Of Interest to Medway Boaters.

Plum

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Link from the MSBA.

Very useful indeed.
Medway and Swale Boating Association
Hi, need some help with bridge heights on the non-tidal Medway.
The EA publication "River Medway - A User's Guide" dated 2013 shows these bridge heights (just two examples):
Maidstone Bridge 2.55m
Stilstead Bridge 2.55m

The EA publication "Medway Navigation Bridge Profiles" dated 2007 shows these bridge heights:-
Maidstone Bridge 3.7m
Stilstead Bridge 2.7m

Am planning a trip for next spring in a boat with 2.5m air draft and will obviously be checking on changes to normal river levels just before I go. I have cruised the Medway navigation many years ago in a smaller boat but local knowledge on bridge heights would be much appreciated. Thanks.

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ianc1200

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Colin, we took Straight Across up the Medway to Tonbridge, had to get mast lying over wheelhouse off once near top end, that means a little over 2.5m (I left searchlight/horn on - when those are removed we're 8' 3"). You need to get a wooden motorboat with movable ballast!
 

oldgit

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Allington Lock and Slipway - Home
Ignoring water draft for now !
If you can go under East Farleigh bridge, next bridge worth worrying about is the one at Hempstead Lock,. 3.1 M. after that is a lifting bridge, buy key at Allington when you enter the non tidal river.
Rumours that somebody managed to get Fairline Corniche through Farleigh , did see the boat at Wateringbury and the damage to a handrail on the flybridge.
We have chap in our club with Broom Crown 37 who does the trip from Yalding to Rochester on regular basis.Has a neat trick of getting through the centre arch at East Farleigh which Allegedly ! has tad more headroom than arch normally used.( Top secret details on request.)
Looks exactly the same to me.:)

The last is Cannon Bridge the lowest of the lot , just outside Tonbridge . Short walk to town centre and there are piles to moor the boat.
Did get a Princess 33 underneath and into the lock compound beyond on several occassions.
 
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ianc1200

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If you take a dinghy with an outboard, there must be another 5 miles of river to navigate beyond where oldgit is moored in the second photo.
 

oldgit

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If you take a dinghy with an outboard, there must be another 5 miles of river to navigate beyond where oldgit is moored in the second photo.
Goes round in great big loop, last time we were up there took the dinghy , there is a suprising number of narrowboats lurking up there
Also worth a look a bit of history.
The Medway 1938.
Detail 763 – Screen Archive South East

Do not recognise the garage where he fills up the car Clackett Lane perhaps ?


James Christie and the Penshurst Canal
 
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Plum

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Lots of links here
Allington Lock and Slipway - Home
Ignoring water draft for now !
If you can go under East Farleigh bridge, next bridge worth worrying about is the one at Hempstead Lock,. 3.1 M. after that is a lifting bridge, buy key at Allington when you enter the non tidal river.
Rumours that somebody managed to get Fairline Corniche through Farleigh , did see the boat at Wateringbury and the damage to a handrail on the flybridge.
We have chap in our club with Broom Crown 37 who does the trip from Yalding to Rochester on regular basis.Has a neat trick of getting through the centre arch at East Farleigh which Allegedly ! has tad more headroom than arch normally used.( Top secret details on request.)
Looks exactly the same to me.:)

The last is Cannon Bridge the lowest of the lot , just outside Tonbridge . Short walk to town centre and there are piles to moor the boat.
Did get a Princess 33 underneath and into the lock compound beyond on several occassions.
Many thanks for the excellent info.
 

Plum

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Hi, need some help with bridge heights on the non-tidal Medway.
The EA publication "River Medway - A User's Guide" dated 2013 shows these bridge heights (just two examples):
Maidstone Bridge 2.55m
Stilstead Bridge 2.55m

The EA publication "Medway Navigation Bridge Profiles" dated 2007 shows these bridge heights:-
Maidstone Bridge 3.7m
Stilstead Bridge 2.7m
I have had a reply from the Environment Agency saying which of their two publications shows the correct Medway bridge heights: "Thanks for your enquiry and sorry for the confusion the correct guide for your use is the Medway Navigation Bridge Profiles. The other document is in the process of being replaced."

So the correct publication is here: https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&sou...FjACegQIARAB&usg=AOvVaw0VsSoryA_42lfK2qIQlVhd


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oldgit

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Thanks for clearing that up, have downloaded the PDF.
......for anyone the least bit interested you can get a Princess 35 flybridge ( hinged radar arch )under both the bridges in Maidstone Town centre provided river levels are within normal parameters. Decent quiet moorings outside County Court opposite bishops Palace..
We normally want the river level to be just below the south footpath under lower bridge.
After heavy rain the flow in the Medway can build up quite fast.
A few years ago was moored in town centre with Murv of this parish in his Tubby 36. After heavy overnight rain the river really was in full flow and building.
We upped sticks well early and popped down to lock to see what was going on and good job too.
Although it was around LW the tidal river below lock was full of water.
Lockie announced if we did not go there and then we would not be able to get under Aylesford bridge if we left any later.
We got under. :)
 
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Murv

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A few years ago was moored in town centre with Murv of this parish in his Tubby 36. After heavy overnight rain the river really was in full flow and building.
We upped sticks well early and popped down to lock to see what was going on and good job too.
Although it was around LW the tidal river below lock was full of water.
Lockie announced if we did not go there and then we would not be able to get under Aylesford bridge if we left any later.
We got under. :)

That was an interesting journey!
Quick vid of that LW passage under Aylesford bridge if anybody is interested:

 

oldgit

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Do you need a Pilot for bridges on the Medway? :)

If you going under NO......
At LW there is no water under bridge and you could probably walk across.

If your boat is shallow draft, provided the water is up to the bottom of the shuttering around the "starlings", you can go through and on (slowly) up to the lock.
On big springs the airdraft can be less than a metre.

 
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