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Scholar Gypsy

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Everything posted by Scholar Gypsy

  1. I'm rather going off my idea of buying a drone ....
  2. Except the Compleat Angler in Marlow, some years ago. To be fair we only wanted a pint, we were rather scruffy, and we would have taken up most of the available moorings ....
  3. The butcher in Braunston is a favourite of ours - and there is a good General Stores on the other side of the road. PS hope your dog is not spooked by the bats in Crick Tunnel.
  4. I found a good & quiet mooring about half a mile below Delph flight - a bit more character than Merry Hill, which is a bit windswept IMHO. Were you thinking of doing the rest of the Dudley No2 down to Hawne basin?
  5. Thank you, some interesting ideas here. I don't think paragliding will work: if the wind is that strong we will be stuck in the pub in Boston. We have tried waterskiing before, with limited success.
  6. Yes I remember that, esp. Days lock where the water table just kept going down ...
  7. Not quite yet a stoppage ... Particularly relevant if your boat's draft is over 0.9 metres, and you are above Abingdon. ========================= Customer notice Water levels in the upper River Thames Water levels in the upper River Thames, particularly upstream of Abingdon lock, will be shallower than you are used to in some places, due to below average rainfall this year. With this in mind we are asking boaters to take extra care, especially immediately downstream of locks where the natural gradient of the river means levels are always slightly lower than elsewhere in the reach. For your safety, we have marked all known shallow areas in the main navigation channel (the middle third of the river, also known as the 'fairway') with red and green buoys. Please ensure you are familiar with the rules of navigation around obstructions marked in this way - they are there to protect you and your boat from harm. You may find the diagram on page 13 of the River Thames cruising guide<https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/river-thames-and-connecting-waterways-cruising-guide> helpful. Remember, boats coming towards you may have to manoeuvre around an obstruction even if you don't. Also, other boats may be harder to handle than yours, and their skippers less experienced, so please be considerate. Where we can, we will also mark obstructions that we are aware of, or are reported to us, outside of the main navigation channel. We cannot mark every one however, so do please be vigilant. You can report an obstruction to us on 03708 506 506. Please also remember that a mooring may be shallower than the last time you used it. We are doing all that we can to maintain the depths of navigation as published on www.gov.uk <https://www.gov.uk/river-thames-bridges-locks-and-facilities-for-boaters#maximum-drafts>. Actions we are taking include closing all our weirs and placing 'summer boards' on those that can accommodate them to raise their height. This means we can hold more water back, so raising levels. We are also carrying out additional checks for any leaks in our weir gates and ensuring they are staunched. In addition, we have instructed our lock staff in the Oxford area to try to avoid emptying locks unless they contain at least one boat, wherever possible. This ensures we are making the most of the considerable volume of water that is released downstream each time a lock is used. If water levels continue to drop, it will be increasingly difficult for us to maintain depths, even if we implement additional measures such as restricted lock use. We hope to avoid the need for additional measures but may not be able to unless there is significant rainfall over the coming weeks. Where possible we will also ask our lock staff to advise you of any known shallow areas ahead of you. To help you assess whether or not to continue your journey, you may want to check your boat's draft if you don't already know it. Above Iffley Lock we cannot guarantee the navigation channel will always be sufficiently deep for craft with a draft of 0.9m or more. We are of course monitoring the situation very closely and will let you know immediately if there are any further developments you need to be aware of. We hope you have found this communication helpful in planning your cruising this summer, and hope it is not unduly affected by weather conditions. Thank you for your understanding and co-operation. River Thames Waterway Operations
  8. Yes, that's a fifth option. A remote control for the camera is feasible, I think - either mechanical or radio.
  9. I am quite keen to get some aerial photos of my boat during my summer trips, especially while crossing the Wash. So: has anyone managed to land a helicopter drone camera on a moving narrowboat, without it getting wet? Which model (sensible prices only please!)? How? Plan B: use my shaft as a rather large selfie stick, and a radio controlled trigger for my camera Plan C: helium filled balloon, and a radio controlled trigger for my camera Plan D: ask the RAF nicely to take some reconnaissance photos - we are going quite close (but not too close) to the bombing range at RAF Holbeach
  10. You are right re the lights, and also on not trying to outrun the tugs - you won't win!. In my experience: the tugs always go up with the flood tide - so they will overtake you if you see a light in front of you but not one behind you then there is indeed a boat coming downstream towards you there are a few passenger boats (eg SILVER STURGEON) which are large enough to trigger the Isophase lights. They only go up to Westminster. They also need to get permission from VTS before they do anything - in other words you will get more warning what they are about to do.
