[Boating etiquette without the tripe]

Keep in forward gear to maintain steerage and continue in the channel until quite close to the other boat then move over about half a boats width and maybe slow down a little if it is shallow.  The other boat will suck you bow over so be ready to counter that if it pulls you to quickly.  I often find maintaining my line the oncoming boat moves over too far and too early but that is up to them.  I reckon the closest I've passed someone is having about an inch between us but that only happens if the person coming the other is used to passing in the same manner.

[Farmer's Bridge vlockies]

The boat in front of me at Grindley Brook had a close one when the volunteer started lifting the paddle to fill the bottom lock to bring us up but the next gates were still open as the boat in front was moving between the middle and top lock so could have ended up straddling the cill.  I could see from our stern what was happening so shouted at him to drop the paddle and wait for the gates to be closed.

[Farmer's Bridge vlockies]

This is our preference for volunteers to either set ahead or close up behind us and leave us to work the lock the boat is in.

[Braunston Historic Rally, how busy?]

It is likely to be quite full around the area although we arrived on the Friday one year and got a space on the puddlebanks.

 

You can boat through the historics but if the parade is on you could get held up for a few hours.

[Show us your Hearths]

We had a steel hearth fabricated for us

 

[Black country ring 2nd June]

Bottom of Delph, having had a few Bathams, and then through Netherton, up Brades to experience the BCN staircase and round to Tipton 😀

[The Why & the Wherefore]

He must have gone to the pub when we arrived Saturday evening.

[Black country ring 2nd June]

You should have sufficient time to go via the Stourbridge route.  I think it is a nicer route in to Birmingham.

[BCN 24 Hour Marathon Challenge 2025]

40 minutes ago, ditchcrawler said:

Tree down on the Curly but I don't expect anyone is out there  

Unfortunately Scorpio were the wrong side of it.

[Moving boats at night]

We've just moored up early at 21:30.  I think someone has confused engine running when moored with engine running when moving.

[BCN 24 Hour Marathon Challenge 2025]

Given the amount of Bathams consumed this evening I'm not sure about tomorrow.

[BCN 24 Hour Marathon Challenge 2025]

1 minute ago, 5239 said:

I doubt it, although it has crossed my mind,

 

how many points: old turn to withymoore?

Enough to make it enjoyable, throw in Smethwick and your choice of one of the other 3 locks for fun.

[BCN 24 Hour Marathon Challenge 2025]

Are you going to make a late challenge entry?

[Becoming a boat mover]

You would need insurance to cover the boat you are moving as their own insurance is very unlikely to cover if anything went wrong.

[BCN 24 Hour Marathon Challenge 2025]

When I was at the Roundhouse a couple of weeks back they were saying the diesel was from a spill on the Soho Loop.

[BCN 24 Hour Marathon Challenge 2025]

We've been getting Scorpio stuck in that bottom gate since before COVID and reported it numerous times.

[Mooring on the Trent in Nottingham]

We moored by the steps a few times as our daughter used to live 5 mins walk away.  Never had an issue other than the odd cruiser that would turn up with genny and sound blaster on the roof and keep them running till the early hours.

[A hard day on KELPIE]

Isn't that a half day, we do Red Bull to Middlewich in a day 😀

[Cracked Brass Sign]

Our boat has been through the BSS numerous times with different examiners and always passed without any signs for gas or fuel cutoffs.  Only thing it has failed on was an out of date fire extinguisher.

[BCN 24 Hour Marathon Challenge 2025]

1 hour ago, Stroudwater1 said:

In your super efficiently do you think you can have a go at altering the weather forecast for the weekend too please? 

Wouldn't be the same if there isn't a bit of rain over the challenge weekend.

[Lock gate terminology]

51 minutes ago, Jonny P said:

Lock 31 perchance?

 

Its similar to what happens at Farmer’s Bridge when there are multiple boats on the flight sending a lot of water downhill over open weirs and/or by-wash channels until it reaches a lock with a tail bridge and a culverted by-wash on which the protective grid at the inlet is covered with vegetation offcuts and weeds (Tardebigge) or litter (Farmers Bridge).

 

 

Can't remember which one, you were on your way down.

 

Had the Farmers Bridge experience when the bottom lock by-wash was blocked and totally flooded the towpath.  Really annoyed those going to work as it was early morning and there was no visible sign of where the waters edge was so nobody was walking up between the locks.

[Lock gate terminology]

What can happen when water doesn't run over the bottom gates and the bywash is blocked.

 

This was a few years ago on the Tardebigge flight.

 

[Eating places in Stone.]

Our favourite is Proven Pizza.

 

It is on the road that runs across the canal at Lock 29 just up from the lock.

[Steerers and speed]

Beer is generally all right but we went with friends for food and three of the four meals were not even up to pub grub standard.  The next time we went out we drove to Rugeley instead and had a cracking meal in La Terrazza.

[Steerers and speed]

Hope you have a better meal in the Clifford Arms than the one we had last year.  It was very poor quality and it isn't somewhere we will return to for food.