Thank you, this is an interesting video. The river looked quite rough, I have been on a river taxi down the Thames, thankfully it was not as rough as was featured in the video! Hopefully he got his boat sorted out in the end, it was somewhat surprising to see him on top of the boat like that in the rough conditions and did not appear to be wearing a lifejacket either. A fascinating episode which we are most grateful to you for capturing. Yet another adventure to add to the history of the Thames.
Thanks John. I hope all the negatively biased persons who made derogatory remarks read your comment. You can never please some people and its refreshing to have someone with a grateful and positive outlook. Glad you enjoyed it. 🙌😊
Boat is a widebeam called Hampton, brand new. American owner whom have taken a berth in Limehouse. PLA received a call re an engine failure. Towed into Limehouse. Nothing serious but without the hard work and kindness of the PLA the Thames is a safe place to navigate providing planning and pre navigation engineering checks are meticulous.
When I had a narrowboat in Poplar. We used to often navigate the tidal Thames between Bow Creek and Brentford but you really do need a lot of care, preparation and support. I would never go as a single boat. I've seen a fair amount of incidents. You can easily get standing waves of 1 metre through the bridges even on a calm day. Even the Thames Clippers used to get into bother sometimes. The PLA, and River Police were always excellent and would sometimes shadow you, especially from Hungerford Bridge down to Wapping. At the time the most crucial thing was VHF, keeping in touch with Woolwich Radio who would react very quickly.
It's a lot easier to control the disabled vessel being rafted alongside and towards the rear. Stemming the tide does make it easier to get into Lime House unless the cut is clear of other vessels waiting for the bridge and lock. One problem could have been loosing steerage having to use all the power to make headway against and the not have enough wash going over the rudder to perform steerage. Tim B at sea a New York tug captain explained just that in his last video. The only problem I had getting into Lime House was coming up stream with the tide from the Medway. In a 10m displacement twin screw boat that had a single rudder. Just as I approached Lime House one engine cut out due to a large aggregate sack wrapping a prop. Steerage to starboard was then lost, so carried on past the entrance id a 180 and came back steering mostly with the one remaining engine. Manage to get on the pontoon and check problem, engine restarted OK and tried reverse but prop again jammed. Later on the mooring a passerby noticed the sack in the next mooring space, a good pull by two of us and the prop was free. We celebrated in the club house and continued in a nearby pub. Thanks for posting and jogging my memory of my boating days aboard my Dunkirk Little Ship, now sold and wonderfully restored. That has cost a lot more than I could afford.
Limehouse was always the sanctuary. When it was BWB in my time the people were fantastic. I think they still are now. They would do everything possible to minimise you waiting on the river. The gates would often be open ready. We were caught in a scary thunderstorm once coming down under Blackfriars, couldn't see anything for the torrential rain, completely soaked on a tiny trad stern with the tiller shaking like mad. We were against the tide by Tower Bridge and almost standing still with only a BMC 1.8 flat out for power. Limehouse called us on the radio and gave us advice and encouragement all the way in. 🥰
Good to see the “Rivet Counters” are out! It’s a flat bottomed barge, the width of the beam doesn’t change that fact no matter how much you love your Narrow Boat Barge
@@zefriend3 it’s still a barge, the width of the beam doesn’t change the fact that it’s a flat bottomed barge. Wide beam or narrow boat just differentiates the type of barge, ever wonder why people who used to work Narrow Boats are called Bargees, maybe they just like Indian food🤔
@@optimist3580 Narrowboats are seven foot beam, widebeams are generally up to fourteen foot - it is related to the width of the locks on the canals they are used on.
@@sooty655 I’m not disputing if it’s a narrowboat or a wide beam. It’s still a barge regardless of how wide or narrow it is because it a flat bottomed barge, so calling it another name doesn’t change that fact
@@Lensonthethames You are welcome. Of course, he could have checked from inside the cabin, but, if they were worried about swamping, he could have been trapped if the worst case scenario occurred. Did you notice that he checked straight after the Uber boat had gone past them, since the wake would have increased the height of the waves?
