NB Alnwick
-
Posts
6,306 -
Joined
-
Last visited
Content Type
Profiles
Forums
Events
Gallery
Blogs
Store
Posts posted by NB Alnwick
-
-
- Popular Post
- Popular Post
Pram hoods on boats should be banned!
-
6
-
The price of progress! Why is anything that we used to do rather well now regarded as too expensive or too complicated?
For example:
Despite massive opposition from landowners (nothing new there), plans for the original London to Birmingham Railway (now part of the West Coast main line) were approved by Parliament in May 1833 and the line opened throughout on 17 September 1838 - the actual construction works taking less than five years!
With the benefit of modern technology and mechanised earth-moving equipment, HS2 has already taken more than five years to build and as far as I know they haven't laid any significant length of railway track yet. And just look at the mess they are making . . .
-
2
-
-
We used to get our pop delivered by Corona in re-sealable bottles but that was in the good old days when our railways were still British . . .
-
8 minutes ago, Tracy D'arth said:
You never own a Calor cylinder, its not yours to sell.
Well there were two with the boat when we purchased it in 2005 - one could therefore argue that we did buy them as part of the package.
We also hired two more from Calor at the then exhorbitant price of £57.95 each. That said, I have no idea how they managed to multiply over the last 18 years but aftyer many many exchanges, we now have five and only have room for four!
-
Why would you want a IC powered outboard anyway - electricity is the way to go . . .
No connection - just the bl****** obvious!
-
I understand that these items have become scarce but we have acquired a spare one too many.
I know that they go for a premium on eBay and similar auction sites but if any forum member is in desperate need and is willing to collect it from our boat, currently moored at Cropredy Marina, we would happily exchange it for something more useful (like a beer or red wine)!
Please pm me if interested.
-
6 hours ago, cuthound said:
I used to enjoy a pint or two of draught Directors back in the 80's. Sadly it seems only to available in bottles these days and is nothing like the draught.
I worked for Courage when Directors Bitter was still being brewed on the home ground. These days it is brewed by Marstons at the Bedford Brewery previously operated by Charles Wells. Thanks to the wizardry of modern science, clever chemistry, and the right ingredients, a pint of Directors, as served today, tastes exactly the same as it did in the old days. Using a small proportion of my Courage pension, I was able to enjoy an excellent pint of Directors at the Peacock Inn at Tysoe in Warwickshire on Wednesday evening.
A little story about my early years at Courage: We had a management dining room on the first floor of Seven Bridges House (near the River Kennet in Reading's Bridge Street) - the directors had their dining room on the floor above. Although the directors always enjoyed wine with their lunch, those of us in the dining room below only had draught beer. However, a tradition had been established where if one of us happened to be celebrating a birthday during the preceding week, the directors would send down a case (or more) of wine to be consumed with our lunch on Friday. By the time I joined the "manager's mess" there were only about a dozen of us but somehow, we managed to have a birthday every week!
-
2
-
-
Clearly British Waterways had thousands of these stamped out so there must be a firm somewhere who made them.
If that firm still exists, they may be able to make them to the old pattern and it could well be the same firm that CRT currently use.
-
We got caught up when there were severe floods at Worcester in, I think, the Summer of 2007.
We had been on our way to Saul for the 'Folk on the Water Festival' - we had to turn round and head back.
As I recall the water rose about 48 hours after heavy rain had caused flooding above Shrewsbury.
-
23 minutes ago, StephenA said:
Bewdley is showing normal on the EA site, and Barbourne is showing low. However that doesn't mean there isn't a surge coming down from Wales which will take a day or so to arrive
Mid Wales has had some very heavy rain and that means that water levels will rise but there should be more than enough time to get to the safety of Gloucester Docks and the Sharpness Canal
-
2 hours ago, MtB said:
The thing that needs stressing about LBs is hulls are generally quite well made. It's all the fitting out problems that spoiled the boats for many new owners. Leaking windows being a particular problem as the water ingress spoils and stains the interior woodwork on the walls and floors, so fixing the leaks is only half the solution.
