Peter Thornton
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Posts posted by Peter Thornton
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We were ice breaking on the Grand Union last week between lock 79 and 80. Just this pound for some strange reason.
The boat we were with went ahead and the crew were trying to break it with the barge poles as they went along, but the owner still felt he'd done quite a lt of damage to his blacking.
No reason it shouldn't return next week!
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Thanks everyone for the good advice. We're moored at the Black Horse waiting for a break in the rain to set off for Bulls Bridge where unfortunately we've accepted that (this year) we need to turn right rather than left and go back up the Grand Union.
Very disappointed, but the decision was greatly helped by the image of our share boat Sunseeker broadside against a weir with me ringing up the other owners to explain what happened!
I'm 90% certain we would have made it but 10% chance of disaster is too great, and there's always next year.
Will have one final check on the website to make sure all the boards have not magically changed back to yellow but I think that the winter rains have just taken away any capacity for the ground to absorb further downpours.
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Of course Paddington / Little Venice is not part of South East Waterways, so as a site is out of scope of these proposals.
I think only the most hardened of the London boaters tries to pretend that finding good moorings in central London is never a problem, but the vast majority of the site listed in this consultation acnnot possibly be claimed to fall into the same balanace of "supply versus demand" as exists at places in Central London, can it?
Did you have difficulty tying up in Berkhamsted, if you chose to? Honestly? Genuine difficulty?, (other than the mud!....)
Good point!
No difficulties on the way from Braunston to London, but I wouldn't expect too much of a problem in March. Yes, having had a quick read of the document I can see that it's not dealing with central London as yet but it's clear that these same principles will be applied elsewhere if they work in the South East.
I wouldn't want to put ideas into anyone's head but there is a technical solution to enforcement which would be very cost effective and easy to implement, however it would not really be in line with the ethos of the Inland Waterways. Lets just say that any of my friends can find out exactly where I am at any time.
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Don't know about the intricacies of this but something does need to be done. We've just been down the Grand Union and along the Regents Canal to Camden and back. Very congested around the Little Venice/Paddington area, badly signed and bearing in mind that this is one of the premier destinations it's really not well organised enough.
As someone who is at the other end of the consultation "industry" just organising a petition against it will not really cut much ice, far better to have responded to the consultation. In another sphere (the provision of housing on dry land) I'm very used to hearing that:
1. We don't have the facts
2. We don't listen
3. There's no problem and nothing needs to be done
To give this context, I'm a share boat owner having progressed from hiring and possibly looking to become a CC for a few years on retirement
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Planning to go on to the Thames at Brentford on Monday Evening to go up to Oxford. Just looking at the EA website which is turning yellow and red after a few days of levels dropping. What's the reality behind this? Are we likely to get stuck here? What do folks think?
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Well, made it!
Very busy here and we seem to have secured the last mooring, not sure if its legal or not!
Right at the bottom of Paddington basin outside the M&S cafe.
Planning a cruise up to Camden on Sunday, what's the last place to wind before the locks? Is it Cumberland basin?
Many thanks to everyone for help and advice.
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Planning to go on the Thames at Brentford and make our way up to Oxford. Would love to go on at Limehouse but don't have VHF radio and have a
nervous wife!
I don't suppose anyone is planning to go upstream from Limehouse on Sunday or Monday, 17th and 18th?
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Thanks everyone, much appreciated.
Just North of Ricksmanworth a the moment so hoping to get to London on Friday morning.
Any thoughts about going onto the Thames? The water levels appear to be dropping and it is beginning to look possible again.
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Thanks Scrumpy
Got through just after 2.30
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We are heading down the Grand Union towards London.
Planning on gong down the Regents canal towards Limehouse but not onto the Thames at this point (no VHF radio and nervous better half)
Looking to explore, how far would you go? Cumberland Basin or beyond?
And where can we expect to moor for up to 3 nights (or 2 if 48hr moorings)? We're planning on Little Venice, but will we be able to get in there, even in March?
Would like to be near a tube station.
Then planning to go onto Thames at Brentford and return to Stockton via Thames and Oxford.
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Yes, that's what we're hoping, it would be nice to be able to clear the locks today.
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Had another look up here at lunchtime and got the distinct impression that we might as well have a lie in in the morning! Hoping to be away by tomorrow evening though.
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Not sure if this points already been made?
Most phones and tablet computers, iPads etc, will charge from a USB port. You can get devices to plug into a car cigarette lighter socket with 2 USB sockets in it. I'm not sure what an iPhone draws when it's charging from this but my clamp meter won't register it.
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Am now moored at the Stop House and had a wander up this morning. They seem to be almost finished but naturally enough won't commit to opening early. I did find the boss who was a little more hopeful so I'm hoping to be underway before Friday. Our enforced stay made more bearable by lovely weather and a curry night at the local pub!
Made the mistake of wandering round the marina and saw far too many boats that I would rather like to buy! - One day.
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I can never understand why a business doesn't take credit/debit cards.
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Thanks very much for that info. Looks like I'll be hanging around for a week before a quick dash to London! I was kinda hoping that it might open a bit early, would be grateful for any more info if things change.
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We've booked our share boat, Sunseeker, for the month of March in order to do the Thames Ring. Unfortunately we're being scuppered by 2 lots of stoppages.
We were going to do it anticlockwise but Abingdon lock and Iffley lock are closed until 22nd March. OK, we'll go clockwise instead, but then we'll run into the Braunston stoppage on the first day - we're moored at Stockton Top Marina. Does anyone know how the Braunston work is going? Any chance of it finishing before the scheduled date of 8th March?
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And now I'm up against the Braunston stoppages! Looks like it's just not possible to do the ring in March!
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Oh dear, hadn't spotted those - I'd been looking for stoppages on the Waterscape site. We're cruising during the whole of March so I guess we're now going clockwise! Thanks for spotting that.
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Sorry, I should have said that we are doing it anticlockwise and therefore coming into Oxford from the North. I thought we'd stay on the Oxford and there seem to be some nice moorings on the stretch South East, past Isis lock. it's quite difficult to see the layout actually - the Nicholsons are on the boat - I'm working with canalplan, the Thames Ring Atlas and google maps.
If we moor there then we're going to have to go North again to wind and I think that the winding hole just by the lock is too small for a 58 ft boat?
Then there's the Thames licence. Do we just buy this from the 1st looks keeper on the Thames?
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We are about to have a month on our shared boat Sunseeker and are planning to do the Oxford/Thames/Grand Union ring, with an excursion to Little Venice.
We'd like to stop in Oxford for a couple of nights. Can anyone advise on the best place to moor, for sightseeing?
Thanks
Peter
South East Visitor Mooring Consultation
in General Boating
Posted
We stayed in Berkhamsted last night and it seemed pretty crowded to us. We came through heading North and couldn't work out whether or not we were allowed to moor below the Rising Sun, didn't see any signage there.
Found half a mooring just outside the Crystal Palace ( ie we were on the wharf but half the boat past the sign)
This morning we carried on North and found it still pretty full around the corner.
I think one of the biggest problems is that there seem to be no reliable maps of where moorings actually are. Nicholson's doesn't give any clues and the digital maps don't have them marked properly. I may have missed something but it seems to me that CART could well put maps online of these popular places and clearly mark visitor moorings.