A Reminder For Those Heading Onto The Rivers

[Alan de Enfield]

A recent thread has reminded me of something I intended to post a week or two ago.

 

Our Rivers are all at very low levels and film of the headwaters of many of our Rivers has showed them to be totally dry - we have had a little rain in the last few days but insufficient to make much difference.

 

When cruising the Rivers ALWAYS remember to take the bends at the wide-point, (outside of the bend) never try and cut the corner, that is the shallowest part.

As rivers curve / bend the water on the inside of the bend is slowed down and it has insufficient speed to carry its 'load' of soil particles etc and so it deposits them. The 'outside' of the bend forces the water to go faster so it actually 'scours' the river bed, making the water deeper. This is how ox-bow lakes are formed (remember them from School Geography lessons ?)

 

Although I know this - I have fallen into the trap - on the Trent at Farndon (near the marina) is a notorious 'corner' - very shallow - but I have managed to get-away with it on a number of occasions. On this particular occasion I didn't. To cut a long story short, I had to get off the boat and physically push it backwards and jumping back on quickly before it floated-off.

 

If you are not particularly experienced on Rivers (or even just a 'chancer') - DON'T CUT THE CORNERS. Its not worth the aggro.

[Dave Payne]

Not just on rivers, i got caught on on the north Oxford on the weekend.

 

 

[Tigerr]

A few years back I cut the corner on the Thames below New Bridge in a moment of stupidity. There was a strongish flow and the bow caught and stuck.  Before I knew what was happening or could do anything about it, the back end was going sideways and in a moment we were jammed solid across the river. Completely wedged in with water a foot higher on one side than the other. Quiet alarming. It took 4 hours before, luckily, the lock repair team could bring a powerful launch down and pull us back. Farmers tractor had tried and failed. 

The sheer force of the water once we started to swing was a real eye opener - way more powerful than I had thought, and once twenty tons of boat starts gaining momentum it really crunches the bushes in its path. It could have been very nasty indeed if the bank at the stern had been a tree poking out at about waist height. 

Nobody got where they wanted to go that day.  

[Chewbacka]

When heading South down the River Seven (fairly high water levels) where the river splits just North of Gloucester (the parting) for the first time I kept well over to the right both as it is the outside of the bend, but also in case there was anything large heading north - big mistake, the current is quite strong here and wants to take you to the right hand leg and onto the weir, lots of engine and heaving on the tiller, but it was a bit of a white knuckle moment. 

[Onewheeler]

20 minutes ago, Chewbacka said:

When heading South down the River Seven (fairly high water levels) where the river splits just North of Gloucester (the parting) for the first time I kept well over to the right both as it is the outside of the bend, but also in case there was anything large heading north - big mistake, the current is quite strong here and wants to take you to the right hand leg and onto the weir, lots of engine and heaving on the tiller, but it was a bit of a white knuckle moment. 

It's also often very shallow on the left bank. Stick to the middle lad!

[ditchcrawler]

6 minutes ago, Onewheeler said:

It's also often very shallow on the left bank. Stick to the middle lad!

Very being the operative word

[mark99]

Got mugged cutting a bend on the South Oxford. No flow but wallowed about like a pig in mud for ages getting off.

[Chewbacka]

1 hour ago, Onewheeler said:

It's also often very shallow on the left bank. Stick to the middle lad!

I found that out as well, now it's straight up the middle.  I did meet the Edward Elgar once on the parting with low water levels so fairly narrow, another interesting experience.  I do enjoy boating.

[Momac]

There are charts available for the River Trent - for the non tidal and tidal sections.

http://www.kildalemarine.co.uk/search?keyword=boating+association+trent

.

[larryjc]

Even when there are bouys helping you out some people don't have a clue.   Can't remember exactly where but it was on the Thames on a sharp left hander going up stream there was a red can buoy marking the shallow water.  Kept it to port as we went up.  A week or so later as we came back we met another boat coming the same way who was very angry with me as I left the buoy to starboard and, to his eyes, gave him very little room.  He shouted angrily to me ' don't you know the rules?  You should be on the other side of that as you come that way.'  As an RYA YM I think I actually know the rules but there wasn't time to put him straight and anyway that would have spoiled his fun when he came back.

