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Post by Telemachus on May 15, 2024 22:18:14 GMT
However what they are doing is pumping heat out of the ground. This makes the ground cooler. Obviously the local ground has quite a large heat capacity but eventually the ground in the vicinity of the heat exchanger pipes is going to cool down, and that coolness will make the system progressively less efficient. So it will be great for a few years, after that perhaps less so. But in the mean time the businessmen setting it up will be long gone on their bonuses. But but but...
Surely if you take heat out of the ground and transfer it to the atmosphere, the atmosphere just transfers it back into the ground.
No. The atmosphere may get heated slightly by your house from conduction, but that is blown downwind. The rest of the heat is radiated out. Atmosphere is transparent to EM radiation. So next stop Alpha Centuri. Unless it is cloudy. Or there is too much CO2. Gound several hundred metres down is not affected by atmospheric temperature anyway.
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Post by Telemachus on May 15, 2024 20:21:28 GMT
There not my thoughts. The system is up and running in Gateshead. 25% of uks housing is on old mining sites. It’s all in the link if you want to read it. However what they are doing is pumping heat out of the ground. This makes the ground cooler. Obviously the local ground has quite a large heat capacity but eventually the ground in the vicinity of the heat exchanger pipes is going to cool down, and that coolness will make the system progressively less efficient. So it will be great for a few years, after that perhaps less so. But in the mean time the businessmen setting it up will be long gone on their bonuses.
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Post by Telemachus on May 13, 2024 20:35:37 GMT
They were saying on the wireless today that the Northern Lights look impressive in photos because of the lengthy exposure times but in real life they are a bit shit. Well, it wasn’t great (in the conventional sense) in the Highlands. Yes a slightly weird flood lighting effect like god was shining a torch straight down on us. But just white light, no colours. Previously I’ve seen intense reds purples and greens, but not this time. They can look pretty amazing to the naked eye with shimmering moving curtains, but we had something different this time.
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Post by Telemachus on May 13, 2024 19:58:51 GMT
Had a lovely couple of days at Campbell Park, considerably helped by glorious weather. Only a twenty minute walk through the lovely parkland into the shopping centre if needed, yet peaceful as a mooring. Cruised now to Fenny Stratford, and once again never got out of tick over, yet only saw a single moving boat. Cloudier today but still warm. Bit of rain forecast tomorrow ☔️ Rog We went through MK last summer and enjoyed mooring at Campbell Park. Apart from the geese! But TBH I didn’t think the moored boat factor was too bad. Maybe it is worse this year?
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Post by Telemachus on May 10, 2024 20:27:09 GMT
Lovely day today, I flew 300km around Scotland and then we had a barbecue in perfect weather this evening. 40 people for the BBQ, but I managed to avoid getting roped in to helping with it. I just had to eat it! Plus the club has proper real ale in barrels, I am feeling quite mellow and slightly pink.
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Post by Telemachus on May 10, 2024 9:36:56 GMT
Finally getting some decent weather at the gliding club, yesterday I was up at 8000’ flying above cloud in wave down to Loch Tay and back, today looks promising for a 300 km route in thermals (the lift source, not the underwear before anyone asks!). It almost feels like summer, spring having been bypassed!
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Post by Telemachus on May 6, 2024 9:16:18 GMT
Well I have been boating nearly as long as you have, and spent over 10 years of family holidays in Cornwall in the 1960s and early 70s exploring the upper reaches of the tidal Fal estuary and its many tributaries in a motor-sailer with a keel, and learnt techniques such as using a transit, from my dad. So I think it is unlikely that I will be the one to come unstuck, especially bearing in mind the general incompetence of so many “born again” narrowboaters. Have seen some really stupid behaviour (massively cutting corners etc) on the tidal Trent from other boaters. So I am going to confidently say “it won’t be me”! (FLW). For example, I won’t be the one turning right before the Astland lamp! What about the tactic for going the other way - Savick to Tarlton? Is there a better way of doing that?Yes, there are other, better options for timing the run back down the Ribble and up the Douglas to Tarleton, . . but only for those with local knowledge, and comfortable with and experienced in working around tides in the lower reaches and estuaries of rivers such as the Ribble. Or with a local boatman or pilot* on board, or on an accompanying boat. NB. * Other than glider or helicopter pilots, . . obviously. So what you are saying I think is that the tactic that CRT espouse for the southbound trip is the only practically feasible one for pleasure boats, since requiring a local pilot would be costly and possible unfeasible because there may not actually be any local pilots hanging around waiting for some narrowboaters to employ them.
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Post by Telemachus on May 6, 2024 9:10:48 GMT
But of course you haven’t been boating for long and so you don’t see any significant change. Oh, willy-waving! I'd bet the farm that I've done five times as much boating as someone who spends 95% of his life in an ex-council house in Aberdeen. I’m sure that is correct, but it seems entirely irrelevant. Who is this person you speak of?
