] to the wall with your fore-end level with the lock, then go ahead and turn in under full rudder and [briefly] full power, gathering as little way as possible.

Edited July 4, 2016 by Tony Dunkley

[Victor Vectis]

Thanks for those replies.

 

We'll be pushing off to Cromwell later this afternoon.

 

Doing the trip to Keadby in one go would be a hell of a long day and what we might gain in time I reckon we would loose the next day by being knackered, so I we'll probably overnight at Torksey.

[matty40s]

Going the other way, I left Keadby just before 8am and moored at Fiskerton before the pub stopped serving food in the evening, I then got to Zouch next evening, around 92 miles in 2 days single handing.

[Dave123]

Just wondering if going north or south between Keadby and Cromwell is 'easier'? It seems going Keadby to Cromwell avoids the tricky turn into the lock at Keadby even if we might be pushing against the tide/flow for longer? Aiming to be there later this month so hopefully river levels will be a bit lower than they have been...

[matty40s]

Keadby to Cromwell (North to South upstream) is a doddle.

The locky will let you out as soon as it is safe after the incoming tide has gone past, then it is around 7-8 hours to Cromwell. You are with the tide for the first 5/6 hours and then slack water to tide just starting to recede as you near Cromwell.

[Dave123]

Keadby to Cromwell (North to South upstream) is a doddle.

The locky will let you out as soon as it is safe after the incoming tide has gone past, then it is around 7-8 hours to Cromwell. You are with the tide for the first 5/6 hours and then slack water to tide just starting to recede as you near Cromwell.

That's good to hear as its our first time. Will stay overnight at Torksey too, to make it even easier, and also as we have a dog that will need to get off, and I have yet to set foot in Lincolnshire!

[Dave_P]

Keadby to Cromwell (North to South upstream) is a doddle.

The locky will let you out as soon as it is safe after the incoming tide has gone past, then it is around 7-8 hours to Cromwell. You are with the tide for the first 5/6 hours and then slack water to tide just starting to recede as you near Cromwell.

Those times depend on the size of the tide. On a small tide you'd be working a narrowboat hard to make anything like those times. On a big tide then truly you would whizz up.

[Naughty Cal]

That's good to hear as its our first time. Will stay overnight at Torksey too, to make it even easier, and also as we have a dog that will need to get off, and I have yet to set foot in Lincolnshire!

Don't bother. You won't like it.

[Dave123]

Thanks Dave_P, we had heard the same so will break the journey at Torksey. And yes...a good friend from Grimsby says exactly the same about Lincolnshire, but still...maybe they just want to keep it a secret

[RLWP]

Thanks for those replies.

 

We'll be pushing off to Cromwell later this afternoon.

 

Doing the trip to Keadby in one go would be a hell of a long day and what we might gain in time I reckon we would loose the next day by being knackered, so I we'll probably overnight at Torksey.

 

Have you drowned?

 

Richard

[Naughty Cal]

Thanks Dave_P, we had heard the same so will break the journey at Torksey. And yes...a good friend from Grimsby says exactly the same about Lincolnshire, but still...maybe they just want to keep it a secret

No we don't. It's really grim.

 

Go away.

[Victor Vectis]

 

Have you drowned?

Better drowned than a duffer................?

 

But I felt a bit of a duffer yesterday.

 

Left Torksey 10ish in the company of a river cruiser. Made about 3/3.5 mph against the tide until it turned then 6/7mph down to Keadby.

Called the lockie up on the VHF. He said he would take us in first while the cruiser loitered in the river. I rounded up above the lock intending to drift back and turn into the lock when a voice called on the VHF "Go round. Go round!!" I thought it was the lockie so I did. (As an aside can I say that doing doughnuts outside Keadby Lock is nowhere near as much fun as doing the same in Tixall Wide)

 

Turned again downstream of the lock and pushed back up to get in. We were about a boat length or so away from the wall. With the nose in what I thought the right place put the power on and turned in. The centre of the boat caught on the mudbank on the downstream side and tipped to the left while the front banged into the lock wall then bounced, off giving enough space to get the front in and back round, pivioting, I think, on the mudbank. We did, however, get into the lock!

 

Turned out the voice on the VHF was from the cruiser out in the river. He said, later, that if we had drifted back we would have caught on the upstream mudbank. Thinking about it I suppose we should have been further out in the river and away from the wall.

 

Not one of my better efforts, I fear.

