Denver to Boston via Kings Lyn and the Wash

[KenK]

The tide arrives at Denver Sluice like a small Severn Bore, one minute all is calm the river level at its lowest with various sand bars showing, the next you hear the noise and then a small bore appears around the corner and within a very few minutes the river has risen a couple of feet. Yesterday Sunday 15^th it arrived at about 7.40 am, at 8.00 a cruiser passed through the sluice and then our narrowboat Winter Rose. We sat on the pontoon below the sluice and had breakfast, bacon butties, Daryl our pilot's, favourite. The cruiser had disappeared at high speed aiming to get under the first low bridge before high water. We set off just after 9.00 and arrived at Downham Market bridge just before the tide turned, not quite enough room to pass underneath so we sat drifting gently until we thought we could make it, under we went the duck on the tiller pin missing being scalped by about a millimetre, the bridge is a little lower on the downstream side. We carried on down the river towards Kings Lyn, the first two cruisers coming up river at high speed slowed down well before passing so we crossed their wash easily, the second two didn’t bother pitching us about enough to bring the prop out of the water for a second, fortunately that was the last of them and the rest of the journey to Kings Lyn passed quietly. Despite the wonderful weather Kings Lyn was very quiet, nothing except one small cruiser waiting for us to pass before moving on to the visitor pontoon and a grain ship taking on a cargo. We passed through Kings Lyn and on out towards the Wash. The wind was coming very gently from the South West and the Wash was calm just a slight ripple on the water, we followed the marked channel for several miles until we reached the outer marker buoy and then turned towards the Boston shore, lining the boat up with Boston Stump just visible in the distance. We ran along that course for about an hour passing several ships waiting either for the tide or maybe a berth to become vacant, eventually we reached the channel leading towards Boston and the River Witham and turned into it. Lots of fishing boats were aground on the sandbanks awaiting the tide and a few cruisers out from Boston for the day moored up with their crews playing on the sand. We carried on needing to be certain of reaching the Grand Sluice at Boston by 7.00 pm as the lock is only 41 feet long and Winter Rose is 60 feet so we had to pass through on the level. We were passed by an immaculate Dutch Steel Cruiser only to watch him pull up and anchor a few minutes later as he reached the sand bar which blocks the entrance to the Rivers Welland and Witham at low tide. Passing just inside the channel port buoy we were just able to cross over the bar as we only draw 22 inches we carried on until we could see the entrance to the rivers but then we had to beach the boat as the River Witham was dry. We had a late lunch, early tea whilst awaiting the return of the water, the breeze picked up a little cooling us down nicely but kicking up the wave height a little and turning the boat through 180 degrees pointing us back towards the Wash but we stayed safely aground.  We started off again at about 5.45 pm heading in up the River Witham as the water slowly returned to the river, we eventually reached Black Sluice where we turned into the current to await the arrival of the cruisers from Boston whom we had seen entering the River Witham behind us. We had to let them pass through the lock before us as once the level is reached the lock only can remain open for a few minutes. Twenty minutes later the first of them emerged at crawling speed around the corner, the largest boat with the deepest draught had decided to go first thus slowing down the other three smaller boats, we were now very close to our deadline, a quick word with the lock keeper and he got them moving a bit more quickly. Once they had passed we turned and followed them up to the lock. The first boat passed through and then the lock keeper decided to pass the rest of the cruisers and us through on the level as we had run out of time, the three cruisers entered the lock and we hovered just outside waiting for the upper gates to open, as soon as they did we all engaged the warp engines and shot through, on down to the visitor mooring and journeys end. Passing the large slow cruiser, the owner remarked “Oh you made it then” no thanks to you I thought but just replied yes. Moored up on the pontoon and said goodbye and thanks to Daryl our pilot for the trip.

I think we must have had the easiest crossing this year, obviously the tide and weather play the largest part but by listening to the experts it is possible to plan a safe and very enjoyable crossing.The Wash is as far as we are concerned the best of the small adventures one can have in a narrow boat and one we will remember for ever.

 

If you fancy the trip our pilot was Daryl Hill

Tel. 07909 880071

Email. washguide@gmail.com

 

Ken

[Scholar Gypsy]

Thanks for this. You were photographed in Kings Lynn, here's the link

 

https://www.facebook.com/groups/1568756213385081/permalink/2037302193197145/

 

let me know if it doesn't work.  Daryl is indeed good fun, glad the butties were acceptable.

Edited July 16, 2018 by Scholar Gypsy
Incompetence

[Proper Charlie]

Well done, it’s a great trip. We did it two summers ago, with Daryl.

[Rick Avern]

You went on a very high tide if you struggled to get under Downham Market Bridge. Was there a reason for this?

