YM Sept - Locks singlehanded

[dunedin]

Andrey Bray writes in YM that he loathes the marina lock - that with a 26 foot boat it is too difficult to do singlehanded, and wonders if anybody has any ideas. Do we ?

As a southern softie marina I assume that the lock itself is automated / manned (unlike say the Crinan), so just the boat side to handle ? (Certainly tricky to do shore side of manual locks plus boat single handed.) So surely one person on board should not be a huge problem if done preparation, and provided wind not too strong ?

We prefer a few extra hands for locks, but done the Crinan a few times with just one on the boat. Our preferred setup (as recommended by another boatie) comprises:
1) Spinnaker blocks tied just behind the bows, with bow ropes led back through these to halyard winch on coachroof;
2) Stern ropes run through centre of stern cleats then round the genoa winches;
3) When filling lock going up, when get most turbulence, motor in forward gear and helm locked hard over steering bows out - like a mid spring on pontoon.
4) Skipper can then take up on bow rope, and adjust position using winch on stern rope - and check fenders as needed

How do you do locks single handed?

 

[rib]

plenty of way on lasso forward bollard and stern one then plenty ahead thus creating plenty black smoke im usually on my own by now. crew and boat wise

 

[JumbleDuck]

Andrey Bray writes in YM that he loathes the marina lock - that with a 26 foot boat it is too difficult to do singlehanded, and wonders if anybody has any ideas. Do we ?

As a southern softie marina I assume that the lock itself is automated / manned (unlike say the Crinan), so just the boat side to handle ? (Certainly tricky to do shore side of manual locks plus boat single handed.) So surely one person on board should not be a huge problem if done preparation, and provided wind not too strong ?

We prefer a few extra hands for locks, but done the Crinan a few times with just one on the boat. Our preferred setup (as recommended by another boatie) comprises:
1) Spinnaker blocks tied just behind the bows, with bow ropes led back through these to halyard winch on coachroof;
2) Stern ropes run through centre of stern cleats then round the genoa winches;
3) When filling lock going up, when get most turbulence, motor in forward gear and helm locked hard over steering bows out - like a mid spring on pontoon.
4) Skipper can then take up on bow rope, and adjust position using winch on stern rope - and check fenders as needed

How do you do locks single handed?

I do it almost exactly as you do ... but it does need someone ashore to take and release lines. I have on a few occasions persuaded other boats to let me join them in the Crinan - they did my lines and the locks and I kept up a steady supply of bacon butties and coffee all the way.

I once went half way through completely on my own. The boat was just narrow enough to allow me to getaway with opening gates on one side only, but even so it was knackering with an awful lot of climbing up and down ladders. I'm far too old and boring for that sort of nonsense now ...

 

[blackdogsailing]

Singlehanding in a marina lock the midship line is essential I think. I use an old harness strop clipped to the toe rail. Motor in and stop, put strop around a downchain and clip back on to toe rail. Go forward and get a bowline on. Come aft and put a stern line on. Make sure both of these lines are also acting as springs. Locking down ease 1 line and then go forward and do the same. Keep a careful eye on things and no problems. When lock gates open wait 30 secs or so for water to settle down then slip. Done it this way a dozen times or so and my boat is 44 feet. A bit nervy the first time I admit !
Chris

 

[Seajet]

I honestly don't know what the fuss is about.

I have been through the yacht locks at Port Solent, Island Harbour & Chichester Marina etc dozens of times, and as long as one has fenders and more to the point grasps the lines, no problem.

Yes if the lines are somehow unavailable, one could really do with a crew who is handy with ladders, but failing that just stay put with a boathook / oar handy with plenty of fenders, better than a broken back from hurrying up slimy ladders !

I worked on a barge in France where we did 13 locks on the first day of each trip, a 38 metre 280 ton job which filled the locks to the last cm, sometimes dropping over 40' so it felt like we were at the bottom of a mine shaft, also I had to put blanks in the windows due to the vigorous input; after that I can get putting my little boat through marina locks into perspective, and I actually rather enjoy it.

All I would suggest is keeping your headline reasonably taut when the lock begins to flood, but most UK locks I have seen are really quite benign, they're not out to destroy boats as it would be bad PR and bugger up the lock !

 

[ProDave]

I honestly don't know what the fuss is about.