@@fp30e in my experience of over 40 years of boating, most canal boats do actually have an engine which is powerful enough, but it always best to time your journey carefully on a tidal river, and go with the flow rather than against it.
@@01jvb Hello there, Thank you for your reply. I of course bow down to your experience. In the video they mention the tide had turned. We have a full Moon at the moment, so the high tide will have been at one of the highest for the year. So there is a lot of water running out of the River when on the ebb tide, hence a faster-flowing tide. But like you said this should have been noticed in advance and dare I say avoided. But glad all was well.
I own a wide beam similar to this and even with a 75 hp engine (most have 45 hp), I would not be trying to punch any UK tide.. A friend took one of these from Medway to Thames recently and even with engine working it could not punch the tide so had to stop and moor up.. Most engines on these vessels fail because diesel tank not cleaned and choppy water stirs the dirt at bottom of tank and blocks filter.. These barges are great living spaces but basically like static caravans that float.. The air draft is much great than water draft effectively making a sail effect and standard rudders fitted relatively small and ineffective against any wind over about 12knots which can making steering difficult for the inexperienced. 👍🏼👍🏼
@@jamesmcmahon7837 This is a lot of words for “I do not know how to plan passage.” I have taken my 25hp narrowboat up the Thames, Humber, Trent, Ouse and Severn. All are easily navigable if you plan and prepare properly.
In the days of Lighters and barges, the lightermen would let their barges drift up or downstream without tug assistance. The tugs would pop out from the basin where the barge was needed and tow it in. They are making a complete mess of it. The tug should be tight alongside, not in a V shape.
There are a large number of these Collingwood widebeams in London, and I've moved quite a number up and down the tideway. I'll see if I can find out the backstory here!
If you had a small (cheap) VHF scanner you listen in and hear what was happening which would add another dimension and give more depth to your observations. Just a suggestion👍
@@Lensonthethames Yes, Marine traffic on the Thames is divided into three sectors. You will be interested most in the sector from Teddington to Crayfordness which can be heard on VHF channel 14 or on 156.700MHz. Scanners can be found quite cheaply from places such as Moonraker Antennas, Martin Lynch and Sons, Nevada Radio or Amazon. Bear in mind that the on board aerials on handheld scanners are not very efficient but will certainly be ok for listening to boats you can actually see. Desktop scanners are designed to use an external aerial which would be more efficient and drag signals in better from further afield. There are commercial options for base station aerials out there or you can make them yourself. But for what I think you would need I would just start off with something handheld as you may want to take it out on your travels around the river. Although you would likely find most radio traffic on channel 14 other channels would also be of interest, for example channel 0 which is used by search and rescue, RNLI etc. Channel 16 is used for general calling and distress and emergency. If you had these frequencies and others programmed into the scanner it would do as the name suggests and scan up and down (very quickly) until it found a transmission where it would stop before scanning again once the transmission had ceased. I know about all this stuff because I am a radio ham and also into all things maritime. By all means if you need any advice drop me an email and I would be happy to point you in the right direction. I really do think it would add depth to your videos of you can listen in and hear as well as understand fully what is going on. You might also want to consider using a Marine AIS based app such as Marine Traffic so you can see at a glance if any interesting boats are heading your way do you will be ready for them. AIS stands for Automatic Identification System and is used by vessels primarily for collision avoidance. The app is free so check it out in the app store and you will get the gist but again could be a great asset first you. Hope that helps, like I say, if you need any advice let me know. Drop me an email at kevan2e0wmg@live.co.uk Cheers, Kevan
