A Cruise On The Ouse

[Bikertov]

22 minutes ago, kpnut said:

Good on you Biker. That looks a lovely little mooring spot. 
You sort of need an extra pair of hands when wild mooring on your own. Holding two ropes and getting an anchor in while the boat’s doing its best to go off without you. If too windy, I don’t bother. 

It was a bit tricky, although thankfully the river was calm.

I had to pull in and line up to the small wooden deck on the bank, so I could easily step off from the aft bathing platform. With the nearside aft rope in hand and a mooring pin, I got one line secure to the bank then took a line from the bow cleat that I had run along the side deck to the aft (for easy access).

Once thatbow line was secure, I could adjust things and add a line from the far side aft cleat and move the other pin more central. That was so I wasn't stepping over a line to get on and off the stern

Of course leaving the mooring was fun too !

Untying everything and getting the lines and pins onto the boat, to the point that I was standing on the bank, engine running, holding one last line and needing to get back aboard

What could possibly go wrong ... well luckily nothing this time, and I stepped onto the bathing platform got everything safely stowed and set off back to the marina

[kpnut]

Don’t let it ever become second nature, that’s when accidents happen. 

[grendel]

23 hours ago, Bikertov said:

It was a bit daunting stepping off with the mooring rope and there not being anyone left on board in case, but I managed it.

welcome to my world, just one piece of advice, dont slip

[addicted]

You might consider having a remote control for a thruster. That's what a friend of ours who always cruised single handedly  did after coming perilously  close to losing his Ocean 30' in high winds. We have thrusters bow and stern and a remote and it makes things much easier.

 

Carole

[grendel]

if you are cruising solo, you would be best to prepare your lines ready for mooring as you set off for the next mooring, I always step ashore with both bow and stern rope in hand, drop the least likely to move on the ground and stand on it, then get a rhond anchor in the ground- anywhere, and get the other line tied to it, then I will go and set the second anchor and line, then if necessary, go and reset the first to a more suitable location. 

I always get attached to the shore (preferable around the middle of the boat) and then sort out the proper mooring lines after.

[Smoggy]

We always step ashore with both lines, when on the go both bow amd stern are in the rear deck ready to go with.

Coiled lines on the foredeck look pretty but make life hard unless crewed, safer to never have to go out on the foredeck.

We are now afloat back on the RGO, main boat is still on the broads but have blagged a free mooring close to home for the 30 year old rib I bought on a drunken whim.

Not leaving it with the 2.5 suzuki but may end up with the 8hp honda left on now I've found my old outboard lock as it owes me very little, gotta get a couple of better combination locks first though, it is at least behind coded gates.

[MargeandParge]

Is the Honda the one you built as it had corroded away.  It was a fantastic job you did

Kindest Regards Marge and Parge 

[Smoggy]

1 hour ago, MargeandParge said:

Is the Honda the one you built as it had corroded away.  It was a fantastic job you did

Kindest Regards Marge and Parge 

That's the one.

[Bikertov]

Well, we finally did it - safely negotiated a lock for the first time !

 

[Bikertov]

We were on board again last weekend, managing an overnight stay this time

Driving up to St.Ives on Saturday afternoon, the weather was looking positive so I had the roof down all the way

We got to the boat, unloaded food and our overnight bags and settled down to an afternoon snack followed by an early dinner

It was mid morning by the time we got up on Sunday and were ready to sail, and it was overcast but not cold or raining at least 

We decided to go upstream again, as while the St.Ives lock was open, it was a still a bit fast flowing on the exit for my liking. So we went past the town, under the bridge and on towards Hemingford. 

When we got to the lock there, a boat had just gone through upstream, but the skipper kindly offered to moor up and help me go through. So we went through the process of closing the top guillotine gate, opening the slackers on the lower v-gate and draining the lock. With the gates then open, I steered the boat through the VERY narrow entrance,  making full use of my fenders. It was tight getting through to say the least 

My wife stayed onboard with a mooring rope around a lock-side bollard, whilst I filled the lock. It was surprisingly turbulent and she struggled to keep hold of the rope. But once it was full, I opened the guillotine,  got back aboard and drove out. Again, it was very tight, including the headroom under the steel gate.

We then had a lovely peaceful chug upstream, seeing a new part of the river (for us) for the first time. We got as far as the next lock, Houghton, and decided that was it for the day so turned around and headed back.

Going back through Hemingford again was easier now I knew what I was doing,  including fixing a line on the centre cleat for the lock rather than the aft cleat. That meant more rope in hand, and better control to keep the boat steady as the lock emptied 

 

[Bikertov]

On 09/06/2024 at 19:22, grendel said:

if you are cruising solo, you would be best to prepare your lines ready for mooring as you set off for the next mooring, I always step ashore with both bow and stern rope in hand, drop the least likely to move on the ground and stand on it, then get a rhond anchor in the ground- anywhere, and get the other line tied to it, then I will go and set the second anchor and line, then if necessary, go and reset the first to a more suitable location. 

I always get attached to the shore (preferable around the middle of the boat) and then sort out the proper mooring lines after.

Great advice there. I've been running the bow ropes down the side decks to the aft cockpit, so I can pick them up as I step off the side or preferably the bathing platform.

I've also now got some spare ropes to run from the centre cleats for the locks, as it it easier to control the boat as the water rises and falls, rather than from the bow or stern cleats 

[Bikertov]

On 09/06/2024 at 20:21, Smoggy said:

We are now afloat back on the RGO, main boat is still on the broads but have blagged a free mooring close to home for the 30 year old rib I bought on a drunken whim.

 

Welcome "home" Smoggy !

Whereabouts are you moored ?

[Smoggy]

St.neots near the bypass Bridge.

Going down in locks is much less turbulent than going up, a line both ends is the preferred option in locks especially on the way up, a centre line is rarely enough for proper control, ok gor a narrowboat on canal locks but dodgy on wide locks.

Hemingford to Godmanchester must be the prettiest section of rgo.

[dom]

On 12/06/2024 at 23:57, Bikertov said:

I've also now got some spare ropes to run from the centre cleats for the locks, as it it easier to control the boat as the water rises and falls, rather than from the bow or stern cleats 

Be wary of trying to do the narrowboat trick of just using a centre line. With a cruiser, the bow can swing in. If that happens and you have a pulpit rail, there's a risk of it either hanging up, or taking the whole weight of the boat, which can either bend the rail, or pull it out of the deck. Centre and stern line will probably be fine though.