Regarding locks, i have no bloody idea how they work, and yet have decided to command a 6 berth cruiser along the Thames in a fortnight... any tips on boating would be great
If you're going down, fill it up and open the gate, drive in, close gate, let water out, open bottom gate, drive out, close gate.
If you're going up empty lock, open gate, drive in, close gate, fill it up, open top gate, drive out, close gate.
Remember when going down that there is a sill at the back of the lock (nearest top gate) that you can ground on so pull forwards.
Remember to close all paddles after operating them and never have both sets open at the same time. And don't take your hands off the windlass or it'll spin round quick and break your knuckles.
You probably can't jump from one side of the lock to the other even though it is very tempting to try.
oh, and if there's a queue of boats go one up, one down etc, although some locks you can fit 2 at a time in.
