The Trent at 25 knots

[dylanwinter]

I am currently playing around the River trent

it has asymmetric tides

the flood runs at about five knots for four hours

the ebb runs at about two and a half knots for eight hours

I have always been curious about the reason for the rigs on the old Humber barges called keels - they looked like this

so I decided to ride the ebb along the twisty Trent for about five miles using just the sails in an attempt to understand how to work the river

it was a generally calm day

so just like the old barges I found that large chunks of the journey were done backwards using the apparent wind from the two knot drift using the sails to keep the boat off the bank

I now understand why they had the tall square sail

needless to say I failed and twice had to resort to the paddle and once to the engine to back off the bank

however, I assume they also used to resort to the barge pole occasionally

of course their topsail would have reached over the trees to catch the breeze and they knew every back eddy

but then their boats were a bit heavier than mine

 

[AntarcticPilot]

Dylan,

Your remarks about tiding it on the Trent made me wonder how you handled the Trent Bore? I've seen it a few times - most recently by chance when crossing the Trent on the A1(M)! But it can be pretty vicious; when I was a boy my Dad wintered his boat at West Stockwith for a few years, and I remember seeing the Bore from there a few times. I wouldn't have fancied being out on the river when it went past.

 

[dylanwinter]

Dylan,

Your remarks about tiding it on the Trent made me wonder how you handled the Trent Bore? I've seen it a few times - most recently by chance when crossing the Trent on the A1(M)! But it can be pretty vicious; when I was a boy my Dad wintered his boat at West Stockwith for a few years, and I remember seeing the Bore from there a few times. I wouldn't have fancied being out on the river when it went past.

I have faced it twice

both times it was a damp squib

the next one is due on the 26th this month

I am told that it better to be on the river than tied up as it goes past

katie L and the Tohatsu can handle it no probs

 

[A1Sailor]

Have you really been going at 25 knots? Or did you tie 25 knots while drifting along?

 

[dylanwinter]

while travelling at 25 knots I also caught a fish that was this big

 

[Searush]

Tell me Dylan, do you have a drudge? Drudgeing was a technique used by windjammers to negotiate tidal rivers, the general technique is to deliberately tie an anchor fouled & lower it on a very short scope so that it drags along the river bed holding your head to the tide & allowing steerage as you drift backward with the tide to where you wish to be.

I know we have discussed this in the past on other threads, but I would love to know that you had remembered the idea & tried it out.

 

[Seajet]

I'm a great fan of drudging with my folding grapnel kedge in folded state so it doesn't embarassing take hold or snag on something.

The small ships at Poole Quay still sometimes do this, which is what put me onto the technique.

 

[dylanwinter]

Tell me Dylan, do you have a drudge? Drudgeing was a technique used by windjammers to negotiate tidal rivers, the general technique is to deliberately tie an anchor fouled & lower it on a very short scope so that it drags along the river bed holding your head to the tide & allowing steerage as you drift backward with the tide to where you wish to be.

I know we have discussed this in the past on other threads, but I would love to know that you had remembered the idea & tried it out.

the only anchor I have is one that digs in

and it is my guess that drudging would hvae been an operation of last resort

the idea is to keep the boat going in the fastest bit of the tide without hitting the bank


D

 

[Momac]

Dylan,

Your remarks about tiding it on the Trent made me wonder how you handled the Trent Bore? I've seen it a few times - most recently by chance when crossing the Trent on the A1(M)! But it can be pretty vicious; when I was a boy my Dad wintered his boat at West Stockwith for a few years, and I remember seeing the Bore from there a few times. I wouldn't have fancied being out on the river when it went past.

Last year an Aeigir ocurred when it had not ben expected ,in June. It was aided by low pressure and a strong wind from the North. It damaged the lock gates at West Stockwith.
25th July might be a good one.

 

[AngusMcDoon]

I am currently playing around the River trent

it has asymmetric tides

the flood runs at about five knots for four hours

the ebb runs at about two and a half knots for eight hours

I have always been curious about the reason for the rigs on the old Humber barges called keels - they looked like this

so I decided to ride the ebb along the twisty Trent for about five miles using just the sails in an attempt to understand how to work the river

it was a generally calm day

so just like the old barges I found that large chunks of the journey were done backwards using the apparent wind from the two knot drift using the sails to keep the boat off the bank

I now understand why they had the tall square sail

needless to say I failed and twice had to resort to the paddle and once to the engine to back off the bank

however, I assume they also used to resort to the barge pole occasionally

of course their topsail would have reached over the trees to catch the breeze and they knew every back eddy

but then their boats were a bit heavier than mine

Most stretches of water in the UK have boats moored somewhere, but that didn't seem to have any. I wonder why not if it is navigable and accessible from the sea.

 

[dylanwinter]

Most stretches of water in the UK have boats moored somewhere, but that didn't seem to have any. I wonder why not if it is navigable and accessible from the sea.

several reasons

the colour of the water - it is brown but clean

the speed of the tides - up to six knots

the tidal range - 15 feet

there is some commercial traffic as well

the aegir can be a bit fierce

however, the Humber has entertained me for a year

the good things are - no speed restriction for the mobos

lovely people, great light

fast tides

York, Lincoln and Newark to visit