Dav and Pen
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Posts posted by Dav and Pen
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I remember seeing Baldeys wide boat at Gosgrove where the horse had real difficulty as there was hardly a walkable towpath in those days.
Must have a photo somewhere but no chance of finding it quickly.
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I think the thing about watord gap began when the M 1 finished just past the services at Crick. No doubt when the southerners got to the end of the motorway they turned round and went back. For some years the Blue Boar services was the place for the local youths to go on Saturday nights where there was late night food. Sometimes there was even a good fight as well. Anything for entertainment when you live in the sticks.
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22 minutes ago, bizzard said:
Watford Gap, everthing sqeezes through it, the M1, GU and railway.
Not to mention the original route the Watling Street.
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Another company that has 12 berth boats is
www.unioncanalcarriers.co.uk
they have been operating boats for large groups for many years. Before we finished some years ago we ran camping boats taking 12 young people on each boat and we had a contact in Denmark who arranged the trips. We sent a coach to Harwich to collect them and from our base near Derby used to take them towards Stoke on Trent. The Wedgwood museum and the Chatterly Whitfield mining museum where great favorites.
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I believe that if you had a marine mortgage the boat had to be registered and identified with a permanent number usually cut into the hull.
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My parents kept the pub at Ravensthorpe at the end of the 60s and there were some good old boys who used the pub then. In the winter dad used to keep pokers in the fire son they could warm up the stingo nips and bitter. Never heard it called Ravensthrup but it’s possible.
there is a village near us called Eydon.The controversy is wether it’s Edon or Eye don. I always get it wrong.
i was once asked the way to Lye cester.
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As someone born in Northampton 77 years ago and still living in the county it is the Nen to somewhere round about Oundle and then it becomes the Neen in local parlance. Not sure why and it’s annoying for us to hear it referred to as the Neen by bbc local tv whose studio is in Cambridge. BBC radio Northampton gets it right. Years ago Terry Wogan played a request for someone from Hig ham ferrers
cogenhoe is really good one pronounced cookno.
started canoeing on the Nen aged 10. Used to play in the outfall of the power station (now long gone) thought it was like real rapids. Rowed and sailed the cadet forces whaler and jolly boat from an island near Abington lock before graduating to Tankers and then narrowboats.
The place above the last lock on the arm was where bwb had a transshipment shed for the newsprint that use to come plus timber for 2 yards that were near south bridge.
When the current Earl Spencer took over the estate he started calling it Allthrup instead of Allthorpe but he was soon aware that this was not acceptable locally and now refers to it correctly.
local place names are a nightmare all over the country and for strangers trying to ask directions.
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Entrance to the Pouilly en Auxois tunnel Burgundy canal. You can just make out the lights in the roof. It’s 3km long and pretty slow.
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It was said that on entering blisworth the butty’s stove was made up and plenty of smoke was encouraged so that following boats knew somebody would be in the locks ahead. Never tried it as smoke from PD2 was bad enough.
i am now in France and the tunnel on the Burgundy canal is very low with no towpath and originally the barges were pulled through by an electric tug which picked up a chain. Now you can fasten timbers to the front bollards and just rub along
the walls. The best thing in France is the tunnels are all light.
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What concerned me was the pictures of bits of the ceiling falling down on passengers. Sure the ship was rolling about but it was on built in 2017. It has 4 engines and they all failed what on earth could have happened.
As an aside I went to look at a tanker that the company was considering chartering. After a good look round I was concerned about the crew mix. The captain was Russian, the mate Indian, the chief engineer Singapore Chinese. The crew mixture Philpinos and assorted east europeans I asked the captain what common language they would use in an emergency ne said get in lifeboat and F off. We declined to charter it.
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Sorry photo didn’t load
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These were the doors on the Tadworth when we brought her, think they are the transfers bwb used no doubt someone will know.Later Simon Wain painted over them.
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Steve. I know you did the back cabin but didn’t know you did the can was sure it came from Ron. Apologies to all. The one we had when we owned Crane was from Ron as I dealt with it and it’s in the loft at home. The can we had on Tadworth all those years ago was painted by my old friend Graham Palmer of wrg fame who was quite a talented painter.
here in France they don’t seem to go in for ancient folk art on their barges they prefer latest radar, AIS, powered hatch covers and cranes big enough to load the car.
Regards dave
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I knew Ron for many years and lived in Braunston being a drinking friend. it definitely came from Ron when we got Thor and also a dipper. My daughters commissioned them as a gift.
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(This one definitely Ron’s 1983.
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When the numbering system started BWB supplied the index plates free and we were told by no less than Tony Grantham that it was forbidden to paint the numbers on the cabin side so we fixed the plates to the front bulkhead of the engine room as didn’t want them fixed on the cabin sides.
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Those 6ft 10 narrow Freemans where really good boats back in the 60s . The fit out was really nice but like a lot of cruisers at that time they had petrol engines Ford I think.
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What about the “historic” narrowboaters who have British Waterways or FMC on the cabin sides don’t believe these companies are really the owners.
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Some years ago on the L and L stopped at Hole in Wall and the landlady heard me muttering about being feed up with reconstituted chips and took me into the kitchen to see her hand cut chips “ from real potatoes “ . One of the best pie and chips ever.
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I have one of these heaters on board. It came from Hamilton Gas in N. Ireland they would know about spares.
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We meet this coaster below Gainsborough. We had stopped alongside a ship waiting for the tide and the pilot on her said if you go now you will meet the Lizzie B and don’t worry if it’s zig zagging it steer like that. We missed. Done all the rivers and up to Ripon with our 50 footer.
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Film faced ply is an exterior grade ply that has a hard plastic type coating. Afraid I’ve forgotten the word that describes the coating. It is used for shuttering when a good face is required. We used to use it to make mounds for our pre cast concrete products. The best is from Scandinavia but as usual the cheapest is from the Far East.
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I used film faced ply and stuck some foam backed vinyl on the underside to stop condensation. 18 years later still good.
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To comply with certification for plus 20m boats on the continent fuel shut off must be visible and labeled but it is allowed to put fire shut off valves in the fuel lines which would automatically shut off supply in the event of a fire.
BW Orange Paint?
in History & Heritage
Posted
Yes its red lead. When we rubbed down the cabin of Tadworth after getting her from BW the red lead primer was in great condition.
We always used Crown red lead paint, not primer, in the hold and cabin roof it was a very satisfyingly red and stood up well to the coal in winter and camping boating in summer.