Gravel Run

[LEO]

Hi,

 

A few pics of Arundel & Joe in the vicinity of Marshcroft bridge on the Tring Summit - it's heavily overgrown at this point - all those leaves end up in the canal so it's no wonder it's slow going in the Autumn.

 

Leo

 

Sorry Photobucket won't play ball, pics later.

Edited July 8, 2010 by LEO

[Roger t' Bodger]

Is it due to some of the boat's having new crews that this has been posted on the NEW TO BOATING thread or is this to scare new boaters away? :-)

 

And why do I hear 'Coals to Newcastle' being echoed about the place?

 

Have fun but is there an environmental advantage in all this inert gravel movement?

 

Mind you, all the leisure boats who use this route, in this drought, will have an easier passage!!

[alan_fincher]

OK,

 

A few formatting problems with our blog at the moment that I shall have to get the blog expert to sort out, (along with my spelling and grammar), but to avoid delaying publishing some pictures any longer, here is today's activity at Marsworth and Pitstone......

 

Thursday Gravel Boat Link

 

To keep my efforts in one post, here is a reminder of yesterday.....

 

Wednesday Gravel Boat Link

 

Thanks to the crews - great fun. Special thanks to Steve (I hope I have remembered right!) and Mark on Themis and Callisto for feeding me biscuits and a much appreciated cuppa!

[bristol & argo]

Captain Slow and Joe at the rear..

 

Well 'we' managed to keep them up with A&A yesterday...

 

mind you, with the longer, shallower pounds from today on Chris is going to be fighting Joe to stay off the bank as she is clearly not swimming as well as Arundel!

It would probably explain the short line through cooks wharf too whereas A & A were long line even for the blind bend.

 

 

Anyway, can anyone work out ETA for;

Stoke Breurne flight,

Buckby flight,

Braunstone flight,

Hillmorton --- with lock wheelers i bet A&A can do it 'properly'

 

Then, when and how many are coming back south?

 

Simon

[Water Rat.]

Wow. Me and he were quietly celebrating his birthday when we saw Alan and the boats came by. A really wonderful sight. Sorry we didn't catch up with you Alan - we were just messing around playing boats.

 

However when we left our mooring and followed them down a short while later we came accross a boat broadside, just after the bridge to the Red Lion pub at Marsworth. It was not tied to anything at all. We were a little surprised to say the least that so many boats would pass a drifting boat and leave it drifting - but could it have been that so many deep draughted boats just inadvertantly loosened its moorings? The front rope was not fixed to anything and was on the roof and the stern line was fixed to a pin which was dragging in the water. We fastened it to the towpath rings, had a word with a couple of BW chaps, had breakfast and went on our way.

[matty40s]

"All going well, but found a lot of low pounds in Berko, and summit was hard work too"

 

 

The pounds down here are full as normal, it's just the bottom too near the top again.

 

.........has anyone asked Mykaskin about his interesting reverse flashlock technique yet last night

[alan_fincher]

I think it fair to say that the passage of 7 fairly well laden boats resulted in one or two poorly tied up boats not being tied up afterwards.

 

What may not have been obvious is that (for example) each of the single motors had only it's steerer aboard - no other crew members. A lot of the time these loaded boats can get nowhere close to the side, unless it's at a lock or bridge, so the practicality of trying to stop and re-moor a drifting boat whilst in sole control of 70 foot of boat drawing well in excess of 3 feet should not be underestimated

 

By the time I got there with Archimedes and Ara, the former working boat "Banstead" (from "The Bargee") and it's butty had broken loose just above Kings Langley lock 69A, and were virtually right across the cut.

 

These boats are moored off-side on private property, the gate to which is locked, and surrounded by barbed wire. In fact a helper did manage to re-moor them, but only because he could be put onto Banstead by one of the loaded pairs, and not picked up until the next one came. Without that spare hand, all they could have done was to nudge them out of the way.

 

The person doing the re-mooring said the two 70 foot boats were only moored to a shortish stake in soft earth, despite the mooring having any number of very solid trees that they could have been roped to with no problems at all. :lol:

 

From what I've seen the crews have tried very hard to upset nobody, and passed moored boats very slowly. Inevitably a fully loaded boat has far more chance of pulling out stakes on any boat not well tied up. I guess the issue is that people are not used to this kind of traffic, so don't tie up in a way that is good enough for the rare occasions it occurs.

 

All passed our mooring at a very reasonably slow speed - they are not racing.

[Liam]

Well 'we' managed to keep them up with A&A yesterday...

 

mind you, with the longer, shallower pounds from today on Chris is going to be fighting Joe to stay off the bank as she is clearly not swimming as well as Arundel!

It would probably explain the short line through cooks wharf too whereas A & A were long line even for the blind bend.

 

 

Anyway, can anyone work out ETA for;

Stoke Breurne flight,

Buckby flight,

Braunstone flight,

Hillmorton --- with lock wheelers i bet A&A can do it 'properly'

 

Then, when and how many are coming back south?