 

[Alan de Enfield]

1 minute ago, larryjc said:

  You should be on the other side of that as you come that way.' 

 

Maybe he was an American (Their buoyage system is the reverse of ours)

[PaulG]

20 hours ago, Alan de Enfield said:

A recent thread has reminded me of something I intended to post a week or two ago.

 

Our Rivers are all at very low levels and film of the headwaters of many of our Rivers has showed them to be totally dry - we have had a little rain in the last few days but insufficient to make much difference.

 

When cruising the Rivers ALWAYS remember to take the bends at the wide-point, (outside of the bend) never try and cut the corner, that is the shallowest part.

As rivers curve / bend the water on the inside of the bend is slowed down and it has insufficient speed to carry its 'load' of soil particles etc and so it deposits them. The 'outside' of the bend forces the water to go faster so it actually 'scours' the river bed, making the water deeper. This is how ox-bow lakes are formed (remember them from School Geography lessons ?)

 

Although I know this - I have fallen into the trap - on the Trent at Farndon (near the marina) is a notorious 'corner' - very shallow - but I have managed to get-away with it on a number of occasions. On this particular occasion I didn't. To cut a long story short, I had to get off the boat and physically push it backwards and jumping back on quickly before it floated-off.

 

If you are not particularly experienced on Rivers (or even just a 'chancer') - DON'T CUT THE CORNERS. Its not worth the aggro.

What a difference a day makes...
it's p*ssing down.
Ever fancied a job as a "rain maker"?

18 hours ago, Onewheeler said:

It's also often very shallow on the left bank. Stick to the middle lad!

Quite right. Big sandbank on the left near the place where the big Dutch barge is moored.

[larryjc]

1 hour ago, Alan de Enfield said:

Maybe he was an American (Their buoyage system is the reverse of ours)

Then he would have tried to go up river on the wrong side!!! - and gone aground.

[Scholar Gypsy]

6 hours ago, larryjc said:

Even when there are bouys helping you out some people don't have a clue.   Can't remember exactly where but it was on the Thames on a sharp left hander going up stream there was a red can buoy marking the shallow water.  Kept it to port as we went up.  A week or so later as we came back we met another boat coming the same way who was very angry with me as I left the buoy to starboard and, to his eyes, gave him very little room.  He shouted angrily to me ' don't you know the rules?  You should be on the other side of that as you come that way.'  As an RYA YM I think I actually know the rules but there wasn't time to put him straight and anyway that would have spoiled his fun when he came back.

 

Here's a nice bit of buoyage (just south of Ely). I am heading upstream.

Edited May 17, 2017 by Scholar Gypsy

[Mac of Cygnet]

I blame this thread for the rain we've had all day.

[Tam & Di]

20 minutes ago, Scholar Gypsy said:

Here's a nice bit of buoyage (just south of Ely). I am heading upstream.

Your ensign is at the bow?

[OldGoat]

1 hour ago, Tam & Di said:

Your ensign is at the bow?

heavens, you can't get the right sort of boater nowadays. No sense of decorum...

Anyway it's only an Ensign if it's worn on the Ensign staff, otherwise it's just a 'flag'. In this case from what passes as a jack staff.

(I know it doesn't matter a jot when on inland waters - but it's fun when landlubbers come  up and give you grief..

 

Sorry, spoiling your humorous jibe - but trying to get anyone flying/ wearing all sorts of flags is an uphill 'struggle'. Celebrate what we were as a maritime nation or whatever county / organisation you feel you 'belong' to is worth preserving?

 

(oops - but then you know that, being a proper boater...)

 

 

Edited May 17, 2017 by OldGoat

[LadyG]

What' s the corrct protocol, I've got an ensign and staff, from my salt water days.

Red [CAN] bouys to port when going with the mainstream of the flood tide.

