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Moving boat from Shropshire Union to Grand Union Canal - Cry for Help!


Ratkatcher

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I will be moving Tichitoro from her home mooring on the Shroppy (Near Brewood Visitor Moorings) to Martin Kedion's works on the Grand Union  - a little jaunt of just over 50 miles and 91 locks!

This is anticipated about September (whenever Martin has the free space so a firm date is yet to be set) and the journey should take around 9 days to complete.

In advance, would anyone here be willing to help me make the trip? My wife can't do this one as she must be the chauffer at both ends and will be looking after home and dogs.  Food & drink aplenty offered in exchange....

Any offers of help would be greatly appreciated thanks!

 

David

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I'm not sure how you come up with 9 days. Plenty of light at that time of year, with easy 7 hour days it is still only 5 days cruising.

you could even go the long way round via staffs &W, T&M, Coventry, N Oxford with only 38 locks and it is still only 6 days.

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This is the sort of trip I like to do (and have done with various people on the forum), helping to move a boat a decent distance. I agree with matty40s that nine days would be slow, but it all depends on how you want to do it. Some people like to start at dawn and keep going every day, and they'd do it in four days. Others have the time and inclination to take it easy at a much more relaxed pace. I just go with what the owner wants!

Anyway, I'm definitely interested, subject to the dates not clashing with prior commitments. I'm signed up for several trips with the NBT this summer, but at present I've got late August and early September free.

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Thanks for the offers everyone, as soon as Martin has confirmed the dates I'll get in touch with you.

I'll take a look at the longer, but less locks, route, thanks for the suggestion!

The original CanalplanAC route was based on days up to 5 hours long (all those locks!) as I don't really mind long and easy days but locks take it out of me a bit as I'm not as fit as I used to be...

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My efforts at this journey with Canalplan have come up with slightly different figures; I entered it as "Brewood Visitor Moorings" to "Birdingbury Bridge no. 21" and got 57 miles and 98 locks, or nearly 36 hours. The longer route via Fradley Junction and Braunston comes out as 100 miles and 38 locks, or 47 hours.

I've found Canalplan to be pretty accurate in the past, but I'm not sure here because (unless they're allowing for Birmingham having less moored boats to slow down for!)by my calculations they're using a plausible average speed of 2.35 mph, but a rather high sounding locks per hour of over 8. I think I got about that a month ago going up Caen Hill, but only because everything was in our favour that day; two boats together with little other traffic, good weather, most locks already empty, three energetic lock crew plus some help from CRT volunteers. Six locks per hour sounds more realistic to me, but that would still make the Birmingham route the faster one by about 8 hours.

Anyway, if I'm the crew I'd be quite happy to do those 98 locks, but it's up to you. I like Birmingham, but it's not everyone's cup of tea.

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THe longer route via Fradley Junction looks like it can be completed in around the same time scale, without a massive amount of locks...  As the sacrificial chines no longer exist on Tichitoro minimising the number of locks is a better bet.

I think this would be the route to take but would still appreciate having assistance along if you are still willing.

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I'm still willing, so long as the dates you come up with fit into the period I have available. I'm ending one trip on 18th August and starting another on 11th September, so allowing myself a day at home to get organised between trips, I've currently got 20th August to 9th September free.

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  • 1 month later...

We are brand new boaters and it's really nice to see things like this. It's a really nice community on the canals isn't it.

We take ownership of our boat in a couple of weeks. We have an epic journey from the Oxford canal to the nene by March.  With only weekends free it should take us till Christmas haha

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11 hours ago, Tom766 said:

We are brand new boaters and it's really nice to see things like this. It's a really nice community on the canals isn't it.

We take ownership of our boat in a couple of weeks. We have an epic journey from the Oxford canal to the nene by March.  With only weekends free it should take us till Christmas haha

I've got my boat on the Nene, where are you planning to moor?

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13 hours ago, Tom766 said:

We are brand new boaters and it's really nice to see things like this. It's a really nice community on the canals isn't it.

We take ownership of our boat in a couple of weeks. We have an epic journey from the Oxford canal to the nene by March.  With only weekends free it should take us till Christmas haha

I haven't heard any more from Ratkatcher about my offer, which is still open, so I suppose maybe he's waiting on this Martin to confirm dates, or until he's fixed the boat to get it ready for a trip.

Getting from the Oxford canal to the Nene might be epic, it depends where! Oxford to Peterborough is quite a way, about 8 full days of boating, but Braunston to Northampton can be done in one full day or an easy weekend. A lot will depend on how much of a hurry you're in, and if you're just moving the boat at weekends you have to find somewhere suitable to leave it each week, which means a marina if you can't get to it for two weekends in a row.

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  • 1 month later...

Hello again all, sorry for the long wait but I had to get a date from Martin.

We have arranged for the boat to go in for work on 4th September.

Canal Plan has given me a nice 10 day route ( only 5 hours a day - plenty long enough) so it is anticipated that I leave my mooring on the Shroppie on 25th August.

Would any kind person care to join me on this little jaunt?

Thanks in advance

David

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Yes, I'm still interested in this and have those dates free. I'd be happy to either take the Fradley Junction route (more miles) or the Birmingham route (more locks), it's up to you. 

My delay in answering is because I just got home form nearly two weeks away boating with the NBT (across Birmingham and back again).

 

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On 10/08/2017 at 10:26, Peter X said:

Hello ?

 

Might be worth PMing Martin kedian to see if the boat is still booked in for stretching (and how it is getting there) if you are getting radio silence from the OP.

Pretty poor show not responding to your offer, whatever.

 

Edit to add: I withdraw that last comment. I see the OP responded in the thread last friday. Not a poor show at all! My error and apologies offered. 

Edited by Mike the Boilerman
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Peter beat me to it, but I am pleased to say that he will be joining me for the jaunt - many thanks to him of course and to the others who showed an interest.

ETA: and apologies - I didn't receive any notification until Peter messaged me - I think it was my own fault though...

Edited by Ratkatcher
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  • 3 weeks later...

Well, we did the trip in six days, and very enjoyable it was too. Ratkatcher was great company and looked after me well, and we got Tichitoro to the boatyard in one piece. Basically we got there in six days by doing more hours per day than the original plan, because it suited both of us and with me to do the locks and some of the steering Ratkatcher was able to cope with the longer hours.

The weather was very kind apart from a little rain on the last day, and unsurprisingly we found ourselves slowed down over the fine bank holiday weekend by the large number of boats on the move. There was a certain amount of queueing for locks involved. Due to a mysteriously random overheating problem we had to stop a few times for the water to cool down, but it's hoped that the skin tank to be fitted as part of the repair works might solve that trouble.

After its major surgery Tichitoro should be back in the water for its return trip to the Shroppie in early October, not with me because I'm unavailable then, but there's crew lined up for that.

  • Greenie 2
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I'll echo Peter's sentiments, he was a great help and very good company - even if I talked on a bit late for him on occasion I think :o - the journey was very enjoyable and it was lovely to cruise on new canals.

Both wife and the dogs (left behind on the outward trip) are joining me on the return trip as this will not have a deadline to arrive and saves all 3 missing me!

Now about a 4 week wait to get Tich back - hopefully without a random heating up issue!

Thanks a million, Peter, great to have you along.

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