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Post by Telemachus on May 5, 2024 21:25:11 GMT
The first time I did Bingley 5 rise in the 1970s we just got on with it, The first time I went to a shop in the 1970s I put half a crown on the counter and got a shilling, a tanner and a threepenny bit back. The world changes. You get on with it. The world does change and one has to get on with it, however as I said one doesn’t have to relish it. Your example merely points to inflation and a change of currency, neither of which are impactful since in the case of inflation, whilst things do get more expensive, income also increases. And a change of coinage is just a trivial detail. A corollary to the dumbing down of boating would be if your 1970s trip to a shop allowed you to buy whatever you wanted to, but now in the 2020s you are not allowed to decide what to buy, you have to defer to someone else who will tell you what you can buy. But of course you haven’t been boating for long and so you don’t see any significant change.
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Post by Telemachus on May 5, 2024 19:59:34 GMT
It's perhaps interesting but isn't it entirely irrelevant Telemachus ? Like booking the Liverpool Link, or doing Bingley Five Rise, it's C&RT who operate the system, and you have to go when they say and do what they do ... or choose not to of course. The first time we did Watford and Foxton locks it was winter and volunteers weren't a thing. We were alone and lived to tell the tale. These days you have to 'book in' with the volockies who seem to be ever present. I suppose it's their ball, their rules 😊 Rog Yes all part of the dumbing down of boating, but one doesn’t necessarily have to relish it. The first time I did Bingley 5 rise in the 1970s we just got on with it, after all it is just another staircase. Nobody died and no boats sank. Now of course they make a big meal out of it and you have to obey the orders or else be refused passage. Makes the lock keepers feel very important of course.
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Post by Telemachus on May 5, 2024 19:56:26 GMT
But it’s not really much of a deterrent. A small fine plus the registration fee they should have paid. Set against the EA’s costs in bringing the action. Why bother to pay when you can probably get away with it for a while, and worst case is you have to pay the annual fee plus a small fine.
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Post by Telemachus on May 5, 2024 19:11:49 GMT
It is how ever worth bearing in mind that just because “we have always done it like that” doesn’t mean it is the best way to do it. The Tarleton lock is operated by Mayor's Boatyard, I wouldn't pretend to know a hundredth of what they do about local conditions but the ground crew are very friendly and helpful and I'd suggest you direct any questions you have towards them. As an example, on the day I did the northbound crossing, they were doing crossings in both directions as my crossing had been delayed twice by adverse weather. When I asked them why they didn't do bi-directional crossings as a matter of routine they said "Well we could, but it makes for a very long day". I suppose that as someone who pays his licence fee, I could have insisted on them working 13 hour shifts at my behest but I'm insufficiently arrogant and controlling to I suppose. Well it depends on who they are of course. Just because they work in a boatyard doesn’t necessarily mean they have the slightest idea what goes on outside the confines of their boatyard and the lock they operate. But they might. Who knows? I cite many “lock keepers” who have a fancy blue jacket and life jacket on but don’t really have any idea of what goes on beyond their tiny sphere of influence. So I am always happy to receive input, but needless to say I will be the one to decide how much credence I assign to any particular bit of input. So far this tactic has stood me in good stead.
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Post by Telemachus on May 5, 2024 18:35:19 GMT
I wouldn’t worry, I am accustomed to sorting and filtering advice. When I started in the N Sea as a copilot, flying with lots of different captains, many of them had lots of different ideas and techniques and “bees in their bonnets”. Some of which were excellent and some of which were shite. Part of growing to be a proper pilot from a baby pilot, is to filter all that input - take the best, and reject the worst. You'll get some very useful advice from boaters who have actually done the Ribble Link, and you seem well qualified to sort the wheat from the chaff, although it's all academic really. It is how ever worth bearing in mind that just because “we have always done it like that” doesn’t mean it is the best way to do it.
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Post by Telemachus on May 5, 2024 17:25:44 GMT
I think you're missing the essential point though. Which is CRT are bad. Very bad. There should be an expert in charge. Absolutely. If CRT said that the sun rises in the east, "a certain person" would say "No it doesn't". I'm just advising Nick to ignore any input from this source. I wouldn’t worry, I am accustomed to sorting and filtering advice. When I started in the N Sea as a copilot, flying with lots of different captains, many of them had lots of different ideas and techniques and “bees in their bonnets”. Some of which were excellent and some of which were shite. Part of growing to be a proper pilot from a baby pilot, is to filter all that input - take the best, and reject the worst.
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Post by Telemachus on May 5, 2024 8:25:00 GMT
I have to say our boat was looking particularly skanky when we visited a couple of days ago. I have never seen green slime on the side of the cabin before, and a huge amount on the non-sun-side of the gunnels. Something to do with the wet weather I guess. We are used to the roof being fairly black in the spring, from the several adjacent live aboard boats’ stoves. We will need a major cleanup before setting out in July.
Steve advised us not to polish the boat too much, ultimately it just takes paint off. Instead we have a nice protective layer of chalky oxidised paint! Paint is 13 years old and mostly in good condition, just a couple of bits rusted through that I need to address this year. Plus the tunnel bands definitely need doing.
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