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Post by Deleted on Sept 25, 2020 18:15:58 GMT
Its been a bit windy today but it hasn't rained despite the forecast, the boat in front of us obviously failed to get onto the lock moorings from Wansford up to Warmington as all the locks had not been emptied and every guillotine was down. To be fair we failed at Mickey and Warmington nearly ending up across the weir at Warmington. Today has been a bit hairy and we are happy to be moored at Fotheringhay awaiting the farmer coming to collect his Β£5. Tomorrow may well be shyte as the pillock in front wont have reset the locks as he is a twat, not sure how far we are going suspect it might be Titchmarsh VM as no one seems to use them. After spending twice as long as I should have in those locks because certain individuals left the guillotine gates down, I got right into that mindset of despising the selfish b*****rds who sail off and leave the gates down- and the top gates wide open as well. There will be the odd beginner who forgets or whatever, but for people who know the score to do that is just disgusting. I personally would have CCTV on top of the guillotine lock gates, and I would ban them from the river completely for a month for a first offence, and 6 months for a second. The wind made things quite interesting on the buckby flight. My first error was in cruising towards the first lock thinking 'this is easy, why do people make such a fuss about a breeze?' The as I passed the entrance to Whilton the wind caught the boat from the left and sent it towards the moored boats along the towpath on the right, but I managed to avoid them and made the lock landing. Then twice I made the mistake of coming out of the locks at just over tickover so as not to scratch my lock buddies' boat, and of course the wind again caught me from the left and carried me into a moored boat waiting to come down through the lock- thankfully at very low speed. They were very understanding about it. The steady wind is ok, you can angle the boat to compensate, and stay roughly on track- it's the sudden gusts when there are gaps between trees or buildings, and from a mild breeze you are suddenly being pushed sideways very quickly.
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Post by Deleted on Sept 25, 2020 18:21:57 GMT
Good to see you are learning about the sport of extreme boating;) Sometimes there is no substitute for a big handful of power.
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Post by metanoia on Sept 25, 2020 18:23:43 GMT
Its been a bit windy today but it hasn't rained despite the forecast, the boat in front of us obviously failed to get onto the lock moorings from Wansford up to Warmington as all the locks had not been emptied and every guillotine was down. To be fair we failed at Mickey and Warmington nearly ending up across the weir at Warmington. Today has been a bit hairy and we are happy to be moored at Fotheringhay awaiting the farmer coming to collect his Β£5. Tomorrow may well be shyte as the pillock in front wont have reset the locks as he is a twat, not sure how far we are going suspect it might be Titchmarsh VM as no one seems to use them. After spending twice as long as I should have in those locks because certain individuals left the guillotine gates down, I got right into that mindset of despising the selfish b*****rds who sail off and leave the gates down- and the top gates wide open as well. There will be the odd beginner who forgets or whatever, but for people who know the score to do that is just disgusting. I personally would have CCTV on top of the guillotine lock gates, and I would ban them from the river completely for a month for a first offence, and 6 months for a second. The wind made things quite interesting on the buckby flight. My first error was in cruising towards the first lock thinking 'this is easy, why do people make such a fuss about a breeze?' The as I passed the entrance to Whilton the wind caught the boat from the left and sent it towards the moored boats along the towpath on the right, but I managed to avoid them and made the lock landing. Then twice I made the mistake of coming out of the locks at just over tickover so as not to scratch my lock buddies' boat, and of course the wind again caught me from the left and carried me into a moored boat waiting to come down through the lock- thankfully at very low speed. They were very understanding about it. The steady wind is ok, you can angle the boat to compensate, and stay roughly on track- it's the sudden gusts when there are gaps between trees or buildings, and from a mild breeze you are suddenly being pushed sideways very quickly. ... but you made it - and we live and learn! Well done you.
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Post by patty on Sept 25, 2020 18:28:13 GMT
Bit nIcer before tunnel IMO It was nice before the tunnel but I ended up going through it, with the idea of carrying on through the Braunston flight today, with a nice couple who said they would share the flight, and that we'd be through it by teatime. It was a tempting prospect to get through there before the boat traffic picks up tomorrow, but I had to stop to clear my headlight before the tunnel, and my prospective new lock buddies could not afford stragglers, and were already out of sight when I was through the tunnel. I pulled over for a few minutes, and another boat passed me- so more than likely he would be pairing up with the couple anyway for the flight. But its not too bad, I will say that. They must have tidied it up a bit recently. I've moored up a couple of hundred yards after the end of tunnel, there's plenty of space and lots of armco, so I don't have to trust mooring pins, and its nice and quiet. I even have mooring chains, so nothing short of a nuclear detonation immediately behind the boat will cast off my ropes. Apart from if a local scrote goes past. sounds good..enjoy and wave as u pass ..dunno what bridge number erm 85..she lives at the eyesore at top of that hill(but she don't know I think its an eyesore...but it is!)...I know that stretch of canal oh so well..sigh...wish I was still there....
