Can I transit from Glasson dock to the Thames?

[Scholar Gypsy]

 

 

 

I know the actual journey is part of the fun (we bought a cat in Croatia last year, we could have had her shipped back at a cost of £30,000 but decided to take a month and sail her back. - great trip.

 

That's an expensive pet. Oh I see, not that sort of cat.

[MtB]

 

That's an expensive pet. Oh I see, not that sort of cat.

 

 

I think he meant one of those cat-a-merangue boats...

[OldGoat]

From what I gather elsewhere - he's got no loo at all.

He says he's got no experience little experience (post 1) but is contemplating some sort of sea journey or at least tidal where a 6hp won't get him out of trouble.

Great that there are some intrepid folks left - but sometimes....

(sorry)

 

Perhaps a real concern is that a small sailing boat can easily get damaged on the canal system. Unforgiving ArmCo, sharp underwater hazards, lumpy locks and most severe Other Boaters.

[steve yates]

No loo, pee bottle and shoreside facilities ( bucket at sea)

No fridges she's very basic. Gas cooker, solar panel to recharge battery.

Do I need to have a bsc or is a visitors licence enough?

 

The sailing and tidal bits are not a concern, I'm not precious about scratches to gel Kat etc, but other big canal boats hitting her hard are a concern

[howardang]

No loo, pee bottle and shoreside facilities ( bucket at sea)

No fridges she's very basic. Gas cooker, solar panel to recharge battery.

Do I need to have a bsc or is a visitors licence enough?

 

The sailing and tidal bits are not a concern, I'm not precious about scratches to gel Kat etc, but other big canal boats hitting her hard are a concern

The boat licence conditions details etc are here including an exemption application (but I don't think it applies in your case.)

 

https://canalrivertrust.org.uk/enjoy-the-waterways/boating/licensing-your-boat?gclid=Cj0KEQiAw_DEBRChnYiQ_562gsEBEiQA4LcssoYR_6KiMhLjvc54IMdBvOcCbr8swy4cZapjRAg0oOkaArb98P8HAQ

 

Howard

[magpie patrick]

The boat licence conditions details etc are here including an exemption application (but I don't think it applies in your case.)

 

https://canalrivertrust.org.uk/enjoy-the-waterways/boating/licensing-your-boat?gclid=Cj0KEQiAw_DEBRChnYiQ_562gsEBEiQA4LcssoYR_6KiMhLjvc54IMdBvOcCbr8swy4cZapjRAg0oOkaArb98P8HAQ

 

Howard

If it's as basic as described a bss won't be difficult: Juno got her last one on the basis of no gas and no electricity therefore nothing to test

 

On an unrelated note why do people think that grp or wooden boats fall apart so easily. Okay if you T-boned Juno against the bank with a loaded town class motor she wouldn't do so well, but brushes with other boats, piling etc really aren't a problem

 

Edited because autocomplete thinks you need a bus!

Edited February 9, 2017 by magpie patrick

[Machpoint005]

No loo, pee bottle and shoreside facilities ( bucket at sea)

No fridges she's very basic. Gas cooker, solar panel to recharge battery.

Do I need to have a bsc or is a visitors licence enough?

 

The sailing and tidal bits are not a concern, I'm not precious about scratches to gel Kat etc, but other big canal boats hitting her hard are a concern

 

Have you tried talking to CRT themselves?

[David Mack]

Looking at the CRT website, you can get a one month licence for £75.61 at current prices (to 31 March). If you are going to spend less than 56 days on CRT waters you need to meet BSS requirements but you don't need a certificate - you can self certify.

 

You will need a separate EA licence for the Thames above Teddington, but not if you join the river at Brentford or Limehouse.

[Tony Brooks]

One thing to remember re collisions with other boats is that this is a sailing boat with a drop keel. With the keel up and the round or very angled hull the boat is likely to have it will slide sideways with far less force than a typical narrowboat. It will also be far lighter and thus have less inertia so an impact with another boat will cause the hull to slide away from the impact more easily This will reduce the force of the collision on the hull - and GRP flexes well without damage anyway.

 

I also suspect the draft would allow it to float above the Shroppey Shelf in most places.

[bizzard]

I expect that boat has a tabernacle stepped mast, so easy to raise and lower. On long open canal pounds the boat could be sailed, probably jib or Genoa sail only for ease, down wind as it wouldn't need the keel down or very little of it. I'd say it would also easily go at canal speeds with only a 2hp motor.

I towed a stretched 19' Lysander sailing cruiser with a dinghy and 3/4hp Minkota electric outboard on the river here at 3-4mph.

I once owned a Lysander and sailed it in the Thames estuary from Benfleet creek, I had a 4hp Seagull motor which was just about adequate against wind and tide.

[steve yates]

Looking at the CRT website, you can get a one month licence for £75.61 at current prices (to 31 March). If you are going to spend less than 56 days on CRT waters you need to meet BSS requirements but you don't need a certificate - you can self certify.

You will need a separate EA licence for the Thames above Teddington, but not if you join the river at Brentford or Limehouse.

That sounds pretty much perfect for me, thx David.

I took her through the Crinan canal, she can do 4 knots easily with the ob.

[Jerra]

That sounds pretty much perfect for me, thx David.

I took her through the Crinan canal, she can do 4 knots easily with the ob.

If I have been following this thread correctly it has been suggested the journey will take 4 weeks and you have said you would probably be taking a week or so off as you travel along.

 

Which means by my calculation you either can't do the trip on a one month licence or you will have to set aside the idea of going back to work during the trip.

[steve yates]

If I have been following this thread correctly it has been suggested the journey will take 4 weeks and you have said you would probably be taking a week or so off as you travel along.

 

Which means by my calculation you either can't do the trip on a one month licence or you will have to set aside the idea of going back to work during the trip.