@@Lensonthethames Yes, Marine traffic on the Thames is divided into three sectors. You will be interested most in the sector from Teddington to Crayfordness which can be heard on VHF channel 14 or on 156.700MHz. Scanners can be found quite cheaply from places such as Moonraker Antennas, Martin Lynch and Sons, Nevada Radio or Amazon. Bear in mind that the on board aerials on handheld scanners are not very efficient but will certainly be ok for listening to boats you can actually see. Desktop scanners are designed to use an external aerial which would be more efficient and drag signals in better from further afield. There are commercial options for base station aerials out there or you can make them yourself. But for what I think you would need I would just start off with something handheld as you may want to take it out on your travels around the river. Although you would likely find most radio traffic on channel 14 other channels would also be of interest, for example channel 0 which is used by search and rescue, RNLI etc. Channel 16 is used for general calling and distress and emergency. If you had these frequencies and others programmed into the scanner it would do as the name suggests and scan up and down (very quickly) until it found a transmission where it would stop before scanning again once the transmission had ceased. I know about all this stuff because I am a radio ham and also into all things maritime. By all means if you need any advice drop me an email and I would be happy to point you in the right direction. I really do think it would add depth to your videos of you can listen in and hear as well as understand fully what is going on. You might also want to consider using a Marine AIS based app such as Marine Traffic so you can see at a glance if any interesting boats are heading your way do you will be ready for them. AIS stands for Automatic Identification System and is used by vessels primarily for collision avoidance. The app is free so check it out in the app store and you will get the gist but again could be a great asset first you. Hope that helps, like I say, if you need any advice let me know. Drop me an email at kevan2e0wmg@live.co.uk Cheers, Kevan
we made it out of Limehouse, and literally 100m onto the Thames we collected a whole tonne of prop rubbish. PLA took us back in. Then I went swimming to clear the prop. By then we'd missed our timing and everyone was sheepish about going out again. Decision was made to go the Long Way around and 4 days were spent on the canal inside of the thames..
@@Lotta910 Frankly, I have better things to do on a Saturday. There’s so many people correcting me and others and whinging, I’d rather just have a glass of Rosè in the sunshine. This entertainment to you is free. Don’t keep knocking it or you’ll lose it.
No nothing dramatic there! nothing to do with knowing the tides, without an engine no matter what the tide is doing your going nowhere, only where the tide takes you. unfortunately it is not mandatory for canal boats to carry a proper anchor which would help them out a lot, they just carry weighted bags. yes it was going backwards while they set up the tow. the PLA done a fair job of setting up an alongside tow but not quite got it right, they would have more control if there stern had been slightly behind the stern of the canal boat. But all in all good job well done. people are commenting on the kindness of the PLA, it is nice to think that way, but I think you will find as they were the closest vessel capable of doing this they were under obligation under International Law UNCLOS 1982, SOLAS 1974, and 1979 SAR CONVENTION, thus not out of the kindness of there hearts. Yes it is a river, but it is a navigable waterway, thus falls under these regulation.
@@Lensonthethames If any of those 10,000 worked the river they would agree with me. This is not uncommon, especially with canal boats that spend all the time on flat water. Take them onto the Thames and the muck in the bottom of the fuel tank gets stirred up, blocks the fuel filters and stops the engine. It may focus the mind, but not really dramatic.
@@Lensonthethames We have a full Moon at the moment so the tide would have been very high. As the tide changed there would have been a lot more water than normal to empty out of the River, so guessing the flow of water would have been stranger than normal.
most narrow boats and wide beams live a slow and stable live on the canals. When they meet the flow, the engines over heat because they're not use to running for such long periods under load. Also, any sludge in the diesel tank is lifted and blocks the engine inlets. These two, from what I can discern, are the two main reasons boats get into difficulty. The tide can definitely be an issues as most narrow boats/wide beams have a max speed of around 6mph. So if they don't get the timing right, they'll be going backwards even at full speed.
They will be raising the anchor as the boaters should have dropped it once propulsion failed. Concerned to see the boat doesn't appear to have an openable bow window. It may be a full sized hatch but if not seriously poor design, if it doesn't have a side hatch an illegal one. You can easily fall off the top running backwards and forwards in the chop.
@@Lensonthethames Using the roof as walkway has been pretty much standard practice on canal boats for decades, centuries, given how very narrow the gunwales are.
