Use The Riser Wires

[Alan de Enfield]

Lifted from Narrowboat world.

 

Worth posting here I thought.

They haven't a clue

The old staff of British Waterways certainly knew what they were doing, but not this lot in charge of the waterways today, as a short cruise up the Soar and back clearly showed.

We all know of Cart's love of notices, and there are a couple of new ones at Kegworth Lock,  telling of the number of hang-ups on the cill in the lock over 12 months.  But whoever though it up just hasn't a clue.  We all know that boats get caught on the cill descending, and though this particular idiot told that we should use the blue riser wires, missed out the important bit—telling of being safe at the front of the lock.

Some newcomer could easily take the notice seriously and secure their boat at the back—and still get caught on the cill.

There is not much point in telling boaters about hang-ups if they are not going to actually tell how to avoid them. And really, tying a boat when descending, when we all know it just stays still, is a bit stupid. But I don't expect whoever thought up the notice would realise that the turbulence is when ascending.

Would not work anyway

Good idea for those afraid of the lock to fasten their boats to the wires when ascending. But one little problem however. Four of the wires were not even connected and were flapping about—they had broken off at the bottom!

Wonder if those who erected the notice had even checked?  Obviously not. Perhaps they will be repaired during the next 'winter maintenance', as they have obviously missed the last one.

[Sea Dog]

Good points all. You have sent CRT this info, I presume? 

[Mike Todd]

We were amused by this sign a couple of weeks ago when we passed through!

However, I suspect it may have more to do with the legal department than anyone technical.

[frangar]

Had the problem of the broken riser wires at diglis lock on the Severn a few years ago when we were going up....the lockie wasn't impressed when I ended up in the middle of the lock but didn't seem to quite get that it's hard to have a rope round something that's not attached. I'd asked him to take a rope up but he refused.

Words were exchanged!!!

I did notice they were fixed when we last went through. 

[PhilAtterley]

I have never understood the need for these so-called 'riser wires', especially in a lock of the size that Kegworth Deep is. As a young boy I remember many passages through the original old Loughborough Navigation built lock at Kegworth with my father's 1920's converted lifeboat. Although there was around a foot less fall in those days it was nonetheless a comparatively deep lock but was equipped only with the usual wooden strapping stumps - one either side at the top end and two either side by the bottom gates. I cannot remember any difficulties ever arising due to the lack of any 'riser wires' at this lock, and nor were there ever any problems when passing through the 4 x boat Trent locks, none of which back then were equipped with these vertical wires either. Standard practice in those days, for both commercials (tug + 2 x boat tows - all the older 81' 6'' Trent size tugs had been lengthened to around 110' by then, and the new ones were built at up to around 120') and pleasure craft was either a hook-rope on a ladder rung or a stop-rope up onto a bollard on top of the lockside. 

Edited May 1, 2017 by PhilAtterley

[Horace42]

Never heard of riser wires.  And how do you get a cill hang-up when ascending?

[Alan de Enfield]

8 hours ago, Horace42 said:

Never heard of riser wires.

 In very deep canal locks, but more particularly the humungous river locks there are steel wires attached to the top and bottom of the lock wall, you tie onto these as you rise up, the rope 'slides' up the wires. Your ropes may not belong enough, and, the very acute angle vertically would not stop you drifting about if you tie up conventionally & use the bollards at the top of the lock wall.

 

  And how do you get a cill hang-up when ascending?

You don't - but unfortunately that is not realised by C&RT.

 

[blackrose]

I chose not to use the wires descending Bath deep lock when I went through a few years ago on my own. I'd never seen the lock empty and imagined getting hung up on the wires themselves if there were any broken bits that the ropes could get caught on. I just left the boat untied and kept my eye on it to make sure it didn't drift too far back towards the cill. I probably wouldn't have done that with a narrowboat though.

It's a long descent down that ladder.

Edited May 1, 2017 by blackrose

[Horace42]

5 hours ago, Alan de Enfield said:

 

Thanks Alan. Obvious! I should have realised - but my early experience of wide locks was in a canoe and using dirty old chains hanging down that you held on to with bare hands. I guess they use wires nowadays. Thanks

[Richard T]

It is actually quite easy to get caught on the cill when ascending at Kegworth (and Aston, Weston, Swarkestone and Stenson on the lower T&M). The cills have a projecting lip which the front of the boat can get caught under and held down when the lock is filling. Its safer to be right at the back on these locks- it also takes you out of much of the turbulence fron the gate paddles. It happened to us last year at Weston fortunately the weak link in our front fender fixing broke and we floated free. So if in doubt use the wires at Kegworth or ropes and the appropriate bollards in the others to hold the boats position in these locks.

[b0atman]

Not a lot of help for single handers ! I have done this lock lots of times with no problems.The trent locks single handed stood on roof using centre rope around riser is not too much fun if filling quickly.

 

[Stilllearning]

6 hours ago, blackrose said:

I chose not to use the wires descending Bath deep lock when I went through a few years ago on my own. I'd never seen the lock empty and imagined getting hung up on the wires themselves if there were any broken bits that the ropes could get caught on. I just left the boat untied and kept my eye on it to make sure it didn't drift too far back towards the cill. I probably wouldn't have done that with a narrowboat though.

