Forth and clyde or caledonian canal

alisdair4

alisdair4

Well-Known Member
Joined
18 Jan 2004
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690
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Isle of Bute
midnightdrifter.net
I've got to move my Rival from the Clyde to the Baltic next year as I'm moving to Hamburg with the job. (This year, I am somewhere rather hot and sandy and far from the sea, hence extensive refitting and numerous posts on the PBO forum seeking advice).

My base will be Kiel, and I should have most of the spring and summer to move the boat. My options are to go MOK or Crinan Canal then Caledonian Canal then Inverness to Thyboron - thence through to the Baltic. Or to go Forth and Clyde Canal and across to Brunsbuttel and thence through the Kiel Canal.

The first option will be more fun sailing, and is my preferred method. If however, I run out of time, I'd appreciate some advice on the Forth and Clyde canal. Despite being from that part of the world, i have never really looked at it before! I know that I have to have the mast down, and I can do this at Kip. I presume I can put the mast up in Port Edgar Marina? I have heard some horror stories about the condition of the canal (weed and other detritus getting into water intakes etc). Has anyone got any recent experience?
 
alisdair4 said:
I've got to move my Rival from the Clyde to the Baltic next year as I'm moving to Hamburg with the job. (This year, I am somewhere rather hot and sandy and far from the sea, hence extensive refitting and numerous posts on the PBO forum seeking advice).

My base will be Kiel, and I should have most of the spring and summer to move the boat. My options are to go MOK or Crinan Canal then Caledonian Canal then Inverness to Thyboron - thence through to the Baltic. Or to go Forth and Clyde Canal and across to Brunsbuttel and thence through the Kiel Canal.

The first option will be more fun sailing, and is my preferred method. If however, I run out of time, I'd appreciate some advice on the Forth and Clyde canal. Despite being from that part of the world, i have never really looked at it before! I know that I have to have the mast down, and I can do this at Kip. I presume I can put the mast up in Port Edgar Marina? I have heard some horror stories about the condition of the canal (weed and other detritus getting into water intakes etc). Has anyone got any recent experience?
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It might help if you told us the size of boat and draft as the latter could rule out the F&C.


I never believe profiles as they do not always get updated :D:D
 
I came through the Forth-Clyde the year it opened (or re-opened - I'm not that old!) My boat draws 1.7m and I grounded a couple of times but never got stuck.
The canal staff were most helpful and practically escorted us the length of the canal. I think they wanted to keep potential vandals at bay, there were a few instances of boats being stoned in the early days but I had no trouble at all. Nice trip in fact.
The only tricky bit is at the east end where the canal joins the (tidal) river Carron. The height under the road bridge is limited but you need sufficient rise of tide to have enough depth under the keel. A classic navigation problem in fact, need enough but not too much height of tide.
Anyway, there is a crane for demasting with a pontoon at the east end and as said above, a crane at Bowling in the west.
I was told that if I did get stuck on the bottom in the canal itself the staff could open and close locks so as to let more water into the section I was stuck in but never had to put this to the test.
Incidentally, you can amuse yourself by counting the number of Buckfast bottles on the banks and visit the sailthrough chip shop.
Good luck,
C
 
Not heard much about it lately but worth a phone call to the keepers at the sea-lock at Grangemouth (Carron) - they, like all the other BW staff we met, were very helpful.

Footballs were much more numerous than Buckfast bottles! The Maryhill stretch of the canal remains one of the very few places in Scotland where I have seen a kingfisher.
 
Humblebee said:
the canal. I think they wanted to keep potential vandals at bay, there were a few instances of boats being stoned in the early days but I had no trouble at all.
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'Twas ever thus...

"At Maryhill the ascent is finished. Yachts should on no account be left unattended while lying here"
CCC Sailing Directions, 1928 edition, p25
​
 
Ubergeekian said:
'Twas ever thus...

"At Maryhill the ascent is finished. Yachts should on no account be left unattended while lying here"
CCC Sailing Directions, 1928 edition, p25
​
Click to expand...

You never know who or what you'll meet in Maryhill .. the photo was taken from my Granny Broon's place overlooking the Maryhill basin a little before my time.

Alisdair
 
I would take the 1.83m with a large pinch of salt! Last year at least 2 Contessa 32s (1.65m nominal) came to grief. It's not so bad with a solid metal fin but encapsulated keels can take a bit of a scuffing (if you manage to miss the metal piling).

Crane at Bowling is free and self-service though the BWB guys press the buttons. At the east you have a choice of the crane at Grangemouth or motoring down to Port Edgar - do check the price at PE 'cos it somewhat detracts from the otherwise excellent value of the Clyde-Carron ditch.

Weed depends on the time of year and the BWB cutting regime. I've heard it is worse after they have cut it when some of the cuttings remain in the water. Just listen for that hollow exhaust note and clear the inlet then. The BWB guys that ride shotgun are adept at wheeching trolleys, bicycles etc. out before you get to them.