56 days I think it said? 2 weeks initially, a week or two back at work, and another 2 weeks to finish? That should do it.If it is strictly 30 days, that could be a problem.

[steve yates]

Someone posted a link to an article on the hoo ness yacht club site about their trip up to oxford, I can't find the original post, but whoever it was, thank you, that was a really enjoyable read.

[Scholar Gypsy]

If you do come down the Trent and Mersey then I would suggest a short diversion to Tixall wide, near Stafford.

 

A nice big space for you to put the sail up ...

[dmr]

From what I gather elsewhere - he's got no loo at all.

He says he's got no experience little experience (post 1) but is contemplating some sort of sea journey or at least tidal where a 6hp won't get him out of trouble.

Great that there are some intrepid folks left - but sometimes....

(sorry)

 

Perhaps a real concern is that a small sailing boat can easily get damaged on the canal system. Unforgiving ArmCo, sharp underwater hazards, lumpy locks and most severe Other Boaters.

 

He's only 6 foot wide so space for some nice big fenders, so hitting stuff on the bottom is the only issue and he's not that deep.

 

This sounds like a great adventure to me but I would suggest going onto the Thames at Oxford then going all the way down to London on the Thames. If on the way down the op decides that he really likes locks then he can change his mind and take the GU down to London.

 

Harecastle tunnel has some rules about horns and lights etc so might it be easier to go down the Shroppie, but then again as this is an adventure maybe should do the tunnel.

 

Have met folk doing long journeys in canoes and rowing boats so lack of sanitation and luxuries can be handled, in fact this is going to more comfortable than some water adventures.

 

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

[MtB]

56 days I think it said? 2 weeks initially, a week or two back at work, and another 2 weeks to finish? That should do it.If it is strictly 30 days, that could be a problem.

 

 

Bear in mind that the 56 days is 7 hours a day actual cruising time.

 

When single handing this is actually astonishingly difficult to maintain on a regular basis. Every lock takes you twice as long (at least) as with crew, every walk into a village to get petrol and every stop for shopping eats away at your time spent moving. Same for eating. The crew can cook and feed the helm during a seven hour day cruising but alone, one has to stop and moor up to cook the bacon sarnie and brew a cuppa.

[magictime]

Bear in mind that the 56 days is 7 hours a day actual cruising time.

 

No, the 56 days is the maximum length of time you're allowed to spend on CRT waters without a BSS certificate (because you can self-certify). Not the estimated length of the journey, and not (Steve!) the length of a one-month CRT licence (which I assume is 30 or 31 days).

 

I think someone quoted a Canalplan estimate of journey time as somewhere around 23 days? Which might be optimistic for the reasons Mike sets out, but might just mean you're able to do (say) 12 days' cruising, a 5-day working week, and 12 days' more cruising. Probably make more sense just to licence it for another week or two, though.

[Peter X]

It's worth mentioning some items you'll need and might not be aware of:

 

A windlass for the locks, plus a spare so you won't be stranded if you drop one in.

 

A CRT facilities key (often called a BW key) which is needed in some places to operate swing/lift bridges, and also to open doors to their toilets, showers and Elsan points. You can of course empty your loo bucket (carefully please!) into an Elsan, which is a useful alternative to the toilets provided by pubs, supermarkets etc..

 

In some places, an anti-vandal key to unlock a paddle mechanism. Also known as a handcuff key.

 

A tunnel light. Bright enough to light the walls/roof ahead so you can see to steer, and so that oncoming boats know you're there, but not so bright/direct as to dazzle them. Maybe a sea-going sailing boat would have a suitable light anyway.

 

Port and starboard lights if navigating at night (not recommended really).

 

A horn. COLREGS signals do apply on canals, though most boaters don't know them. The main one to use is one long blast as you (slowly) approach a tight bend or bridge hole.

 

You probably already have mooring lines and pins, but two or three piling hooks aka C-hooks aka nappy pins for use when mooring to Armco (rails on piling) will come in useful. An alternative is "goat chains", a short loop of chain to put round the rail, with the rope through that to protect it from abrasion. If you moor in a straight section of canal, not close to bridges, junctions or marina entrances, that reduces the risk of someone hitting your boat.

Edited February 9, 2017 by Peter X

[Pie Eater]

If I have been following this thread correctly it has been suggested the journey will take 4 weeks and you have said you would probably be taking a week or so off as you travel along.

 

Which means by my calculation you either can't do the trip on a one month licence or you will have to set aside the idea of going back to work during the trip.

One of CaRTs 30 day rover licences may be the answer.

 

Steve

[magictime]

One of CaRTs 30 day rover licences may be the answer.

 

Steve

 

You mean the Explorer licence - the one where you can use your boat for any 30 days in a 12 month period? Wouldn't that mean taking the boat out of the water in between cruises? I thought that licence was aimed at canoes etc.

[Pie Eater]

You mean the Explorer licence - the one where you can use your boat for any 30 days in a 12 month period? Wouldn't that mean taking the boat out of the water in between cruises? I thought that licence was aimed at canoes etc.

It would mean leaving it in a marina or taking it out of the water in between cruises.

 

We have used that licence when cruising on CaRT waters as we are based on the Bridgewater Canal.

 

I don't think it is for canoes.

 

Steve

[DHutch]

Typo in title corrected.

[Drayke]

Why not trailer here across to the Humber, can’t be that expensive, and sail her out to the east coast then down to the Thames, there must be lots of marinas down that way to call in and even leave here for a week or so.

[magictime]

It would mean leaving it in a marina or taking it out of the water in between cruises.

 

But generally speaking, a boat needs a CRT licence even while in a marina, doesn't it? So wouldn't a day in a marina count as one of your 30 days?