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Post by Deleted on Aug 27, 2020 21:00:03 GMT
Hello folks, I'm after a bit of advice about the moorings around Whittlesey. Are they quiet, or a bit lively? If I rock up in late afternoon tomorrow, are there likely to be any free? It's a bit of specialist knowledge/local query is this, so apologies for the obscure detail.
After a few days arranging things on the boat, my first cruise started yesterday afternoon, weaving my way up the Great Ouse and being blown all over the bloody place. On the plus side, its an absolutely lovely place to be blown all over, so silver linings etc. I pulled over at a lovely quiet mooring a few miles short of Denver Sluice, only to be joined 15 minutes later by a nice couple on a narrowboat. I had my revenge for their intrusion, however. I have been very reliably informed that I snore louder than an anesthatised rhino, and in such a quiet place my snoring will have disrupted the sleep of mammals several fields away, let alone the hapless inhabitants of an adjacent boat. To their credit, they were jolly decent about it this morning. I got to Denver Sluice at 10 this morning, and had to stooge around till 3.30 before I was finally let through, and could cross into Salter's Lode- which, for a newbie, I got into really nicely. Unfortunately I dont have a good enough signal to upload the video evidence of my amazing helmsmanship to IMGUR. Anyway, rain stopped play at 5ish, and I'm now moored at the 36 hour moorings about three miles along from Salter's Lode. And so to my dilemma. I want to press on down the Nene, but its going to blow a bit of a hoolie on Saturday, so wherever I moor up tomorrow, I will probably stay there throughout Saturday rather than brave the wind again. Steering up the Great Ouse in a 25mph crosswind is one thing, and it certainly livened up part of my maiden voyage, but of course there were very few objects around to hit, and it is at least 60 feet wide, so very little harm or embarrassment came from my alarmingly incompetent diversions into unlikely areas of both canal and bank. The Nene, from what I can see so far, seems a rather more cosy affair, and it's certainly not somewhere I want to be bouncing all over the canal in a strong crosswind. There are some 48 hour moorings at Whittlesey, but I don't want to spend two nights there if they are known to be a bit lively, in terms of local kids, drunks etc. So has nyone used them recently? Are they ok? Also, has anyone moored in Peterborough in the last few years? Is it ok/safe etc? Once again, my apologies if I dont reply very quickly- time is short in between faffing about the canals at 1500rpm- the cut is a harsh mistress.
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Post by Deleted on Aug 27, 2020 21:02:47 GMT
One for @gazza. I think erivers might have local knowledge on this as well. The last time I was down that way was early 00s how time flies I can remember it a bit but not in detail. In Peterborough I pulled a shopping trolley out of the river and decided to hang it from a lamp post. I'm tall so was able to get it quite securely fitted, out of reach and not problematic. Interesting to observe a couple of vertically challenged teenagers later making a concerted effort to get it down. They did eventually manage it despite stature issues and yes it went back in the river. The joys
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Post by Deleted on Aug 27, 2020 21:18:12 GMT
I wouldn't mind stopping overnight in Peterborough, but however civilised, its still a decent sized town and will have its share of yobs, so I'm hoping there will be secure moorings, not just towpath. One thing I did notice coming from the Ouse onto the Nene was that suddenly it looked like a canal- narrow, murky, and shallow. Those Anglian waterways are lovely places- but if that was your thing, you might be better looking at a big GRP cruiser, not a narrowboat.
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Post by Deleted on Aug 27, 2020 21:22:16 GMT
To get from the Great Ouse to the Nene you go through the weed ridden middle level link ditch which does indeed have a bit of a canal feel to it. Once on the Nene itself it is much more riverlike. Bit of a hellhole overall and the only time I have seen cars dumped in a lake was at Wellingborough but it takes all sorts and if it was one's local waterway I think it could be quite enjoyable once you get to know the right places.
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Post by Deleted on Aug 27, 2020 21:22:50 GMT
The Nene is as rough and hard work as any other river in foul weather.
Whittlesey is ok, never had an issue with the kids tbh.
Embankment is fine, stay down near the grain barge opposite the new flats if you feel safer moored near someone.
Tree down at Ashton so no further than that ATM.
All being well they will shift it sharpish.
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Post by Deleted on Aug 27, 2020 21:28:27 GMT
You are currently on Well Creek, a very shallow narrow waterway. Pain in the arse passing boats in the opposite direction when you are 9'6" beam.
better after Marmonts Priory Nice and deep and wide through to March
Shallow through March.
Deep and wide past floods ferry an on.to the junction with the old Nene down to Ramsey.
Shallow after that pretty much all the way to Stanground.
