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Crossing the Wash from Boston to the Great Ouse


j04n

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Axiom. I had an assurance that they would change it if it wasnt satisfactory but after further research I fear they are not going to be able to improve the performance further without changing the gearbox ratio from 3:1 to 2:1.

You don't want that race anymore then wink.png

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nice! clapping.gif so how much fuel you burning at that speed? ......... id need a shuttle rocket on mine to get up to that speed!

Enough!

 

About 6 gallons per hour flat out.

 

We were only cruising at that though with some help from a decent tide so about 4.5 gallons an hour.

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  • 4 weeks later...

wow! Thank you all for the quick feedback. Even if its not quite what i wanted to hear...... but expected :D ....... My boats 57ft long, 12ft wide, air draft 7ft 8', draft 2ft

I have just had my widebeam (12') put on the Great Ouse system, and at some point in the future may have considered doing the crossing in the opposite direction. However, when I put my dimensions into canal planner, it tells me there is no route from Boston for a 12' past Witham Navigable Drain? Is there another route? Or have I just entered details of route (York to Boston) incorrectly?

 

Edited to add, I have just looked at google maps and it looks like a very straight and wide stretch, so maybe canal plan has got the maximum beam of 11' wrong.

Edited by LoneEcho
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I have just had my widebeam (12') put on the Great Ouse system, and at some point in the future may have considered doing the crossing in the opposite direction. However, when I put my dimensions into canal planner, it tells me there is no route from Boston for a 12' past Witham Navigable Drain? Is there another route? Or have I just entered details of route (York to Boston) incorrectly?

 

Edited to add, I have just looked at google maps and it looks like a very straight and wide stretch, so maybe canal plan has got the maximum beam of 11' wrong.

also check, I've forgotten the precise term, route restrictions, tidal sections etc and make sure they are unchecked . there's mine, 191 miles.

post-27205-0-64316000-1476619349_thumb.jpg

Edited by j04n
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I have just had my widebeam (12') put on the Great Ouse system, and at some point in the future may have considered doing the crossing in the opposite direction. However, when I put my dimensions into canal planner, it tells me there is no route from Boston for a 12' past Witham Navigable Drain? Is there another route? Or have I just entered details of route (York to Boston) incorrectly?

 

Edited to add, I have just looked at google maps and it looks like a very straight and wide stretch, so maybe canal plan has got the maximum beam of 11' wrong.

 

I wonder if you have started from the wrong place in Boston? You shouldn't need to use the Witham Navigable Drains at all, and Cowbridge lock is certainly less than 12'. You want to go to Grand Sluice (actually canal planner will let you cross the Wash if you adjust the settings - the comments on overnight moorings are rather funny)

 

The WND are of course worth exploring - see my photos here

https://nbsg.wordpress.com/witham-navigable-drains-the-view-from-a-narrowboat/

Edited by Scholar Gypsy
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I wonder if you have started from the wrong place in Boston? You shouldn't need to use the Witham Navigable Drains at all, and Cowbridge lock is certainly less than 12'. You want to go to Grand Sluice (actually canal planner will let you cross the Wash if you adjust the settings - the comments on overnight moorings are rather funny)

 

The WND are of course worth exploring - see my photos here

https://nbsg.wordpress.com/witham-navigable-drains-the-view-from-a-narrowboat/

 

I was indeed using the wrong starting point (Boston Sluice Doors).

 

also check, I've forgotten the precise term, route restrictions, tidal sections etc and make sure they are unchecked . there's mine, 191 miles.

 

 

 

It will be a long time until I even think about attempting it, but good to know that it is possible.

 

Are you still planning on doing the crossing?

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Are you still planning on doing the crossing?

The mrs doesnt want me to go alone but yes its still on for now and preparations are continuing biggrin.png ........ At the moment there are only 2 things which could scupper it;

 

1) getting a job ....... and I am dragging my feet on that score

2) The weather. If its anything like last winter it wont happen. Or as one guy said yesterday I would be able to travel as the crow flies!

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It has always struck me that probably the single most inappropriate vessel (apart from a seive) to use to go to sea, is a flat bottomed narrow boat.

 

I am aware that many have done the Wash crossing in a narrow boat, but it has always intrigued me as to why one would wish to?

 

The very thought of the crossing fills me with dread and makes me long to throw my arms around Paneke to protect her.

 

Naughty Cal is in her element of course, but a narrow? (Shudders)

 

So what is the motivation, is it an Everest thing?

 

Rog

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It has always struck me that probably the single most inappropriate vessel (apart from a seive) to use to go to sea, is a flat bottomed narrow boat.

 

I am aware that many have done the Wash crossing in a narrow boat, but it has always intrigued me as to why one would wish to?

 

The very thought of the crossing fills me with dread and makes me long to throw my arms around Paneke to protect her.

 

Naughty Cal is in her element of course, but a narrow? (Shudders)

 

So what is the motivation, is it an Everest thing?