@@scottfw7169 centuries? They didn't have roofs before the shift to residential boats in the 50s. I and other boaters use the gangway inside with bow and stern doors. As a solo running along the roof is a last resort under most circumstances. A) because it's more risky and B) because it's got a load of s*** on it. Of course that doesn't work if you've got a fully tricked out widebeam WITHOUT A BOW DOOR.
@@Lensonthethamesgiven the nature of the design of this particular vessel at the pre sailing briefing it was decided that roof was the safest route to work the vessel though dynamic RAs stains in effect
I've seen a lot of narrowboat RUclipsrs filmed 'tackling' the Thames, from Limehouse. I don't think they should be on there! Narrowboats are built for shallow non-tidal waters not the powerful and deep Thames! This video proves it!
It's not actually that dangerous. In this case it's a big heavy widebeam with low power to weight. The general principle of the passage is you travel between Brentford/Teddington and Limehouse with the tide assisting. This can be an issue for two reasons: Limehouse is an awkward entry at a very resonant part of the waterway with lots of updrafts and standing waves around. If you've timed it perfectly you hit at slack but it's a long passage and so inevitably something means that isn't always how it pans out. The PLA and puddlepols are used to it and there's a long way to go before you enter real danger (big ships at Tillbury). The biggest risk is getting to Brentford and finding the CaRT lockkeepers haven't turned up. For context I've coxed skiffs here with almost no freeboard and the yellow RIBs bombing past without a care... still perfectly safe if a little wet.
I wonder if you have been drifting in the Thames with no engine!!! The Reason it’s not dramatic to you is that you have no idea what’s happening. It’s a very dangerous situation expertly resolved.
@@howardbeer5214 LMTAO I am 74, so you must be around 90. I have a masters certificate and that situation was dangerous. Don’t assume peoples ages. You will be found out to be a fool. As I think your assessment of that situation was. No engine or an underpowered engine in that current is a recipe for disaster.
Thank you, this is an interesting video. The river looked quite rough, I have been on a river taxi down the Thames, thankfully it was not as rough as was featured in the video! Hopefully he got his boat sorted out in the end, it was somewhat surprising to see him on top of the boat like that in the rough conditions and did not appear to be wearing a lifejacket either. A fascinating episode which we are most grateful to you for capturing. Yet another adventure to add to the history of the Thames.
Thanks John. I hope all the negatively biased persons who made derogatory remarks read your comment. You can never please some people and its refreshing to have someone with a grateful and positive outlook. Glad you enjoyed it. 🙌😊
Boat is a widebeam called Hampton, brand new. American owner whom have taken a berth in Limehouse. PLA received a call re an engine failure. Towed into Limehouse. Nothing serious but without the hard work and kindness of the PLA the Thames is a safe place to navigate providing planning and pre navigation engineering checks are meticulous.
@@richardmuirhead4067 Thanks for extra information Richard.
When I had a narrowboat in Poplar. We used to often navigate the tidal Thames between Bow Creek and Brentford but you really do need a lot of care, preparation and support. I would never go as a single boat. I've seen a fair amount of incidents. You can easily get standing waves of 1 metre through the bridges even on a calm day. Even the Thames Clippers used to get into bother sometimes.
The PLA, and River Police were always excellent and would sometimes shadow you, especially from Hungerford Bridge down to Wapping. At the time the most crucial thing was VHF, keeping in touch with Woolwich Radio who would react very quickly.
It's a lot easier to control the disabled vessel being rafted alongside and towards the rear. Stemming the tide does make it easier to get into Lime House unless the cut is clear of other vessels waiting for the bridge and lock.
One problem could have been loosing steerage having to use all the power to make headway against and the not have enough wash going over the rudder to perform steerage.
Tim B at sea a New York tug captain explained just that in his last video.
The only problem I had getting into Lime House was coming up stream with the tide from the Medway. In a 10m displacement twin screw boat that had a single rudder. Just as I approached Lime House one engine cut out due to a large aggregate sack wrapping a prop.
Steerage to starboard was then lost, so carried on past the entrance id a 180 and came back steering mostly with the one remaining engine. Manage to get on the pontoon and check problem, engine restarted OK and tried reverse but prop again jammed. Later on the mooring a passerby noticed the sack in the next mooring space, a good pull by two of us and the prop was free. We celebrated in the club house and continued in a nearby pub.