I worked on a barge in France where we did 13 locks on the first day of each trip, a 38 metre 280 ton job which filled the locks to the last cm, sometimes dropping over 40' so it felt like we were at the bottom of a mine shaft, also I had to put blanks in the windows due to the vigorous input; after that I can get putting my little boat through marina locks into perspective, and I actually rather enjoy it.

Having taken narrowboats through hundreds of locks on the canals, I would say without doubt a heavy steel boat, that's just a few inches smaller than the lock is much much easier to handle. You don't have to worry about lines, you just use the engine to control it's forward / aft position in the lock while it's filling / emptying.

 

[Seajet]

The thing I was deckhand on definitely required nifty work with the head line, or we'd have done an ' HMS Campeltown ' on the lock gates !

Astern gear was useless, and one had to be careful not to park on the sill in an emptying lock; a hotel barge from the same fleet did this, ending up at a rather steep angle sending the guests and deck gear in a rather unhappy heap at the lower end, required a new bow welding on afterwards; that weeks' ' customer feedback ' questionnaire would be interesting !

 

[vyv_cox]

At Toulouse on Canal du Midi there is a lock that rises 6 metres. The pilot says there are floating bollards, so we didn't worry too much beforehand. On arriving we found that the lock is about 200 metres long and there are floating bollards, one at each end! There is a ladder in the middle, which Jill point-blank refused to climb, so we attached a centre cleat line to it and kept passing it upwards as the water rose. Another boat rafted alongside us part way up.

 

[ProDave]

The thing I was deckhand on definitely required nifty work with the head line, or we'd have done an ' HMS Campeltown ' on the lock gates !

Astern gear was useless, and one had to be careful not to park on the sill in an emptying lock; a hotel barge from the same fleet did this, ending up at a rather steep angle sending the guests and deck gear in a rather unhappy heap at the lower end, required a new bow welding on afterwards; that weeks' ' customer feedback ' questionnaire would be interesting !

Yes you do need to understand the geometry of the lock.

The two dangers are getting left high and dry on the cill on the way down, or getting stuck under part of a lock gate on the way up.

A 72ft narrowboat in a 70 ft lock (which it officially did not fit into) was a little "snug" It only went in as it was a wide lock and could go diagonally.

 

[ffiill]

Locking down I enter lock slowly and power reverse to a stop.
Throw stern then bow ropes up to lock keeper and secure.
As water lowers let off some slack then away.
Locking up the same in reverse.
I have done this on the Caley canal several times but would not really want to try it single handed on the Crinan.
For real locks consider the Panama canal with its massive drain plugs so to speak for filling and emptying the locks.

 

[Austerby]

I'm currently temporarily resident at Gillingham Marina with my 24ft boat and have had a few interesting moments single-handed in the lock. The main challenge for me is the combination of steering the boat into the right place, controlling the (outboard) engine and at the same time getting a rope around one of the vertical cables set in the lock wall, just out of reach from the helm. I've now bought one of those mooring aids to use next time as the past few attempts have been a shambles, frankly, though fortunately with no damage, though the time the engine stalled at the wrong moment and I drifted back out of the lock into the main stream was annoying.

Definitely sympathise with Andrew Blow on this.

 

[ffiill]

Yes you do need to understand the geometry of the lock.

The two dangers are getting left high and dry on the cill on the way down, or getting stuck under part of a lock gate on the way up.

A 72ft narrowboat in a 70 ft lock (which it officially did not fit into) was a little "snug" It only went in as it was a wide lock and could go diagonally.

Now here is food for thought- a ledge outside a house window,a volcanic intrusion,or the ledge by the lock gates.
These are sills not cills yet I note on the Caledonian canal and the crinan canal the marking on the lock side is spelt cill.
Do we see this misspelling in England as well?
I assumed that as the stone masons in Scotland were predominantly Gaelic speakers that this was a misspelling using the Gaelic cill?

 

[Stemar]

A pedant writes...

[h=1]cill[/h]/sɪl/

noun
1. (Brit) a variant spelling (used in the building industry) for sill (sense 1), sill (sense 2), sill (sense 3), sill (sense 4)

Dictionary.com

 

[ProDave]

Now here is food for thought- a ledge outside a house window,a volcanic intrusion,or the ledge by the lock gates.
These are sills not cills yet I note on the Caledonian canal and the crinan canal the marking on the lock side is spelt cill.
Do we see this misspelling in England as well?
I assumed that as the stone masons in Scotland were predominantly Gaelic speakers that this was a misspelling using the Gaelic cill?

