Never again, never again. Oh yes. No no no, the next time you wanna
go on the Lancaster canal you can drop me at Tarleton I'll get a bus to the
airport and fly to Preston. (Laughing) It was fab. It was not fab. It was, But we're here, we survived it
we're back in Rufford and we had loads of questions from you lovely viewers
people on Twitter and Instagram and Facebook all about the Ribble Link,
so we're going to answer a few of them before we give you our top 10 tips
on how to survive the Ribble Link.
First question came from Jo and Michael aka
Minimal List on YouTube, they want to know, how long in advance do you need to book
the Ribble Link and is it still open this year. Well it's still open. It is
it closes in October and if you want to book it just go on the CRT website
put your details in and it opens up the calendar and you can pick the dates,
now be careful because it is very busy. I think we're recording this in July and
there's no dates left in July the next dates I think there's one or two
available in August and then a couple in September, but give yourself a good,
I mean we had what, six or seven weeks. We seven weeks, yeah we had seven weeks,
and I think that was just right it sounds like a long time for like 40 odd miles of
canal plus the Glasson branch which is a couple of miles and just be aware that
if you do make a booking, you're not guaranteed to go on that day there's a
lot of variables that can affect it things like how windy it is. Yeah.
How high or low the tide is if the tides too low or if it's too windy you might not
go at all or you might go straight down to Preston dock rather than turning off
at Savick Brook for the Lancaster. The other thing is thay don't do crossings
every day. No. Because the tide has to be between
eight point six and nine point six meters so if it's above or below that
they won't do any crossings and the way it generally works is that you'll get
two or three or four days in a row with up crossings to Lancaster and then
you'll get the same again with down crossings and then you'll get some days
with none at all, for more details on that go on the CRT website, there's a
skipper's guide on there which has got all the details. I'll leave the link down below.
Next question is from Narrowboat Epictetus
WOW! That's a strange name. He wants to know how bad will Savick Brook be in a
sixty two foot long boats single-handed with no bow thruster. (Laughing)
FUN! (Laughing)
Yeah the maximum length for the Savick Brook is 62 foot, the maximum width if
you've got wide beam just in case you're thinking about it it's ten foot six
I wouldn't want to take a wide beam on the lower part of Savick Brook.
I wouldn't want to take a 62 foot narrowboat. No. Bow thruster not really that
important we hardly used the bow thruster, the issues with Savick Brook
are really twofold the depth can be very shallow very shallow we would dragging
the bottom and we're not really a deep draft are we? That's right.
The other thing is the really tight corners and tight bends more especially closer
to Savick Brook Bridge, there's two really tight bends in a row.
But if you're an experienced boater and I mean the maximum life is 62 foot so
theoretically you should be able to get through there, in practice...
In practice you might need your pole (Laughing). Make sure your pole's there.
Next question is from Ginger Nut on Facebook, he wants to know how long
does the Ribble link crossing take. It varies if you go in up from Tarleton to
Preston you have to be at Tarleton lock two hours before the tide time.
Thats right. Again there's a link on the CRT website that tells you the tide times
and the start time, so you want to be there for the start time.
So from Tarleton it's anything from one and a half to kind of two and a half,
three hours isn't it coming out at Tarleton Lock, getting Savick brook.
It all depends on the boater doesn't it. On the boater, on the weather, on the tide, on the
strength of the current. So again is a few variables but if you kind of say
one and a half to three hours that's just from Tarleton lock to the sea lock
on Savick Brooke. Yeah. If you're there too early they will just hold you there
Yeah. Once you get to Savick brooke and the sea lock, they'll usually hold you there
until the water levels right so you can get under Savick brook bridge and then
from there up to the Lancaster canal
again anything from two to three hours. Yeah. Depending how many boats there are,
if anybody gets stuck on Savick Brook on one of those corners. Yeah. There was a
fallen tree the other day so that delayed boaters. Yes. But about two or
three hours so altogether I mean it can be anything from kind of four hours up
to six hours. So it can be a long day. It can vary, coming down it's a little
bit different you have to be at the start point, the basin at the top of the
staircase lock at Preston between four and four and a half hours
before tide time, that's because you've got to get through all the Savick Brook locks
the millennium link navigation locks and again once you get through those and
then you get to the sea lock jetty at the bottom they hold you again until the
tide time and then they release you and it takes about the same time it can be
anything from one and a half to three hours to get back to Tarleton.
One of the most popular questions we got asked and a lot of the comments on the
first Ribble link vlog were why do you have to reverse into the staircase lock
going up towards the Lancaster Basin and simple answer is is this not enough
room in the lower pound to turn the boat around
so as you're coming in or out of the staircase locks you'll notice that the
canal branches off a really kind of strange angle to the locks, so if
you coming out or going in you can't come in and then turn round you can see
there's not enough room in that pound to turn the boat around so it is really
easier just to come in or out and then reverse into the lock and then at the
top there is enough room to reverse out and then just head out forwards onto the canal,
simple as that
Final question comes from Scarey Pete
off YouTube oooooh! How scarey? He wants to know which is the most difficult,
Tarleton to Preston or Preston to Tarleton. What do you think? Errrm they both had their challenges
Tarleton - Preston you had to fight the
current head-on. Preston to Tarleton you had to fight the current side on, so I would
say that was the more difficult. I think coming out at Tarleton lock on the
up towards Lancaster coming out at Tarleton lot is a shock because I don't
think you're expecting that current I you? No you're not expecting the
current and you really have to power up. Yeah. Just to get to a couple of miles
an hour. I mean I don't know if boaters engines RPMs very or what but we
normally cruise at tickover at about seven 800 rpm. Cruising at 3 to 4 miles an hour
we're cruising at probably a 1000 rpm. We were talking 2500 coming out of
Tarleton lock. Just to get going. just to move and that was like one mile an hour
and then but you were going out into the current and I don't think that
was as bad. No it weren't, that weren't as bad. Coming back you come out of Savick Brook
like this and the Ribble is coming this way
So you come out of Savick Brook and you're not allowed to cut this
right-hand corner because there's a sand bank there so you're not allowed to kind
of position and cut the corner to come out at an angle you've got to come out
and then turn. The problem with that is when you've got an incoming tide on
the Ribble, your boats coming out and then you just go that way
as you saw so what we had to do is we had to really power up, and that tide is
coming in as fast as a car. One second you're drifting and then all of a sudden
it's as if you're pointed in the right direction. yeah you kind of cut the water
just in the right way. It's because the current gets the
back of your boat and spins around. Yeah. We were talking to a guy who's who's done
this crossing 16 times and he said exactly the same thing, as soon as you
get to Savick Brook at the end of Savick Brook, power up and get ready and just
turn into it and we thought we did but we didn't enough no needed more power.
