Daydream believer
Well-known member
The last time I went through they were dredging. They had scraped mud towards the lock & the lock keeper said that they were waiting to open the lock for a short time to get max flow to wash the mud out. We were to wait 30 mins then we would get the all clear. By that time it was a simple exit, We were further told that the gates would only be opened for a very short while thereafter. So perhaps the posts above are referring to situations when the gates have just been opened,; when the tide levels have not quite balanced. It is quite a big area to fill. The other 2 times there was little flow to note.
I would rather go through on free flow. The 4th time i went through it was midnight at very low water. I just managed to get across the sands to the approach & , because I could not see the gates against the background, the keeper guided me left & right. I really thought I was going to hit the sea wall !!. Once in I had to hold 2 vertical lines which were not secured at the bottom. Being single handed, I had difficulty securing the boat which just swung back & forth on them. the lock keeper could have helped by opening the gates a bit slowly, but no. I had a hell of a problem with the boat going all over the place. On top of that I was charged a tenner for the pleasure !!!
I would rather go through on free flow. The 4th time i went through it was midnight at very low water. I just managed to get across the sands to the approach & , because I could not see the gates against the background, the keeper guided me left & right. I really thought I was going to hit the sea wall !!. Once in I had to hold 2 vertical lines which were not secured at the bottom. Being single handed, I had difficulty securing the boat which just swung back & forth on them. the lock keeper could have helped by opening the gates a bit slowly, but no. I had a hell of a problem with the boat going all over the place. On top of that I was charged a tenner for the pleasure !!!
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