I was never very good at spelling, so don't waste time arguing about it. You knew what I meant.

 

[JumbleDuck]

Now here is food for thought- a ledge outside a house window,a volcanic intrusion,or the ledge by the lock gates.
These are sills not cills yet I note on the Caledonian canal and the crinan canal the marking on the lock side is spelt cill.
Do we see this misspelling in England as well?
I assumed that as the stone masons in Scotland were predominantly Gaelic speakers that this was a misspelling using the Gaelic cill?

I've had a few builder's quotes in Scotland, every one of which has spelled "cill" as "cill".

 

[RBJ]

Before arriving at the lock lines readied fore, aft and midships both sides. Fenders on both sides with a spare to hand just in case. Older lines preferred because locks are often very dirty.

Enter the lock, choose spot, and make fast smartly (very smartly if there is any wind) with a line to a midship cleat on a short nip.

Boat cannot really go anywhere but add other lines if necessary.

Tend midship line (and others if deployed) as boat rises/falls but keep midship line on a short nip.

Pay careful attention to fendering arrangements ashore and on board.

Kiel canal locks have floating wooden fenders. To be effective boat fenders need to be weighted with sufficient chain to hold them vertical.

If the lock has horizontal fendering allow sufficient slack in the lines so the fenders don't hang up.
Vertical lock fendering may require a fender board.

If possible, mooring alongside a larger boat is much better than alongside a lock wall.

Had lots of practice going Vlissingen to Nordeney and back via the Dutch mast up inland route.

 

[basic]

It all depends on the lock. No two are the same and it is often difficult single-handed. Problem is first time in a new lock you don't know what to expect.ie position of bollards, position of paddles, size of sluices,force of water inflow.the lock-keeper if it's manned,((especially if he is in a hurry) etc. Going down is usually easy, but going up can be anything from easy to a nightmare. Have single-handed through many locks in uk and continent and first time in a new lock I am always a bit apprehensive. Anyone who says otherwise has not done it very often.

 

[maby]

We bought one of those Harris telescopic poles intended to take a roller to paint ceilings and the top of stair wells. I adapted a boat hook end to fit onto this pole - result is an extensible boat hook that will reach out about 12 feet - magic! It's saved my life several times when I've not got close enough to the pontoon, or the wind has blown me off...

Strictly speaking, its no different to tying up to any other pontoon single handed - the problem is that it's a confined space and recovering from a mistake can be a lot more difficult. If I screw up approaching our pontoon berth, I just back off and go round again - if I do the same in the lock, there is a real risk of ending up parked diagonally across it which is very embarrassing. I used to feel bad about it till I saw a Navy cutter do exactly the same in the lock at Chatham Marina!

 

[DannyB]

if I do the same in the lock, there is a real risk of ending up parked diagonally across it which is very embarrassing.

I once did a three point turn in a lock in the Caledonian Canal. I was helming a chartered 40' yacht and there was a problem with the downstream lock gate, the lock keeper told everyone to reverse out until he could get the divers down, and that's when I found out how much play there was in the steering. As soon as we started going astern the rudder banged over and we slewed across the lock, the only way to make progress was to do a three (many) point turn. That's how I know that lock is 40'6" wide.

 

[vyv_cox]

It all depends on the lock. No two are the same and it is often difficult single-handed. Problem is first time in a new lock you don't know what to expect.ie position of bollards, position of paddles, size of sluices,force of water inflow.the lock-keeper if it's manned,((especially if he is in a hurry) etc. Going down is usually easy, but going up can be anything from easy to a nightmare. Have single-handed through many locks in uk and continent and first time in a new lock I am always a bit apprehensive. Anyone who says otherwise has not done it very often.

Very true. Holland is superbly organised and it is relatively easy to drop a midships line on a bollard on the lock wall. Canal du Midi is totally different with no wall-mounted bollards and greater height. We did something like 150 locks there and no two were the same. Some did not even have bollards, only rings. Sometimes the bollards are at the back of the walkway a couple of metres from the edge. Lock-keepers had been instructed not to take lines for liability reasons. We overtook a singlehander who was having a dreadful time only doing a few locks per day.