However, I'm about to head west, probably via the Caledonian to move my boat from the Forth to the Clyde. Unfortunately high pressure is setting in with sunshine and hardly any wind :-(
 
Certainly looks like a sub and is flying the naval ensign.

Reports I have from quite a few going through the Forth and Clyde is that it is relatively trouble free and the local yobs have got bored and gone elsewhere.

The River Carron can be a bit tricky but the canal staff will keep you right. There is a crane at Bowling for dismasting and most choose to re-mast at Port Edgar instead of the pontoon on the Carron.

The benefit of the Caley is that you do not need to remove your mast and also then do not have joy of going into locks with mast sticking out and trying to dodge round it.
 
KenMcCulloch said:
I think the clue is in the filename 'maryhill submarine' ;) , it looks like one of those teeny ww2 submarines, x-craft?
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I did try to make it easy ;)

I've been told that it was a big event at the time, as it was the first (only?) time a submarine had transited the Forth and Clyde canal.

Alisdair
 
Caledonian - no need to take the mast out - allow three or more days for the transit. I did have the keel touch when alongside a couple of the bank side stage moorings, but that was a draught of 2 metres.
 
I did the Forth Clyde a couple of years ago bringing the boat back when I bought it. She draws 1.8 (in fresh water) and we managed to get through, albeit a little on the bouncy side. We also had one incident of getting the inlet clogged but I understand that the weed cutter was out of action then. I believe the main 1.8m restriction is under a road bridge around Falkirk which has a concrete bottom. However, the ever so helpful BW staff did their little 'open the last lock gate to flush you through' trick just as we arrived at it - so no probs. On the subject of the staff, they take you all the way through, are ever so helpful and very friendly. OK, it might not go through the prettiest parts of Scotland, however there are some lovely bits on it and we had a ball going through!

This year, it is back around for me, though this time through the caledonian canal. But only 'cause it's summer holiday time. Would I do the forth clyde again? Definately, and not just because it's days instead of weeks.
 
We came through 2 years ago with no problems drawing 1.5 in sea water. You have top watch your air draft carefully too, we ended up carrying the mast offset to get the height at the bow down. It's amazing the structures you can make with a few bits of cls timber.

The staff were excellent all the way, you are escorted the whole way and BWB staff operate all the locks for you. It will take two days but is a decent experience, we did stop at the floating chippy for lunch, not bad fish suppers for the west coast. Timing on the way out into the Carron has to be watched, if you are close to max water and air draft the window is relatively small to get under the bridge. We carried a porta potti though there are many toilets along the canal and there is no problem stopping for a leak, though the normal east bound overnight stop has no toilets but has power and water (power was free when we transited) but there is a pub next to the berths. We sorted ourt mast before setting of and then rerigged before stepping it at Port Edgar so cannot comment on the canal mast cranes. Port Edgar prices are OK as long as you do not take more than the allocated time, in the past people would come up to the crane berth there not ready at the allocated time and a system of extra charges has been brought in to combat this.
 
Ubergeekian said:
That's the Glasgow Branch. The main line channel is six feet deep throughout.
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I think you will find that you are quoting (1.8M) is the initial design figure. This is not achieved in practice and in fact even folkboats have had to be lifted out at Bw's expense and trucked across.


I shall check with someone currently doing the trip however in previous years anything over 1.5M has had a problem or two which in some cases was resolved by changing pound levels.

The weed problem is controlled by regular visitors by fitting the larger Vetus water filter in the high position IE about
level with the top of the cylinder heads. This filter has a bigger volume and strainer for weed collection and can be quickly cleared almost without losing way. The hull mounted filters are a pain in the a**se when it comes to frequent cleaning out.


BW are very good at ensuring you get through and the travelling crews very helpfull however from time to time boats find themselves being lifted out and continuing the journey by truck at no extra expence to the owners.

There was one instance of a dutch barge which had carefully checked all the fugures and came over from Holland to sail to Edinburgh centre via the Union Canal. It went up the Wheel from the Forth Clyde and started through the Union to Edinburgh.

It was within height and draft limits and beam limits. The boat came to a sudden stop in the Polmont tunnel.
Much to the surprise of the owners the boat was taken back to the nearest point a heavy crane could reach it and was
lifted onto a trailer. It was then put back in the Union Canal on the Edinburgh side of the tunnel. The owners were asked to contact BW when they needed to reverse this process homeward bound!!!!!! I think their motto is We Will Get you Through.
However sometimes the bottom you meet is solid rock as this case underwater in the Polmont tunnel where the full beam width had not been blasted to the full depth since day one in this one place .

On the Forth and Clyde I suspect anything over 1.5 metres should enquire as to where the problems may be and go carefully
as most of what you meet is soft mud, however the shopping trolleys and some harder items do play havoc with sheathed keels as said earlier. If you know where they are then you can do something so maybe if anyone has a note. I know there was the remains of a piling barrier just east of Bonnybridge lift bridge that folk bounce over. Is that still there???
 
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