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Post by Deleted on Sept 4, 2020 20:54:35 GMT
I wouldn't mind a boater in his 20s giving me a helping hand...or two...or anything else for that matter.๐Paul would probably be grateful & pay him ! Why Trina- how very dare you! But you sometimes forget how agile youngsters are- we were both in a lock a couple of days ago, and the ladder was on his side- but he had nosed past it. He was doing the paddles and grabbed his windlass, but I could see no way for him to get up the sides of the lock, and as I started to form the sentence "you'll have to back up a bit to get to the ladder", he had already leapt onto his roof, and then half a second later jumped up and to got a hold on the edge of the lock, and somehow hauled himself up and onto the paving stones. Its when you see this sort of display that you realise how old you are, sadly. But yes, its great to have an agile young person helping through locks- but that said, if a 65 year old volunteer is working the paddles or closing gates after I leave, that is also brilliant. hats off to the volunteers, I must say. The lady at marmont priory was, I would guess, at least mid 60s, but keen as mustard and obviously knew her stuff.
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Post by Deleted on Sept 4, 2020 20:57:20 GMT
Can I assume from your exertions that you missed the chimney collar? Oh and there are 3 manual guillotines tomorrow Why Mr Loddon, oh ye of little faith, Sir! The spare cassette was indeed dropped off with your painter chap as we passed Lilford marina, and is now safely in his hands. The collar is currently on my stern, until we meet with better days and a stove is finally installed.
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Post by Deleted on Sept 4, 2020 21:02:04 GMT
Can I assume from your exertions that you missed the chimney collar? Oh and there are 3 manual guillotines tomorrow Why Mr Loddon, oh ye of little faith, Sir! The spare cassette was indeed dropped off with your painter chap as we passed Lilford marina, and is now safely in his hands. The collar is currently on my stern, until we meet with better days and a stove is finally installed. Excellent. I am returning Thursday to a finished shiny boat, got to make it habitable, then off boating for a week around the Middle Level
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Post by Deleted on Sept 4, 2020 21:07:00 GMT
The Northampton flight is pleasantly easy - you'll enjoy that after what you've been through for the last few days! Single locks so you might be alone.... Probably worth mentioning to @tonyc that going up narrow locks calls for some care if you have not done it before. Can't remember what those ones were like as it was late 90s when I did them and had already done hundreds of narrow locks by that time but my first ever narrow lock of any size was the one on the Oxford after dukes cut April 1994 and yes the boat whacked the cill very hard... 32ft boat I didn't know about the hydrodynamics of narrow locks at the time. Thanks for the heads up Magnetman, we're planning to team up going through them but I'm not sure about the exact process at the moment. Alex did give me an outline of how we could work through the locks yesterday, but it was at a stage where I was contemplating open mutiny, and I didnt take it in.
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Post by Trina on Sept 4, 2020 21:14:27 GMT
I wouldn't mind a boater in his 20s giving me a helping hand...or two...or anything else for that matter.๐Paul would probably be grateful & pay him ! Why Trina- how very dare you!ย ย But you sometimes forget how agile youngsters are- we were both in a lock a couple of days ago, and the ladder was on his side- but he had nosed past it.ย He was doing the paddles and grabbed his windlass, but I could see no way for him to get up the sides of the lock, and as I started to form the sentence "you'll have to back up a bit to get to the ladder", he had already leapt onto his roof, and then half a second later jumped up and to got a hold on the edge of the lock, and somehow hauled himself up and onto the paving stones.ย Its when you see this sort of display that you realise how old you are, sadly. But yes, its great to have an agile young person helping through locks- but that said, if a 65 year old volunteer is working the paddles or closing gates after I leave, that is also brilliant. hats off to the volunteers, I must say. The lady at marmont priory was, I would guess, at least mid 60s, but keen as mustard and obviously knew her stuff.ย Sigh,I know what you mean.How is it I can sit on a plane for houuuurs & get off ok.How can I stand at the stern of the boat for hours while Paul does the heavy stuff at the locks & be ok.Sit me in the car for a couple of hours & I get out like Quasimodo ?? ๐ค๐คจ
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Post by Deleted on Sept 4, 2020 21:17:41 GMT
If you have a decent fender / tip cat on the bow one perhaps slightly naughty method is to have the bow pressing against the top gate with the boat ticking over in forward gear...only going uphill, and only in relatively shallow locks. Some gates have a metal plate seemingly for the purpose.