[Scholar Gypsy]

2 hours ago, Rick Avern said:

You went on a very high tide if you struggled to get under Downham Market Bridge. Was there a reason for this?

When we did the crossing from Denver to Boston, Daryl was concerned that we would get out to sea before running out of water. I think I remember right that there's more of a risk of that happening on a neap tide, as the ebb isn't as fast. The range of heights at LW (1.42 to 2.18m in July) is about half  that at HW (4.95 to 7.37m). We set off about an hour before HW to get over the hump near Downham  Market.  The minimum depth (in the channel well to the north of Kings Lynn) was 1.6m, which was a bit close for comfort.... 

[Rick Avern]

Thanks, interesting. I suppose the other option would be a layover in King’s Lynn to readdress the tide times.

[Scholar Gypsy]

6 minutes ago, Rick Avern said:

Thanks, interesting. I suppose the other option would be a layover in King’s Lynn to readdress the tide times.

Yes, I am pondering whether to see if my insurer will let me nip down to the pontoons at Kings Lynn without a pilot.

[Kawayuppie]

1 hour ago, Scholar Gypsy said:

Yes, I am pondering whether to see if my insurer will let me nip down to the pontoons at Kings Lynn without a pilot.

Hmm ... that will be interesting to know. 

[Scholar Gypsy]

4 minutes ago, Kawayuppie said:

Hmm ... that will be interesting to know. 

I know of at least one insurer (one of the boats that crossed with us to Wisbech in 2015) who had no special requirements for the Wash, i.e. they treated it like any other inland tidal waterway (Thames, Trent etc). I wasn't very impressed .....   I would first want to find some hard data on tidal speeds through Kings Lynn. That's the critical bit of information to enable you to work out if you can stop!

 

On our 2015 trip the max speed going down to the sea was 6 kts  (OTG), say 3.8 + 2.2, so we could definitely have turned around and stopped. A tide at or over 4 kts would make it rather marginal....

[Proper Charlie]

Before we crossed the Wash from Boston to Wisbech in 2016, I called our insurers (Haven) and they were quite happy with our plans, and imposed no restrictions/requirements. 

[john6767]

4 hours ago, Scholar Gypsy said:

I know of at least one insurer (one of the boats that crossed with us to Wisbech in 2015) who had no special requirements for the Wash, i.e. they treated it like any other inland tidal waterway (Thames, Trent etc). I wasn't very impressed .....   I would first want to find some hard data on tidal speeds through Kings Lynn. That's the critical bit of information to enable you to work out if you can stop!

 

On our 2015 trip the max speed going down to the sea was 6 kts  (OTG), say 3.8 + 2.2, so we could definitely have turned around and stopped. A tide at or over 4 kts would make it rather marginal....

I was pondering the stopping bit going UP the tidal Ouse (the one in Yorkshire this time) with the tide, at 8.3mph over the ground it was getting close.

[KenK]

Our insurer did not request any special conditions when I spoke to them last year but I did speak to someone who uses the same company and they had to pay extra this year to cross the Wash. I assumed if we didn't make it we wouldn't be claiming anyway so I didn't bother asking. 

I have had more bouncing around on a canal than we did last Sunday, we just ran the boat as normal and absolutely no problems.

 

Thanks to Scholar Gypsy for all the information you posted made it much easier to plan the trip.

 

Ken

[nicknorman]

Great report, thanks.

[Rick Avern]

On 17/07/2018 at 18:19, john6767 said:

I was pondering the stopping bit going UP the tidal Ouse (the one in Yorkshire this time) with the tide, at 8.3mph over the ground it was getting close.

 

I think the answer for me.... although we are in a cruiser (Ocean 30 - so not a fast boat) Would be to lay over at KL pontoon and go the next day or so to catch the tide right from there. I presume the pilot would be happy to accompany from there instead of Denver?

[Bargebuilder]

I thought it worth reviving this thread for anyone considering crossing The Wash from Denver Sluice to Boston Grand Sluice via King's Lynn without a pilot; with a little planning it isn't that complicated and is hugely satisfying.

 

I should stress that waiting for the right weather is critical for a comfortable and safe crossing in a narrowboat. We did the trip with southerly 9mph winds forecast, but what we got was 17mph NNE winds causing nasty steep waves, but the NB coped very well, taking no water over the bow, just a little spray. My advice would be to aim for winds of less than 10mph, but certainly our boat felt reassuringly safe with a lot more wind than that, even when we turned and took the swell beam on.