Thanks for posting and jogging my memory of my boating days aboard my Dunkirk Little Ship, now sold and wonderfully restored. That has cost a lot more than I could afford.
@@TheByard thank you for sharing your memories of being on the river Thames / Limehouse marina. Best wishes, Glenn
Limehouse was always the sanctuary. When it was BWB in my time the people were fantastic. I think they still are now. They would do everything possible to minimise you waiting on the river. The gates would often be open ready. We were caught in a scary thunderstorm once coming down under Blackfriars, couldn't see anything for the torrential rain, completely soaked on a tiny trad stern with the tiller shaking like mad. We were against the tide by Tower Bridge and almost standing still with only a BMC 1.8 flat out for power. Limehouse called us on the radio and gave us advice and encouragement all the way in. 🥰
Good to see the “Rivet Counters” are out!
It’s a flat bottomed barge, the width of the beam doesn’t change that fact no matter how much you love your Narrow Boat Barge
It's a widebeam
@@zefriend3 it’s still a barge, the width of the beam doesn’t change the fact that it’s a flat bottomed barge.
Wide beam or narrow boat just differentiates the type of barge, ever wonder why people who used to work Narrow Boats are called Bargees, maybe they just like Indian food🤔
@@optimist3580 Narrowboats are seven foot beam, widebeams are generally up to fourteen foot - it is related to the width of the locks on the canals they are used on.
@@sooty655 I’m not disputing if it’s a narrowboat or a wide beam. It’s still a barge regardless of how wide or narrow it is because it a flat bottomed barge, so calling it another name doesn’t change that fact
It called rafting the port boat has better control of the movement -Malc uk 🇬🇧
@@malcolmwhite6144 Thanks Malc. Will update the description. Best wishes, Glenn
The pacing to the bow would be to check that they are not shipping water over the prow, into the front well, and through the door into the cabin.
@@Demun1649 Thanks. 🙌
@@Lensonthethames You are welcome. Of course, he could have checked from inside the cabin, but, if they were worried about swamping, he could have been trapped if the worst case scenario occurred.
Did you notice that he checked straight after the Uber boat had gone past them, since the wake would have increased the height of the waves?
At least they weren't sinking, and no one got hurt.
Blimey!
Glad they grabbed it, otherwise next stop Norway for the widebeam!
Excellent Video. Glad it had a happy ending. These canal boats, wide or narrowbeam! just don't have an engine to cope with strong river currents,
@@fp30e in my experience of over 40 years of boating, most canal boats do actually have an engine which is powerful enough, but it always best to time your journey carefully on a tidal river, and go with the flow rather than against it.
@@01jvb Hello there, Thank you for your reply. I of course bow down to your experience. In the video they mention the tide had turned. We have a full Moon at the moment, so the high tide will have been at one of the highest for the year. So there is a lot of water running out of the River when on the ebb tide, hence a faster-flowing tide. But like you said this should have been noticed in advance and dare I say avoided. But glad all was well.
@@fp30e Thanks - exactly. PLA and marine police are probably so used to doing this.
@@01jvb Exactly
@@fp30e Exactly. High tide video shortly to be added - stay tuned / and or subscribe 👍
''DRAMATIC RESCUE'' looked more routine to me
I own a wide beam similar to this and even with a 75 hp engine (most have 45 hp), I would not be trying to punch any UK tide.. A friend took one of these from Medway to Thames recently and even with engine working it could not punch the tide so had to stop and moor up.. Most engines on these vessels fail because diesel tank not cleaned and choppy water stirs the dirt at bottom of tank and blocks filter.. These barges are great living spaces but basically like static caravans that float.. The air draft is much great than water draft effectively making a sail effect and standard rudders fitted relatively small and ineffective against any wind over about 12knots which can making steering difficult for the inexperienced. 👍🏼👍🏼
@@jamesmcmahon7837 This is a lot of words for “I do not know how to plan passage.”
