Moving on red flags

[Naughty Cal]

10 hours ago, MartynG said:

It's usually a bit obvious if the river or canal  is in flood.

It wasn't obvious to the narrowboaters on the Trent who went under the weir boom!

[Momac]

1 hour ago, Naughty Cal said:

It wasn't obvious to the narrowboaters on the Trent who went under the weir boom!

It seems not.

Nor did they realise they would have been safe if they had gone straight into the lock approach.

[blackrose]

12 hours ago, Horace42 said:

I am a fine weather boater (you could class me as a continuous moorer), But except for red depth markers on some locks, I have not come across 'Red Warnings' - so am not aware of what they look like, or where they are, or what they mean.

 

A quick internet search under 'Thames' brings up many web pages - where one at random at the top of the list 'currently' shows numerous 'red' warnings for much of the Thames.

 

Where the description clearly says:    " We advise users of all boats not to navigate because the strong flows make it difficult and dangerous."

 

This to me is a more than a warning - it is a clear instruction - to be ignored at your peril.

 

 

 

I think that's probably the best approach for most canal boaters who've never been on a river and don't have much experience. But when you've been on the Thames for a while, know various reaches and lock keepers, it is possible to make an informed decision. The description you highlight is advice and which shouldn't be ignored in making a decision. 

[blackrose]

12 hours ago, mrsmelly said:

This is the decision i too came to a few years ago. It simply isnt worth the risk of having to argue the toss with some bloke in a suit sat in an office thats never even seen your widebeam or my narrowbeam when your chosen home is involved. I am more than capable in most cases to use rivers on red and have done so many times including commercialy but i no longer will take my home out on reds.

I will try not to, but I did it the other day just before I started this thread. The EA advice for the Nene lacks detail as it's for the whole river but it was perfectly fine where I was. Had I not moved I'd probably have been stuck for another couple of weeks. I'm very safety conscious, but given the same situation I would do it again. 

[blackrose]

12 hours ago, matty40s said:

I was waiting to move a boat from Pyrford to the GU several years ago and the Thames was in flood for months,  red boards from top to bottom with the Wey the same.

A short period of chance happened on the Wey, with a brief high pressure and localised relief. The next Brentford window was 2 weeks away so I went for it.  

Got to the bottom of the Wey with no issues but was warned about the wier pool 'whirlpool' below by the Wey lockie  and went right round the edge (pi$€ING off lots of anglers who hadn' seen a moving boat in two months). The Thames was a very swift passage, and probably not navigable the other way in a normal narrowboat. Red boards all the way but it was speed of flow, not river height that was the issue.

 

When I moved from Laleham to Reading a few years ago on reds and yellows I wouldn't have done it the other way around. Going upstream was fine but I wouldn't have fancied going downstream. Same on the Kennet. I was stuck at Reading for a few days waiting for the river to ease off a bit. County lock was impassible. When I eventually went for it I found going upstream quite challenging, but downstream would have been scary. I have to admit I don't remember looking at the EA advice for the Kennet - I just followed the advice of MtB! 

County lock, Reading

Edited March 18, 2018 by blackrose

[Alan de Enfield]

20 minutes ago, blackrose said:

 

County lock, Reading

 

 

 

There's the problem - some soft sod has left the top gate open.

[blackrose]

26 minutes ago, Alan de Enfield said:

 

There's the problem - some soft sod has left the top gate open.

No that wasn't the problem. If the top gates were closed it would have been coming over both sets of gates. The problem was that the river was in flood and when that happens County lock is impassible.

Edited March 18, 2018 by blackrose

[Alan de Enfield]

8 minutes ago, blackrose said:

No that wasn't the problem. If the top gates were closed it would have been coming over both sets of gates. The problem was that the river was in flood and when that happens County lock is impassible.

[Momac]

9 minutes ago, blackrose said:

No that wasn't the problem. If the top gates were closed it would have been coming over both sets of gates. The problem was that the river was in flood.

Should a situation like that not be a clue that something is not quite right and it might be a good idea to seek advice whether to proceed ?

 

[blackrose]

13 minutes ago, Alan de Enfield said:

Try using one of these in future...

17 minutes ago, MartynG said:

Should a situation like that not be a clue that something is not quite right and it might be a good idea to seek advice whether to proceed ?

 

Yes!

[Chubby Chaser]

Some years ago I was stuck on the River Soar because of the water level being in the red.  I phoned British Waterways for advice and was told not to move until the level lowered.  Foolishly I moored on mooring rings on a bend assuming, wrongly, that there would be no traffic.  A motor hit me, followed shortly by the butty being towed.  I pointed out that the water level was in the red and that I had been advised not to move.  The response was that the steerer knew better than a girl in an office and that he would carry on through the next lock.  He did just that.  There was a sharp right turn under a bridge just after the lock.  The motor got through but the butty was not so lucky.  The tow rope snapped and there was the sound of timber work being crushed and the cabin hitting the bridge.  The moral of the story is that the boards are there for a reason and sometimes "girls in offices" know best.

[matty40s]

49 minutes ago, Chubby Chaser said:

Some years ago I was stuck on the River Soar because of the water level being in the red.  I phoned British Waterways for advice and was told not to move until the level lowered.  Foolishly I moored on mooring rings on a bend assuming, wrongly, that there would be no traffic.  A motor hit me, followed shortly by the butty being towed.  I pointed out that the water level was in the red and that I had been advised not to move.  The response was that the steerer knew better than a girl in an office and that he would carry on through the next lock.  He did just that.  There was a sharp right turn under a bridge just after the lock.  The motor got through but the butty was not so lucky.  The tow rope snapped and there was the sound of timber work being crushed and the cabin hitting the bridge.  The moral of the story is that the boards are there for a reason and sometimes "girls in offices" know best.

The Soar went into flood on Boxing day and the girls in offices didn't let anyone know until Jan 2nd.

[matty40s]

Great Ouse just gone into CAUTION mode.

[mrsmelly]

29 minutes ago, matty40s said:

Great Ouse just gone into CAUTION mode.

Trent still dropping. If its not raining, cold or windy tomorrow or the day after we are off. Boating in cold, wind or rain is for hirers.

[matty40s]

Trent was VERY do- able today and the sun was out. The only obstacle you will find will be the log jam in the mouth of Trent Lock.

[mrsmelly]

2 minutes ago, matty40s said:

Trent was VERY do- able today and the sun was out. The only obstacle you will find will be the log jam in the mouth of Trent Lock.

Yes as always they accumulated there. we went down this morning with rubbish and had a squint. Been about three go past us and out of Derwent mouth lock today but its too cold for us, been there done that dont do it any more  If its a tad warmer tomorrow we will be off if not will be day after. Only going into sawley cut for the first bit dont want to get too excited so that mile and a half will do 

[Momac]

56 minutes ago, mrsmelly said:

 its too cold for us, been there done that dont do it any more  If its a tad warmer tomorrow we will be off if not will be day after. Only going into sawley cut for the first bit dont want to get too excited so that mile and a half will do 

But its summer 

 

[Naughty Cal]

Most of the Trent flood gates are off now. Think there are only Torksey left on.

Weather seems much milder this morning.

Time to set off on that summer cruise again methinks.

[mrsmelly]

4 hours ago, Naughty Cal said:

Most of the Trent flood gates are off now. Think there are only Torksey left on.

Weather seems much milder this morning.

Time to set off on that summer cruise again methinks.

Yep we set off again today.