Captain Pegg

I’ve steered boats where the rudder movement is limited to a lot less than 90 degrees each way. Yes it would be problematic on full length ex-working boats but no one will be insisting they are modified. Anyway they’re all steered from a safe position, aren’t they?

Was the finish point about 10 years ago. Maybe twice.

GU Birmingham line locks have four (I think) outlets along the length of the opposite wall to the paddle. Hence you only work the side the boat is on when ascending with one boat. Wonderfully controllable locks. Four turns to gently close any gates that have drifted partially open and another four to bring the boat gently against the side. Then the rest. Beware Bascote staircase and Knowle. Different paddle sizes and gearing on those but they work the same way.

Well my first answer of Brownsover was close so I was working north as I’m not aware of anywhere south that’s still in water. I did know the extent of the loop at Brinklow. A-level Geography field study 1987. A good year for all of us Coventrians.

Spoilsport 😀 That was obviously my next guess.

Rounded chines??

It would be nice to think that the fitter of the seats insisted on that modification. @MoominPapa’s suggestion is a good one. Make it safe by design. Earlier today I watching a steerer set off from a lock landing in forward gear and no hands on the tiller. It was at 90 degrees, water all over the place and very little forward or sideways movement until they took hold of the tiller and brought it back to a lesser angle.

Newbold. I’ll get it eventually!

The point of the Challenge is to promote usage of the lesser used sections of the BCN so asking every boat to navigate for 25% of the available time on a canal that’s used by lots of boats every day isn’t going to achieve that aim. It would also be very limiting on where boats could get to in the 24 hours. The outlying places on well used canals - Fazeley, Aldersley and Delph - are only available as starting locations. I think similar applies to Wolverhampton Boat Club even though the facilities themselves would be suitable.

One of the by-passed sections of the north Oxford? Fits with the 200 years. Brownsover?

The point about the finishing bonus is an interesting one. The BCNS encourages boaters to take the six hour break. However it isn’t absolutely mandatory. So perhaps the bonus should only apply to those boats that take at least 6 hours break and arrive at the finish by 1400. I don’t think the BCLM is a suitable finishing location. The museum is unlikely to let ordinary leisure boats gather in the arm, and what would happen after 1700ish when the museum closes? Perhaps the tug gathering has a solution to that issue. The CRT moorings are generally full of other boats and I don’t think the BCNS would favour pushing them out since they are visitors to the attractions. The DC&TT area is generally full of their own boats. Ending at a location where boats can be left on secure moorings is a good suggestion. Start location is as convenient as it ever could be since you can start anywhere on the BCN including Fazeley Junction; a place at which the event will never finish.

Yeah, but is it the tug or the butty that draws a bit more than 2’? (Me thinks the tug). ETA - I realised your choice of words was probably ironic so how much do you think Governor draws?

What do you think is different in particular about T&M, Oxford and S&W locks where this forward pull occurs and say BCN and W&B locks where it doesn’t?

I’ve just tried to put Vulpes’ nose into the reeds on the offside at the widest part and failed by a few feet. Got stuck on the bottom and needed a lot of revs to get it back off.

I’m glad it’s not just me. I’ll be on that stretch tomorrow. I’m much much more familiar with the locks south of Great Haywood that do suffer that characteristic. I’ll see what happens in various positions as I know you can avoid the pull by staying back on S&W locks. Length of the boat is a factor.