Diglis Basin, Worcester and River Severn

[Ace 01]

Hi

 

Immediately south of the junction/bottom lock is a short pontoon for locking purposes, it is reached by a sloping ramp from the ground level, both of which are floating so the angle of the ramp changes with the water level. About 150 yards further south is a similar but longer pontoon used for visitor mooring, also reached by a similar ramp. The visitor pontoon will moor about 6 boats. I assume that the visitor mooring is where the 'wave off' happened.

 

Both boats were from Diamond Resorts (blue livery....something Castle) out of Lowesmoor Basin in Worcester (2 narrow locks up from Diglis Basin)

 

Cheers

 

David

[Sea Dog]

It was out from Lowesmoor which is how I got the "inside story" - we stopped there for diesel.

 

Ooh, that was brave! They're the outfit that charged me £16.75 for a bag of Taybrite a few weeks ago. I think I'd be burning the furniture before I called in there again. Nice enough bloke though and he wouldn't be the one who set the prices I guess. I'd be interested to know if they were reasonable for diesel.

[ditchcrawler]

There are two pontoons. Both are floating pontoons so shouldn't in theory be submerged. If the lock landing were submerged I'd personally take that as a pretty clear sign not to go out onto the river (though YMMV).

 

The small one immediately south (downstream) of the entrance to the canal locks is a lock landing only, and not available for visitor mooring. It's still there, or at least it was when I used it last week!

 

The long one closer to the weir is a genuine bona fide visitor mooring.

 

If the hire-boater was trying to pick up his wife then he should have done it on the lock landing rather than trying to nose into the visitor mooring. It doesn't excuse angry gesticulation from the wooden boat-owner, but pointing your bows into a 6ft space, facing downstream, while the river is up doesn't sound the safest of strategies to me.

 

Yes, there is (new last year, I think).

I remember it just like you

[nicknorman]

Ooh, that was brave! They're the outfit that charged me £16.75 for a bag of Taybrite a few weeks ago. I think I'd be burning the furniture before I called in there again. Nice enough bloke though and he wouldn't be the one who set the prices I guess. I'd be interested to know if they were reasonable for diesel.

70p base price. Not cheap but not extortionate either and we were getting a bit low. It's 60p at our marina at the moment so I didn't fill up.

[GUMPY]

Not totally accurate for the second bit. The hire boat went onto the river when it was open but in the amber. He had comprehensive instructions from the hire base to turn left (the lock entrance onto the river is markedly angled) and then wind in the still waters near the entrance to the river lock. However he decided to pick up his wife by turning sharp left onto the pontoon and put nose into a 6' gap between moored boats. Some chap on a wooden boat on the pontoon took exception to this and waved him away angrily, saying "go and turn over there" gesticulating towards the large area of water in front of the weir. So the boater foolishly started to turn the other way, making the turn towards the weir. Chickened out 1/2 way round and hit reverse but needless to say couldn't reverse faster than the current so ended up on the weir. He'd had charge of the boat for an hour.

 

Moral: never turn towards a weir. Always turn away from a weir. But we knew that!

 

 

The hire boat company gave him duff info.

The only safe way to come out of Diglis when there is fresh on is backwards, especially in a boat that is over 40ft.

If you come out backwards you are facing the flow rather than trying to turn round into it when its pushing your bow towards the weir.......

[nicknorman]

The hire boat company gave him duff info.

The only safe way to come out of Diglis when there is fresh on is backwards, especially in a boat that is over 40ft.

If you come out backwards you are facing the flow rather than trying to turn round into it when its pushing your bow towards the weir.......

No, you can safely come out with the flow, go downstream into the slack water of the river lock and turn there. Edited April 13, 2016 by nicknorman

[GUMPY]

No, you can safely come out with the flow, go downstream into the slack water of the river lock and turn there.