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Post by Deleted on Sept 4, 2020 21:19:18 GMT
eta @tonyc - you're nearly there - once you get to Gayton you can doss/ take the pee/overstay moor for as long as you like. Seriously, it will be much easier once you get to the canal network - mooring is usually such that when you've had enough you can just pull in. You're doing fine - apart from the inevitable, ubiquitous guitar! I think its very cruel to be so casual about the sensitive feelings of a sensitive musical artiste. Actually, I do have form for arsing about with a guitar. I used to be part of a duo with my younger brother in the 80s, singing songs in local pubs. But even through rose tinted glasses and with 30-odd years of hazy memory, I'm fairly sure we were as rough as hell most of the time- although we usually had a great time. My brother suggested last year that we do a reunion type set at a family party, so I've been trying to re-learn some of our old tunes. I dont know why so many boaty people like to play guitar- I suspect there are many reasons. My own motives are simply to contribute to the higher spiritual and cultural development of mankind. And have a bloody good piss-up, if at all possible.
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Post by Trina on Sept 4, 2020 21:20:47 GMT
As long as you don't decide a banjo could be your thing...noooooooo
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Post by Deleted on Sept 4, 2020 21:23:59 GMT
If you have a decent fender / tip cat on the bow one perhaps slightly naughty method is to have the bow pressing against the top gate with the boat ticking over in forward gear...only going uphill, and only in relatively shallow locks. Some gates have a metal plate seemingly for the purpose. Mr Nemesis, the first rule of the 'bow pressing against the top gate with the boat ticking over in forward gear' club is: Do not talk about the 'bow pressing against the top gate with the boat ticking over in forward gear' club. So I've heard.
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Post by Deleted on Sept 4, 2020 21:48:36 GMT
Perhaps...can't see the harm myself.
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Post by Deleted on Sept 4, 2020 22:04:53 GMT
Perhaps...can't see the harm myself. I think it might be one of those things - like what percentage of diesel usage do you declare for heating... People probably do it, but dont like to admit it. For example, the gentlemanly thing is to declare 60/40, or so I understand from watching youtube. I do have diesel CH, but even in the winter I dont think I'll be able to gain a particularly accurate idea how much of the total diesel is used by the CH. Alex assured me that he doesnt know anyone who even comes close to 60/40. He always declares 100%/0% ratio- and so far at least, he's not been challenged on it. I did ask him whether any marina had ever asked the question of how a diesel powered craft was able to drive out of the marina at which it just refuelled, given that it was not using any of the diesel to propel the boat. These are the sorts of questions that on some discussion forums can inflame a lengthy debate, but that way madness lies.
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Post by Deleted on Sept 4, 2020 22:18:06 GMT
No not really, its a big pile of bollocks of the nudge-nudge wink-wink sort where some sellers are more nudge-wink than others. After all, if the user gets caught (no instances that I am aware of) its not the seller who will be held to account.
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Post by naughtyfox on Sept 5, 2020 4:47:09 GMT
It would not be a bad idea for you (or someone here) to copy and print out your 'diary of disaster' for future generations to read, or for it to be sent to a publisher one day...? You yourself might like to re-read your notes in 25 years' time...
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Post by naughtyfox on Sept 5, 2020 4:48:50 GMT
Have you asked him if he is any good at fitting stoves in boats? Make hay whilst the sun shines an' all that?
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Post by naughtyfox on Sept 5, 2020 4:51:38 GMT
I must report that matters have spiralled out of control aboard the good ship Jazz. The voyage is turning into a nightmare at the hands of my boating buddy, who has turned into Captain Bligh and insists on doing unfeasibly long distances each day, that people my age should be legally prevented form attempting. He lies to me. He told me Fotheringhay to Thrapston was an 'easy run', and here I am 10 hours and numerous locks later, a broken man. My legs have effectively gone on strike, (at least for this evening), and my quivering hand mercifully has just enough strength left to reach for a beer. I think I washed the day before yesterday, but in truth I can no longer be sure. The days are turning into an endless grinding cycle of sweat and labour, my working shirt has returned to front line duty, more unpleasant-smelling than ever before, and yet I could not muster the slightest ounce of shame in the queue at the Co-op. Today we endured 15 miles of cruising and then a 2 mile trudge to the Co-Op and back, and yet my accursed boating buddy shows no sign of fatigue- this devil laughs and jokes the whole time, as if human beings walking a mile to get beer was completely normal. And as if smelling like I've slept on the streets for a week wasn't enough, the shopping trip included a completely unnecessary SAS-style landing in a tender on a steep muddy bank, which left my clothes muddy as well as smelly, and my shins bruised from vaulting a fence. Barely ten days ago, my socks used to slide freely from my feet in the evenings. Now my socks peel away reluctantly from my feet, as if wanting to cling on to their unholy union a little longer. They used to be springy, smooth, and fresh- they have become horrid, damp, and claggy things, which my non-functioning nose mercifully prevents me from suffering the smell of. I'm not sure how much longer this can go on. I may be be able to slip away from my tormenter during the Northampton flight, but if I cannot, I will be hospitalised before we reach Gayton junction. Make it stop. The Northampton flight is pleasantly easy
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