 

 

We did have on our phone the Navionics navigation App which is simplicity itself to use and can be downloaded for a two week free trial if you only want it for a single trip. I personally wouldn't have done the crossing without it, in fact we used it last year when we did the tidal Severn, also without a pilot, from Sharpness to Bristol via Portishead.

 

From kingslynnport.co.uk one can download up to date charts and tide tables and the very helpful lock keepers at Denver and Boston will tell you exactly what time to arrive at their locks for safe passage.

 

In order to arrive at Boston at a respectable time in the late afternoon/evening, you will need to lock out at Denver in the morning. We left Denver at noon and locked in at Boston at 8.20pm that evening.

 

High tide at Denver is about an hour after high at Kings Lynn, and on a big spring such as we had, it was necessary to set out an hour after high at Denver, to allow the water level to drop enough for our NB to pass safely under the low bridge at Downham Market.

 

The leg down to King's Lynn takes about 90 minutes with the boats through-the-water speed of about 4.5mph, plus a tidal current of 3.5mph, the distance being about 12 miles.

 

There is plenty of water for the trip down to King's Lynn, but impressive sand bars mean that one has to stick to the outside of all bends on the way. 

 

It's useful to have previously taken your boat down the Great Ouse relief channel, mooring at the excellent Heron pub at Stowbridge and walking up the tidal Ouse for 1 mile towards Denver to where the worst sandbanks lay, to see at low tide the best route to navigate.

 

Having navigated down to King's Lynn, you are already 3 & 1/2 hours after local high tide, so there should be no commercial traffic about. There will still be plenty of water for a boat drawing less than 3 feet and a useful ebb current of about 1.5 - 2mph.

 

The Lynn channel is very well marked with large red and green buoys that are kept accurately positioned to protect the fishing fleet. The navigation app is also very useful, showing exactly where you are, tidal heights and speed of current and direction. It is also useful once you reach deep water and turn to cross open water towards Boston. 

 

Once in deep water, one might as well slow right down to avoid having to anchor or wait around, waiting for the tide to make enough for the approach to Boston on the other side. If you do arrive early, grounding a narrowboat on the flat, clean sandbanks and hopping off for a walk is a safe and fun thing to do. 

 

Again, using the navigation app and navigation buoys, the approach to Boston is even easier than the Lynn channel was on the other side, plus, the tide will be rising, so there is no concern about grounding and getting stuck.

 

From Roger's Bank, where you anchor or play on the sand, to Boston Port where there is an excellent waiting pontoon, is about 11 miles and will take about two hours with the flood tide current helping to push you along at 5-6mph. This is where you await instruction from the Boston lock keeper to proceed for the final 20 minute leg to his lock. 

 

Once through, there are very good and secure 5 day CRT moorings just a few hundred yards beyond.

 

A useful website for wind and swell forecasts is: www.willyweather.co.uk and a live webcam looks out over The Wash at Hunstanton to see the sea state at:

www.hunstanton.webcam/south-prom

 

Certainly having a guide or pilot can be reassuring, but for us it wasn't necessary at all and we enjoyed the full satisfaction of having conquered The Wash by ourselves.

 

[Grassman]

I would never venture on those waters without a pilot but can understand somebody like you with more experience (and bottle 🙂) not using one. But how do you go about insurance? My insurer told me I wouldn't be insured to do the Wash without one, and said the same when I did the Severn Estuary last year.

[Bargebuilder]

4 hours ago, Grassman said:

I would never venture on those waters without a pilot but can understand somebody like you with more experience (and bottle 🙂) not using one. But how do you go about insurance? My insurer told me I wouldn't be insured to do the Wash without one, and said the same when I did the Severn Estuary last year.

We only have 3rd party insurance with Basic Boat, so I doubt that they would care, but I confess, I didn't ask! Neither did I ask last year when we did Sharpness to Portishead.

 

Denver to Boston is more complicated than the Tidal Severn navigation wise, but in my opinion less risky. The tidal flow under the Severn bridge is impressive and if caught in a blow out there, wind over tide, the wave height could swamp a narrowboat.

 

The navigation app I used makes both trips doable without a pilot, plus, in The Wash, the navigation buoys are plentiful and on the Severn, the leading marks are excellent. Neither trip is particularly demanding, providing the breezes are gentle and the seas calm, but don't try otherwise!

 

 

[Grassman]

We were lucky with our Sharpness to Bristol trip last year. A sedate tide and only 8 mph winds meant a fairly easy passage. The swirling currents between the bridges were the only issue but they were easily manageable especially with having a pilot on board to advise.

 

My insurance company only made the first leg compulsory for having a pilot and with hindsight I needn't have bothered with one for the 2nd leg. Having said that, the wind had increased to 15mph which made for a very choppy 20 minutes or so from Portishead across to Avonmouth so having a pilot onboard gave some reassurance.

