Bray Lock

[Ramage]

Well, what a mess the EA have made of Bray Lock.

Layby is still out of use downstream and all they have in place is a temporary pontoon which is totally inadequate for the traffic this lock experiences over an Easter period.

What wonderful value the Thames licence is... cannot use most of the river in the winter, and then they dont finish in time for the all too brief summer season! /forums/images/graemlins/confused.gif

 

[byron]

They're starting their own football team to take advantage of the soccer summer season. They're calling it Tossers United.

 

[Cliveshep]

You missed the best bit about Bray Lock, the anti clockwise "rip" coming into those pontoons sets heavily to starboard going upstream before reversing just below the lock tail to ram the unsuspecting, who have been applying ever more port helm and power to offset this, into the piles and pinning them there so that they have to man-haul their boats along clear of the current to get off and into the lock.

The lock-keeper actually came down to tell us but the boat in front of us really got caught by this and crashed heavily into the pile trying to get away to enter the lock.

We were tail-end charlie and when it was our turn I just shoved the arse out and went full astern to pull off and powered mightily to get into the lock. Others were not so fortunate.

Mind you, we were lucky, I had a crew of five kids aboard and I was the only adult (my wife is in the Far East looking after sick mother). We were due some luck, we hit the same problem at the tail of Shepperton lock earlier, marine gremlins took the boat bodily sideways in spite of all I could do and stuffed us against the entrance wall to port with a resounding crash. I thought the steering had broken. So if you saw an Ocean 30 flying a Jolly Roger from the jack and with a full hand of kids incluing a nubile teenager (my neice) - that was us!

 

[Brayman]

You certainly were lucky, Bray lock broke down on Friday, not sure for how long but it stopped one of our boats joining us in Henley.

 

[Andrew_Fanner]

Sunbury broke down on Sunday, keeper had to wind and some wiser folk used the barge lock.

Its a plot, "we told you we needed the money"...

 

[Ramage]

Whilst circling due to the temporary pontoon being full, and complying with the Assistant lock keepers instructions, we
got caught in the eddys below Bray Lock and smacked into a work boat.

Hull damage below rub strake and above fenders. Anyone know who to approach for repairs (We are in Bray Marina).

I have already notified our insurers (Craft Insure).

/forums/images/graemlins/confused.gif

 

[DogsBody]

The breakdown on Friday was (I believe) due to one of the hydraulic pipes breaking, thus no manual or electric operation - a total stoppage. Apparently for about 4 hours from 11:30ish.

There was also a problem with the out of hours public electric operation on Thursday night resulting in a boat getting stuck in the lock until the lock keeper came back and turned on his power. Some sort of sensor problem (mis-aligned) I'm told.

The temporary waiting pontoon below the lock appears dangerous to me. When I arrived on Friday morning, I was told to hold off and not attempt to moor to it. Watched an EA river launch moor there and attack something below the waterline on the pontoon with a sledge hammer. Then had a chuckle as they couldn't get the boat off the pontoon due to the strange currents mentioned above.

A complete disgrace and all this after the work on the lock is already a month late and now likely to go on for another couple of months I'm told.

Value for money on our river licence? I think not!

Darren.

 

[Ramage]

I have just been speaking to Aqua Marine at Penton Hook re getting an estimate for repairing the hull damage Carli sustained at Bray Lock.

It seems I am the third person to contact him for repairs to damage from Bray's temporary arrangements!! /forums/images/graemlins/blush.gif

 

[Andrew_Fanner]

[ QUOTE ]
I have just been speaking to Aqua Marine at Penton Hook re getting an estimate for repairing the hull damage Carli sustained at Bray Lock.

It seems I am the third person to contact him for repairs to damage from Bray's temporary arrangements!! /forums/images/graemlins/blush.gif

[/ QUOTE ]

May be worth advising the EA that you expect them to front for the damage caused by their cockup. CC your MP...

 

[BG1]

Further to the problems mentioned about out of hours operation, I was told that it is still very "iffy" and if the power fails, the hand controls are inoperable also!. Hope the locky's a light sleeper.
The problems of the rip current were "to be reported in no uncertain terms" to the bosses at Reading. So that's ok then, should be end of the summer when it's fixed.

 

[DogsBody]

Re: Out of hours

Yes, I heard they were going to leave the out of hours power off for the time being because as you say, if it fails you can't hand wind and have to wake up the lock keeper or stay the night.

Darren.

 

[Doolittle]

[ QUOTE ]
we hit the same problem at the tail of Shepperton lock earlier, marine gremlins took the boat bodily sideways in spite of all I could do and stuffed us against the entrance wall to port with a resounding crash.

[/ QUOTE ]

If I had a pound for every boat I saw getting their stern pulled to starboard whilst the bow nosed slack water then the bank I'd have a 30 footer instead of a 25 footer.

My folks live at the end of the Shepperton back weir. It's usually the hire boats that try to climb the bank. I used to think they wanted to portage around the lock!

Bad luck though Clive. It's not easy reading the water there.