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New to rivers


johnnie1uk

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Hi all

We havent done any rivers before, apart from the River/Canal bit at the south of the Oxford, pretty shortly we are going from Stourport to Worcester on the Severn, Any tips and information gratefully appreciated.

Thanks John

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Take notice of the state of the river boards as you are new to it only go they are green, have an anchor (preferably attached to the boat), if you intend mooring at a jetty do so travelling up stream in other words turn the boat to face upstream and adjust your speed to come in to the mooring slowly. Think ahead plan what you are going to do before you get there, have fun.

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From memory there are vertical stainless steel rods in the lock walls to put a rope round so no need to fling ropes all over the place. As BGA says, turn the boat to face upstream to moor and as you are going downstream you will have priority at bridges and tight spots over uphill traffic, you will not be able to be polite and wave slow/against the current people through first or you will have problems. Think ahead, its really not scary, have a nice time.

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Take notice of the state of the river boards as you are new to it only go they are green, have an anchor (preferably attached to the boat), if you intend mooring at a jetty do so travelling up stream in other words turn the boat to face upstream and adjust your speed to come in to the mooring slowly. Think ahead plan what you are going to do before you get there, have fun.

 

Good advice but I would add to it in one important (IMHO) respect.

 

The anchor absolutely must be attached to a strong point. Not just the T stud but to a stronger point that will not break (T stud welds have been known to break as the boat is brought up to the anchor) Consider the anchor in much the same way as the brakes on your car. They are for use in emergencies. By the time the emergancy has happened there is not time to start wondering about where to tied the anchor, what with, and how to get it overboard.

 

I could rant on but I imagine you get my drift (pun intentional) Lots of other threads on this.

 

Nick

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hi john .welcome ..i have done the seven many times stourport to worcester...and found it to be very nice ...like bga said take notice of the boards and only go when green ...it just a matter of common sense really....as you will not be use too river locks ...dont worry the lock keppers will sort you out and they will tell you what to do ..like you i remember when i first done the seven ...i fretted and worried ...but too be honest there was now need to ...to be honest i found it a bit boring ...but it has to be done ...prefare the canals .enjoy h

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We came up fro Worcester to Stourport this week. The river was in green and the trend over the previous 4 days had been falling further down the green. We had done this trip three times before, but always in the summer.....

 

In the last lock down on to the river from the basin, a very helpful couple in another boat sharing the lock, they advised that the river was "lively" and to leave the lock we should angle the boat as far as possible upstream (their boat was shorter so there was space) and leave with a lot of power applied. Even with this it was quite difficult to turn the boat against the flow.

 

As we proceeded through the three locks towards Stourport the level was rising on the boards and was heading into the Amber at the last lock. All still seemed quite manageable. We entered the lock at Stourport on the first attempt but I had been careful to move upstream whilst turning and allowed the flow to carry the boat into alignment with the lock. A very helpful boater moored in the basin had opened the lock for us but I was surprised when he opened the middle set of gates allowing us to move into the upper lock without filling the lower lock.

 

The helpful boater then commented to the effect that "we were brave" to be coming off the river and on checking, the water level was now well into the red. I found this to be a salutatory lesson as I though we had been reasonably careful before setting off and thought there was no great risk. I now realise how wrong I was.

 

So some advice:-

 

Check the river water level in advance for all points of the journey and check they are in the green and not rising. You can get this information via the Internet.

 

Also check the river levels and the graphs of levels for points further up stream. If rising, think carefully.

 

If you see water levels rising into the Amber at the locks en-route then consider mooring and seeing if the river is going to rise further

 

As others have stated, make sure you have a suitably sized anchor, with chain and appropriately sized rope (not thin stuff!) and have it secured to the boat well and in a place easy to get it over the side.

 

Wear a life jacket. With a significant flow and cold water this is sensible (especially with a trad stream like we have) and do not worry about what anyone else may think.

 

 

However, overall with suitable care it can be a safe and enjoyable trip, so do not be put off.

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Coming downstream remember that you are going with the flow so are likely to travel faster than normal but you need to keep some speed on to keep steering. If you are turning in to the canal at Worcester then think ahead that you may need to stop on the pontoon to get crew off to open the lock but you should be fine turning and coming against the flow to stop at the pontoon.

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Thankyou everyone for all your tips and advice, have taken them all onboard, and am looking forward to the experience.

Glad the tips are "onboard" and yes look forward .... looking aft will not help!

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The locks have traffic lights - red and green are self-explanatory, but there is also a flashing red. The lock keepers are able to see you coming on camera and will use this signal to inform you that they are aware that you are there. You may be waiting a little while if the lock is against you, but if you have a flashing red you can be assured you've been seen.

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Can anyone comment on Stourport to Worcester - 2 boats.

 

We are travelling with friends, and I was curious to know if we can moor below the Stourport locks to wait a few minutes for them to come through, and if both boats can temporarily tie up below Diglis? I am also presuming both boats can go through the locks together.

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Can anyone comment on Stourport to Worcester - 2 boats.

 

We are travelling with friends, and I was curious to know if we can moor below the Stourport locks to wait a few minutes for them to come through, and if both boats can temporarily tie up below Diglis? I am also presuming both boats can go through the locks together.

