First tie your boat up at the landing stage above the lock to allow the crew to reach the lock
Check the far gates to make sure that they are shut and the paddles down.
In this case the gates need shutting, as the gates are left open when leaving a lock on the River Wey
Raise the paddles on the top gates carefully, just a little at first if a boat is coming up. Here on the Wey the paddles are stiff and require a special long-throw windlass
With all gate paddles fully open there is much turbulence in the lock. Do NOT do this if there is a boat in the lock!
Once the gate paddles are covered the turbulence decreases and the paddles can be raised fully
The water makes a level with the upper pound and you can start to open the gates
The easiest way to open the gates is by putting your back to the balance beam.
Now the gates are open you can bring the boat into the lock.
Lower the paddles while you wait.
Now the boat is in and clear of the sill the gates can be closed. Note that the rope is NOT attached to a bollard, but is ready to be picked up by one of the crew.
The bottom gate paddles are now opened, while the boat is held in position, and NOT tied up.
When descending the water in the lock drops quietly, and as long as the boat is held reasonably back from the gates the paddles can be opened fully
Take care as the boat will tend to move towards the bottom gates
The boat is now at the lower level, and the lock ladder is handy for the crew to get back aboard.
The bottom gates are opened.
Make sure the paddles are lowered fully.
That's right. All the way down.
The crew are back aboard and we're ready to go. On canals the need to shut the gates behind you complicates matters.