 

Simon

 

I'm guessing Archimedes & Ara, Victoria and Arundel & Joe are going back south once they've unloaded, with Themis and Callisto heading back to Stockton.

 

I'm out this weekend between Long Buckby and probably Alvecote, I'll catch up with Tom tomorrow and see where they are. Should be fun.

[alan_fincher]

The pounds down here are full as normal, it's just the bottom too near the top again.

Not according to the crews that said they had to let lots of water down at Gas Two, only to then be faced with low pounds further on.

 

If (for example) Slapton to Grove Church is 9" down, as it was last week, they will struggle there too!

[Sue1946]

Not according to the crews that said they had to let lots of water down at Gas Two, only to then be faced with low pounds further on.

 

If (for example) Slapton to Grove Church is 9" down, as it was last week, they will struggle there too!

 

WHAT? Like it was last August too? With all that rain in July 09?

[nbtafelberg]

THe worst thing about this I have to say is that when Lil' Chris Steering Joe gets back I'm going to get "you're not a proper boater and I'm a working boater " lectures....

 

Oh joy.

[Liam]

With the speed they're going I thought they were on holiday

 

Stoke Bruerne tomorrow, Rugby on Saturday according to Mike just now.

[matty40s]

The two pounds below Cowroast have been challenged waterwise since BW cancelled the planned works to the Gas Locks this winter and fixed Cowroast Lock (rathet too well) this winter.

 

 

 

Not according to the crews that said they had to let lots of water down at Gas Two, only to then be faced with low pounds further on

.........has anyone asked Mykaskin about his interesting reverse flashlock technique yet last night

 

The two bit's above are connected Alan, and demonstrate one of the perils of night-time travel, sometimes without lights........

[Sue1946]

Liam - seems you have stayed 'dahn sarf' for the while?

Enjoy!

[Liam]

Define "Down South" ? Anywhere south of Stoke on Trent is south to me

 

Headed over there for Braunston, the idea now is to mooch about for a bit and then head home via the Shroppie... eventually, for September.

[Water Rat.]

I think it fair to say that the passage of 7 fairly well laden boats resulted in one or two poorly tied up boats not being tied up afterwards.

 

 

 

That is just what I thought Alan, and know that the crews were not able to deal with the boat. But three fisher men were just sitting there saying 'ooooh there is a boat drifting down there' And there were a few people arond. I just hope if that were ever to happen to me someone would save Jade before the window smashed. Mind you, I hope we make a better job of tying her up!

[Liam]

I just hope if that were ever to happen to me someone would save Jade before the window smashed. Mind you, I hope we make a better job of tying her up!

 

Funny you should say that...

 

I was at Festival Park a few weeks ago, moored right outside the Pub. I got a call as I was leaving the boat which distracted me and I foolishly locked my keys inside as I wasn't thinking. Damn and blast, I said, then walked into the Pub, and asked to speak to the Landlord. I told him I'd locked myself out of my boat and could I please borrow a hacksaw, bolt croppers or such like to which he just handed them over to me. I then spent the next 30 minutes trying to break into my own boat with a blunt hacksaw, I eventually got in.

 

The thing which worried me was that it was a gloriously warm Sunday at about 3PM when this happened, with loads of people milling about for Sunday dinner. Lots of people looked at me and then looked the other way, the 25 year old with the hacksaw wasn't questioned at all...

[alan_fincher]

I don't suppose anybody has any tip-offs on another fleet of old boats working through the Hertfordshire area today, do they ?

 

I rather fancy doing a bit more of it, rather than having to concede there is a world outside boating, and one where I'm currently leaving too many things unattended to.

[Hairy-Neil]

The thing which worried me was that it was a gloriously warm Sunday at about 3PM when this happened, with loads of people milling about for Sunday dinner. Lots of people looked at me and then looked the other way, the 25 year old with the hacksaw wasn't questioned at all...

 

Were you expecting a S.W.A.T.S team to parachute in....

[Hairy-Neil]

y ?

 

I rather fancy doing a bit more of it, rather than having to concede there is a world outside boating, and one where I'm currently leaving too many things unattended to.

 

Manana, Alan, manana.....

[carlt]

Manana, Alan, manana.....

Doo Doo-be-do-do

 

[Chris-B]

They are now into the MK long pound

[Chris-B]

Update :

Themis is now on tow behind Archemides due to a broken keyway

Ara is behind Victoria

[Athy]

They are now into the MK long pound

A geographical location or a Stock Exchange investment?

[alan_fincher]

Update :

Themis is now on tow behind Archemides due to a broken keyway

Ara is behind Victoria

Great shame about Themis - hopefully it can be fixed quickly ? I thoroughly enjoyed watching this boat tow Callisto yesterday. The authentic engines are icing on the cake for me.

 

Victoria paired with Ara ? - unless they are more agile than me, they'll need a step stool when crossing between the two breasted!