Boat sunk in Weston Lock, T&M

[Paul C]

I don't think "inexperience" can cover it, after all its common sense. I guess someone will say common sense isn't that common any more.

[Philip]

Things can easily go wrong in a lock regardless of experience..being alert to what's happening is probably the most important. When locking down another hazard, apart fron the cill, is if the bow or bow fender gets caught on the bottom gate posts when the lock is emptying. I've had this happen with mine at Bosley, Hack Green and Tyrley locks and whilst no harm was done because of the paddles being dropped immediately, the boat was certainly on its way! Maybe experience would count in not running ahead to set the next lock too early, ie. before the bow is clear of the main obstacles.

[ditchcrawler]

Things can easily go wrong in a lock regardless of experience..being alert to what's happening is probably the most important. When locking down another hazard, apart fron the cill, is if the bow or bow fender gets caught on the bottom gate posts when the lock is emptying. I've had this happen with mine at Bosley, Hack Green and Tyrley locks and whilst no harm was done because of the paddles being dropped immediately, the boat was certainly on its way! Maybe experience would count in not running ahead to set the next lock too early, ie. before the bow is clear of the main obstacles.

My front fender would just fall away if it caught going down

[MissMax]

Could you explain it so a simple person like me can understand so I don't make the same mistake.

 

Thank you

[matty40s]

Could you explain it so a simple person like me can understand so I don't make the same mistake.

 

Thank you

OK, if you are travelling from Shardlow towards Burton, there are 5 wide locks, in increasingness nastyness.

The first, at Shardlow, is a doddle, although leaky from the bottom end.;....so you don't drop the paddles until you got a gate open.

The second is the one I mentioned and got corrected on earlier, Aston, the top ground paddles have been out of action for ages now, so you have to open the gate paddles, these are fierce, and bounce off the cill so if you have a 70 foot boat you need to open the opposite side only, until the vent is covered on your boat side.

Aston is where the boa was sunk, one ground paddle was working a month ago and both gate paddles, open both the ground until the lock is 3/4 full, and then the gate paddle.

Swarkestone is wide number 4 - all gate and ground paddles working a month ago - again, ground paddles until 1/2 full then the gate paddles.

the deepest one is Stenson Lock, open ground paddles, watch the front of your boat to make sure it is going over the uneven logs not getting stuck, when the bow clears the cill,open the gate paddles.

 

after that, the locks are a doddle.

[Guest]

OK, if you are travelling from Shardlow towards Burton, there are 5 wide locks, in increasingness nastyness.

The first, at Shardlow, is a doddle, although leaky from the bottom end.;....so you don't drop the paddles until you got a gate open.

The second is the one I mentioned and got corrected on earlier, Aston, the top ground paddles have been out of action for ages now, so you have to open the gate paddles, these are fierce, and bounce off the cill so if you have a 70 foot boat you need to open the opposite side only, until the vent is covered on your boat side.

Aston is where the boa was sunk, one ground paddle was working a month ago and both gate paddles, open both the ground until the lock is 3/4 full, and then the gate paddle.

Swarkestone is wide number 4 - all gate and ground paddles working a month ago - again, ground paddles until 1/2 full then the gate paddles.

the deepest one is Stenson Lock, open ground paddles, watch the front of your boat to make sure it is going over the uneven logs not getting stuck, when the bow clears the cill,open the gate paddles.

 

after that, the locks are a doddle.

 

Things must have deteriorated a lot since we were down there - I honestly don't remember that run which we did a few times each month being that problematic, or maybe we just got bit blasé ??

[matty40s]

 

Things must have deteriorated a lot since we were down there - I honestly don't remember that run which we did a few times each month being that problematic, or maybe we just got bit blasé ??

a couple of years ago at Stenson, they stuck big steel panels on the cill wall so you could ride up it without worrying about the front end catching, they have removed these now, so you are constantly watching the front end slide over and into crevices catching the fender or front end. Swarkestone and Weston are no better, Ason has no ground paddles working.

 

but hey ho, they cut back trees last year and dredged..somewhere.

[Philip]

Swarkestone Lock has the most fierce gate paddles along here; apart from being deep it has double paddles on both gates and the surge looks bigger than on the others. It's impressive to watch and you can probably fill the lock from empty in not much over 5 minutes, without opening the ground paddles.

 

Normal bow fenders may bounce off the back gates, but the bow on my boat (a cruiser) sticks out and is quite high and so it can get well and truly trapped. Add this to the fact that the boat gets pulled towards the gates when the bottom paddles are opened 9when single-handing) and it's something to watch out for.

[Mrs Trackman]

Any update on this sinking? I'm struggling to imagine why anyone would go backwards up the lock unless they simply changed their minds and wanted to moor above the lock. There's no winding holes between Shardlow and above West on. I suppose they could have been heading for the latter winding hole.

[Richard T]

To get to the water point having missed it before going down the lock?

[GoodGurl]

Any update on this sinking? I'm struggling to imagine why anyone would go backwards up the lock unless they simply changed their minds and wanted to moor above the lock. There's no winding holes between Shardlow and above West on. I suppose they could have been heading for the latter winding hole.

they decided it was too late to carry on so refilled the lock to go back up.

[Mrs Trackman]

Yes. Get it now. Very very unfortunate. We do back into locks sometimes-meadow lane for example if we are on the trent and want to use the facilities but we are lucky enough to know the locks well, they vary so much.