 

Rog

 

I think much of it is 'ignorance'.

Until you have spent time at sea and seen how quickly things change, and how 'nasty' it can get, you have no appreciation of the dangers, even for a 'sea-going' boat.

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So what is the motivation, is it an Everest thing?

 

Rog

 

lol! ...... no its just a means to an end. I would like to get as far south as I can ........ without lifting it out the water and without being totally ridiculous and really trying to go to sea. Cambridge seems a perfect goal. Mines a wide beam but no doubt you will tell me thats even worse! rolleyes.gif

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For us (we did it in July) it was two things: a desire to do something that is more adventurous than many people would believe was possible in this over-populated and sanitised island of ours; and because it meant we could complete a circular journey (Soar/Trent/Fossdyke/Witham/Wash/Nene/back on canals) without doubling back on ourselves. It felt a very safe trip to us. The weather was kind, we experienced no alarming incidents and of course we had Daryl Hill with us throughout. I would absolutely recommend this trip to anybody. You won't regret it.

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lol! ...... no its just a means to an end. I would like to get as far south as I can ........ without lifting it out the water and without being totally ridiculous and really trying to go to sea. Cambridge seems a perfect goal. Mines a wide beam but no doubt you will tell me thats even worse! rolleyes.gif

It can become pretty nasty pretty quickly in the Wash. Don't be fooled into thinking it is a benign stretch of water. It isn't.

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For us (we did it in July) it was two things: a desire to do something that is more adventurous than many people would believe was possible in this over-populated and sanitised island of ours; and because it meant we could complete a circular journey (Soar/Trent/Fossdyke/Witham/Wash/Nene/back on canals) without doubling back on ourselves. It felt a very safe trip to us. The weather was kind, we experienced no alarming incidents and of course we had Daryl Hill with us throughout. I would absolutely recommend this trip to anybody. You won't regret it.

Believe me, I am regretting even thinking about it!

 

I'll certainly stick to canals. I don't generally do rivers unless I have to, in order to connect two canals.

 

To each their own, but I am genuinely interested in the motivation.

 

Rog

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Just to make myself clear - when I say "recommend to anybody" I mean to anybody who does the right preparations to their boat and also hires a suitable guide. I wouldn't want to imply that the whole thing is like falling off a log. It isn't. But if you do your research (most of it on here) and prepare thoroughly, then it is a fabulous journey.

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It can become pretty nasty pretty quickly in the Wash. Don't be fooled into thinking it is a benign stretch of water. It isn't.

Oh I wont. Im no sea fairer but have some experience of what the sea is capable of from my wind surfing days around the coast and of course I will be enlisting the services of Daryl.

Edited by j04n
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For us (we did it in July) it was two things: a desire to do something that is more adventurous than many people would believe was possible in this over-populated and sanitised island of ours; and because it meant we could complete a circular journey (Soar/Trent/Fossdyke/Witham/Wash/Nene/back on canals) without doubling back on ourselves. It felt a very safe trip to us. The weather was kind, we experienced no alarming incidents and of course we had Daryl Hill with us throughout. I would absolutely recommend this trip to anybody. You won't regret it.

 

Nicely put - both this and your later post.

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  • 2 months later...

The insurance point is interesting.

 

When I did the crossing (Kings Lynn to Boston) last year my insurer set quite a long list of conditions -- all of which were sensible (as they reduced risk), and included having a pilot/guide (technically I think Daryl is the latter not the former - the Kings Lynn harbourmaster makes the same point in his reply quoted above) and doing the crossing in moderate wind conditions.

 

One the way back the insurer used by the other two boats treated the Wash exactly the same as (say) the tidal Trent from Keadby to Torksey, ie an inland connecting tidal waterway. Even when the boaters asked "Have you actually looked at a map?" they got the same reply!

 

The question that you (implicitly) asked is "Do you as Harbour Authority require me to have a pilot", and the answer is no, for all small craft. That's a different question to the ones you should be asking eg "Would people reccomend me to have a pilot?" or "Do you as my insurers insist I have a pilot?".

 

My assembled resources are here. There was an interview with Daryl in Canal Boat recently, which stressed the importance of a good supply of bacon butties.

 

Apart from the weather at that time of year, you will of course (as Alan says) have difficulties finding a date when tide times permit a crossing in daylight. I am sure Daryl would encourage you to go via Wisbech, which is a shorter and easier crossing (but still 9 hours).

 

For those interested in this Scholar Gypsy will be giving an illustrated talk this Thursday on this trip at the London Canal Museum at 7.30pm.

 

Normal museum admission charges will apply, the Museum will be open up until the start of the talk.

 

Details here

 

Tim

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For those interested in this Scholar Gypsy will be giving an illustrated talk this Thursday on this trip at the London Canal Museum at 7.30pm.

 

Normal museum admission charges will apply, the Museum will be open up until the start of the talk.

