What are the basic requirments for the Thames?

[magnetman]

I know it looked like Devizes-London in the OP it is in fact London (actually River Lea in Herts (Roydon marina maybe?)) to Devizes so the Brent would be flowing in their direction once they get to the bottom of Hanwell locks

[mark99]

Ta Magnet. Missed that.

[Drayke]

I believe that you should also have an anchor on some parts of the K & A as this is two canalised rivers. I stand corrected if I’m wrong.

 

Fred.

[magnetman]

I believe that you should also have an anchor on some parts of the K & A as this is two canalised rivers. I stand corrected if Im wrong.

 

Fred.

Maybe on the Avon but the canalised section of the Kennet is so narrow I would have thought you would just end up at the side if you suffered engine failure or a prop foul so not sure how useful an anchor would be. Not sure about weirs but some of the side sluices immediately above the locks (I especially remember one at Thatcham lock ) have a very strong pull when they are opened after rain but I can't see an anchor having much effect if you lost power when beside one of those.

 

It may well be in the navigation guidelines or something and is probably a sensible precaution. Definitely a good idea on the Thames specially at this time of year.

Edited October 15, 2016 by magnetman

[Peter X]

 

Thanks for all this useful advice and your kind offer. At the moment having the boat trailered is looking like the most attractive proposition but we'll keep all options open for the time being. Much will depend on how quickly we can get the boat surveyed (and also, ideally, blacked). No doubt by the spring we will have the experience and confidence to tackle greater challenges, and also intend by then to have taken the YHA helmsman's course.

Yes. If you get the survey done very soon and it turns out that the boat is ready to go or can quickly be made so, and you postpone the blacking, you might just be able to set off this weekend and so beat the Windsor closure. Otherwise you're looking at going by lorry, or fixing up the boat over winter then moving it in February/March.

[dmr]

There has been very little rain recently so late October would be a great time to go up the Thames if you can fit it in. Days are short but with an early start 3 days should get you from Teddington to Reading. One of the big issues for people new to the Thames is finding moorings as they are a bit limited (compared to the canal) and can get full in Summer. A big advantage of doing it in October is that you can moor just about anywhere. A possible disadvantage is that you will feel very lonely out there on the river. If you can find an experienced boater to accompany you from Brentford to Teddington, and then up the first few Thames locks then that would be a huge help.

Main issue is that you don't have much time to make sure that the boat in reliable.

 

..............Dave

[Froggy]

Maybe on the Avon but the canalised section of the Kennet is so narrow I would have thought you would just end up at the side if you suffered engine failure or a prop foul so not sure how useful an anchor would be. Not sure about weirs but some of the side sluices immediately above the locks (I especially remember one at Thatcham lock ) have a very strong pull when they are opened after rain but I can't see an anchor having much effect if you lost power when beside one of those.

 

It may well be in the navigation guidelines or something and is probably a sensible precaution. Definitely a good idea on the Thames specially at this time of year.

 

 

I know the K&A well between Bath and slightly east of Devizes (as a hiker) and am pretty sure an anchor would not be remotely necessary in this stretch. There is no apparent flow and i can't recall any weirs in this stretch. East of that, i can't comment. However, in the longer term we will buy an anchor anyway in order to be ready for river navigation.

[Peter X]

Other people on here with more river experience may well need to correct this, but my understanding of anchors is this:

 

If you lose power due to any kind of engine failure which can't quickly be restarted, this is easily dealt with on a canal by just drifting over to a bank, probably with the assistance of a pole. Even where there's some current, e.g. on sections where a river flows in or out of a canal, or on a slow flowing river, this is often possible. But if you're on a tidal river, or a river in flood, the faster the flow the more you could need an anchor.

 

So the usual advice is to have a suitable anchor for the boat (and understand how to stow and deploy it) if you're on any tidal or otherwise strong river. It's a bit of an investment if you just plan a single trip from Brentford to the K&A at a time when the Thames is flowing normally, but in the unlikely event that you need it you'll really need it. On the other hand, your best protection is to prevent problems by having a good reliable engine and keeping away from the upstream side of weirs.

 

There are a few places on the eastern K&A where the flow can be strong after rain, because the Kennet flows in and out of the canal. For example alongside County Lock in Reading there's a big weir, so coming upstream out of the lock you need enough power to fight the flow. I've only done that bit in normal conditions when any old functioning engine is quite adequate, but suspect there are times when it would be unsafe to attempt it.

[dmr]

 

 

I know the K&A well between Bath and slightly east of Devizes (as a hiker) and am pretty sure an anchor would not be remotely necessary in this stretch. There is no apparent flow and i can't recall any weirs in this stretch. East of that, i can't comment. However, in the longer term we will buy an anchor anyway in order to be ready for river navigation.

 

Between Reading and Newbury its a different beast altogether, and at times beast is exactly the right word.

 

 

.............Dave

[Froggy]

 

Thanks for all this useful advice and your kind offer. At the moment having the boat trailered is looking like the most attractive proposition but we'll keep all options open for the time being. Much will depend on how quickly we can get the boat surveyed (and also, ideally, blacked). No doubt by the spring we will have the experience and confidence to tackle greater challenges, and also intend by then to have taken the YHA helmsman's course.

 

Errrm, yeah..... well obviously i meant RYA course..... at the moment i know far more about hiking than boating, and it shows. D'oh!!!

[WrightCharlie]

Just a thought - maybe have a pro skipper move you through the first and more difficult bits - not sure how far that would need to be though? Might be easier to get someone for few days rather than whole trip, also cheaper.

[Froggy]

Just a thought - maybe have a pro skipper move you through the first and more difficult bits - not sure how far that would need to be though? Might be easier to get someone for few days rather than whole trip, also cheaper.

 

Thanks for the input. It's a good idea, but unfortunately time is now against us due to lock closures so the boat will probably be brought down by a haulier.