Jump to content

bristol & argo

Member
  • Posts

    349
  • Joined

  • Last visited

Contact Methods

  • Website URL
    http://

Profile Information

  • Occupation
    Engineer
  • Boat Name
    a bath toy named ragdoll, previous owner of woolwiches Bristol and Argo.

Recent Profile Visitors

2,861 profile views

bristol & argo's Achievements

Collaborator

Collaborator (5/12)

0

Reputation

  1. O, err, yes i mean the Pincent Redgrave Rowing Lake. Interestingly Google doesn't appear to have redrawn their map yet for it. And the Thames was still flowing into it on Sunday (pilgrimage to Hamleys and saw the lego Queen). Simon.
  2. I had an early finish yesterday (going home in daylight!!) and saw from the train the Eaton Dorney rowing mile has been filled up by the Thames free flowing into it at the T&K Marina entrance. There won't be any football or rugby happening on the field below Caversham Lock either. Heart was saying the EA Incident Control at Oxford even had to relocate to a drier carpark!! So, there are occations when i don't miss living afloat - just not many. Simon.
  3. My condolences, have you tried canalplan although i don't seem to be able to find the map option just at the moment. 'edit - it's the Virtual Cruise tab after calculating a route' I would check the boats (even for blocked deck drains etc), but i wouldn't plan on going anywhere just yet.. Simon (stuck at a desk with no boats...)
  4. This post cannot be displayed because it is in a forum which requires at least 10 posts to view.
  5. But on long lock free stretches - droping onto a short line gets the butty out of the propwash for a smidgen more speed, the only drawback is both motor and butty steerers need to stay awake and not daydream!!!! Simon.
  6. Is there still a slightly low flat concrete farm access bridge somewhere semmington way? I recall one removing the exhaust stack when we took Bristol to Bath. Otherwise - as mentioned above - the issue is the 'big' arch bridges on the river sections where the current makes it very difficult to go straight down the middle... Simon.
  7. Ah, i guess the K&A has not improved. You have discovered exactly the reason we ended up leaving... I wasn't expecting you to get stuck in Hampstead Marshall, i think the only thing you need to look out for heading west now is the walkway across the inside of crofton lock bottom gates. going down woolhampton - walk the butty down and through the swing bridge leaving her on the bollards, then take the motor through and breast back up on the bollards - where the current through the bridge will help you if you tie the sterns together first. Greenham island services has always charged for water, as they are on a meter, so there is a real cost to them. They used to have an honesty box for anyone doing a splash and dash out of hours. As Mr P says - put Cygnus on cross straps - with her tiller lashed midship, then you only get stuck where the gates are really obstructed. The law of sod says it will always be the one infront of the motor, going down hill, so there is no way to squeeze out. Just don't plan to get anywhere at any particular time, how are you finding the depth? Simon. edit to add - there are people around who can be booked for extra crew. . . . .
  8. When we eventually left the K&A (fed up with bottom gates not opening fully - it's always the one on the motor side), we got stuck breasted; Woolhampton - in the lower lock approach due to the kink in the piling, between the bottom stop plank channels at Newbury Lock (you should fit through with Apache being narrower), in the bottom of the lock above Marsh Benham (again you should be ok with a narrower motor). Sulhampstead Swing Bridge - always gets silted badly from the river so you can't get near the landing stage. Simon.
  9. Well looking out of the train window this morning, Wire Lock looks to be navigable again. . . Simon.
  10. Well there were two Eve Trackway vehicles in Hungerford this morning, so i expect they are collecting the access track to Marsh Lock. However from the train i saw Wire lock has a portable dam across the top and a flurry of activity (and Waterscape now says closed till 30th March). Added hazzards now - the regular canoe time trials running - 25th March its from Devizes to Newbury, so get ready to rock-and-roll on your moorings. . . Simon (now a landbound commuter again).
  11. IIRC the 724 Greenline doesn't go through Uxbridge, and none of the U busses go as far as Rikki. You can get to nearly Coppermill by bus then walk up the towpath. The alternative being the Metropolitan Line via Harrow. We appear to be leaving enough of it running this weekend for your needs. . . . Simon.
  12. anything is allowed - as long as the judges (Adrian and Chris) don't see it!! I was only caught out in the past, assisting with a bow line to the moored boats 'cause the audience grassed us up.... Hopefully we will appear in time for the T-O-W, we now have to commute from Wiltshire rather than Croxley. Simon.
  13. Congratulations, Logistics for us mainly revolved around; somewhere for pre-mum to walk to exercise so she didn't get cabin feaver (that was Marsworth/Star Tops Reservoirs for us), decent height of towpath / bank to get on/off the boats, decent launderette for the modern type of towelling napies (with spinner and decent dryers), a not too muddy towpath for the mid-wife to visit each week. a comfortable papouse so you can still lock-walk, a push-chair with big wheels if you have to - so they don't clog with leaves and twigs in the mud. We didn't have a permanent mooring and it was fine. Simon.
  14. Actually quite a lot of control depending on cross winds affecting the butty. Stopping is much easier if the motor is alot heavyer than the butty, Bristol was fine towing Argo as she was converted and Argo empty, but would you believe it - Argo pulled Victoria's stern around when picking up the tow down at Cavalcade a few years ago now, where-as Bodmin did not. And setting up a fixed rope from butty mast to motor T stud aswell as between the T studs, allows you to breast the bows and then just motor forwards to bring the butty stern back within reach... I would say the quantity or spacing of locks was more defining. On one of my Braunston dashes i was single handed towing from Wolverton station to Stoke Breune with no dramas. Ignoring the 'gates open/closed debate', most locks i tackled breasted with twin lines to open both gates, but the law of sod dictates one line will slip or one gate will not open fully anyway!! The closest i came to this was towing Argo off one answer pin to get her out of the prop wash. We achieved some astonishing speeds along the Paddington Arm with the wind behind us. Absolutely, with a pair you are always learning and chaos is always just round the corner (often the chaos is someone elses, but coming across it with a pair never helps them find a quick solution ). Simon.
  15. Have you checked through this lot of info..itr heat link something there may be usefull. I've now done some reading, try this one and fault find yourself...huricane training manual link Simon.
×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

We have placed cookies on your device to help make this website better. You can adjust your cookie settings, otherwise we'll assume you're okay to continue.