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Alrob

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I am planning a trip through crinan canal soon,

has anyone any tips for a first timer ?

would I be best to hire a canal pilot for the first passage ?

how do I contact said pilot ?

ta
 
Alrob said:
I am planning a trip through crinan canal soon,

has anyone any tips for a first timer ?

would I be best to hire a canal pilot for the first passage ?

how do I contact said pilot ?

ta
Click to expand...

There is no difficulty going through the Crinnan canal, but it is hard work if on your own. Choices are, go through with two or three other boats, to reduce the work load.

Mind it's a good few years since I was there, but the other option was to hire a man on a bike, who will work the locks and generally help out. You dont need any sort of pilot nor is there one I think, it's dead easy. Just remember to hold the ropes and let the boat up and down. You could hire the man as you enter the first lock.

If you have never been in a lock before, it's quite logical. Go to lock, if the first gate is not open, park up. Is the lock full or empty?? If empty, open lockgates, If you cant, open sluice close by, till the water in the lock is same as water your side. Make sure the other gate is closed. Open lock and drive in, close lock and sluice. Go to upper gate. You will have been given a spanner type key to fit the sluice, else it's already there. Cant remember. Fill lock with water, taking care to shorten ropes as you go. Going down hill, the princple is the same. Except opposite But whatever you do, dont hang the boat on the end of the ropes. It's really a three person job, but could manage with less.

You wont be able to open the gates, if the water at one side is an inch above the other, so bide your time.

It's not much different than filling or emptying a sink really. Plug in, taps on, plug out, taps off. Dont waste water.

Must have missed some thing, dont know what. Mostly the lock wont let you do to much wrong.
 
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Alrob said:
I am planning a trip through crinan canal soon,

has anyone any tips for a first timer ?

would I be best to hire a canal pilot for the first passage ?

how do I contact said pilot ?

ta
Click to expand...
No you don't need a pilot go and get some instruction or just going for a day out to a working lock will help and have a chat with the lock keeper.
Go and do a day trip on a narrow boat with an instructor especially one that can go though locks, note most day boats are restricted to not going though locks.
Narrow boats are made as a sliding fit for canals and locks.
Then taking your own boat though is no different just don't let it crash
into the stonework the same.
Loads of peeps are scared to death about locks it is just plenty of old fenders and commonsense.
Practise will help but unfortunately not make perfect but don't be put off by that comment.
If you think you are going into a lock too fast then you probably are so slow down you can always give it a squirt in fact the secret is squirt ahead and stop the "prop" squirt astern and stop the "prop".
Her way will carrier her a lot further than you have ever imagined it would before you entered the canal and make sure all the fore and aft lines are ashore with some one "before" the water starts to go up or down.
Lock keepers are renown for not stopping a fill or empty just course you have not made sure of your lines are not being attended to.
Up to 10,000 toners thought the Manchester Ship canal and I've never rammed a lock gate yet.:D


Yep it is just as Haydn says quote:-It's not much different than filling or emptying a sink really. Plug in, taps on, plug out, taps off. Don't waste water.

One tip if you are working the locks yourselves DON'T let the paddles run free Wind them down lock keepers will give you the biggest bollixing you have ever had if you do in explaining how hard they are to maintain when some oik has let the paddle crash to the bottom of its gate.
 
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You forget, mostly these locks are unmanned. It's DIY apart from the sea locks as with most canals. It's easy, else they would not let folk do it. Easy but bloody hard work with locks every few yards.
 
Don't be scared of locks, they are a doddle. And before the snug remarks about "Thames lokcs are worked by keepers" I've done a few the hard way over the years on canals and rivers. I've done Crinan locks as a pressed volunteer and they are big and heavy, but no worse than the Medway. Take it slowly and remember that you don't run the bath with the plug out. Top paddles are the taps, bottom ones are the plug. You should just manage to move a lock gate solo with the levels right.

Take photos, its pretty.
 
Get your Kippers at the Loch Fyne end.

Don't kill any midges, thousands will come to the funeral. Buy a pipe & some strong baccy, if the sky goes dark as you drop into the loch, light the pipe & fight the cloud of midges with a cloud of your own. I found SWMBO was good for the midges, they attacked her & left me alone when we were together.

Take your time, enjoy the experience, overnight at Balloch & pop out thro' the open door.
 
Went thru Crinan last year and it is easy if you take on a pilot (sounds a bit posh, the title). Basically, when you enter the sea lock you can ask the lock keeper to organise a pilot, who is usually a student on summer break and for £50 will ride their bike along the canal and work all the locks and catch your ropes for you. I was with my wife and 2 daughters and would have struggled a bit without help. The first and second locks (and a swing bridge) are manned so you only need the pilot from Cairnbaan. We stopped at Cairnbaan on the first night and met the pilot on the second day to transit the main sections of locks.

If you are going thru with other boats then you wouldn't need help, but you might still prefer the easy option.

You need plenty of fenders and longish mooring ropes.

If your not in a hurry, you can have 2/3 nights moored at any of the pontoons in the canal for no extra charge although there is limited places to take on water and no shore power.

If you re-enter the canal within a certain period the return transit fee is discounted (or if you return on the third day of your ticket it is free). All info is on their website.
 
Don't know if you've been through the canal or not yet, but here's my advice.
Don't waste your money on a pilot. As others have said take your time and enjoy the trip. Apart from three end locks all are manual but easily managed by an adult. We keep our boat on the canal and even from when the kids were 3 or 4 years old they could push lock gates open (apart from a couple of stiff ones). We can do it in a single boat with two adults and two kids in under 6 hours at a push but often just relax and go slower. Going through with other boats can sometimes be a hinderance as too often we've met lazy crews who do not want to get their 'hands dirty' with shore work.

As to how to, the Skippers Guide is good at explaining it all. All I would add is to keep to the back of the locks on the up sections. As to the ropes, lead the bow line back to a cockpit winch and leave fixed. Then as the lock rises just take in on the stern line (which you want well behind you). Simple just one rope to adjust. Too many people make it complicated and scary.

I know a good few of the pilots and they do a good job for elderly or single handed boats. The rest are just lazy!!

When are you going through?
 
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