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Post by Deleted on Sept 25, 2020 18:46:26 GMT
Its been a bit windy today but it hasn't rained despite the forecast, the boat in front of us obviously failed to get onto the lock moorings from Wansford up to Warmington as all the locks had not been emptied and every guillotine was down. To be fair we failed at Mickey and Warmington nearly ending up across the weir at Warmington. Today has been a bit hairy and we are happy to be moored at Fotheringhay awaiting the farmer coming to collect his Β£5. Tomorrow may well be shyte as the pillock in front wont have reset the locks as he is a twat, not sure how far we are going suspect it might be Titchmarsh VM as no one seems to use them. Ferkin bastards - nothing worse; particularly when the weather is rough π‘ donβt forget as an AWCC member you can avail yourself of the visitors moorings at MNCC...... the 48 hour at Titchmarsh doubles as a lock landing stage and can be busy, often at weekends - Iβve the harbourmaster on speed dial if you need his number ππ
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Post by Deleted on Sept 25, 2020 18:46:54 GMT
After spending twice as long as I should have in those locks because certain individuals left the guillotine gates down, I got right into that mindset of despising the selfish b*****rds who sail off and leave the gates down- and the top gates wide open as well. There will be the odd beginner who forgets or whatever, but for people who know the score to do that is just disgusting. I personally would have CCTV on top of the guillotine lock gates, and I would ban them from the river completely for a month for a first offence, and 6 months for a second. The wind made things quite interesting on the buckby flight. My first error was in cruising towards the first lock thinking 'this is easy, why do people make such a fuss about a breeze?' The as I passed the entrance to Whilton the wind caught the boat from the left and sent it towards the moored boats along the towpath on the right, but I managed to avoid them and made the lock landing. Then twice I made the mistake of coming out of the locks at just over tickover so as not to scratch my lock buddies' boat, and of course the wind again caught me from the left and carried me into a moored boat waiting to come down through the lock- thankfully at very low speed. They were very understanding about it. The steady wind is ok, you can angle the boat to compensate, and stay roughly on track- it's the sudden gusts when there are gaps between trees or buildings, and from a mild breeze you are suddenly being pushed sideways very quickly. ... but you made it - and we live and learn! Well done you. I have to say in fairness Met, I paired up with a really lovely couple who were heading for their home mooring on the Leicester arm, and they properly looked after me. The woman was probably approaching her 70s but fit as anything, and walked briskly ahead from lock to lock to open the gates. In the first lock I started to get on the roof to climb the ladder and help out, but she insisted that it was a bit too risky with the ladder being so wet and slimy, and to stay put, and that she would do all the paddles. On the second lock we both helped a single boat through, then another boat coming down, and finally got ourselves through. I felt a bit guilty about not pulling my weight, so on the third lock I jumped onto the towpath and led the boat in with the centre line, so that I would be up top and helping, and on several others there were boats coming down who helped her out, and I didn't even need to leave my boat. All in all, with this lovely couple, and various people cooperating, it was so much easier than the Northampton flight, even though these were bigger, and I felt as if I'd cheated a bit. I can see now why people wait at lock flights for another boat to work through together. Today I could start to see how it works- the rythm of boats coming down and going up, passing in the pounds, and generally helping each other through. When everyone plays the game it all seems to work well, but one selfish git turning a lock around so he can get down five minutes quicker spoils it. Still, at least those selfish gits are in the minority.
