Grand Union out of Brum

[nicknorman]

Some time ago I advised that the Grand Union route out of Brum was pretty horrible and best avoided. This was following a trip a few years ago with the (summit) level very low. Lots of rubbish, slow progress etc.

 

We are just doing the same route again and it seems much better. Much less rubbish, levels right up (unsurprisingly) and a normal pace. Unsure whether there has been a cleanup, but anyway its almost pleasant today!

 

ETA subtitles should of course have said "bad" not "ad"!

Edited March 29, 2013 by nicknorman

[alan_fincher]

Let us know if additionally Knowle locks have suddenly become trivially easy!

[RLWP]

With no cross wind

 

Richard

[nicknorman]

Let us know if additionally Knowle locks have suddenly become trivially easy!

TBH I don't recall them being any harder than Hatton etc, but tomorrow we will find out. I do recall it was very windy there and all I remember was a nice lady in a brand new boat on its maiden voyage, ramming the bottom gate at pretty much full throttle when she got in a pickle wilst her husband looked on bankside in shock. There was an almighty crashing of breaking glass inside - their glass cupboard plus their new telly all on the floor. Shame. I think she got her row after we were out of earshot!

[GUMPY]

What Knowle suffers from is not so much a crosswind but a peculiar effect from the paddles.

Knowle is unique amongst the locks with the Ham Baker paddle gear in so much that the sluices are 3ft rather than 2ft9 that they are elsewhere (the size is stamped on the gear).

The extra flow caused by this and the size and shape of the intermediate pounds causes the water to swirl round between the locks.

Thus just before you reach the next lock you are swept sideways, I Have done it in deep and shallow drafted boats and it makes no difference.

Edited March 29, 2013 by Loddon

[ditchcrawler]

What Knowle suffers from is not so much a crosswind but a peculiar effect from the paddles.

Knowle is unique amongst the locks with the Ham Baker paddle gear in so much that the sluices are 3ft rather than 2ft9 that they are elsewhere (the size is stamped on the gear).

The extra flow caused by this and the size and shape of the intermediate pounds causes the water to swirl round between the locks.

Thus just before you reach the next lock you are swept sideways, I Have done it in deep and shallow drafted boats and it makes no difference.

I watched a lump of wood floating in one of the pounds and it was going all over the place, it continues well after the lock is empty.

[john6767]

What Knowle suffers from is not so much a crosswind but a peculiar effect from the paddles.

Knowle is unique amongst the locks with the Ham Baker paddle gear in so much that the sluices are 3ft rather than 2ft9 that they are elsewhere (the size is stamped on the gear).

The extra flow caused by this and the size and shape of the intermediate pounds causes the water to swirl round between the locks.

Thus just before you reach the next lock you are swept sideways, I Have done it in deep and shallow drafted boats and it makes no difference.

 

That is interesting I had always put Knowle's difficulties down to a) the fact they are used less that the other 1930's ones, and the wind in the exposed location. I did not realize that was anything different in the design. I wonder why that did that as I assume that were the last to be built given they started at Calcutt.

 

 

 

[nicknorman]

That is interesting I had always put Knowle's difficulties down to a) the fact they are used less that the other 1930's ones, and the wind in the exposed location. I did not realize that was anything different in the design. I wonder why that did that as I assume that were the last to be built given they started at Calcutt.

Did knowle this morning - part snowstorm, part lovely sunny morning. I was driving with him indoors doing the locks (in company with another boat). Yes the paddles are definitely stiffer than Hatton, but the locks are correspondingly fast to drain/fill, being pretty much done by the time the paddles are fully up (and we don't pussyfoot with paddles). No wind during sunny bits, but definitely some sideways action detectable due to aforementioned currents.