[David Mack]

8 hours ago, larryjc said:

Even when there are bouys helping you out some people don't have a clue.   Can't remember exactly where but it was on the Thames on a sharp left hander going up stream there was a red can buoy marking the shallow water.  Kept it to port as we went up.  A week or so later as we came back we met another boat coming the same way who was very angry with me as I left the buoy to starboard and, to his eyes, gave him very little room.  He shouted angrily to me ' don't you know the rules?  You should be on the other side of that as you come that way.'  As an RYA YM I think I actually know the rules but there wasn't time to put him straight and anyway that would have spoiled his fun when he came back.

 

Some years ago I pulled a large grp cruiser off who had gone aground in a similar situation somewhere on the Thames. It was clearly bouyed, but he had taken the short route and suffered the consequences.

[Rickent]

River soar is now in flood.

[MtB]

8 hours ago, larryjc said:

Even when there are bouys helping you out some people don't have a clue.   Can't remember exactly where but it was on the Thames on a sharp left hander going up stream there was a red can buoy marking the shallow water.  Kept it to port as we went up.  A week or so later as we came back we met another boat coming the same way who was very angry with me as I left the buoy to starboard and, to his eyes, gave him very little room.  He shouted angrily to me ' don't you know the rules?  You should be on the other side of that as you come that way.'  As an RYA YM I think I actually know the rules but there wasn't time to put him straight and anyway that would have spoiled his fun when he came back.

 

Gwarn then, what ARE the rules, please? 

I too have met red bouys bang in the centre of the channel on the Thames and been confused about which side to pass them.

Or they might have been green.

[Scholar Gypsy]

2 minutes ago, Mike the Boilerman said:

Gwarn then, what ARE the rules, please? 

I too have met red bouys bang in the centre of the channel on the Thames and been confused about which side to pass them.

Or they might have been green.

 

I am red / green colour blind. So to answer your question:

* going upstream (ie in from the sea) leave the red cans (flat tops) to port

* and the green cones (pointy tops) to starboard.

It's the other way round going downstream of course, and also in North America.

if you see one of these then pass to the north of it. There are variants (colours and cones) for south (two cones pointing down), west (down above up) and east (up above down) cardinal buoys.

 

[Scholar Gypsy]

51 minutes ago, OldGoat said:

heavens, you can't get the right sort of boater nowadays. No sense of decorum...

Anyway it's only an Ensign if it's worn on the Ensign staff, otherwise it's just a 'flag'. In this case from what passes as a jack staff.

(I know it doesn't matter a jot when on inland waters - but it's fun when landlubbers come  up and give you grief..

 

Sorry, spoiling your humorous jibe - but trying to get anyone flying/ wearing all sorts of flags is an uphill 'struggle'. Celebrate what we were as a maritime nation or whatever county / organisation you feel you 'belong' to is worth preserving?

 

(oops - but then you know that, being a proper boater...)

 

 

I know, but I like to see the flag in front of me rather than behind. I attach my pennants to the tiller. I do sometimes fly other flags from that staff. 

Here is my most extreme example - 12 different flags/pennants  (photo Roger Squires). We dipped the Ensign to Her Majesty ...

 

[MtB]

7 minutes ago, Scholar Gypsy said:

 

I am red / green colour blind. So to answer your question:

* going upstream (ie in from the sea) leave the red cans (flat tops) to port

* and the green cones (pointy tops) to starboard.

It's the other way round going downstream of course, and also in North America.

if you see one of these then pass to the north of it. There are variants (colours and cones) for south (two cones pointing down), west (down above up) and east (up above down) cardinal buoys.

 

 

Blimey that's hacking along at a rate of knots!

What engine does it have??

[Scholar Gypsy]

7 minutes ago, Mike the Boilerman said:

 

Blimey that's hacking along at a rate of knots!

What engine does it have??

We were doing about 5.8 kts over the ground at that point, so the buoy was doing a couple of knots through the water.

It is said that the Thames buoys have electromagnets in them to attract narrowboats.