Yeah. So they there you go so yeah it's this
different I thought the return trip was more frightening than the outward trip
because you just saw us flying up. I just looked back and saw Savick Brook
disappearing that way, and it should have been going the other way and we should
have been going the other way and even at full power even at two and a half
thousand RPM we will literally just moving at maybe half a mile an hour.
It took us a while to get just a three mile an hour to get moving.
Yeah. Thank you for all your questions I hope that's answered them. If you've got
any more just drop them in the comments down below as you know we do try and
answer every single comment on our vlogs and we'll do our best to answer it if
you got any more questions about the Ribble Link. If we've inspired you to try
crossing the Ribble Link here are our top 10 tips on how to survive it.
Number 10. Enjoy it it's a brilliant experience it's a bit hair-raising but it's a bit
like being on a roller coaster so enjoy every minute of it, take photos, take
video, do it safely and enjoy every minute of it.
Number 9 Is don't panic (Laughs) naturally I'm a stress head so I am gonna panic and it was a new experience that
I've not done before if you're an experienced boater or you've got
somebody experienced onboard there's no need to panic just do everything nice
and calm and you'll be fine. I didn't panic. (Whispers) I Did (Laughs)
Number 8 Is to have some snacks pre-prepared
even if it's just sandwiches or packets of crisps or drinks, it can be a long day
you can be going for anything up to six maybe seven hours without stopping,
so it's good to have some snacks at hand because you are gonna get hungry and
there might not be a chance to go and prepare yourself a meal or even a sandwich.
Number 7 Is to make sure you're there on time,
If you're leaving from Tarleton to Preston make sure you're at the visitor moorings two
hours before tide time, if you coming the other way from Preston down to
Tarleton be at the basin four to four and a half hours before tide time.
Number 6 Is look after each other, you could be in a group of anything from two
to six or even more boats and with the strong currents and the tides it's a
good idea to keep an eye out on each other and make sure you're all safe.
Number 5 At Tarleton lock if you're the second boat out, give some distance
between yourself and the first boat it's going to create quite a wash with that
tide coming in so give yourself some distance and you'll have a much smoother ride
Number 4 Is be prepared for a strong current
we've never felt anything like it on a narrowboat, as you come out of
Tarleton you're heading straight down the River Douglas with a strong incoming tide.
The other way coming out of Preston and Savick Brook you're gonna
come on to the River Ribble and swept in towards Preston. Be ready.
Number 3 Make sure you've got all your emergency equipment ready, mobile phones charged up
and switched on. Save the numbers for the CRT and Preston emergency, so that you
can get in touch with them if you need them
make sure your anchor is out and ready and tied ready to deploy, make sure
you've got your life vests ready on yourself anybody else on the boat
and your pets too.
Number 2 Is to do your engine checks before you leave.There's nothing
worse than having to deploy that anchor right in the middle of the River Ribble
on a strong incoming tide, just a few moments checking your engine could save
you a lot of trouble later.
Number 1. (Laughing) And the most important although it
doesn't sound like it is it. The campest one then, is listen to the CRT. Yes.
the staff are there for a reason not just to help you through the locks, lazy!
but they're there to give you advice on how to safely get through the Ribble Link
listen to that advice and act upon it. And there we are they are our top ten
tips on how to survive the Millennium Ribble link. If you've liked this vlog
give it a thumbs up subscribe if you're not already hit the bell and YouTube
will let you know every time we release a brand new vlog, leave any questions or
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becoming a Patreon of Fox's afloat details are coming up soon. We will see
you next time take care bye bye. See you later bye.
Hello!..... Oooh hang on do that again (laughs) He's got one (laughs). I've got a certificate. From a doctor.
Next time we do the Lancaster canal it will be on a higher boat with our boat moored at
Tarleton, we'll leave the boat in Tarleton and we'll get the train over to
Preston. Next time we do the Lancaster we're mooring up at Tarleton and getting the
bus across to Preston. You can take it across drop me off at
Tarleton and I'll get an Uber. You can drop me off at Preston.
Geography... That much. You can take the boat across now I get a bloody horse and cart
to Preston. You can drop me off at Charlton. Charlton?? You can drop me at Tarleton
I'll get a bus to the airport and fly to Preston. The next time you want to do
Lancaster I've run out of forms of public transport to take over now (Laughing)
YAYYYY!
That's a strange thing a strange name.
(Makes funny noises)
Final question comes from (Laughing) Got it out of my system...... (Gasps)
No we're not even gonna use that.
(Laughing)