Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park Skipper's Guide
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Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park Skipper’s Guide BACKGROUND AND HISTORY Known as the Bow Back Rivers, this historic network of waterways was transformed in the build up to the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games as part of a major investment and clean-up programme. The six kilometres of rivers in Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park were once a key transport network for the industries that lined the river but the decline of canal freight after the Second World War, together with a build-up of silt, saw the rivers become virtually un-navigable and derelict until they were eventually closed altogether by the 1960s and declared “remainder water” with no potential for commercial or leisure use. This all changed with the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games. The waterways were to become the green veins of Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park and a massive restoration and clean-up operation was put into effect. In summer of 2017 marking the final phase of 10 years and £60 million pounds worth of investment the Bow Back Rivers re-opened to public navigation and boats now regularly cruise the stadium loop round London Stadium. CARPENTERS ROAD LOCK RESTORATION Built in the 1930s Carpenters Road Lock was once a proud and busy hub of east London, but fell into disuse during the 1960s with the decline of London’s industrial era. The Trust has breathed new life into this historic lock which now rightfully stands at the heart of London’s newest urban park. Canal & River Trust alongside key partners, Heritage Lottery Fund, London Legacy Development Corporation and Inland Waterways Association have invested £1.8 million in the restoration of Carpenters Road Lock which stands in the heart of Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park. Passage can now be booked through what is the only double radial lock gate in the country along the Park other operational locks, City Mill Lock and Three Mills Lock. Skippers Guide 2 LOCATION Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park is located in East London. The map (Appendix A) here shows the location. Before you commence your booking, please check that your craft is within the maximum dimensions for your journey to Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park. Maximum dimension (Appendix B) for Canal & River Trust waterway can be found here Please be aware local stoppages may affect your journey. We advise you regularly check the stoppages and notifications website here Note due to low bridges in Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park the maximum air draft is 2.1m or 6 feet and 10 inches. NAVIGATION The stadium island loop (St Thomas Creek, City Mill River, and Old River Lea) runs around London Stadium. This route doesn’t require booking. Navigation through Carpenters Road Lock, City Mill Lock and Three Mills Lock is by prior booking only. Passage is one way from Carpenters Road Lock to City Mill Lock and vice versa or from Three Mills Lock exiting via City Mill Lock or Carpenters Road Lock. The Park cruising routes (Appendix C) are shown here The River Lea north of Waterworks River is not waterway owned by the Trust. No motorized craft are permitted in this section. A sign stating “End of Navigation” marks the boundary of Trust waterway which canal boats must not proceed past. Whilst within Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park boaters must follow Canal & River Trust general terms & conditions and abide by their regulations and bylaws along with the Park bye laws. LOCK OPERATION Carpenters Road Lock, City Mill Lock and Three Mills Lock are manned by salaried Canal & River Trust staff or trained volunteer lock keepers. Identify the name of your boat and index number to the lock keeper on entry. Please listen to instructions at all times. Do not enter Carpenters Road Lock until informed it is safe to do so by the lock keeper. Ensure arrival at your specified time window as it cannot be guaranteed otherwise that a lock keeper will be in place to facilitate your passage if late. On exiting City Mill Lock or Carpenters Road Lock sound your horn at least 4-5 seconds in accordance with collision avoidance procedure. It takes anywhere from 10-20 minutes for one single passage through Carpenters Road Lock or City Mill Lock. A maximum of two narrow boats can be locked through per movement or one wide beam canal boat. Skippers Guide 3 MOORING No mooring or stopping is permitted in Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park with the exception of boats awaiting passage through Carpenters Road