Reasonably good and pleasant experience

Why are boaters afraid of the tidal Trent? I can honestly say that my last experience was a reasonably good and pleasant experience, writes Keith Gudgin.

I left Keadby on the bottom of the tide at 06.00, rode the flood tide and was mooring up on the floating pontoon at Torksey at 11.45, 5¾ hours non-stop.

 

Well prepared

The things that made it okay for me were the fact that I have a VHF marine radio, and, importantly, a licence to use it, a chart of the river and a boat with enough reserve power to do the job properly. A good pair of binoculars, some sarnies and a flask or two of coffee are also obligatory.

What boaters need to remember with the Trent is that the tidal flows are not even. There is an approx 10 hour ebb with an approx 2¼ hour flood tide so the Trent floods very quickly meaning that the water flows in very fast compared with the water that flows out, not taking into account any fresh in the stream. This means that trying to go down-stream on a flooding tide will be very difficult if not impossible in most narrowboats.

It also means you will not travel from Keadby to Torksey on the flood only, you will have some slack water and some ebb to contend with, (unless of course you can maintain at least 12 mph over ground all the way, not an option for most narrowboats.)

Lack of visitor moorings

My main problem with the tidal Trent, as it is with other tidal waters in England, is that there is a very distinct lack of safe and available visitor moorings along them. When you are alone you sometimes need to to stop for a short while, calls of nature, or just for a rest etc. 5¾ hours is a long time when you want a pee! (Probably get lots of suggestions here but I have found a solution, thanks.)

If you use the normal formula for narrowboats of 3 mph then Torksey to Keadby is nine hours (27 miles). Even with the help of the tide and river flow it will still be five hours plus so a stop would in most cases be welcomed. I know that West Stockwith is there but it is also a very difficult lock to enter at times and the moorings at Dunham bridge leave a lot to be desired, or at least did when I last saw them.

Make it easier

If there were more visitor moorings/safe refuges it would make it easier for most people to plan a journey. The moorings do not necessarily need to be connected to the bank, e.g. to deter continuous moorers from taking them over, but a refuge along what is in reality a very long cruise with virtually nowhere to stop. If boaters could travel over two or more tides then this would help those who are inexperienced or with lower powered engines etc.

These mooring points would also need to be dredged and maintained properly as well. I also had a look at the mooring pontoon in Gainsborough when I went past and it was tilted up at one end as it was sat on the silt so I was reluctant to approach it being all alone on my boat. I think I would have thought twice about mooring there in an emergency in that case. I also saw a boat moored there once when I was in Gainsborough and it was sat on the bottom being tilted over by the pontoon which, luckily, was also at that time, sat on the bottom.

The problem with entering Keadby and West Stockwith locks could be helped by providing a floating pontoon as a lock landing/holding point so boaters did not have to judge their arrival time so critically. It would also avoid boaters having to enter the lock at inappropriate times, just like at Torksey etc.

A better solution

An even better solution at these two locks would be be by building a wall out and then down-downstream of the lock entrance. This would provide an area of relatively calm, still water at most states of the tide.

Boaters would then be able to pass the lock, turn upstream and enter what would be in effect an in-line 'refuge' without having to power into a small opening across a flowing stream of variable intensity, much akin to the upstream approaches to other locks like Cromwell, Cranfleet, Sawley etc. Again a holding mooring could be provided inside the refuge to assist boaters who arrive too early or late for the gates to be opened.

Need not fear

Boaters need not fear the tidal Trent. All they need to do is plan their journey carefully, start early in the day just in case of any problems, obtain a chart, (from most lock keepers on the river and some chandlers etc.), and be respectful of it. Try to travel with other boats (and stay together), take heed of what the lock keepers tell them and sit back and enjoy the scenery.

I highly recommend that anyone venturing onto the tidal Trent gets one of the charts from the lock keepers etc. It shows the routing through sections that may prove problematical, areas of interest and also shows you where you are in case you need to call for help. (VHF radio helps enormously here, generally mobiles only call lock keepers etc. providing there is a signal (rare on rural rivers), VHF calls lock keepers and other VHF equipped boats who could help. (Also, technically, VHF is compulsory down-stream of Gainsborough Road bridge.)

I like the rivers, both tidal and non-tidal. I have a healthy respect for them and plan my journeys carefully. They are very peaceful and generally very rural. They also make a nice change from the narrow shallow canals.

One final thing, make sure your insurance covers you for tidal sections, not all of them do so automatically.