What have you found down your weedhatch?

[Peter-Bullfinch]

On Monday we helped Karl on Rebecca Anne up the Wigan flight. Half the pounds were empty due to a broken paddle at lock 75. It usually takes us 3 hours but this day we spent from 8.30 to 4pm! On one trip down the weedhatch a leopard print bra was brought up. This could only happen in Wigan I suppose.

 

 

What have you found?

[DeanS]

lately...lots and lots of plastic.

Did the bra fit?

[Ray T]

The last time I looked I found a propeller

Edited May 1, 2013 by Ray T

[Bobbybass]

A washing line complete with all the washing...!

 

Socks, knickers,shirts ...

[Ray]

Water

[Guest]

Weed hatch, what's one of them then???

[chrislyn]

a pair of frilly knickers near wincham wharf T & M .....

[mattlad]

We once had what appeared to be a fridge on the propeller.........

[magnetman]

weed

 

not an interesting variety, unfortuantly

[dave moore]

Hi all

 

Back in '86 I was boating on the Caldon with a hired Brumtug. These were 30' tubs with a boatman's canbin, shower and loo and sink compartment forward and 10' or so of clothed up hold to take bikes, bags etc. WE'd had a pretty disastrous week with an iffy gearbox,appalling weather and we decided to return to base at Sherborne St wharf, abandoning the aim of Froghall.

 

Descending the Bedford St staircase locks, fiance steering, she told me that the engine had stalled in the top of the pair. I took up the back deck, opened the weedhatch and investigated with the short shaft. "Think it's a matress" I said, and bow hauled through the locks to be able to investigate from under the counter with the shaft

while standing on the towpath. A few pulls and prods later and I pulled up what seemed to be a human head.

 

"It's a dummy" I thought......till a trail of bubbles from the mouth said otherwise. Gail ran to a BW maintenance boat moored close by.

 

"Think we've got a body on our blades" she gasped.

 

" In top lock?" queried one of the men...." why, thought I saw an arm there this morning!!"

 

 

 

WE called the police and then towed the boat and body to the BW dock at the junction with the T&M. They drained the dock and recovered the mutilated corpse. He turned out to be a teenager who'd got drunk at an end of term party then vanished without trace....this was around the time of the National Garden Festival at Stoke, when some roads were rerouted...perhaps he attempted a short cut across a lock and lost his footing...the coroner recorded an open verdict in the following August. Gail an I were witnesses, a harrowing experience only days after our wedding, recounting gory details in front of his distraught parents.

 

Hopefully this will be my one and only "ultimate bladefull"....please!!

 

Dave

[alan_fincher]

A washing line complete with all the washing...!

 

Socks, knickers,shirts ...

Was there by any chance a leopard print bra that should also have been on the washing line?

 

If so, I think I may be able to help........

[john6767]

Hi all

 

Back in '86 I was boating on the Caldon with a hired Brumtug. These were 30' tubs with a boatman's canbin, shower and loo and sink compartment forward and 10' or so of clothed up hold to take bikes, bags etc. WE'd had a pretty disastrous week with an iffy gearbox,appalling weather and we decided to return to base at Sherborne St wharf, abandoning the aim of Froghall.

 

Descending the Bedford St staircase locks, fiance steering, she told me that the engine had stalled in the top of the pair. I took up the back deck, opened the weedhatch and investigated with the short shaft. "Think it's a matress" I said, and bow hauled through the locks to be able to investigate from under the counter with the shaft

while standing on the towpath. A few pulls and prods later and I pulled up what seemed to be a human head.

 

"It's a dummy" I thought......till a trail of bubbles from the mouth said otherwise. Gail ran to a BW maintenance boat moored close by.

 

"Think we've got a body on our blades" she gasped.

 

" In top lock?" queried one of the men...." why, thought I saw an arm there this morning!!"

 

 

 

WE called the police and then towed the boat and body to the BW dock at the junction with the T&M. They drained the dock and recovered the mutilated corpse. He turned out to be a teenager who'd got drunk at an end of term party then vanished without trace....this was around the time of the National Garden Festival at Stoke, when some roads were rerouted...perhaps he attempted a short cut across a lock and lost his footing...the coroner recorded an open verdict in the following August. Gail an I were witnesses, a harrowing experience only days after our wedding, recounting gory details in front of his distraught parents.

 

Hopefully this will be my one and only "ultimate bladefull"....please!!

 

Dave

 

Crikey, I think you win.

[steve hayes]

Have you got an hour to spare

 

Apart from the usual crap including a matress, Defra rash, donkey jacket, etc. in one week around the back waters of the BCN we collected a complete set of womens clothing, including underwear, trainer and a handbag. But the worst thing I have had to help get off a friends prop was a Lycra cycling suit that had melted itself around the propshaft - took two hours with a saw to cut the plastic lump off

 

Does a school chair wedged in front of the rudder count ?

[oarfish]

Someone's ropes and mooring pin. Made quite a noise. Boating lesson learned the hard, 2 hours with your hands in cold water way not to have your engine going when going alongside a loose boat to secure it.

[Alf27]

Hack Green lock, complete lay flat hose, 10 m of "BW aware" tape & approx 5 m of blue polyprop rope, took some shifting !

[matty40s]

Christmas tree still with tinsel on when going through Camp Hill locks on Tawny Owl last month, I started to drag it through the hatch and then realised it wouldn't fit so boat hooked it out from the bank.

The tree is now in pride of place at Hatton Top.

[WJM]

Hi all

 

Back in '86 ....

 

Dave

A harrowing story, but beautifully told.

[Mike Tee]

For the attention of 'Dave - post#10'

 

Thanks for that one - I'll never open the weed hatch again without thinking I wonder if ..................................!

[Doorman]

 

What have you found?

Both Mrs Doorman and I have found that Karl off nb Rebecca Anne is a splendid guy and worthy of any help along the cut. Please say hello from Mike & Chrissie when you help him next :-) ETA A good tip, in winter, mentioned on this forum previously, was to pour a kettle full of boiling water down your weed hatch prior to delving in to clear any debris. Either that or get a pair of heavy duty gauntlet style rubber gloves. Edited May 2, 2013 by Doorman

[FadeToScarlet]

So far I prefer not having one, it's certainly drier and quicker to remove stuff with the cabin shaft than it was done the weedhatch on the old boat.

[Tim]

Car tyre coming out of Aston bottom lock was my favourite!

[Chris-B]

Weedhatches belong with bow thrusters...........DISCUSS

[Ruth Seneviratne]

A car tyre was definitely the worst, on the Lower Peak Forest. Nothing cuts those things. Eventually pushed it off, but then didn't dare let go, and couldn't pull it up through the weedhatch. Ended with husband going in the cut to get it. He got all the credit in the resulting photos!

 

Also had a carpet at the top of Ashton flight earlier this year.

 

Now everytime I go in, I will never forget that body story above!

[matty40s]

Once starcoaster wakes up, she will regale us with the tale of the sea monster that was down her weed hatch the first time it was opened!!

[Grebe]

At the very bottom of the Maud Foster Drain in Boston, I picked up the arm of a boiler suit. The swirling had areated the suit and inflated it. For a moment I thought I had got my first corpse to deal with.