Jump to content

2017 boating plans!

Dave Payne

By Dave Payne
in General Boating

 Share

Featured Posts

Dave Payne Influencer

Dave Payne

Posted
Posted

Another year done, another on the horizon, so looking back what does the new one have in store for you....

 

Further cruising?

Sell up?

Install the king of loos, pump out?

 

 

Me, I hope to get further than I did this year, rugby south and Stafford north was the best I could do, although doing the bcn was good fun.

 

I hope to get down to oxford and maybe come back up via Stratford upon Avon and home via the bcn again, a trip up/down Foxton would be cool also.

 

You?

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Athy Veteran II

AthyDonate to Canal World

Posted
Posted

2017 boating plans? That's 2016 more than we've got at the mo'.

 

...though we do hanker after going up the Thames to the head of navigation.


Install the king of loos, pump out?


WE already have the former and thus don't need the latter, thank you.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
cuthound Veteran II

cuthoundDonate to Canal World

Posted
Posted (edited)

To boat more.

 

Perhaps getting away for at least a week per month, then have a long 4 week cruise over the summer.

 

Much depends on whether the apprentice cuthound can curb his antisocial behaviour towards other dogs. A GSD barking incessantly inside a narrowboat every time a dog walks past on the towpath gets a tad wearing after a week :(

 

On the maintenance side, rub down and use Le Tonkinous varnish on the cratch frame and front doors, repaint the mushrooms (thay were power coated but it's beginning to peel) and reblack the two pack if necessary following the dry docking in May.

 

Edited to add the maintenance bits.

Edited by cuthound
Link to comment
Share on other sites
Athy Veteran II

AthyDonate to Canal World

Posted
Posted

Rivers scare me!

 

 

They aren't all ragin' bleedin' torrents, you know. The Old River Nene flows past the end of our garden (as per my avatar) and there's so little flow that most of the time you wouldn't even know that it was a river.

 

But, to each his own. I, for example, choose routes which avoid long tunnels.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Rob-M Veteran II

Rob-M

Posted
Posted

We are planning on doing the Four Counties Ring but also going up the Llangollen, then may be the River Weaver and the Macclesfield.

Possibly taking the working boats up to Audlem again and hopefully joining Captain Pegg for the BCN Challenge.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Athy Veteran II

AthyDonate to Canal World

Posted
Posted

Only got our first boat in August, already braved the Ribble link to move her closer to home. Looking forward to exploring the Lancaster canal without having to get a hire boat back by a certain time... captain.gif

Nice to hear from you - after less than three years' membership you have doubled your post count to 2! - but I have to say that your forum name will give Mr. Payne no confidence at all.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Wanderer Vagabond Influencer

Wanderer VagabondDonate to Canal World

Posted
Posted

I love a long tunnel, just thought of another for 2017.

 

Play Wagner's ride of the Valkyrie's whilst going through a long tunnel.

 

Oh and another.

 

Get a decent tunnel light!

Me too on that one, hope that 2017 will be the year that we get through Standedge although we'll probably have to do it twice since I think we're too long to get down Huddersfield Broad (and Calder and Hebble) so we'll have to come back through it as well.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
OldGoat Veteran II

OldGoatDonate to Canal World

Posted
Posted
Dave Payne, on 31 Dec 2016 - 5:29 PM, said:

Told ya, rivers = death!

 

And another for the list, BCN challenge, maybe try and tie it in with the home-oxford-Stratford upon avon-BCN-home cruise....

 

Oh no they're not.

( We hired on the canals for many years and stayed well clear of the Thames - but surprisingly were quite happy cruising the Severn and Avon (and the latter was in flood...) and though nothing of it).

THEN we did the Thames ring and wondered what all the fuss was about...

Might I humbly suggest the following -

 

Go down the Oxford and turn right at Duke's Cut Lock, turn right at the end of the cut onto the Thames - always very quiet there as not-a-lot of water runs down that section.

Bear right when you set the weir - it won't pull if you have a 'bit of way on'.

If you've lost your bottle wind round in the lock cut (Kin's Lock) - 100 yds on your left. Its wide enough there to do it without reversing.

If you haven't lost it continue up the river - lots of spaces to moor just after the first S-bend (can be shallow before).

Now, that wasn't too bad was it??