 

Details here

 

Tim

 

Thank you Tim. I have spent too long over the Christmas holidays fiddling with my powerpoint slides, and trying to construct a historical theory linking Denver Sluice to the English Civil War ...

 

There will also be a repeat at the IWA Great Ouse branch meeting on Thursday 23rd February, 8.00 pm at the Coles Road Community Centre in Milton, just north of Cambridge.

 

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I tend to be a 'bit over cautious', but years of sea-going boats has taught me that if it can go wrong, it probably will do.

 

Take a jerry can of clean diesel (from another source to your main tank - petrol station if necessary) and sort out a way of running a pipe from it to your engine (after the filters) so if the worst happens you can jury-rig something to give you another 10 + hours to get out of trouble.

 

You can buy jerry-can fittings that have pipe running from them down into the can, and another that runs outwards from the can to enable easy (no-spill) siphoning.

If you make this outlet pipe the same size as you engine fuel pipe you can attach it / slide it over and clamp it with a jubilee clip.

 

It may not meet BSS requirements but they don't apply on the sea anyway.

 

 

 

Hi Alan, hope you don't mind me adding a bit to your post with a little story-----------

 

In a former life I used to deliver yachts all over the place on the salty stuff and I too always carried several cans of clean diesel and an asortment of pipes "just in case". Well the "just in case" happened one dark night on passage through the Straights of Bonifacio. We had been under sail all day in blustery conditions and the fuel in the main tank had been shaken around quite a bit. As darkness fell the wind died and the sea became flat calm so being in a busy shipping lane I started the engine to clear the Straights. After a few minutes motoring the engine died and would not restart. Looking at the fuel filter and inside the main tank the cause was very obvious, fuel bug everywhere and the main tank full of the stuff so I decided to rig up one of the clean fuel cans (20 ltrs) and connected a pipe from the can to the filter inlet after fitting a new filter. The engine started fine and off we went. Twenty minutes later the engine stopped again but this time the filter was clean but I discovered the 20 ltr can was empty and also noticed that the contaminated main fuel tank level had increased by about 20 ltrs. Then the penny dropped. In a diesel engine most of the fuel going to the injectors is used for cooling them and then passes back to the main tank, only a small portion is actually injected into the engine and thats where my 20 ltrs had gone. I connected a second 20 ltr can as before but ALSO diverted the injector return pipe into the SAME can and bingo, ran all night like that till the wind picked up next morning and only used about 5 or 6 litrs of fuel. Sorry if I bored you all with the story but I enjoyed re-living it.

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I tend to be a 'bit over cautious', but years of sea-going boats has taught me that if it can go wrong, it probably will do.

 

Take a jerry can of clean diesel (from another source to your main tank - petrol station if necessary) and sort out a way of running a pipe from it to your engine (after the filters) so if the worst happens you can jury-rig something to give you another 10 + hours to get out of trouble.

 

You can buy jerry-can fittings that have pipe running from them down into the can, and another that runs outwards from the can to enable easy (no-spill) siphoning.

If you make this outlet pipe the same size as you engine fuel pipe you can attach it / slide it over and clamp it with a jubilee clip.

 

It may not meet BSS requirements but they don't apply on the sea anyway.

 

 

 

Hi Alan, hope you don't mind me adding a bit to your post with a little story-----------

 

In a former life I used to deliver yachts all over the place on the salty stuff and I too always carried several cans of clean diesel and an asortment of pipes "just in case". Well the "just in case" happened one dark night on passage through the Straights of Bonifacio. We had been under sail all day in blustery conditions and the fuel in the main tank had been shaken around quite a bit. As darkness fell the wind died and the sea became flat calm so being in a busy shipping lane I started the engine to clear the Straights. After a few minutes motoring the engine died and would not restart. Looking at the fuel filter and inside the main tank the cause was very obvious, fuel bug everywhere and the main tank full of the stuff so I decided to rig up one of the clean fuel cans (20 ltrs) and connected a pipe from the can to the filter inlet after fitting a new filter. The engine started fine and off we went. Twenty minutes later the engine stopped again but this time the filter was clean but I discovered the 20 ltr can was empty and also noticed that the contaminated main fuel tank level had increased by about 20 ltrs. Then the penny dropped. In a diesel engine most of the fuel going to the injectors is used for cooling them and then passes back to the main tank, only a small portion is actually injected into the engine and thats where my 20 ltrs had gone. I connected a second 20 ltr can as before but ALSO diverted the injector return pipe into the SAME can and bingo, ran all night like that till the wind picked up next morning and only used about 5 or 6 litrs of fuel. Sorry if I bored you all with the story but I enjoyed re-living it.

 

 

No problem - its 'real' stories that add interest.

 

We brought our new Catarmaran from Croatia back to Hull last May - made sure we had 5x 25 litre cans of diesel available. It was just as well as crossing the Bay of Biscay we had a head wind and motorsailed for 2 days.

 

We did how ever achieve 16 knots going up the Channel, with both engines running, sails out and the tide with us.

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