  11. Oh and another thing. If you are looking behind you (see above) you may see a flashing white light on one of the bridges behind you. This will probably mean that in about 5-10 minutes one of these jobbies will overtake you (the narrowboat is on the right). This can get quite entertaining if you are both trying to go under a bridge at the same time. At about half the bridges they can take the centre arch (with the flashing white light, which indicates they have absolute priority!) and you take one to the right. It's a bit trickier if there is only one inbound arch: my advice would be to slow down, and if necessary round up close to the north shore and stem the tide until they have passed.
  12. Sounds v sensible - I lovingly made this for my recent Wash crossing, a complete waste of time. It didn't keep the spray out, of which there was quite a bit (compared to normal experience!); and the actual volume of water dumped on the foredeck was trivial.
  13. There's quite a bit of stuff on earlier threads, but in addition to the points made here I would add: spend half an hour listening to the VHF so you get some idea of how other boats use it, and what you can learn from what other boats are saying keep looking behind you. know where the piers are, esp those on the right hand (north) bank, and watch out for boats (going in either direction) wanting to get to a pier or to break away. Move out if appropriate (eg if a boat is coming up behind you, they can then overtake you on the starboard ie wrong side). don't get swept to the outside, esp on left hand bends. This is a particular issue at Hammersmith where you should aim to go under the bridge (ie the word "BRIDGE") and then leave the green cone to starboard. Enjoy!
  14. The sinking was caused by the bottom of the air intake being below the water line! See photos here. The other issue, I would observe, is it will depend on whether your boat is the sort that cuts through waves or bounces up when you hit them, Mine is the latter. Here is a photo of the former (courtesy of Leo Mo 2) - it does mean your bow fender gets washed regularly.
  15. With a wide boat (over 7 feet) you are constrained to the Nene and Ouse river systems - unless you fancy crossing the Wash, which is feasible, if a bit uncomfortable? Moorings in Cambridge are tricky: nearby there are some at Upware, Fish and Duck, Ely, Streatham etc.
  16. Thank you Nick - good to hear from you! I now have a little convoy arranged, so we should be able to do some pushme-pullyou, certainly above the lock.
  17. Thanks - I have also been looking at the very helpful blogs by Keeping Up, of their visits in 2011
  18. Thank you. My understanding of the various guide books (not very clear) is that: a) the doors at Chapel Hill close when the Witham gets too high. There must be a pumping station somewhere to empty the Kyme Eau. b ) in the winter Bottom lock is not useable, as the bottom V doors are chained open and the guillotine is used as a sluice So are you saying it can get a bit shallow above Bottom lock? We seem to slice quite nicely through most weed - but not in Walsall.
  19. Can I (slightly) hijack the thread and ask the same question about Kyme Eau? I hope to visit there, and also the WND, on 8-10 August. PS there was a weedcutter moored at Washingborough last week, but I guess that is just used on C&RT navigations?
  20. Here is Google Earth - looks a good fit! Cottages on the right, and the swingbridge above the lock
  21. The BBC website - much in the news - gave me this which (to my completely inexpert eye) could be the same artist. http://www.bbc.co.uk/arts/yourpaintings/artists/h-l-burton
  22. This reminds me of when I went to the Scilly Isles by helicopter. The wind was too strong so the chopper was grounded and we were advised to take the boat (rather shallow draft and a flat bottom). Four hours later, feeling rather ill, and just above to arrive at St Mary's port, the chopper flew over. Not a good start to the honeymoon....
  23. See notice below from C&RT website. I think the earlier fault must have meant that only one set of gates was working - hence you could lock through only at high tide with the gates open at both ends. Latest position appears to be: ________________________________________________ Notice updates: 08/07/2015 @ 16:26 We can update to say that work is now 70% complete but there will be a short delay while extra parts are made to complete the repair. We have increased the amount of time that the lock will be available. Please book in advance by calling 020 7308 9930. ________________________________________________ From 7 July we're making emergency repairs at Limehouse Lock and this will reduce availability to half an hour either side of high tide. Please book in advance by calling 020 7308 9930. For access to and from the Thames, boaters may find it easier to use the lock at Brentford. The lock can be booked by calling 020 8568 2779. The lock at Bow may also be available and can be contacted on 020 7517 5570.
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