PLANNING

The information on this page is laid out in a different manner to the other waterways.
Maps including the Thames are easily obtainable and show everything in great detail and are high quality.
This page will concentrate on practical information on planning and executing a transit of the tidal river.

So you think you’d like to do the Thames Ring or at least the tidal part and you’re not sure how to go about it .

Let me say straight away thet it’s one of the most memorable ways to see the sights - Tower Bridge is impressive enough when you walk or drive over it but there’s nothing to beat passing UNDER it. St Pauls Cathedral, The Tower, The Monument, Lambeth Palace and so many more locations take on a different character when seen from the tideway.

The problem is that you plan on taking a craft out onto tidal water that isn’t specifically designed for it, and there are many
highly experienced boaters who wouldn’t even think of doing it and tell dire tales of what will happen.

With a few sensible precautions it’s perfectly safe, and a fantastic experience.

If you are hiring the boat make sure you have permission from the boatyard to visit the tidal Thames.
If it’s not one of the ‘local’ yards that are well known to the ‘keepers I would suggest getting something in writing.
If you break their rules you will not be insured and any damage to the boat is down to you.

OK, permission granted (or it’s your own boat anyway) so which way to go - Up or Down river.
Most guide books suggest Up, from Limehouse to Brentford.
I have done it many times in both directions, and totally agree. Up is the better way.

Why? , because to do this run you need the assistance of the tidal flow, and if you leave Brentford as soon as you can, you’ll be going against the tide for the first part of the trip, and by the time you reach Limehouse the tide will have turned and you’ll be ‘flying’. The entrance to Limehouse is narrow and not the easiest to spot at the best of times, and if you overshoot it’s a tough job to fight the tide to get back. If you go the other way, you’ll be able to enter the river as the tide is rising, and you’ll get the benefit of the inward flow all the way, and by the time you get to Brentford the strength of the current is diminishing and you’ll have no difficulty in entering Brentford Gut.

So, you’ve decided to go upstream. Now the availability of Limehouse Lock has to be checked for suitability as it is only open at certain states of the tide, and between basic ‘core’ hours. There are also days when it doesn’t open at all because of Thames Barrier Tests and Closures.

Lock-Out Bookings can be made by telephone, but a personal vist at least 24 hours in advance of the planned trip will get the most up to date information from the staff at Limehouse, and any statutory notices to mariners currently in force for the river will be explained and any questions answered. You will receive a copy of the Thames Tideway Guide (issued by the Inland Waterways Association London Region), Illustrations of the bridge profiles for the trip, safety information sheet, the Lock Availability leaflet, and any notice to mariners currently in force. You will be given a time to be at Limehouse ready to lock out, and your mobile phone contact number will be noted.

You can obtain a copy of the Lock Availability leaflet (Issued every 6 months) from British Waterways

Preparations For Locking Out

Before entering Limehouse lock certain preparations need to be made - nothing too difficult and all common sense.

All vessels on the tidal Thames must be in contact with the relevant authority. Larger craft must be in radio contact, but inland waterway craft transiting the tideway are permitted to do so provided they have a mobile phone switched on and that the number is known to the Lock Keepers at Limehouse.

In the event of an engine failure or other emergency, an anchor, chain and length of rope should be carried. These should be on the foredeck, laid out to ensure free running if thrown overboard, SECURED TO EACH OTHER AND TIED TO THE BOAT. (You’d think this is over-stating the obvious, but I’ve seen boats with the anchor still in the forward locker and not tied to anything). I wouldn’t suggest having the anchor on the bow decking - it could fall overboard accidentally - better to have it in the well of the fore deck. Also, secure it to the bow cleat, but make sure the head-rope doesn’t get fouled by the chain, or the anchor might get pulled overboard.

Lifejackets - You’re not crossing the Atlantic Ocean, I know, but the river is a lot wider and deeper than the canals, and there will be a currrent flowing so it makes sense for all on board to wear at least a floatation device if not a full life-jacket.
THIS INCLUDES PETS and their own flotation jackets complete with lifting handle are manufactured by Crewsaver amongst others