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Post by Deleted on Sept 25, 2020 18:48:14 GMT
Its been a bit windy today but it hasn't rained despite the forecast, the boat in front of us obviously failed to get onto the lock moorings from Wansford up to Warmington as all the locks had not been emptied and every guillotine was down. To be fair we failed at Mickey and Warmington nearly ending up across the weir at Warmington. Today has been a bit hairy and we are happy to be moored at Fotheringhay awaiting the farmer coming to collect his Β£5. Tomorrow may well be shyte as the pillock in front wont have reset the locks as he is a twat, not sure how far we are going suspect it might be Titchmarsh VM as no one seems to use them. After spending twice as long as I should have in those locks because certain individuals left the guillotine gates down, I got right into that mindset of despising the selfish b*****rds who sail off and leave the gates down- and the top gates wide open as well. There will be the odd beginner who forgets or whatever, but for people who know the score to do that is just disgusting. I personally would have CCTV on top of the guillotine lock gates, and I would ban them from the river completely for a month for a first offence, and 6 months for a second. The wind made things quite interesting on the buckby flight. My first error was in cruising towards the first lock thinking 'this is easy, why do people make such a fuss about a breeze?' The as I passed the entrance to Whilton the wind caught the boat from the left and sent it towards the moored boats along the towpath on the right, but I managed to avoid them and made the lock landing. Then twice I made the mistake of coming out of the locks at just over tickover so as not to scratch my lock buddies' boat, and of course the wind again caught me from the left and carried me into a moored boat waiting to come down through the lock- thankfully at very low speed. They were very understanding about it. The steady wind is ok, you can angle the boat to compensate, and stay roughly on track- it's the sudden gusts when there are gaps between trees or buildings, and from a mild breeze you are suddenly being pushed sideways very quickly. There are notices all over the locks - no excuse! Repeat offenders deserve their boats torpedoing - that will learn em.
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Post by Deleted on Sept 25, 2020 19:21:26 GMT
Good to see you are learning about the sport of extreme boating;) Sometimes there is no substitute for a big handful of power. I reckon there's no substitute for nice powerful bow thruster on a NB for these windy days, but I cant be arsed with the sacrifices and the cost. I'm honestly not trying to sound like a hard-ass here because I'm definitely not, but I do think sometimes people overestimate the wind speed threshold that will cause them bother. It was gusting to maybe 30mph on my first day on the Great Ouse, and a veteran boater I chatted to in passing was surprised that my first days boating was in a 30mph cross wind. But of course, on the Great Ouse you have acres of space to make mistakes and recover, so it actually wasn't that big a problem most of the time. On a normal canal it would in fairness have been absolute carnage. I have to admit, if I was full time retired instead of working part time, I would just have stayed put this morning. I liked the spot, and it would have been very easy to chill out, and maybe badger everyone on here all day with trivialities. At 8am it was really chilly with the high wind, and I didn't fancy it at all. But I already know I cant cruise next week, so I felt obliged to try to make some progress. And as it turned out, it brightened up into quite a nice day, and the wind was manageable on the whole. I was sort of forced into trying out some extreme boating, and thankfully I got away with my cock-ups!
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Post by Deleted on Sept 25, 2020 19:32:59 GMT
It was nice before the tunnel but I ended up going through it, with the idea of carrying on through the Braunston flight today, with a nice couple who said they would share the flight, and that we'd be through it by teatime. It was a tempting prospect to get through there before the boat traffic picks up tomorrow, but I had to stop to clear my headlight before the tunnel, and my prospective new lock buddies could not afford stragglers, and were already out of sight when I was through the tunnel. I pulled over for a few minutes, and another boat passed me- so more than likely he would be pairing up with the couple anyway for the flight. But its not too bad, I will say that. They must have tidied it up a bit recently. I've moored up a couple of hundred yards after the end of tunnel, there's plenty of space and lots of armco, so I don't have to trust mooring pins, and its nice and quiet. I even have mooring chains, so nothing short of a nuclear detonation immediately behind the boat will cast off my ropes. Apart from if a local scrote goes past. sounds good..enjoy and wave as u pass ..dunno what bridge number erm 85..she lives at the eyesore at top of that hill(but she don't know I think its an eyesore...but it is!)...I know that stretch of canal oh so well..sigh...wish I was still there.... Thanks Patty, I'm using an app on my phone that shows your location on a canal map as you move, so I know how close I'm getting to locks, water points, bridges etc. But the downside is that I dont need to pay attention to bridge numbers- the phone shows me where I am! So I dont know where bridge 85 is at but I'll keep an eye open- any house on top of a hill overlooking a nice stretch of canal cant be that bad! Not wanting to pry or anything, so do feel free to tell me its none of my business if you'd rather not discuss it, but I cant help wondering about the circumstances that stop you from going boating again? Obviously its not easy to full time for a lot of people, and I'm only able to do it as a result of a very sad end to a long term relationship. But if there is a budget issue or a time constraint, couldn't you get a cheap GRP cruiser, do it up a bit and spend some time on the cut that way?