Well you can if you want to, personally if I am there again with a lot of fresh on and I'm going upstream I wll come out backwards Edited April 13, 2016 by Loddon

[nicknorman]

Well you can if you want to, personally if I am there again with a lot of fresh on and I'm going upstream I wll come out backwards

Absolutely fine, but I'm not sure that your's would be the best advice to give to novice hire boaters. Anyway, these days if there is lots of fresh on CRT wont allow you into the river since their calling is to protect you from yourself and your foolish judgement. Apparently.

[Captain Pegg]

It was out from Lowesmoor which is how I got the "inside story" - we stopped there for diesel.

I didn't explain myself very well. I took on board your earlier comment that the boat was from Lowesmoor but I noted it wasn't one of the regular hire fleet. The Diamond Resorts boats named after castles are a regular sight around here and at Lowesmoor. Actually I think it's one of those holiday clubs where you join and choose different types of holidays so the crew may not have any experience or even any great interest in canals. I recall meeting one of them early one morning moored on the lock landing above Hawford bottom lock with the bows obstructing the lock exit. The woman on board admitted they had never been on a narrowboat before and was quite apologetic.

 

Well you can if you want to, personally if I am there again with a lot of fresh on and I'm going upstream I wll come out backwards

So if I ever find myself going the other way and want to access the W&B should I come downstream backwards and then drive into the lock ? Edited April 13, 2016 by Captain Pegg

[fretman]

Was in Stourport on Monday afternoon, 2:30pm, and a Diamond Resorts boat was on the river, about to enter the narrow locks , the river was on red boards by two inches,, so what was a pleasure boat doing on the river in the first place

[nicknorman]

Just to prove that I am not nuts, here is an image from google that shows the lock mooring pontoon by the canal lock.

 

https://www.google.co.uk/maps/@52.182248,-2.22428,3a,75y/data=!3m8!1e2!3m6!1s50315777!2e1!3e10!6s%2F%2Flh3.googleusercontent.com%2Fproxy%2FGEsGZUwyQeSJfjmoWiBj51BsHMVgWMUGSg4yndSi_sur4p6UgIEgxrZw9_-yFVll_URoNuZUFpWVMTpgB3nkoSv_uQ3XdA%3Dw203-h152!7i3648!8i2736

 

and another that just shows the ramp

 

https://www.google.co.uk/maps/@52.182188,-2.223797,3a,75y,90t/data=!3m8!1e2!3m6!1s62362620!2e1!3e10!6s%2F%2Flh3.googleusercontent.com%2Fproxy%2F0Ybz8fSq1hShAqpeCDmrfITNP2cogg7zVWp2qgm3mwBPyw2GaaKXlnfCg3kY2-P4XtF7wpj96dpJ_LcWmcBnvL3Ayxq2HA%3Dw203-h135!7i3872!8i2592

Jeff waited at the canal lock for ages whilst I "negotiated" with the river lock keeper. He says there was definitely a small pontoon by the canal lock. Curses, I'm wrong again! Sorry for the confusion.

[Ace 01]

Was in Stourport on Monday afternoon, 2:30pm, and a Diamond Resorts boat was on the river, about to enter the narrow locks , the river was on red boards by two inches,, so what was a pleasure boat doing on the river in the first place

That was probably the second boat that argued with the CaRT employee at Diglis on Sunday, the experienced ones who managed to cill the boat in the bottom lock and we helped to refloat before turning correctly down towards the river lock at Diglis. I wonder where they moored overnight?

 

Cheers

 

David

[Rob-M]

That's what would concern me as coming out at Worcester and heading upstream with a fair flow on may mean mooring overnight in a less than desirable place and possibly finding locks closed if the levels rise before making Droitwich Junction or Stourport to get off the river.

[Ace 01]

UPDATE

 

The lock from the basin towards the river is now no longer padlocked. The traffic light system is now showing Amber. The river level shows 2ft 3 inches on the gauge by the bottom lock so much reduced over a few days ago. Also the stranded boat on the weir boom is still there.

