Planning first trip to London - advice please :-)

[Sulley]

We are planning our first trip to London and I just wanted to run my plans past all you experienced skippers . if anyone can let me know if I have missed anything or anything else I should take into consideration.

I have VHF and have taken my VHF DSC certificate, also automatic life jackets and safety gear. While I have no solo experience down river I spent at least 10 years doing the trip with my parents on their boat including coastal. That was a few years ago.....

Our plan is Windsor to Teddington Saturday/Sunday as I want to spend some time in my old stomping ground of Tedington and Twickenham! Leave Teddington at HW London Bridge taking into account GMT/BST. That should see me have enough water through Richmond and be ok for the half lock I think??Stay in St Kats Monday and Tuesday, I have got the HW and locking times from their website. Head on down to the barrier and back and then stay at Imperical Wharf Wednesday night where there seems to be no issue with taking into account HW etc. Head on back to Teddington on Thursday.

I have been on to the PLA website to remind myself of the navigation for bridges the barrier etc and know I have to radio London VTS on Ch14 to obtain permission to enter the barrier.

One question do you need to radio St Kats to get permission to enter the lock? Or is it a hang out side and wait, we are also small enough to get inside the pier to hang on and wait if you are still allowed to do that?

Any advice greatfully received.

Many thanks

 

[Chris_d]

Plan sounds fine but you need to leave Teddington about 3hrs before HW London bridge, however not much water below Richmond and you will have to punch the tide all the way which can be stressfull. So by far the easiest option is to leave Teddington in the morning about 2 hrs after HW London bridge and stop at Chiswick Pier until about 1.5 hrs before the lock opens at St Kats in the afternoon then just take a leisurely run down and wait outside.

Don't bother radioing St Kats they never answer but make sure you have booked a berth, there is always a scrum to get in the lock when the gates open so don't be too polite or you won't get in

I will be at Imperial Wharf next Wednesday so will look out for you.

 

[Sulley]

Thanks for the advice, just checked and the early HW on the 1st is 02:44 GMT and I will NOT be popular with my crew if we are leaving that early

I may have to punch the tide for the first bit, we have enough power to do this. I will look forward to joining the scrum outside St Kats!

Will keep a look out for you on the Wednesday.

 

[Dave_Seager]

As Chris has said, you cannot leave Teddington at high water and still get into St. Katharine's unless you wait for the next tide. We usually use Richmond lock and punch the tide but it can be stressful. Otherwise you can use Chiswick Pier as suggested or wait at St Katharine's but it can be uncomfortable there due to the wash of passing boats. Another option is to go further down and anchor somewhere like Horseshoe Corner near Dagenham and come back up on the tide.

The marina staff do use VHF (channel 80) to manage the lock but they only respond when the lock is operating. We were there a couple of weeks ago and the were definitely calling the boats in by radio. If you just hang around and go in without communicating then you will probably upset someone.

You should book in advance. Even if the marina is not full, the lock is very slow and limits the number of boats that can enter over a single tide.

 

[Sulley]

Hi Dave, thanks for the advice about St Kats, we will book in advance and make sure we are on channel 80, I don't want to upset anyone!

Maybe, I need to rethink my timings and consider getting my crew out of bed early

 

[Portland Billy]

If you leave Teddington about two and a half hours before HW London Bridge and lock through Richmond as soon as there is sufficient water (Lock keeper can advise) you will punch the tide for about an hour and then be OK to make St Kats (I gather you can make 8 knots).
Failing that - Limehouse has a wider window.
Then there is always the 'new' marina at Imperial (Chelsea) if all else fails.

 

[Chris_d]

One thing I would say is don't overestimate what speed you can do, I have enough power to do 30knts but down to Wandsworth the speed limit 8knts, with a planing hull in reality you can only make about 6.5knts through the water without getting up onto the plane at 17knts or so which means you are making a massive wash and upsetting rowers, houseboats etc... if you go any faster, the tide will hit you at 3-4knts in places so progress can be very slow.

 

[Sulley]

So if I leave Teddington 2.5 hrs before HW at London Bridge and look to punch the tide for the first part I should be ok??

Yes we also have the ability to do 30 odd knots and have a planning hull. I know what you mean about wash at that the low speed before you get on the plane. I am always concious of my wash as I don't want to get shouted at.

Or do I re-think? There is no way (I've just been told by the other half) that we are leaving in the middle of the night/very early morning.

Or do I do Imperial Wharf first and then onto St Kats as the other half really wants to stay there for at least one night.

Sorry.......

 

[Chris_d]

Easiest no stress swmbo option is Imperial Wharf for first night then you don't have to worry about timing too much, run to St Kats is then easy and straight in on the first lock got to be the best option for a first time or a night a Chiswick pier but not so much to do there.

 

[Sulley]

So if I leave Teddington just before HW and over night at Imperial Wharf then into St Kats the next day to hit their locking times??

I do not want the other half not to enjoy this trip as it's our first one down river!!

THanks for all the help from everyone, really appreciated

 

[Gavi]

So if I leave Teddington just before HW and over night at Imperial Wharf then into St Kats the next day to hit their locking times??

I do not want the other half not to enjoy this trip as it's our first one down river!!

THanks for all the help from everyone, really appreciated

It is a good plan and you will love it.

 

[Sulley]

Excellent we are really looking forward to it!

 

[Chris_d]

Definitely the best plan, the stress navigating below Richmond with little water about, punching the tide and wondering if you are going to make the lock at St Kats, the bobbing about outside in a scrum of foreign yotties in conditions worse than the Bay of Biscay can throw at you could put swmbo off for life