Neil TNC

David Bowie played here.

The Facebook rumour mill says snapped collar.

A true star. In the early years Jim always did our bss, once he found a teeny gas leak actually in the hob, gas valve loose on the rail! He persuaded us get on the Ship Canal, doing a few free "Certificates of Seaworthiness" for us, MSCC could not argue with Jim's qualifications!

https://www.liverpoolresidential.com/property/3144/?propInd=S&page=2&pageSize=12&orderBy=PriceSearchAmount&orderDirection=ASC&propInd=S&businessCategoryId=1&searchType=list We passed this going in / out Liverpool, about 200ft nice deep piled moorings, with bollards. 60ft boat on it at that time.

Yes, reported it, but did not pursue it further as will probably never attempt to go there again as Mrs TNC does not do grief.

The Lancaster Canal has two Silver Propeller points, these are easy to get once there, the difficult place to get to on the Lancaster Canal is Glasson Basin. 2 narrowboats have got down the locks and back this year, with great difficulty, 2 locks are patched up with plastic, take eternity to fill and weed unmanaged. It is now shut, unlikely to reopen this year, or at all. The locals never go down there, it is usually the visiting narrowboats that attempt the passage.

Yes, it would have made it easier. We tried to do Black Sluice a couple of years ago, but that was after Sam the Waterways Patroller left, just a lot of talk by John at Northampton Marina, but he never got out to do it for us (overulled?). Still shown as stoppage, debris in chamber, but think the real reason was that Sam was never replaced. We also tried to do Foss again last year, but IWA said impossible as not enough water in river beyond the lock.

Makes sad reading. Do you know how many other boats made it through Welches Dam lock, between our passage in 2001 and when it was stanked off?

Yes, the "new" marina at at Fossdyke makes it much easier to do. Back in 2001 when we did it, the only place to moor up was on the barge moored at the "stone quay"....only when we arrived the bloody barge was out! Interesting and strangely magical night tied to a couple of rusty hawsers, wondering if we would bottom out. As a matter of interest did the EA lads let you through Fulney on a rising tide, I assume there was no attempt to use it as as a lock and you went through on a level? Back then we did the Coronation Channel, we weren't meant to, ISTR they have buoyed off the entrance???

Old Bedford Sluice at Salters Lode. I don't remember the bridge being so narrow, should have, as on an explo a few days before I hung over the edge with the long shaft, testing the water depth. I think Paul still remembers the hairy time we had getting through!

The old Four Mile Bar footbridge on the River Welland? I thought that EA have put in a new single span curvey footbridge of a more navigable height?

NB Earnest really is 24" draught plus skeg. We have never had trouble depth wise anywhere. We have just come over the Leeds and Liverpool, with Adlington pound down 8" inches (some of the locals where moaning it was a foot down) and had no trouble at all, even mooring up. Likewise with the Huddersfield Narrow, we got through the pound above Lock 1E with it down well over a foot.

How true, better the devil you know 😀

Nice report, we alway go up to Sheffield if that side of Pennines. Volockies on Tinsley always good, Dave must make them welcome. Probably the same boats that were on Eastwood lockin last year 😀

CaRT unexpectantly reopened Wigan yesterday morning after a 3 day non advised stoppage, due to non boater??? vandalism, this is 82/83 at that time and their idea of navigable. As for vandalism, someone armed with a windlass and handcuff key had dropped all the water in 81/82, the long pound with compensating side pound and 82/83, they certainly knew what they were doing. Needless to say we eventually ambled down in 5 hours, without any help waterwise from CaRT and on the day we intended.

We saw the cow on the way back, much bigger...we kept well clear!

We did it last year in July, the long pound above Cottingwith was down about 4" and the weedcutter boat was broke, we still managed it. NB Earnest 2ft draught plus skeg. The run back, straight up from Barmby to Naburn was fun, unbelievable amount of floating trees, dead cows, etc up the Naburn end of the Tidal Ouse.

We went there a while back and it was good. During and since Covid we gave had some extremely bad and some extremely good meals out, while cruising. Quite often the good places only do evening meals on the run up to and over the weekend. Things change so quickly now, I find it impossible to recommend places, unless it has been a very rececent visit.

Apart from some dabblings on the Thames in our neighbours Freeman cruiser, my first canal experience with my parents was in 1969, Maid Mary Shuna from Maidboats, Brinklow (now Rose Narrowboats and for many years there was a faded "Maid"...or was it "Boats" on the doors to their big shed) My father was in the Fleet Air Arm, and directly after the war hired "Windboats" on The Broads, 1946-1950, with my mother and a load of their mates. Some of his photo albums are works of art and really should be in the Broads Museum. After that I came along and their were epic camping holidays across Europe. Our neigbour at the time (the one with the Freeman) was a headmaster and took a lot of kids on school holidays on The Broads. We and another family were going to hire on the Broads in 1969, but following exciting tales of neighbours first school party holiday on the canals, my mate Ian convinced our parents to try the canals. My father, with his nautical background fancied a proper boat, so we opted for one of Lionel Munk's wooden narrow beam centre cockpit cruisers. All I can remember about the boat was it went like shit off a shovel, especially on the Thames. No photos survive of this trip, my father never could take pictures on his Pentax! It was a two week hire and we did the Oxford, Thames, GU ring, with time to get to Hawksbury and back. Couple of images of Maid Mary Shuna?? in 1999 on the Oxford and a piccy by Jim Shead of it in 1965.

Stoppage gone already, so presume just a minor disintegration.

Sssssh don't mention the weed! any road, glad to see we can now go down there before official reopening.

Anyone got the low down on this?