Continue up to the next lock (Eynsham Lock) where you'll be asked for some money for a licence. It gets narrower from the on almost like a canal, except that the locks are easier to operate and may well be operated by a friendly lock keeper.

 

All you have to do is to remember that on a river the water flows and may push you where you hadn't intended to go - so just have a bit (norra' lot) of power on and you do the steering, not the river.

It's really rather nice, you know...

Link to comment
Share on other sites
john6767 Veteran II

john6767

Posted
Posted

Plasn as they stand; after the BCN Challenge to head north with destination Lincoln or perhaps a bit beyond, which means a first taste of the tidal Trent. There will be a couple of breaks on route there and back.

 

Then back to base at Calcutt and in August for our 35 wedding anniversary we are going on a cruise on a bit bigger boat (Oasis of the Seas) in the Caribbean.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Chertsey Veteran

Chertsey

Posted
Posted

I think PB would rather any river than the BCN :-)

 

But it looks like we'll be braving the bottom road this year now we're based on the Cov., for Easter excitement at Brownhills. Also on the agenda to do for the first time is the Ashby, maybe in July. Then there's Braunston (I have a whim, not shared by anyone else, to try to get there non stop from Alvecote, dawn to dusk), and Alvecote itself. Apart from that there should be a long overdue docking for blacking, an overhaul of the engine, and completing the redecoration (also long overdue) of the back cabin.

 

It's getting increasingly difficult for me to get long stretches of time off work so longer jaunts like this year's fabulous GU-Wey-Thames trip may be a thing of the past for a while :-(

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Nightwatch Veteran II

NightwatchDonate to Canal World

Posted
Posted

2017 boating plans? That's 2016 more than we've got at the mo'.

 

...though we do hanker after going up the Thames to the head of navigation.

 

WE already have the former and thus don't need the latter, thank you.

Mike. If you fancy the Thames, then do it. We, many years ago, hired plastic things from either end, (different years) and thoughtly enjoyed it. Then we lost our sense of humour and began Narrow boating.
  • Greenie 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites
Dave Payne Influencer

Dave Payne

Posted
  • Author
Posted

I think PB would rather any river than the BCN :-)

 

But it looks like we'll be braving the bottom road this year now we're based on the Cov., for Easter excitement at Brownhills. Also on the agenda to do for the first time is the Ashby, maybe in July. Then there's Braunston (I have a whim, not shared by anyone else, to try to get there non stop from Alvecote, dawn to dusk), and Alvecote itself. Apart from that there should be a long overdue docking for blacking, an overhaul of the engine, and completing the redecoration (also long overdue) of the back cabin.

 

It's getting increasingly difficult for me to get long stretches of time off work so longer jaunts like this year's fabulous GU-Wey-Thames trip may be a thing of the past for a while :-(

Being so close to the ashby you should do it, lovely peaceful stretch.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Victor Vectis Influencer

Victor VectisDonate to Canal World

Posted
Posted

Five years ago we were in the process of buying 'Red Wharf'. My old school (Barking Abbey, anyone else go there?) held a 90th anniversary bash. I said that at the next one I would arrive by boat. The 'do' for the 95th anniversary is at the start of May so late April will see us working t'boat from Lapworth down to that there London.

 

We've a week booked at Rembrandt Gardens then a quick trip to Limehouse to join the St Pancras Crusing Club's cruise through the barrier to Barking Creek (ish) and back to Teddington, then, maybe back to Limehouse with the 4am tide on the Sunday.

 

That gives us a fortnight to get back up to Brum for The BCN Challenge.

 

Then for the summer we've thought about having a look at the Nene and maybe beyond.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
FadeToScarlet Veteran

FadeToScarlet

Posted
Posted

Well...

 

The current plan is to start the engine in about two hours time, then set off and go up Jesus Lock.

 

We'll go up the Backs of the colleges, wind at the mill pond at 11:30 or so, and aim to drop the mudweight directly outside King's College chapel, and pop open the Bottle of champagne at midnight.

 

So the first boating of 2017 is going to be heading back to the mooring, just after midnight.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
 Share
Go to topic listing

  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.
×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

We have placed cookies on your device to help make this website better. You can adjust your cookie settings, otherwise we'll assume you're okay to continue.