 

Cheers

 

David

[tagulablue]

Is it only me ...but if the crew of the boat on the weir were inexperienced and the river was fast don't you think the change over staff should have turned it round for them. I know they gave them clear instructions but it is too easy to panic in that situation.

[ditchcrawler]

Is it only me ...but if the crew of the boat on the weir were inexperienced and the river was fast don't you think the change over staff should have turned it round for them. I know they gave them clear instructions but it is too easy to panic in that situation.

Would you think they would send them out into a river that was running higher than normal.?

[john6767]

Is it only me ...but if the crew of the boat on the weir were inexperienced and the river was fast don't you think the change over staff should have turned it round for them. I know they gave them clear instructions but it is too easy to panic in that situation.

 

I agree, it is strange that they just left then to it, but they are paying the price for that now. I suspect they will not do that again.

[tagulablue]

Would you think they would send them out into a river that was running higher than normal.?

sorry ...have I misunderstood the situation...they went on river on the instructions of the hire company for the sole purpose of turning round or were they going to sail on the Severn as part of the holiday. Either way I would have expected the hire company to say NO ...either we will complete the manoeuvre for you or do not go on the river it is too dangerous. They are the hire company and if going on the river is not advisable they should stop them from doing so ..

I agree, it is strange that they just left then to it, but they are paying the price for that now. I suspect they will not do that again.

yes but whose paying the price........the company, insurance company or the holidaymaker stuck in a hotel that they could be well paying for!

[john6767]

sorry ...have I misunderstood the situation...they went on river on the instructions of the hire company for the sole purpose of turning round or were they going to sail on the Severn as part of the holiday. Either way I would have expected the hire company to say NO ...either we will complete the manoeuvre for you or do not go on the river it is too dangerous. They are the hire company and if going on the river is not advisable they should stop them from doing so ..

 

They were going to goup stream on the Severn I believe. Coming out at Worcester you go down stream to the river lock cut and turn upstream there as the lock out from the canal is at a 60 degree angle to down stream, and is virtually opposite the weir so you don't want to be faffing about there when there is a good flow on.

[Captain Pegg]

Is it only me ...but if the crew of the boat on the weir were inexperienced and the river was fast don't you think the change over staff should have turned it round for them. I know they gave them clear instructions but it is too easy to panic in that situation.

 

None of us know precisely what was said or what the experience of the crew was. The basin at Lowesmoor is a short spur from the main line of the Worcester & Birmingham canal. All boats face the same way out of the wharf when they are picked up and on exit you either turn left towards Brum or right towards Diglis. It is about an hour after leaving before the Severn is reached. There are two narrow locks - which routinely suffer from vandalism and low pounds - and two barge locks which are slow to fill/empty and with very large heavy gates.

 

They wouldnt have been sent out directly on to the river as such.

 

JP

[Ace 01]

I was present at the bottom lock when the second hire boat got stuck on the cill and witnessed some of the conversation between the crew and the CaRT employee. He said the river was in the red and advised the boat not to go onto the river. The hire boat crew said they were experienced and the hire boat company (Diamond Resorts) had said it was OK for then to go onto the Severn. This was going on whilst the Fire and Rescue vehicles were clearly visible on the opposite bank with blue lights on and at least one RIB was on the water. They exited onto the river and turned around in the slack water above the river lock opposite the oil terminal basin entrance before returning to pick up their crew off the lock landing.

 

I assume a similar sort of conversation was had with the crew of the first boat which then ended up on the weir boom.

 

Cheers

 

David

[Ace 01]

UPDATE

 

The Severn is still on Amber and the level is 1ft 9in. A hire boat locked up from the river yesterday and a private boat has just arrived and is on the lock landing deciding whether to lock down onto the river.

 

The Diamond Resorts boat Ludlow Castle has just been rescued from the weir boom by RCR and is now moored on the visitor pontoon awaiting pickup by the hire company. According to the RCR engineer the engine has been cooked and is rough. HTH

 

Cheers

 

David