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Post by Trina on Sept 25, 2020 19:45:05 GMT
We had a bow thruster put on our boat when we had it built in 2004.Paul used it to help in awkward situations but only when the wind was reallllllllly evil.I used it to be lazy,ie to push off from the side at a lock when I couldn't hover.We sprang a leak in the tube,so had it capped off.There are times when it could be useful,but I've got used to doing without it.It's funny how many people seem to use one to do everything !π
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Post by Deleted on Sept 25, 2020 20:09:11 GMT
We had a bow thruster put on our boat when we had it built in 2004.Paul used it to help in awkward situations but only when the wind was reallllllllly evil.I used it to be lazy,ie to push off from the side at a lock when I couldn't hover.We sprang a leak in the tube,so had it capped off.There are times when it could be useful,but I've got used to doing without it.It's funny how many people seem to use one to do everything !π I will admt that my objections to bowthrusters are not related to how much they let you 'cheat' in tight situations, or how its not very traditional, or how it inhibits you developing boat handlign skills- or any of those principled issues. My first objection is simply practical- its another major hole in the boat, and its in a part that takes the heaviest impacts. So it adds a risk. My other worry is that it tends to reduce water tank capacity. At the moment, water is my weak link in logistical terms. I never have to visit elsan point, and I can visit refuse points every two or three weeks, so I feel quite off-grid and independent. But I have get to get water once a week, no matter what. If a bow thruster meant visiting a water point every 3 days say, that would not be a compromise I would make. If I find a nice spot, I do like having the option to stay there for a few days.
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Post by Trina on Sept 25, 2020 20:33:10 GMT
We could go for 5 days(easily)before we needed to fill the water tank.We've never been rock bottom,but we're careful.We tend to have 2 lives-boat life & house life.We're living on the boat at the mo' til we've started refurbing the new house.It's luxury to have water on tap(π)& electrickery.We've got a pump out loo & it's great to be able to take it to the 'max' as the pumpout is nearby.
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Post by naughtyfox on Sept 26, 2020 5:58:00 GMT
"moored at Fotheringhay awaiting the farmer coming to collect his Β£5."
Β£5 for what? So you can park overnight on some water beside 'his land' - which he has stolen anyway? All land ownership is theft.
"The woman was probably approaching her 70s but fit as anything, and walked briskly ahead from lock to lock to open the gates. In the first lock I started to get on the roof to climb the ladder and help out, but she insisted that it was a bit too risky with the ladder being so wet and slimy, and to stay put, and that she would do all the paddles."
More like trying to look up her skirt, and she knew your game!
"I reckon there's no substitute for a nice powerful thruster" - I rest my case.
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Post by patty on Sept 26, 2020 7:16:56 GMT
sounds good..enjoy and wave as u pass ..dunno what bridge number erm 85..she lives at the eyesore at top of that hill(but she don't know I think its an eyesore...but it is!)...I know that stretch of canal oh so well..sigh...wish I was still there.... Thanks Patty, I'm using an app on my phone that shows your location on a canal map as you move, so I know how close I'm getting to locks, water points, bridges etc. But the downside is that I dont need to pay attention to bridge numbers- the phone shows me where I am! So I dont know where bridge 85 is at but I'll keep an eye open- any house on top of a hill overlooking a nice stretch of canal cant be that bad! Not wanting to pry or anything, so do feel free to tell me its none of my business if you'd rather not discuss it, but I cant help wondering about the circumstances that stop you from going boating again? Obviously its not easy to full time for a lot of people, and I'm only able to do it as a result of a very sad end to a long term relationship. But if there is a budget issue or a time constraint, couldn't you get a cheap GRP cruiser, do it up a bit and spend some time on the cut that way? I would love to go back on the waterways and its a thought that lurks in my mind. ATM time not right due to family issues which if I was hard hearted I would turn my back on..but I'm not I've managed a couple of weeks on marks boat and if opportunity arises I'll go again.
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Post by naughtyfox on Sept 26, 2020 7:21:56 GMT
Thanks Patty, I'm using an app on my phone that shows your location on a canal map as you move, so I know how close I'm getting to locks, water points, bridges etc. But the downside is that I dont need to pay attention to bridge numbers- the phone shows me where I am! So I dont know where bridge 85 is at but I'll keep an eye open- any house on top of a hill overlooking a nice stretch of canal cant be that bad! Not wanting to pry or anything, so do feel free to tell me its none of my business if you'd rather not discuss it, but I cant help wondering about the circumstances that stop you from going boating again? Obviously its not easy to full time for a lot of people, and I'm only able to do it as a result of a very sad end to a long term relationship. But if there is a budget issue or a time constraint, couldn't you get a cheap GRP cruiser, do it up a bit and spend some time on the cut that way? I would love to go back on the waterways and its a thought that lurks in my mind. ATM time not right due to family issues which if I was hard hearted I would turn my back on..but I'm not I've managed a couple of weeks on marks boat and if opportunity arises I'll go again. There's always the invitation to have a day or two with us... when/if the situation arises. We're not that far from you.
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