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Post by naughtyfox on Apr 24, 2019 8:41:57 GMT
Stay tuned, readers! Next week: How do you make toast?
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Post by pearley on Apr 24, 2019 8:55:42 GMT
When Jane's on board, she prefers to use the engine in forward or reverse to have either the bow or stern fender secure against the relevant lick gate. We call it 'riding the button'. If I'm on board, I use the engine, forward or reverse as necessary to hold steady clear of gates, cill or anything else. Rog The only time our boat nearly came to grief was when it got caught on a protusion from the side. It was a big lock, jan thought she was ok tucking the boat in to the side well clear from both ends. I can confirm the emergency stop button on the big locks on the AandC do actually work. Or rather they did back then. Not like the ones on the Nene then. Stops everything working but doesn't lower the guilliotine back down so lock continues to empty. You then have to cancel the stop button then press the 'lower gate' button
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Post by peterboat on Apr 24, 2019 11:24:48 GMT
I have just been up and down Tinsley flight real and volunteer lockies both ways, I still get out and help because its good exercise for me. Because its broad locks I use roof rope to bollard so I can pull it back in and back from the gates, it naturally moves to the lock gates either downhill or uphill simples
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Post by Deleted on Apr 24, 2019 13:52:19 GMT
The answers would suggest we all find a variant of the same system to operate in the way that best suits us.
I don't see a problem with that.
But the constant from us all is keeping 'alive' to what's going on, and not getting distracted.
Rog
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Post by naughtyfox on Apr 24, 2019 13:57:09 GMT
We also have our hazard warning lights flashing whilst in locks. Never can be too careful.
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Post by Deleted on Apr 24, 2019 14:13:35 GMT
I've seen a cilling shortly after the event and no it is NOT something I want to even get anywhere near doing with any of my boats.
It might knock over my beer or spill the tea which would be unforgivable.
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Post by Deleted on Apr 24, 2019 17:30:45 GMT
I deliberately put my old boat on the cill at Top Lock Stoke Bruene about 25 years ago so that I could clear a childs pay tent from the prop. Was an interesting experience helped by a couple of locals who knew how to do it safely. I have also emptied lock 1 on the Aylesbury arm with my boat in the lock and the bottom gates open in order to do some work on the prop. So you can safely cill your boat if you know what you are doing Wouldn't do it nowadays as cart might get upset........
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Post by JohnV on Apr 24, 2019 17:51:03 GMT
Wouldn't do it nowadays as cart might get upset........ like the other old trick of a big chain block from a bridge to lift the back end out of the water
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Post by Deleted on Apr 24, 2019 18:57:41 GMT
I was breasting a shallow top gate open very gently today and some young CRT chappie said not to do it and that's what is damaging the gates. I invited him to reflect on the fact my boat was moving forwards at about 0.5mph and not in fact causing any damage whatsoever but he declined to engage.
I suppose it is risky because other people seeing it may ape the technique and get it wrong which could well cause damage.
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Post by TonyDunkley on Apr 24, 2019 21:29:04 GMT
That's quite a well put together report which comes close to identifying the two main reasons for so many 'down-hilling' pleasure craft getting hung up as the water level drops in lock chambers, which is in turn of course, the reason why keeping back from the bottom gates has become the generally accepted, but seriously flawed, practice for pleasure craft working downhill locks. The following sentences from the report point to one of those two reasons, namely the wholly inadvisable and foolhardy use of ahead propulsion to keep the boat away from the cill : Drum Major moved forward in the lock. There were no restraining ropes and she moved, either because of water movement in the lock or because the engine was moved slightly ahead to ensure the rudder remained clear of the sill, or a combination of both.
Having opened the left-hand bottom paddle, the care assistant from Drum Major remained on the lockside by Drum Major’s bow while at the stem, her colleague, DSO( 1), had put the engine in neutral ready to engage it ahead to ensure the stern and rudder remained clear of the sill. ______________________________________________ The other major source of 'hang-ups', the stem fender, also gets some attention, although without properly identifying the real problem, . . . which is of course the design and construction of pleasure craft stem fenders, together with the way in which they are held in place, . . again differing so much and so disastrously from the working boat practices evolved and proved over a couple of centuries, or so !
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Post by Mr Stabby on Apr 24, 2019 21:44:58 GMT
From my reading of the Drum Major report, the main issue was that the crew members operating the locks were too slow in noticing that the manoeuvre was going wrong, and aborting it.
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Post by Deleted on Apr 24, 2019 21:49:39 GMT
Both our bow and stern fenders could ride up if caught, is that really unusual?
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Post by TonyDunkley on Apr 24, 2019 21:50:00 GMT
From my reading of the Drum Major report, the main issue was that the crew members operating the locks were too slow in noticing that the manoeuvre was going wrong, and aborting it. The main issue was that the boat hung up on the bottom gates as the water drained out of the lock chamber, . . everything else was either contributory or incidental.
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Post by TonyDunkley on Apr 24, 2019 21:51:24 GMT
Both our bow and stern fenders could ride up if caught, is that really unusual? Yes, . . it is !
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Post by Deleted on Apr 24, 2019 21:54:48 GMT
From my reading of the Drum Major report, the main issue was that the crew members operating the locks were too slow in noticing that the manoeuvre was going wrong, and aborting it. Yes i think i agree. A lack of attention and keeping a windlass close to hand or actually in hand appears critical. We have hiredd Silsden boats and they always had enough windlasses on board.
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