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Derek Porteous

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Everything posted by Derek Porteous

  1. A lot of dead fish this morning on The Trent and Mersey particularly in the short stretch between Barnton Tunnel and Saltersford Tunnels. Lesser numbers to the west of Saltersford. Is this due to lower oxygen levels with the hot level or something more sinister? I have messaged CRT but not had a reply yet.
  2. Not so sure about able to get on the pub moorings. The last couple of times we were there two boats seem to be permanently moored there (one of which has a permanent mooring about 100 yards away). I think, but am not certain, that one of the aforementioned boats require wheelchair access, which is presumably why they moor there.
  3. We came through the Big Lock, Middlewich yesterday morning. A boat was moored on the landing making the approach difficult. Curtains closed but as there was twitching we were pretty sure it was occupied. Excessive revving on our part to make a point. Once through we had to give up the plan to water up as there was another overnighter on the water point below the lock. Yes, in our view manners are getting worse. PS This was not at the crack of dawn but at 9 o’clock
  4. On the question of vlockie training and/or instructions from CRT re. current water shortage. On coming up the locks at Fradley Junction today the vlockie turned the open lock on us as we approached to allow another boat to descend. An error, or perhaps faulty eyesight. No big deal. Then exactly the same thing happened on the second lock. That is two lock’s full of precious water wasted on the Trent and Mersey. Who knows how many times this happens each day.
  5. or waiting for intimate eye contact or a secret squirrel signal. JFDI..........please..... I have to confess I do exactly that. I try to wait until the helmsman indicates he is ready. 50% of the time, it is a very long wait……
  6. Ed Shiers came out to our boat last year to do a repairs on our traveller. He was excellent, and also very reasonable. From his web site I understand he only does rigid solar panels. Now I am sure they are the most efficient option, but from an aesthetic point of view, we opted for a flexible panel installation last winter. The Paint Shed, Anderton, installed them. Not local to the OP I know but very neat installation. Our 2x100 watt flexible panels more than meet our needs for our summer cruising. Moored up for three to four days at a time without the need to run the engine for battery charging. However I suspect we are relatively low power users with the fridge being being our main power consumer.
  7. No confirmation, just towpath rumour. But if true rather stay on mooring further north than wait at Barton.
  8. Anyone heard about a closure on the Barton Aqueduct? Nothing on the Bridgewater Canal web site, but that is the rumour on the towpath.
  9. Good luck with heading north from Brentford. We did that last summer and it was a nightmare. Nearly all mooring places taken until north of Berkhamstead. Little opportunity to pick up provisions as the supermarket 3 hrs moorings has long staying boats double moored. One lady got very irate with us as we asked her to move up 10 feet on a water point to allow us in for water. She said we were interrupting her conference call! We do like that stretch of the canal though. Hopefully it will not be too crowded this early in the season.
  10. Anyone know if this closure is going to plan and will re-open on the 21st (Pie Eater?) Just asking as we are planning a trip and need a week or two to get organised. Thanks.
  11. Isn’t it the case with the online booking system, you can’t book anywhere on the day. Certainly the case you can’t book the Bridgewater on the day, so can’t spontaneously decide to cruise down to the pub(s) on the Bridgewater. Nothing within cruising distance on the CRT side of the canal.
  12. You certainly can. From memory there is a winding hole canal side of lock, but maximum 50ft. By that, I mean you can lock down and turn. If you go all the way to the canal head you will have to reverse back.
  13. Well Preston Brook Tunnel was eventful as well. There were four boats going through north. The lead boat (Canaltime) went so slowly that chaos ensued behind with everyone loosing steerage. Stop and start all the way through. Total passage time was 35 minutes, 5 minutes into the 10 minute slot for the south bound boat. We were third boat. The second boat (small hire boat), had steam coming everywhere with an overcooked engine. Just waiting with them for the engine to cool down and, if necessary, offer a tow. Tunnels!
  14. We were held up last year at the Barnton Tunnel last year when two boats going in the opposite direction got stuck in the tunnel. As a result we are ultra cautious and now hover at the entrance whilst someone goes to the bow to check there is no head light or engine noise (although there is a kink in the tunnel, you can see the outline of the opposite entrance). All clear, so off we went. About a third of the way through, a tunnel light appeared at the entrance. We gave a long blast of horn and got two short blasts in return ( not sure what that means). On we went at a reduced speed whilst the other tunnel light remained firmly in the entrance portal. We were not sure whether the other boat was hovering, coming forward slowly or reversing. A few minutes later the other boat sounded its horn twice again. We replied with a single long blast. It eventually became clear that the other boat had entered the tunnel and was slowly reversing back out again. No big deal and no harm done, although the helmsman did seem a bit grumpy as we passed. Next up was the Saltersford Tunnel which is on a timed basis. With the shenanigans at Barton Tunnel we just missed our slot by two minutes, so moored up to await the top of the hour, 38 minutes later. No issues here. Straight through in less than ten minutes. However as we exited the northern portal, a boat heading south arrived and when straight into the tunnel, admittedly with two short blasts of the horn, some 20 minutes before the allotted time of half past the hour. No idea if this caused a problem or not. We just drifted north thinking upon what might occur at the Preston Brook Tunnel.
  15. No sign of CRT to remove the fallen tree, but boats are beginning to move. The first boat (non-shiny) smashed its way through the tree creating a narrow channel.
  16. Tree down blocking canal this afternoon. Awaiting CRT (or their contractors) to attend.
  17. When I used the online booking system it wouldn’t let you book on the day. You had to book at least one day in advance. Also it used to ask for the exit date as well, but I see this has now been dropped.
  18. When I booked a passage last week, the CRT booking system wouldn’t let me book on the day of entry, it had to be at least the day before. The other point is the booking system wants an exit date (presumably to start a new 28 day clock running). This means planning and sticking to that plan, never mind the weather. You could, of course, just book 7 days even if you plan to do it in 2 or 3 days.
  19. I thought that was a good response. Measured, informative and with proposed time scales.
  20. Just an update. The fuel boat refuelled me in my absence. I am told by a nearby moorer that after a couple of days the central heating started working again on its own. So all good now.
  21. This an update issued by CRT today. I wonder whether any locals have more of an insight on when passage may be possible. 06/04/2021 16:29 Starting tomorrow, our contractors will be onsite between Bridge 200, Soot Hill and Bridge 201 on the Trent & Mersey Canal to undertake works that will help us to explore ways in which we can safely allow boat movement through the affected area without destabilising the embankment, slipped material within the canal or the above gas main. A further update will be provided by Tuesday 20 April.
  22. OK. That is useful. I will disconnect the power, make sure fuel is reaching the pump, and then try to fire it up. No idea when that will be. Best guess is the end of March before we are given the green light to travel. Cheers
  23. Many thanks for that, Andy. I still am not allowed to travel to/visit our boat but suspect in the meantime the heating system will have tried to start up several times as overnight temperatures have dipped below freezing. Pretty sure from neighbouring boat reports that the heater has not kicked in. I will certainly try to prime the pump when we are allowed to visit. Thanks again.
  24. Due to Coronavirus restrictions I have been unable to visit my boat since Autumn, and it looks like it will be some time before the travel restrictions are eased. I have an Eberspacher Hydronic heater (about a year old). It is on a frost control setting and has been running over winter. I am told that it has now run out of fuel. Are there any set procedures to start it up again? The previous model would lock out after a number of attempts to start up and had to be reset by a dealer. Don’t know about more recent models. Thanks.
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