I have taken my 25hp narrowboat up the Thames, Humber, Trent, Ouse and Severn. All are easily navigable if you plan and prepare properly.
@@garethchild ? I know how to plan a passage thank you lol Just illustrating some of the issues that can beset you if you are not prepared.. 🤷🏻♂️
Well filmed, that could have ended very differently. A dangerous situation indeed.
@@classicraceruk1337 Thanks for the feedback.
@@Lensonthethames No worries, the Thames can be a dangerous place…..
I think he was checking to make sure they weren't fouling anything or taking on any water.
In the days of Lighters and barges, the lightermen would let their barges drift up or downstream without tug assistance. The tugs would pop out from the basin where the barge was needed and tow it in. They are making a complete mess of it. The tug should be tight alongside, not in a V shape.
Just oassed full moon and high tide. River strong
There are a large number of these Collingwood widebeams in London, and I've moved quite a number up and down the tideway. I'll see if I can find out the backstory here!
And they're all broken one way or another XD
If you had a small (cheap) VHF scanner you listen in and hear what was happening which would add another dimension and give more depth to your observations. Just a suggestion👍
@@2e0wmghamradioandkayaking85 great suggestion. Is there a frequency the police and PLA use?
@@Lensonthethames Channel 14 for port comms. Under no circumstances broadcast from shore but you can listen in without dramas.
@@zefriend3 Thanks for that 👍. (Obviously no plans to listen to police - if it can be done nowadays- and act on what is heard.)
@@Lensonthethames
Yes, Marine traffic on the Thames is divided into three sectors. You will be interested most in the sector from Teddington to Crayfordness which can be heard on VHF channel 14 or on 156.700MHz.
Scanners can be found quite cheaply from places such as Moonraker Antennas, Martin Lynch and Sons, Nevada Radio or Amazon. Bear in mind that the on board aerials on handheld scanners are not very efficient but will certainly be ok for listening to boats you can actually see. Desktop scanners are designed to use an external aerial which would be more efficient and drag signals in better from further afield. There are commercial options for base station aerials out there or you can make them yourself. But for what I think you would need I would just start off with something handheld as you may want to take it out on your travels around the river.
Although you would likely find most radio traffic on channel 14 other channels would also be of interest, for example channel 0 which is used by search and rescue, RNLI etc. Channel 16 is used for general calling and distress and emergency. If you had these frequencies and others programmed into the scanner it would do as the name suggests and scan up and down (very quickly) until it found a transmission where it would stop before scanning again once the transmission had ceased.
I know about all this stuff because I am a radio ham and also into all things maritime. By all means if you need any advice drop me an email and I would be happy to point you in the right direction. I really do think it would add depth to your videos of you can listen in and hear as well as understand fully what is going on.
You might also want to consider using a Marine AIS based app such as Marine Traffic so you can see at a glance if any interesting boats are heading your way do you will be ready for them. AIS stands for Automatic Identification System and is used by vessels primarily for collision avoidance. The app is free so check it out in the app store and you will get the gist but again could be a great asset first you.
Hope that helps, like I say, if you need any advice let me know. Drop me an email at kevan2e0wmg@live.co.uk
Cheers, Kevan
@@Lensonthethames
Yes, Marine traffic on the Thames is divided into three sectors. You will be interested most in the sector from Teddington to Crayfordness which can be heard on VHF channel 14 or on 156.700MHz.
Scanners can be found quite cheaply from places such as Moonraker Antennas, Martin Lynch and Sons, Nevada Radio or Amazon. Bear in mind that the on board aerials on handheld scanners are not very efficient but will certainly be ok for listening to boats you can actually see. Desktop scanners are designed to use an external aerial which would be more efficient and drag signals in better from further afield. There are commercial options for base station aerials out there or you can make them yourself. But for what I think you would need I would just start off with something handheld as you may want to take it out on your travels around the river.
Although you would likely find most radio traffic on channel 14 other channels would also be of interest, for example channel 0 which is used by search and rescue, RNLI etc. Channel 16 is used for general calling and distress and emergency. If you had these frequencies and others programmed into the scanner it would do as the name suggests and scan up and down (very quickly) until it found a transmission where it would stop before scanning again once the transmission had ceased.