The Severn locks are all pretty big, so 2 narrowboats boats at a time is no problem at all.

They're all operated by lock keepers, so they're a doddle. Just wait for the green light to enter the lock, and take bow and stern lines around the vertical steel cables that are let into the lock wall.

There's a pontoon just downstream of the staircase locks at Stourport. The first few feet is reserved for the lock landing, but there is usually some mooring space below. Just depends on how busy it is, really.

 

Edited to say: It's just over a mile down to Lincomb, which is the first Severn lock, so if you can't get a mooring space you can just potter down slowly and let your friends catch up.

Edited by PaulG
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Cheers Paul. Good advice. I am Stourport born making a "bucket list" return on my own boat. Exciting stuff. We will moor up overnight before dropping down. Would you suggest the basin, or is it ok on the approaches these days?

No worries - have a great trip!

 

There aren't many visitor moorings in the basin. There are a couple of spaces by the CRT service block, but I think that's about it. Probably better to moor above York Street lock.

 

The "Dark Star" has had a bit of a refurb and they had some live music on last time I was there.

Edited by PaulG
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Good navigation advice has already been given. My comment is purely scenery.

Occasional interesting sections but mainly BORING!

With 'normal' water level you are in a deep wide cutting with mile on mile of trees and bushes for company.

And for those going upstream it will be slow against the flow. Took us 2 days to go from Tewkesbury to Stourport - and difficult to find a mooring for the night. We pulled in what looked like an industrial basin - and tied up against a floating pontoon anchored in the middle with no walking access to the bank.. We had to stay on board all night.

Going down on a previous occasion it only took 1 day with the flow.

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I've often heard the Severn described at boring. For me, just being on the river is magical. The deep water under your prop. The range of vessels. The abundance of wildlife. That whiff of danger that you're not in the safety of the canal. The Severn banks are high so no big views into the distance. Instead you find yourself in the secret world of the river, often away from all signs of civilisation. Again I say, magical.

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Just to update, we went down today, it went like a dream, We even did a U turn to have a go at going upstream and for some experience of turning across the current before we had to turn upstream to turn into Diglis. Really enjoyed the expanse of water as well. thanks again everyone for your advice.

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I've often heard the Severn described at boring. For me, just being on the river is magical. The deep water under your prop. The range of vessels. The abundance of wildlife. That whiff of danger that you're not in the safety of the canal. The Severn banks are high so no big views into the distance. Instead you find yourself in the secret world of the river, often away from all signs of civilisation. Again I say, magical.

 

Once we went up the Severn when the Avon was massively in flood but the Severn wasn't. It was actually flowing upstream from Tewkesbury towards Worcester, and the level was near the top of the banks. It was a magical trip with great views.

 

Just to update, we went down today, it went like a dream, We even did a U turn to have a go at going upstream and for some experience of turning across the current before we had to turn upstream to turn into Diglis. Really enjoyed the expanse of water as well. thanks again everyone for your advice.

Wonderful to hear. Thanks for letting us know.

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Just to update, we went down today, it went like a dream, We even did a U turn to have a go at going upstream and for some experience of turning across the current before we had to turn upstream to turn into Diglis. Really enjoyed the expanse of water as well. thanks again everyone for your advice.

 

I love rivers for the same reason, water under the prop lets you enjoy the narrowboat properly, I always remember getting on the Soar on Old Friends for the first time and wondered what the bloomin' ell was happening after several years on the muddy ditches.

I also love doing the doghnuts - many times, and remember when going up from Gloucester to Tewkesbury, the look on Kathys face when she realised I was steering towards the opposite bank and not straight ahead...

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Good advice but I would add to it in one important (IMHO) respect.

 

The anchor absolutely must be attached to a strong point. Not just the T stud but to a stronger point that will not break (T stud welds have been known to break as the boat is brought up to the anchor) Consider the anchor in much the same way as the brakes on your car. They are for use in emergencies. By the time the emergancy has happened there is not time to start wondering about where to tied the anchor, what with, and how to get it overboard.

 

I could rant on but I imagine you get my drift (pun intentional) Lots of other threads on this.

 

Nick

What sort of strong point can/should be used? I have the T stud on the bow, and there is a metal loop inside the cratch on the front wall, but I wouldn't have thought hat was any stronger than the T. And does it have to be on the bow? Edited by Witchword
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What sort of strong point can/should be used? I have the T stud on the bow, and there is a metal loop inside the cratch on the front wall, but I wouldn't have thought hat was any stronger than the T. And does it have to be on the bow?

You will probably find the metal loop is designed as an anchor point, the T stud may snap off. You want the Anchor to be somewhere it can easily be deployed in an emergency remembering that along with the anchor you will have a long length of chain and rope so it requires a bit of space.

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What sort of strong point can/should be used? I have the T stud on the bow, and there is a metal loop inside the cratch on the front wall, but I wouldn't have thought hat was any stronger than the T. And does it have to be on the bow?

 

It depends what you have on the boat. I happen to have a 7" square post supporting the top plank so I make a clove hitch around the T stud and then take a round turn and two half hitches around the mast as a backup. Some people have advised a doubler plate at the back of the gas locker with a hefty ring bolt through it.

 

I am sure that someone will add their take on this.

 

Nick

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