[Scholar Gypsy]

Our insurers also required a pilot - mainly for advice on weather, like you I was confident I would not get lost. We had quite a strong NNE wind, hence the dog leg in our course (B to E) to avoid the wind and waves being beam on.  Once we turned at point D  it all got a lot calmer..

[Bargebuilder]

Despite the BBC, Willy weather and another online weather forecaster agreeing on the morning of the adventure that winds would be less than 10mph and broadly from the south, we were surprised to find ourselves exiting the Lynn channel with 17mph NNE of true wind over a couple of knots of tidal current, making short, steep, choppy seas. When we turned the corner, the wind eased to 15mph and the deeper water and lack of tidal current reduced the swell greatly, but it was on the beam so the splashing was exchanged for rolling. I should say though, that long, heavy, narrowboats are relatively stable vessels and at no point did we feel uncomfortable and certainly never unsafe. At low tide, there is so much sand about that the fetch is very short, so the waves we experienced weren't large, perhaps 50cm trough to crest at their worst. Entering Boston, the wind was then behind us and in the same direction as the current, so the sea was almost flat.

 

You can't feel unsure of where you are, or where you should be going with the Navionics app: see the screen shot  showing our track below.

[rusty69]

6 minutes ago, Bargebuilder said:

Despite the BBC, Willy weather and another online weather forecaster agreeing on the morning of the adventure that winds would be less than 10mph and broadly from the south, we were surprised to find ourselves exiting the Lynn channel with 17mph NNE of true wind over a couple of knots of tidal current, making short, steep, choppy seas. When we turned the corner, the wind eased to 15mph and the deeper water and lack of tidal current reduced the swell greatly, but it was on the beam so the splashing was exchanged for rolling. I should say though, that long, heavy, narrowboats are relatively stable vessels and at no point did we feel uncomfortable and certainly never unsafe. At low tide, there is so much sand about that the fetch is very short, so the waves we experienced weren't large, perhaps 50cm trough to crest at their worst. Entering Boston, the wind was then behind us and in the same direction as the current, so the sea was almost flat.

 

You can't feel unsure of where you are, or where you should be going with the Navionics app: see the screen shot  showing our track below.

Anything with a bit of a northerly on that bit of coast throws up more chop than you would expect. Even a calm after a few days of a fresh northerly can get rough. Chuck in a bit of wind over tide, and shallow waters and it is not much fun. 

 

We keep a boat at Wells.

Edited July 12, 2023 by rusty69

[Bargebuilder]

6 minutes ago, rusty69 said:

Anything with a bit of a northerly on that bit of coast throws up more chop than you would expect. Even a calm after a few days of a fresh northerly can get rough. Chuck in a bit of wind over tide, and shallow waters and it is not much fun. 

 

We keep a boat at Wells.

I completely agree: we had more wind than the books advise and from the worst direction, wind over tide out of King's Lynn and it was choppy. What surprised me was how well a 70' NB coped with such conditions; no  water over the bow, just spray and even the rolling motion wasn't unsettling.

 

We always felt safe and in control and felt a huge sense of achievement and satisfaction having done the trip by ourselves.

[Midnight]

We went from Boston to Wisbech in May. The predicted wind was 9mph NNE so we did get some warning. After beaching on the sandbar we had gusts up to 15mph NNE. Certainly got my attention when Daryl gently asked if he could take the tiller until we turned into the channel. I did hear a scream from Kendor of this parish, the boat following us, as we turned. Once we reached the channel the wind was behind so the rolling changed back to just riding the swell. Great adventure and Daryl is worth every penny even though he is likely to empty your fridge. Personally I wouldn't attempt it without a pilot and admire those who do.

Edited July 17, 2023 by Midnight

[Kendorr]

1 hour ago, Midnight said:

I did hear a scream from Kendor of this parish

Before the wind got up!

 

[Mrs Bearwood Boster]

1 hour ago, Midnight said:

We went from Boston to Wisbech in May. The predicted wind was 9mph NNE so we did get some warning. After beaching on the sandbar we had gusts up to 15mph NNE. Certainly got my attention when Daryl gently asked if he could take the tiller until we turned into the channel. I did hear a scream from Kendor of this parish, the boat following us, as we turned. Once we reached the channel the wind was behind so the rolling changed back to just riding the swell. Great adventure and Daryl is worth every penny even though he is likely to empty your fridge. Personally I wouldn't attempt it without a pilot and admire those who do.

We did the same trip last year & it was a bit more bouncy after the beaching.Totally agree that Daryl is worth every penny...but he does enjoy being fed on a regular basis !😆