I know about all this stuff because I am a radio ham and also into all things maritime. By all means if you need any advice drop me an email and I would be happy to point you in the right direction. I really do think it would add depth to your videos of you can listen in and hear as well as understand fully what is going on.
You might also want to consider using a Marine AIS based app such as Marine Traffic so you can see at a glance if any interesting boats are heading your way do you will be ready for them. AIS stands for Automatic Identification System and is used by vessels primarily for collision avoidance. The app is free so check it out in the app store and you will get the gist but again could be a great asset first you.
Hope that helps, like I say, if you need any advice let me know. Drop me an email at kevan2e0wmg@live.co.uk
Cheers, Kevan
I've been there
we made it out of Limehouse, and literally 100m onto the Thames we collected a whole tonne of prop rubbish. PLA took us back in. Then I went swimming to clear the prop. By then we'd missed our timing and everyone was sheepish about going out again. Decision was made to go the Long Way around and 4 days were spent on the canal inside of the thames..
Not a barge, it’s a wide beam. Barges are open hulled and have no engine.
I’ve just changed the description to “boat”. Much easier as had so many corrections I don’t know what’s what now.
Wrong
@@Lotta910 Frankly, I have better things to do on a Saturday. There’s so many people correcting me and others and whinging, I’d rather just have a glass of Rosè in the sunshine. This entertainment to you is free. Don’t keep knocking it or you’ll lose it.
@@Lotta910The description has been updated.
@@Lotta910 No worries. Audio is set in stone unfortunately. Headline is limited by number of characters. Have a great weekend!
No nothing dramatic there! nothing to do with knowing the tides, without an engine no matter what the tide is doing your going nowhere, only where the tide takes you. unfortunately it is not mandatory for canal boats to carry a proper anchor which would help them out a lot, they just carry weighted bags. yes it was going backwards while they set up the tow. the PLA done a fair job of setting up an alongside tow but not quite got it right, they would have more control if there stern had been slightly behind the stern of the canal boat. But all in all good job well done. people are commenting on the kindness of the PLA, it is nice to think that way, but I think you will find as they were the closest vessel capable of doing this they were under obligation under International Law UNCLOS 1982, SOLAS 1974, and 1979 SAR CONVENTION, thus not out of the kindness of there hearts. Yes it is a river, but it is a navigable waterway, thus falls under these regulation.
Not a barge ,no coal no grain no timber, no steel cargo that’s what a barge is something carrying cargo and keep lorries OFF THE ROAD,
Wrong
Hardly dramatic. This is all standard procedure and professional
@@ChrisandNigel 10,000 people would disagree.
@@Lensonthethames If any of those 10,000 worked the river they would agree with me.
This is not uncommon, especially with canal boats that spend all the time on flat water. Take them onto the Thames and the muck in the bottom of the fuel tank gets stirred up, blocks the fuel filters and stops the engine. It may focus the mind, but not really dramatic.
Not a barge, not a narrow boat ! It's a wide beam.
It's a barge with wide beam...
@@nic5779 It's not a barge, narrow or wide.
It's a wide beam narrowboat piloted by an American that appears to think it's a river cruiser not a flat bottomed canal boat.
That'd be a punt that.
Did the engine fail or was it just not powerful enough for the situation?
@@robertstorey7476 I think the tide is as very fast indeed and the engine couldn’t cope. But not 100%sure
@@Lensonthethames We have a full Moon at the moment so the tide would have been very high. As the tide changed there would have been a lot more water than normal to empty out of the River, so guessing the flow of water would have been stranger than normal.
@@fp30e Peak tides tomorrow of this spring so plenty of water!
most narrow boats and wide beams live a slow and stable live on the canals. When they meet the flow, the engines over heat because they're not use to running for such long periods under load. Also, any sludge in the diesel tank is lifted and blocks the engine inlets. These two, from what I can discern, are the two main reasons boats get into difficulty. The tide can definitely be an issues as most narrow boats/wide beams have a max speed of around 6mph. So if they don't get the timing right, they'll be going backwards even at full speed.