Lock or City Mill Lock. The areas of no mooring are marked red and dashed red on map of Park waterways. Boats unauthorized to moor are subject to a daily charge of £150 per day. Informal 14 day towpath mooring is available on the Lee Navigation which runs adjacent to the Park waterways. There is a limited amount of bookable short stay visitor moorings available within London. Please contact [email protected] for more information. Short Stay Visitor Mooring is under development at the junction of Hertford Union Canal on the Lee Navigation close to Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park and is expected to be available in 2018 as shown on the Park navigation, mooring and management plan (Appendix D). SAFETY Please note that Skippers are responsible for ensuring the safety of their passengers, pets and craft at all times. It is important that boaters are familiar with the boat-handling and safety information given in ‘The Boaters Handbook’ and the information in this ‘Skippers Guide’, both issued by The Trust. The recommended cruising speed for the Park waterways is 2.5 knots or 3mph. Waterworks River, Three Mills Wall River and Prescott Channel is a fluvial flood relief channel subject to rapidly changing water levels and depth. As such there are no grab chains and escape from water is difficult due to high river walls for flood defence. Skippers should therefore exercise caution when navigating this channel and we strongly advise skipper and crew wear lifevests. Skippers should be aware that change in weather conditions can create cross winds which make navigation more difficult. Boats must not navigate through arches marked by no entry signs. Skippers Guide 4 Steer clear of all buoys which mark obstacles, areas of reeds or shallow depth. Boats heading down stream that is from Carpenters Road Lock to City Mill Lock or Three Mills Lock have priority over boats headed upstream. Skippers Guide 5 The waterways of Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park are used by unpowered craft including swan pedalos. On approaching swan pedalos or other unpowered craft sound your horn and proceed once your navigation lane is clear. A safety boat will be deployed when swan pedalos are in operation to ensure a clear lane is created for your boat. The swan pedalo operational area on Waterworks River adjacent to London Aquatics Centre is identified below. Be aware navigation closure can be implemented at any time prior or during passage for safety or emergency operational reasons. EMERGENCIES For operational emergencies, please contact The Trust Emergency Number: 0800 47 999 47 and supply details of the incident and the location. If you get into difficulty on your boat within the Park call Park HQ control room on emergency number 0300 2012 222 available 24 hours a day 7 days a week and supply details of the incident and the location. For life threatening emergencies please call 999 and supply details of the incident and the location. TERMS AND CONDITIONS Please read the Terms & Conditions (Appendix E). Note there is an administration charge of £10 should you miss your passage and it is not cancelled at least 48 hours before your allotted passage. Seven days notice is required to make a booking or amendments. Passage is available by prior booking from 9am to 5pm every day. No passage will be permitted outside of these hours. Skippers Guide 6 USEFUL NUMBERS Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park 0300 2012 222 Headquarter Emergency Number Canal & River Trust – London Docklands 0303 040 4040 Office Canal & River Trust Emergency Number 0800 47 999 44 Emergency Services 999 Skippers Guide 7 Skippers Guide 8 8 towpath Tottenham railway 9 London Underground 6 10 London Overground A12 R Docklands Light Railway i v e Elsan and refuse point R r i 7 v e L pump out r e L a e water point e N Stratford International calor gas Hackney a v 1 ArcelorMittal Orbit 4 Wick i g 2 London Stadium 5 Stratford a 12 t i 3 Fish Island Labs o 11 n 4 Carpenters Road Lock Bottom Lock C W i a t 5 Queen’s Yard Old y t a e al e M r n 6 Here East a Ford L C i w n r l Regent’s Canal l io e o n Lock Stratford High St 7 North Park Paddle Hub U v R d i r for 3 k t R i r 8 Lee Valley Hockey He v s 13 l d e R O r i and Tennis Centre v e 9 Lee Valley VeloPark r 2 HighCity Street Mill T Pudding 10 Copper Box Arena W h Lock r a 11 Boat tours and pedalo hire Mill e l e l Lane R M Abbey Road 12 London Aquatics Centre 1 i i St Thomas v l l 13 The House Mill e s Creek r P C r h e a s n c o n t e t Navigation A11 l West Ham Bow bookable access only Church Three Mills Lock no stopping/no mooring Bow Road Bow low bridges - max air draft 2.0m map not to scale: Bromley-by-Bow Locks Bow Creek/ end of Canal & River Trust Navigation covers approx.