On the Collingwood I worked on recently, the leaking calorifier was all boxed in and concealed and the owner only realised there was a problem when water staining started appearing in all the joints in the wood-strip galley floor.
I recall watching, in the company of several other (then) forum members, a Liverpool Boat being lifted off a low-loader and placed in the water at Braunston. It sank slowly to the bottom.
Subsequent investigation revealed that one of the baseplate seams had not been welded!
If anyone is looking for a relatively inexpensive but reliable boat that has been well tried and tested, my advice would be to look for a previously owned ex-hire boat especially one from the long established outfits like Union Canal Carriers or Black Prince - there are many more.
-
1
-
-
Jane and I were discussing this the other day as we passed some very rusty boats tied-up near a well known boat yard on the Coventry Canal.
Is there a breakers yard where end-of-life narrow boats are scrapped? Or do they just go on-and-on forever?
Also, one occasionally sees a boat, usually tied-up on the offside, that is clearly quite derelict and uncared for - sometimes part sunken or with all manner of vegetation rapidly encroaching. I often wonder what has happened to the owner (or if the owner's remains could be still inside?) and what may happen to an obviously abandoned boat?
-
We have lost contact with John. He previously lived on his R W Davis 'Northwich Trader', Sabrina.
Our understanding is that he may have come off the water because of back problems. He did occasionally contribute to this forum and if anyone is in touch with him we would love to know how he is.
-
6 minutes ago, haggis said:
I don't start to raIse or lower a paddle for another boat till I get an ok from the skipper that they are ready for this to be done and that they are happy for me to do it . Ok, folk like Nick get their boat into the lock and into position quickly but not everyone does and I prefer to wait till the skipper is happy . Knowing how Nick dislikes anyone helping I can just imagine his reaction if I just cracked up the paddle 😀
Some skippers want their boat right at the back of the lock, some want it at the front and some the middle and only they know when they are in their preferred position. I would rather wait for an ok than be responsible for a boat bashing gates.
Fortunately, the boaters we meet seem to appreciate this and it also gives them the opportunity to indicate half up etc.
It is their boat in the lock, they dictate what they want to happen
Fair enough - if there is someone on the tiller or holding the rope then one would accept that they are in charge of the boat.
That is very different to someone on the bank or on another boat giving unwanted instructions!
-
32 minutes ago, GUMPY said:
I just wave a blue flag to let them know my intentions🤔
I guess one could hoist a couple of these!
-
My Smartgauge (also purchased from Gibbo in 2007 or thereabouts) expired last year and I replaced it. It had been displaying similar error messages.
I have had no problems with the replacement.
I think that after suffering from 15 years in the engine room it is possible that one of the soldered connections or some other internal component failed.
-
On 12/07/2023 at 21:07, nicknorman said:
Anyway, now that I’ve enjoyed my rant, just to return to my actual beef and deal with all the distractions.
1/ if the steerer intends to stay on the boat, after the gates have closed one can reasonably expect the paddles to be opened. No need for any gesticulatory thumbs up or whatever. If you are not ready, you are incompetent - unless there is some exceptional circumstance
2/ If one is single handing and prefers to get off the boat, then this will be apparent from body language and should be respected.
3/ If you are single handing and stay on the boat and someone else operates the paddles, it is reasonable to expect them to monitor things until everything is stabilised.
There, are we all happy now? My point was really only in relation to 1/.
I am generally in agreement with the above, however this 'thumbs-up' signal is relatively new to me - largely because I am very rarely on the boat when locking up or down. Jane tells me, that when she is on the tiller, some people wait for a signal before operating the paddles and I guess that is OK. That said my own practise is to just get on with what needs to be done as soon as the boat is safely in the right place.
When boating single handed I never stay on the boat in locks preferring to get off and operate the locks myself but assistance from other boaters or volunteers is always most gratefully appreciated.
