Accompanied Single Handing on the Lapworth Flight

Thursday, 16 September 2010 15:13

Moving on down...

We, that is narrowboats Epiphany and Petroc,  had moored above Bridge 31, by the Old Warwick Road, in a lovely open spot, except for the fact that the canal is not dredged very well. So as the pound went up and down yesterday with the flow of boats, we listed to a greater or lesser extent - not good when you are sleeeping on a 2 foot wide bunk, with the relevant list!

Getting away from the mooring this morning wasn't easy either - as Gill, casting off on Petroc behind us, will testify.  The nearer the bridge, the worse the underwater obstruction.

Still, I did manage to get away eventually, and we got through Lock 5 with Geoff helping by setting Lock 6 for me..

Waiting for Lock 6

From then on it was plain sailing for several locks. Geoff had suggested that I use a step to aid my single handing - and it certainly worked.

Moveable Step

The accompanied single-handing procedure for two boats became:

• Epiphany enters lock, and John closes the top gate.
• John opens ONE bottom gate paddle (on the nearside)
• John opens TWO top gate paddles on the next lock and waits for it to fill
• John drops the offside top paddle on the next lock
• John opens the top gate on the next lock
• John drops the nearside top paddle on the next lock
• John opens the nearside gate of Epiphany's lock (by this time the lock has just emptied)
• John drops the nearside top paddle on Epiphany's lock
• John opens the offside gate of Epiphany's lock
• John uses the ladder (on the offside) to step onto Epiphany's roof
• John uses the step (pictured above) to get back to Epiphany's tiller
• John steers Epiphany into the next lock
• John closes the top gate of the next lock, as above.

Meanwhile,

• Geoff arrives at the lock Epiphany has just left
• Geoff closes both bottom gates
• Geoff opens both top paddles
• Geoff returns to the previous lock to open the bottom gates for Gill on Petroc
• Gill drives Petroc out of the previous lock
• Geoff closes the botttom gates behind.Petroc and drops the paddles

...which works briliantly and smoothly (Thanks Geoff!), until a boat coming up spoils the rythym:

Lock 17

But why shouldn't they? It was an absolutely beautiful day and the hire boaters coming up were mostly experiencing the joys of canal-boating for the first time ... and thoroughly enjoying it. We were them once!

And then I noticed and remembered the water point above lock 19. Could I really be there already? Yes! So I moored up and filled the tank (after having efficiently done a clothes wash earlier!).

To be continued ....