Peterborough is a city with a fine cathedral 👍
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Post by Deleted on Aug 27, 2020 22:56:09 GMT
You are currently on Well Creek, a very shallow narrow waterway. Pain in the arse passing boats in the opposite direction when you are 9'6" beam. better after Marmonts Priory Nice and deep and wide through to March Shallow through March. Deep and wide past floods ferry an on.to the junction with the old Nene down to Ramsey. Shallow after that pretty much all the way to Stanground. Peterborough is a city with a fine cathedral 👍 Cheers Gazza, I'll try and get to Whittlesey tomorrow if poss. I thought my prop might be fouled when I came through Salters Lode- it immediately felt like harder work to get along, but I did also wonder if it was just quite shallow. I'm glad I didnt have to pass any narrowboats on this bit, let alone a wider boat. Ideally I'll stop in Whittlesey tomorrow (if there's a free mooring) and again on Saturday if the wind still looks strong, and then on Sunday morning I can stop in Peterborough for an hour or two, and get clear of it to find a quieter mooring spot before dark. It would be nice to get past Peterborough by Sunday evening if poss, but I'm not going to push it too hard unless I really have to. I'm not sure if there's a bit of a scramble for moorings in that area, but I was overtaken by a narrowboat this morning on the final mile into Denver Sluice- they were clearly hammering their boat, and flat out in an effort to get past me- which I think was to give themselves a better chance of a mooring close to Denver lock. And as luck would have it, they got the last nearby mooring, and I had to go back a couple of hundred yards to find one. Another old hand turned up in a narrowboat and double-moored on someone else who was close to the lock, rather than turn round and moor further away. It worked for him, and he got through in the second pair. Another crew turned up close to opening time, and beat even him- they went directly to the lock landing, and just sort of dangled off it for a while- but they made sure they were the first boat through- as soon as the gate started to lift they darted in ahead of the boat that had been on the landing all morning. The ancient art of human selfishness is clearly alive and well in some boaters, though it brought me little pleasure to witness it.
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Post by Clinton Cool on Aug 27, 2020 23:27:49 GMT
It's a steep learning curve Tony. It's all good though. Unless new experiences are physically or emotionally damaging they are always good. I look back to my early days on the canals with fondness, happy memories.
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Post by naughtyfox on Aug 28, 2020 5:31:53 GMT
Tree down at Ashton so no further than that ATM. All being well they will shift it sharpish. Or... like the Fox... you could just saw it up and have a cratch full of logs!
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Post by patty on Aug 28, 2020 6:13:20 GMT
Sounds an interesting maiden voyage..enjoy Tony. I used to go to Peterborough lots as it was mums fav shopping place but Ive not been for years now. Wasn't the same post her RIP. Took a car load of oldies once from a nursing home..rented disability scooters for them and let them have a race down pedestrianised part. All went reasonably well despite their lack of know how.....not sure the shoe shop owner to impressed though when one of them took his display out. All good fun.
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Post by Deleted on Aug 28, 2020 6:39:57 GMT
It's a steep learning curve Tony. It's all good though. Unless new experiences are physically or emotionally damaging they are always good. I look back to my early days on the canals with fondness, happy memories. Couldn't agree more Ricco- even stooging around yesterday there were a few interesting characters to chat to- there was a lovely family from Essex on a hire boat, with two daughters and a son acting as able seamen and slightly reluctant runners. There was the crew in a seriously determined hurry; there was the liveaboard with all the gear on his roof and even a tender, and there was a salty seadog type who'd done the short crossing a few times before, and was dispensing his wisdom to the novices like myself and the hire boaters. He raised an eyebrow when I confessed I didnt have an anchor in case of engine problems (although I did remember to get muesli for the ducks), so that got me a bit worried, but I'll certainly pick one up somewhere, once I get to the GU. Also a radio, for when I go on the big tidal rivers. So it was all good fun, and at least the weather was nice for hanging about aimlessly!
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Post by Deleted on Aug 28, 2020 6:43:38 GMT
Sounds an interesting maiden voyage..enjoy Tony. I used to go to Peterborough lots as it was mums fav shopping place but Ive not been for years now. Wasn't the same post her RIP. Took a car load of oldies once from a nursing home..rented disability scooters for them and let them have a race down pedestrianised part. All went reasonably well despite their lack of know how.....not sure the shoe shop owner to impressed though when one of them took his display out. All good fun. Thanks Patty, yes it was certainly a lively start- I wasn't worried up until the huge gate started to lift up to let us out of Denver lock, and then I got a tad concerned- but its a short run on the tidal bit, and you just have to make sure you don't miss that left turn into Salters Lode. Peterborough's one of the few towns I haven't visited so far, so I'm looking forward to having a nose around the place.
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Post by Deleted on Aug 28, 2020 6:48:03 GMT
Tree down at Ashton so no further than that ATM. All being well they will shift it sharpish. Or... like the Fox... you could just saw it up and have a cratch full of logs! C'est impossible, Mr Fox. The cratch, such as it is, is already full of toolbox, bike, mop and bucket, rubbish bag, and various other stylish lifestyle accoutrements which I think add to its general classy ambience. The spiders certainly like it in there, but I'm not personally a fan.
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Post by Deleted on Aug 28, 2020 6:52:02 GMT
It's a steep learning curve Tony. It's all good though. Unless new experiences are physically or emotionally damaging they are always good. I look back to my early days on the canals with fondness, happy memories. Couldn't agree more Ricco- even stooging around yesterday there were a few interesting characters to chat to- there was a lovely family from Essex on a hire boat, with two daughters and a son acting as able seamen and slightly reluctant runners. There was the crew in a seriously determined hurry; there was the liveaboard with all the gear on his roof and even a tender, and there was a salty seadog type who'd done the short crossing a few times before, and was dispensing his wisdom to the novices like myself and the hire boaters. He raised an eyebrow when I confessed I didnt have an anchor in case of engine problems (although I did remember to get muesli for the ducks), so that got me a bit worried, but I'll certainly pick one up somewhere, once I get to the GU. Also a radio, for when I go on the big tidal rivers. So it was all good fun, and at least the weather was nice for hanging about aimlessly! You don't need a radio for rivers, a mobile phone will suffice, but if you do buy a VHF radio and intend to transmit then to stay within the law you'll need a licence (not difficult to obtain).
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Post by Deleted on Aug 28, 2020 6:57:36 GMT
In Peterborough I pulled a shopping trolley out of the river and decided to hang it from a lamp post. I know I'll regret asking...why?
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