My original gripe was about the pointing hand signal that, at first, I thought might be an indication that the approaching boat intended to turn left or tie-up on the left. On our last trip I experienced it several times with the steerer of the approaching boat behaving like some sort of umpire. My mother always taught me that it was rude to point and I do think that this pointing gesture is unnecessary and extremely rude.
-
2
-
-
C&RT could learn a few things from the more successful heritage railway organisations - such as setting up a supporting membership group or a separate charity dedicating purely to fundraising.
I certainly think there is room for even more volunteer involvement - if railway volunteers can restore locomotives, rolling stock, stations and bridges then C&RT volunteers could do the same with locks, bridges, towpaths and visitor moorings
-
3
-
-
I sometimes wonder how some boat owners learn their boating skills. I remember that we did a lot of research before we started boating including taking the RYA's 'Inland Waterways Helmsman Course' and spending a time learning from experienced boaters. These forums were also full of advice about best practice, especially to us in those early days.
Another observation is that people I have recently encountered on hire boats do seem to have a much better idea of what they are doing than in past times and are more pleasant to meet than the "angry boaters" that I described in my opening post.
-
2
-
-
When boating on canals I usually steer as close as I can to the centre where the water is likely to be the deepest.
There are several reasons for this, including minimising damage to the canal infrastructure, avoiding getting stuck aground and maximising propulsion efficiency.
When I meet a boat approaching from the opposite direction, I usually move to the right just enough so that our boats pass nicely close to each other without touching or either boat being forced aground. This always works very well and, so far, I have not been involved in any collisions. However, on several occasions lately, I have encountered situations where the person in charge of an approaching boat sounds their horn and gesticulates wildly or points to the bank (on my side) as if to say "get out of my way". One steerer became very angry and told me that I should have "slowed down" for him - in fact I had slowed but clearly, he felt obliged to give me instructions. This angry reaction is something that I do not recall experiencing in the past - usually as I pass boats coming in the opposite direction, we exchange a pleasant wave or a friendly verbal greeting - sometimes providing information such as if there is another boat following etc.
I know that 'Alnwick' is in dire need of a re-paint (which is scheduled for later this year) so I wonder is this pompous attitude is because they see what they perceive as a scruffy boat approaching - or do they expect all boats to keep out of their way?
-
For various reasons, it has been some considerable time since we last enjoyed any decent cruising with 'Alnwick'.
However, we have just returned to our home mooring, after enjoying an extended cruise that included attending the Crick Boat Show and then up through Leicester and back to Cropredy via Loughborough, Shardlow, Fradley and Glascote. The Eastern end of the Trent and Mersey was a challenge mainly because we spent a lot of time stuck and churning up the bottom but also because our propellor was fouled with a bundle of discarded clothing and, for only the second time in eighteen years, I had to resort to getting in the water to clear the prop. Nevertheless, we had an enjoyable cruise.
I understand that, the T & M between Shardlow and Swarkestone was subsequently closed for repairs to a leaking lock but I am sure some appropriate dredging would also help.
-
On 06/05/2023 at 09:09, MtB said:
That sign in trains always used to puzzle me. How would they know who pulled the chain?
I better days there was a mechanical indicator to mark the coach and allow the chain to be re-set. The chain could only be re-set externally by the guard and it would be obvious to the guard in which compartment or seating bay that the chain had been pulled. That said, such 'fines' were very rarely charged.
-
There are pirates and press gangs at Cropredy!
-
We are planning on going again this year - mainly for the social atmosphere and entertainment.
It is surprising to see that moorings are still on offer on the website. In previous years we had to book our moorings at least four months in advance!
What RPM should I be cruising at?
in Boat Handling
Posted
We usually cruise at 180 rpm on canals - less when passing moored craft and anything up to 350 rpm on rivers and estuaries where we have a decent depth of water. That said, I doubt if this is of any help or interest to the OP.