 

If/when we visit the Fossdyke or the Chesterfield the route will involve coming OUT of Keadby, NOT trying to get in!

[john6767]

Better drowned than a duffer................?

 

But I felt a bit of a duffer yesterday.

 

Left Torksey 10ish in the company of a river cruiser. Made about 3/3.5 mph against the tide until it turned then 6/7mph down to Keadby.

Called the lockie up on the VHF. He said he would take us in first while the cruiser loitered in the river. I rounded up above the lock intending to drift back and turn into the lock when a voice called on the VHF "Go round. Go round!!" I thought it was the lockie so I did. (As an aside can I say that doing doughnuts outside Keadby Lock is nowhere near as much fun as doing the same in Tixall Wide)

 

Turned again downstream of the lock and pushed back up to get in. We were about a boat length or so away from the wall. With the nose in what I thought the right place put the power on and turned in. The centre of the boat caught on the mudbank on the downstream side and tipped to the left while the front banged into the lock wall then bounced, off giving enough space to get the front in and back round, pivioting, I think, on the mudbank. We did, however, get into the lock!

 

Turned out the voice on the VHF was from the cruiser out in the river. He said, later, that if we had drifted back we would have caught on the upstream mudbank. Thinking about it I suppose we should have been further out in the river and away from the wall.

 

Not one of my better efforts, I fear.

 

If/when we visit the Fossdyke or the Chesterfield the route will involve coming OUT of Keadby, NOT trying to get in!

 

Interesting stuff. Have you seen this video, is that similar to how it went for you?

 

[Victor Vectis]

Hmm, far more elegant than us yesterday.

 

Would it have helped 'Jeanie Deans' that there was something big tied up on the wharf upstream of the lock? It was empty yesterday.

 

And looking at the video there doesn't seem to be a mudbank on the downstream side of the lock entrance. Looking at where their boat is from about 1:45 - 2:30 that's where we cowped over.

Edited July 7, 2016 by Victor Vectis

[john6767]

Hmm, far more elegant than us yesterday.

 

Would it have helped 'Jeanie Deans' that there was something big tied up on the wharf upstream of the lock? It was empty yesterday.

 

And looking at the video there doesn't seem to be a mudbank on the downstream side of the lock entrance. Looking at where their boat is from about 1:45 - 2:30 that's where we cowped over.

Isn't at 1:45 were he gets stuck and the sandbank too, isn't that the downstream side of the lock?. You will probably guess (think we have talked about it at the Blue Bell!) that we need to go this way probably next year and I am rather nervous about it to be honest. So would the correct thing to be to be a bit further out and get more square on to the lock before turning in?

[matty40s]

I had the lovely treat of being invited up into the lock control tower the day before and seeing everything in action, I also went on the river bank at low tide to familiarise myself with where the sandbanks are ( I did the same at Salters Lode a week before going out of there). The big boat being tied up above the lock doesn't affect the sandbanks, and coming out, doesn't affect the flow either.

[ValandPete]

Downstream into Keadby Lock is the most frightening experience I have ever had. Never, ever, ever again.

 

I didn't touch the sides and had to steer between two narrowboats already in the lock,waiting on each side, at some speed, river full after lots of rain. Proud to have done it but I will never, ever do it again.

 

Ever.

 

Val

[Victor Vectis]

I'm inclined to agree with you!

 

The lockie at Cromwell said there was about 3ft of 'fresh' on the river when we left there the day before, so I'm guessing that will have increased the flow past the lock entrance.

 

FWIW I found the turn into Selby lock from the Ouse the year before last much easier (but that was probably more luck than judgement)

[Tony Dunkley]

In the latter years BW increasingly neglected to keep the lock tail at Keadby cleaned out, and now C&RT seem to be letting it get even worse.

The effect of this is to reduce the length of time after local HW that boats can get in or out of Keadby Cut.

This now makes it even more advantageous to time arrival at and entry into Keadby for close to local High Water, when there is little or no tide/current and plenty of depth over Parry's mud banks.

 

This topic from last year explains how to do it :~

Down the Tidal Trent ~~~ Why not do it the easier way ?

Started by Tony Dunkley, 20 Aug 2015 05:56 PM

Edited July 7, 2016 by Tony Dunkley

[Chertsey]

We went downstream into Keadby in Warrior, hitting the wall quite a clout on the way in. Once on the SSYN we stopped at the first rubbish point to get rid of our broken crockery. I opened the bin and it was full of broken crockery. Didn't feel such a duffer then.