It's a long descent down that ladder.

I may be missing something in your picture , but the boat seems to be sitting in the middle of the lock, with no rope going to the land....so how did you get back on board if you were singlehanding?

[Alan de Enfield]

9 minutes ago, Richard T said:

It is actually quite easy to get caught on the cill when ascending at Kegworth (and Aston, Weston, Swarkestone and Stenson on the lower T&M). The cills have a projecting lip which the front of the boat can get caught under and held down when the lock is filling. Its safer to be right at the back on these locks- it also takes you out of much of the turbulence fron the gate paddles. It happened to us last year at Weston fortunately the weak link in our front fender fixing broke and we floated free. So if in doubt use the wires at Kegworth or ropes and the appropriate bollards in the others to hold the boats position in these locks.

I have used those locks on a number of occasions and never found them to be a problem - when 'rising' I simply leave the boat in gear with the 'button' against the cill / gate and up she goes - the gate opens when the lock is full, I 'jump-on' as she passes, into neutral, jump off, close the gate, back on and 'motor off'.

 

2 years ago we were out on the T&M with another boat who had been told to 'stay back', he did so and his line happened to 'fall off the back' and was trapped in the closing gates, as the water rose, so did his bow but the stern stayed down - it was very nearly a sinking but the paddles were quickly closed, the 'low-side' paddles opened, the gates opened and the boat released. A quick change of trousers and the lock was attempted (successfully) again.

Later that same day a boat did sink in the same lock due to 'cilling'.

 

It is 'attention to detail' & 'staying alert' that makes a safe and successful locking.

[ditchcrawler]

1 minute ago, Stilllearning said:

I may be missing something in your picture , but the boat seems to be sitting in the middle of the lock, with no rope going to the land....so how did you get back on board if you were singlehanding?

Probably down that ladder on the right, thats how I would have done it

[Alan de Enfield]

4 minutes ago, Stilllearning said:

I may be missing something in your picture , but the boat seems to be sitting in the middle of the lock, with no rope going to the land....so how did you get back on board if you were singlehanding?

As you look at the picture the RH side of the boat is 'touching' the RH side of the lock - climb down the RH side ladder that is approximately half-way down the length of the boat

[hounddog]

and how does one achieve this with a narrow boat? 

[ditchcrawler]

12 minutes ago, hounddog said:

and how does one achieve this with a narrow boat? 

One has a bit of string attached to the top of the boat and pull it over when the lock is empty

[hounddog]

Ever tried pulling something 3 feet towards you at the angle made by it being 18 foot down? 

[ditchcrawler]

1 minute ago, hounddog said:

Ever tried pulling something 3 feet towards you at the angle made by it being 18 foot down? 

It easier if the line is attached to the far side of the boat as it gives a straighter pull also if you pull the boat forwards or backwards at the same time, again improving the angle of the pull. No way would I tie the boat to a riser wire and then draw the lock.

[Stilllearning]

51 minutes ago, Alan de Enfield said:

As you look at the picture the RH side of the boat is 'touching' the RH side of the lock - climb down the RH side ladder that is approximately half-way down the length of the boat

Oh damn, I only saw the ladder on the left....

[PhilAtterley]

Climbing up or down slimy ladders in lock chamber walls is never a good idea, especially as there has been a tendency in recent years to fit ladders into insufficiently deep recesses which do not let you get your feet far enough on to the rungs to be sure that they will not slip off them. A better and safer way of getting back onto the boat pictured in the deep lock a few posts back would have been to get it moving by bowhauling with a line off the stern to get it moving enough to carry it's way under the bridge (that the photographer must have been standing on), and then get back onboard on the other side of the bridge. Carrying a boathook ashore suitable for picking up suitably coiled down and placed lines up forard would be a wise precaution.

[Dave_P]

I was confused by the sign at  Kegworth too, a couple of weeks back. Especially since one of the risers was broken. Detached at the bottom. 

[David Mack]

1 hour ago, PhilAtterley said:

Climbing up or down slimy ladders in lock chamber walls is never a good idea, especially as there has been a tendency in recent years to fit ladders into insufficiently deep recesses which do not let you get your feet far enough on to the rungs to be sure that they will not slip off them. A better and safer way of getting back onto the boat pictured in the deep lock a few posts back would have been to get it moving by bowhauling with a line off the stern to get it moving enough to carry it's way under the bridge (that the photographer must have been standing on), and then get back onboard on the other side of the bridge. Carrying a boathook ashore suitable for picking up suitably coiled down and placed lines up forard would be a wise precaution.

Or just open a top paddle and flush the boat out.

[mark99]

1 hour ago, David Mack said:

Or just open a top paddle and flush the boat out.

But not a gate paddle......

[PhilAtterley]

1 hour ago, David Mack said:

Or just open a top paddle and flush the boat out.

Not a good idea with such short pounds ahead of and behind you !