No propwash from that boat. Suspect engine failure.@@Lensonthethames
loses, not looses too!
They will be raising the anchor as the boaters should have dropped it once propulsion failed. Concerned to see the boat doesn't appear to have an openable bow window. It may be a full sized hatch but if not seriously poor design, if it doesn't have a side hatch an illegal one. You can easily fall off the top running backwards and forwards in the chop.
@@zefriend3 yes, thought running along the roof was rather dangerous!
@@Lensonthethames Using the roof as walkway has been pretty much standard practice on canal boats for decades, centuries, given how very narrow the gunwales are.
@@scottfw7169 centuries? They didn't have roofs before the shift to residential boats in the 50s. I and other boaters use the gangway inside with bow and stern doors. As a solo running along the roof is a last resort under most circumstances. A) because it's more risky and B) because it's got a load of s*** on it. Of course that doesn't work if you've got a fully tricked out widebeam WITHOUT A BOW DOOR.
@@Lensonthethamesgiven the nature of the design of this particular vessel at the pre sailing briefing it was decided that roof was the safest route to work the vessel though dynamic RAs stains in effect
Interesting video, but it's not a narrowboat, it's a wide beam barge.
@@01jvb Thanks for the clarification. Will change description 👏
Its technically a widebeam narrowboat 😅
@@baldhead I’m sticking with the definition I have. Even the experts are saying different things 🤣🤣
@@baldhead there's no such thing. A narrowboat is no more than 7 feet wide. The clue's in the name !
It’s a wide beam-my trad stern narrow boat is 6’10 wide and looks dinky next to a wide beam!
hahaha.... seems like a canalboat 'full scale emergency' is about as exciting as canal boating normally is! 🤣
Looks like a narrow boat to me
I've seen a lot of narrowboat RUclipsrs filmed 'tackling' the Thames, from Limehouse. I don't think they should be on there! Narrowboats are built for shallow non-tidal waters not the powerful and deep Thames! This video proves it!
@@Lotta910 Oh! I thought he said narrowboat!
@@2760adeI did say narrow boat but I’m an expert. But look all the comments and there are different views of what the boat actually is.
It's not actually that dangerous. In this case it's a big heavy widebeam with low power to weight. The general principle of the passage is you travel between Brentford/Teddington and Limehouse with the tide assisting. This can be an issue for two reasons: Limehouse is an awkward entry at a very resonant part of the waterway with lots of updrafts and standing waves around. If you've timed it perfectly you hit at slack but it's a long passage and so inevitably something means that isn't always how it pans out. The PLA and puddlepols are used to it and there's a long way to go before you enter real danger (big ships at Tillbury). The biggest risk is getting to Brentford and finding the CaRT lockkeepers haven't turned up. For context I've coxed skiffs here with almost no freeboard and the yellow RIBs bombing past without a care... still perfectly safe if a little wet.
@@Lensonthethames Doesn't really matter!😀😀
Transits on the tidal Thames are regular for narrowboats and wideboats, it is perfectly safe if you follow the procedure.
What is dramatic about that ??? Nothing at all
@@howardbeer5214 You must need a lot of stimulation! 985 people thought it was okay
I wonder if you have been drifting in the Thames with no engine!!! The Reason it’s not dramatic to you is that you have no idea what’s happening. It’s a very dangerous situation expertly resolved.
@@classicraceruk1337 I have worked on the Thames longer than you have been alive so please do not preach !!!
@@howardbeer5214 LMTAO I am 74, so you must be around 90. I have a masters certificate and that situation was dangerous. Don’t assume peoples ages. You will be found out to be a fool. As I think your assessment of that situation was. No engine or an underpowered engine in that current is a recipe for disaster.
@@classicraceruk1337 Well said
Dramatic? ha ha
More dramatic than your channel with no content and zero subscribers, eh Mike?
Of course that's so dangerous right so pathetic