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Brentford to Limehouse..............


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I heard today there were planned flotillas next weekend from Limehouse upstream with the StPCC.

Does anyone know about these, or is anyone on here taking part....

I would love to join in, even just to Brentford

 

not having much joy with my internet at the mo so don't want to start searching the web for info.

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I know you have just done it, Alan, but I am pretty sure that the convoy dispensation applies to the Teddington to Brentford / Brentford to Teddington stretch only. I think ALL boats on the Brentford Limehouse stretch (in either direction) now require a VHF on each boat.

No that is wrong. It is the "single boat without VHF but telephoning VTS" exemption which applies only to the Teddington to Brentford stretch. The allowance for a flotilla of boats to be led by a single radio-equipped boat applies anywhere from (IIRC) Greenwich barrier to Teddington. In theory they require 7 days notice, in practice I do not think this is ever enforced.

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I phoned London VTS the afternoon before to arrange for a boat to travel with me to Teddington from Limehouse, it was ok with them, in fact they just said to stay together and didn't take any details of the boats at all!

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  • 10 months later...

I am doing Limehouse to Brentford on July and would recommend downloading the BW Tidal Thames Guide from waterscape. They are incredibly detailed and tell you all about VHF radios and which arches to use on which bridge. Well worth printing out and taking with you! http://www.waterscape.com/media/documents/33.pdf

Nick

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I am doing Limehouse to Brentford on July and would recommend downloading the BW Tidal Thames Guide from waterscape. They are incredibly detailed and tell you all about VHF radios and which arches to use on which bridge. Well worth printing out and taking with you! http://www.waterscape.com/media/documents/33.pdf

Nick

 

There is also a really excellent short instructional video on the PLA Leisure website. The PLA site is the official site for the Thames in London, and I prefer it to Waterscape.

 

PLA Leisure

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  • 4 weeks later...

Doing the tidal Thames is great we have done it both in and out of Limehouse with no problems.

 

We filmed our friends from the back of our boat heading to St Kats dock last year shows how choppy it can get, this was at high tide on a Saturday lunchtime though.

 

 

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Doing the tidal Thames is great we have done it both in and out of Limehouse with no problems.

 

We filmed our friends from the back of our boat heading to St Kats dock last year shows how choppy it can get, this was at high tide on a Saturday lunchtime though.

 

 

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Excellent video, not sure i should let the wife watch it, we there next week, our first time.

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Good video - not sure about the Status Quo though. For some reason Deeper & Down gave me a sinking feeling...

 

Your friend's narrow boat was bouncing around a bit - I like the bit where they reversed out of the waves. :P

 

Edit: I've often wondered on self-draining decks, whether it's better to have large or small scuppers? Where the bow of the boat is behaving in this way, large half grapefruit size scuppers will let water into the well deck as they go below the waterline, but will let the water out again quickly as soon as the bow rises. Small golf ball size scuppers will let less water in, but if water comes over the bow it takes longer to drain. So are big scuppers better?

Edited by blackrose
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Good video - not sure about the Status Quo though. For some reason Deeper & Down gave me a sinking feeling...

 

Ha the sinking feeling was exactly what I thought too! Hence the music...

 

Id perfer bigger scuppers they might let water in quicker but they will also let it out quicker.

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  • 2 weeks later...

I know you have just done it, Alan, but I am pretty sure that the convoy dispensation applies to the Teddington to Brentford / Brentford to Teddington stretch only. I think ALL boats on the Brentford Limehouse stretch (in either direction) now require a VHF on each boat.

 

However, it is very hard to get accurate information about this -- which is why I highlighted this in my earlier post.

 

Just to check, tonight I googled "PLA VHF radio requirement tidal Thames". The very first thing that comes up is The Tidal Thames, A Guide for Users of Recreational Craft, published by the Port of London Authority. It says you only require the radio if you are longer than 20 metres (65 ft).

 

The next google link gives the information that the rules have changed, and all boats over 13.7 metres (45 ft) now need a radio.

 

But sometimes you don't look past the first link if you think you have found the information you need.

 

I really don't know how well the rule is enforced. When I found out very late that I needed the radio, I took the course, fast tracked the certificate, got the license, and borrowed a radio, because I really did not want to be sent home the other way at Limehouse and I like to play by the rules if I possibly can.

 

At the lock the lockeepers said, "Do you have a radio?" I said "Yes" and that was enough for them. They didn't ask to see it and they didn't ask for any paperwork.

 

Just out of curiousity, in the lock I asked the only other narrowboat locking through with us if they had a radio. "Oh yes" they said, nod nod wink wink and just for good measure they pulled down the lower lid of one eye. From which I took it that they did not have a radio.

 

 

 

I came out of Limehouse and went up to teddington a couple of weeks ago. We were in a 66ft hire boat and took no water over the bow at all. I would have thought blocking the drain holes a bit risky because if any comes over the bow it has no where to go. We did on one occasion get some water into the well deck through the drain holes but it drained very quickly. (we did keep our bow doors shut at all times just in case)

On the VHF front the lockie at Limehouse checked we had one before he let us through!

One other tip .. unless your horn is really loud an aerosol air horn is a good investment. There is no way a Thames Clipper doing 25 knots would hear a feeble canal boat horn as you stick your bow out from Limehouse lock. Likewise any sound signals you give on the river will be heard on an air horn and all the trip boats use the signals.

We found the London Tideway Handbook on waterscape an invaluable document

http://www.waterscape.com/media/documents/56

it gives a picture of every bridge to tell you which arch to use and explains all the rules and regulations. well worth downloading and printing.

Have a great trip!

Nick

Edited by NickFerrar
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