The first “Swedish” lock

The regulating lock at Borensberg was completed in 1820. It was the first to be built under Swedish supervision. The work was carried out by men who had been trained on site by British foremen.

Segelbåtar passerar i sluss på Göta kanal

The Lock in Tåtorp

Using the locks

The Göta Canal offers many different experiences. The Lockage is without a doubt one of the best. Just take your time and remember that the lock-keepers know what to do and are always there to help.

Carl Johan’s flight of locks in Berg

Take the right equipment with you

Fenders
It is important to have enough fenders, or there is a risk that your boat will scrape against the lock walls and quays. You may even want to have a board fastened to the outside of the fenders.
Remember that the quays are sometimes low, so a couple of fenders should be placed close to the waterline.
It is a common mistake only to have fenders on one side of the boat the side facing the wall. Boats today are often wide and it is not unusual that two boats only just fit in a lock side by side. To avoid damaging any neighbouring boats, you should therefore have fenders on both sides. You should also be prepared to change sides and lock on the “wrong side” if the traffic situation so requires.

Ropes
Ropes must be in good condition and of suitable length. The stern line should be 6-8 m and the painter should be 8-10 m. For sailing boats the painter can be fed through a fairlead at the bow and to the stern, and the line can be tightened with the help of a winch. The painter therefore needs to exceed 8-10 m, also covering the length of the boat from stern to winch. Adjust the length in the first lock, as the same length generally applies for all locks.

Life jackets
Are a recommended safety precaution for everyone, but children MUST WEAR life jackets onboard. If you should fall into the water during lockage, there is a danger that you will be sucked under by the cur-rents and any heavy, wet clothing.
A life jacket will keep you afloat and you can then be fished out of the water.

Lock keeper

Rules and advice
Only the lockkeeper is allowed to operate the lock machinery. However, we do need your help to operate the two hand-geared locks in Borensberg and Tåtorp. It is also important to be familiar with a couple of signs. A white diamond indicates that there is a lock or bridge 300 m away. And do not pass the red and white striped marker poles by the locks until the lock is empty of boats and the lockkeeper has given the all clear. Engines must be turned off once you are inside the lock. Boats leave the lock in the same order that they entered.

Locking up

Locking up usually takes about 10 minutes per chamber. If the lock is not open when you arrive, wait at a nearby pier. We will generally tell you when you can enter the lock and where you should position your boat.
As lockage generates strong currents and eddies, particularly in the front section of the lock, we prefer to put sailing boats and larger boats here. To make lockage easier for smaller boats, we may have to shuffle the queue in order to get the right combination of boats.

You can instead place a loop around the rope holder on the lock edge.

1. When the lockkeeper gives the all clear and indicates your position in the lock, for example, in front to the starboard side, check that you have sufficient fenders on the starboard side. Lines must of course also be secured on the same side.
A practical way to do this is to make a loop, about half a metre in diameter, at the end of the rope that is to be secured on land. This lets you avoid tying and untying the mooring in each chamber.

Make the stern fast with a short rope that is pulled tight to a ring.Tighten the bow line and thread the other end through a ring or round a bollard on the quay, so that it can be held tight from the boat or shore. Sailing boats can use the winches.

2. When you get the all clear to enter the lock, at least one person must go ashore and be ready to catch the stern line roughly in the middle of the lock. In the case of a double lock or a flight of locks, it is usually at the first “fold” where the stone quay branches off up to the next level. When the stern of the boat is even with the middle of the lock, throw the line up to the person on land, who can then place the loop around a rope holder. Do not use the bollards; they are too far from the edge.You can now stop the boat and secure the line.The line should be short and if possible, vertical, and preferably be firmly attached to the boat.

3. Now throw the painter up to the person on shore and secure it round a ring about 3-4 m in front of the vessel’s bow. If you are not sure which ring to use, choose one that is further forwards rather than nearer the boat. If you have a sailing boat, the painter can be fed through a fairlead at the bow and to the stern, and the line can be tightened with the help of a winch. It is ALWAYS easier to use a winch than to tighten the line by hand. And if you do pull by hand, it is easier for the person on board to tighten the rope than for the person on land.

Currents push the boat forwards, so NEVER loosen the stern line – pull in the fore line slowly as the water rises. Keep the painter taut at all times.

4. Keep the lines taut so that the boat is moored close to the lock wall. When the chamber starts to fill, the water streams in through the front sluice towards the lower lock gate, pushing the boat forwards. Therefore NEVER loosen or haul in the stern line - it will take care of itself.
When the boat is pushed forwards, the painter often slackens. To avoid this, make sure that the painter is taut when lockage begins and then haul the line in slowly and evenly during the time it takes to complete lockage. If the painter is slack, there is a risk that the boat might swing out into the middle of the lock. The currents can then push the boat back into the lock wall with considerable force, which could harm both you and the boat.
When lockage is complete, the person on shore just needs to lift off the loops, get on board and away you go. In a double lock or a lock flight, the easiest way to move into the next lock chamber is to loosen the fore line from the winch and the stern line from the deck cleat, so that they run freely. The person on land lifts off the stern loop from the ring, holds on to the rope and walks ahead at the same speed as the boat.When the person passes the painter, they also lift this off and walk on.
Once you are in the next chamber, the person on land then puts the stern loop over a ring corresponding to that in the first chamber.You can then stop the boat by tightening the stern line whilst the person on shore moves forwards and puts the bow loop over a ring that again corresponds to that in the first chamber. The lock continues in this way.

Locking down

1. Locking down takes about 7 minutes per lock chamber and is considerably easier than locking up. As there are no currents or eddies, you don’t need to work so hard. Enter the lock and let at least one person go ashore. Feed the ropes through rings on the quay that are more or less in line with the deck cleats. With the ring towards the lock, feed the line from underneath and up through the ring. NEVER secure the lines on both the quay and the boat, as the boat will be left hanging from the moorings! If you are at the back of the lock, check that you have passed the yellow line, so that your rudder does not get caught on the lock sill.

2. One person should stay on shore during lockage to move the ropes. This is particularly important if you are at the back of a double lock or lock flight, as the edge of the next lock chamber is much higher at the back of the lock than it was in the first lock chamber. Also remember that the stern line therefore needs to be double the length in the next lock chamber. You can pull the boat between the lock chambers by hand, so you do not need to start the engine.

3. Feed the lines out gradually as the water level sinks. When lockage is completed and it is time to leave the lock, pull the lines from the boat back down through the quayside rings. Pull carefully in order to avoid the line knotting. It is easiest if everyone is onboard once lockage starts in the last chamber, as you then avoid any problems with getting onboard when the boat is well below the quayside.
There are many other ways to lock your boat, but this is a tried, tested and simple way. Remember to have the engine switched off during locking, as exhaust and petrol fumes can easily remain in the lock. You should therefore not smoke during locking. Finally, it is easiest if there is more than one person on board who can control the boat.

See you at the locks and bridges!
From the Lockkeepers and Bridge Masters

Questions and answers on the Göta Canal Baltzar Von Platen History of the Canal Göta Canal Facts The Friends of Göta Canal Association Traffic Regulations

Most wanted this week

3 days Hotel package Moholms Herrgård Package in Karlsborg- Exciting relaxation Hotel Carlsborg Boat trip with M/S Sandön Idas Skepparehus STF Hostel Karlsborg Göta Canal, Sjötorp Gold & Silver - bicycling Borensberg-Söderköping Kanalhotellet