Canals and waterwaysThe Hatton Locks are wide ones aren't they? Won't we be able to got through them together? Our boats are short as narrowboats go. Rebecca is only 47 ft long. Marie Claire is not much longer - as I recall.
I have printed out how to work the paddles if one boat is in the lock. Thanks to the fine description sent to me on this list. What about 2 boats? Jane nb Elevendaysbutwhosecounting With two boats of roughly 50',they will hold each other in place and the risk of the water flow banging them about is much reduced. Personally, I would proceed as follows, assuming 6 people. Two steer, and get the boats up to the cill of the lock, two operate the paddles of the current lock, and two go ahead to open the gates of the next lock so the boats can come straight out of one lock and into the next. Ideally the setters-ahead should empty the upper lock when the lower lock has started filling (as the setters-ahead can open the paddles fully, but the paddles will be opened progressively in the lower lock, both locks should be ready at the same time and the gates in the upper lock can be opened in time for the boats). The people operating the lower lock shut up after the boats, and may then leapfrog to be the setters-ahead for the next lock, or the setters-ahead can go on when they have shut the gates of the upper lock behind the boats. Of course you will have to modify this routine if you meet boats coming the other way, but it means that nobody has to walk backwards - it's always possible to get across the lock by the closed gates at the end you are at rather than walking round it. You could save a little time at each lock at Hatton by breasting up (tieing together) the boats and handling them as a single unit - if they're tied together you don't have to worry about them hitting each other! but you may feel this is a little advanced. You can modify this routine slightly on the Stratford - you will need only one person to operate the single top gate and each boat can have a setter-ahead, or the people with the first boat can set the lock for the second boat. This may all seem a bit pedantic, but with ~80 locks on the the return trip, a minute saved on each saves an hour overall to spend in the pub! Sean at the amount of wildlife we saw on the cut...it was a pleasant surprise...considering we were only often a few hundred yards from civilization...the memories of Larry One of the best places on the system for unusual dragonflies is Birmingham! Because there aren't so many boats, there is clear water and plenty of weed. Sean
