Wanderer Vagabond
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Posts posted by Wanderer Vagabond
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11 hours ago, gatekrash said:
You mean like this.
Mrs G uses the same. No properly made cushions, just a generic one with ties that have a couple of neodymium magnets on to stop it blowing away. Also functions as a backrest if sat on the cockpit seat.
Our tiller is also quite high. I tend to steer with it tucked under my arm, or occasionally perch on the shelf opposite where she's sat (no cushion for me though). For some reason, despite being right handed I really find steering with my right arm uncomfortable.
That tends to be my method too. Tiller tucked under right arm, hands in pockets and minor direction changes by simply leaning slightly one way or the other,bliss
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3 hours ago, LadyG said:
I was on rhe river last year, hot day, I passed close to a derelict jetty, there was a group of friends in costumes, possibly thinking about swimming. Under the surface I could see derelict structures which would have caused panic if they were swimming and potential fatalities if they dived in.
I will confess that in 2020, the year of the pandemic and most swimming pools were shut, I took a swim in the River Great Ouse at Ely. It was mid July (27th if anyone needs to know
) but by then the temperature of the river had risen somewhat and it was, in fact, quite a pleasant swim although I was careful about entry to the water, diving into water that you don't know is highly ill advised. By contrast back in May 2009 I was part of a crew (deck monkey
) taking part in offshore racing in the English Channel off Swanage. It was a hot day and the wind dropped to the degree that the race was abandoned so someone suggested we should have a swim before heading back to port. Being a few years younger (and dafter) we agreed and after putting the stern ladder down (yes, we'd seen the film 'Open Water') jumped in. I have never been so fast in getting back out of the water, it was icy and I can see how cold water shock can cause such problems.
To bring things more up to date, I was moored in Wolverhampton last night, opposite the Broad Street basin when a very drunk young woman (fortunately with a sensible couple of friends with her) came down to the canal by the bridge, looking to all intents and purposes as though she was intending to take a dip. I wouldn't like to guess the outcome if she had done, but I suspect it wouldn't have ended well. I was painting the back of the boat at the time but thought if she goes in and starts drowning (the water is about 3feet deep here I would guess) I could see me grabbing a life belt and a rope and unwillingly going into the canal myself (have you seen how many rats there are?
). Whilst drowning is perfectly possible, my main concern would be Weil's Disease.
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3 hours ago, Arthur Marshall said:
Singlehanding, I always tie my boat up in a lock. Otherwise it crashes about like a wild thing and the fridge stops working. And very often the bollards are in such daft places (for my length boat anyway) that tying it to a lock ladder is the only sane solution. I wish it wasn't, but there it is.
All that matters is that you leave a safe length of loose rope.
I would agree about it 'crashing about like a wild thing' but what I always do is secure my boat in the lock, never tying it up. My method of lock operation (going down when most things that can go wrong, do
) is I come into the lock on tickover and as soon as the boat bows are into the lock, step off with my centre line and strap the boat to a stop on the bollard nearest to the top gate before the boat reaches the bottom gate. The reason for this is because once going into Ryders Green top lock under power, when I came to put it into reverse to stop the boat a load of plastic wrapped around the prop and suddenly I'd got no 'brakes' so hit the bottom gates a lot harder that I would want to, doesn't happen if you strap the boat to a stop. I close the top gate and then take the same centre line to the bollard by the bottom gate and pull the boat tight up against the gate. What this means is with the boat tight up against the gate there is no prospect of it being drawn onto the gate and hitting it with any momentum. Empty lock and no dramas. Going up I once again use the centre line to pull the boat up tight to the cill using the bollard by the top gate (assuming that water isn't cascading down through the gate). Once again, with the boat pulled tight against the cill/gate there is no prospect of it hitting it with any momentum.
This isn't to say that sometime things go wrong; a couple of days ago using the above method as the boat went down in the lock I'd only got one 'bight' around the bollard and for what (to me) was some inexplicable reason the boat was being drawn towards the top and away from the bottom gate where I was valiantly trying to hold it. At this point, as I couldn't figure out what was going on, I called for all paddles to be shut, but even with that I still couldn't hold the boat and it went backwards into the top cill with some momentum (fortunately all taken by the rear button and not the rudder). Turned out that the problem was caused by one of the top paddles still being open which, as the lock emptied, created a 'swirl' within the lock dragging the boat towards the top gate. Fortunately no damage done either to the boat or the infrastructure.
All of the above relate to narrow locks, broad locks are a whole different ball park.
Should also add that this is just my way of doing things, other options are available
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19 hours ago, Arthur Marshall said:
As I understand it, the navigation was only closed because cars driving over the bridge were causing more damage , so if there are no cars, there should be no stoppage. I await the Vagabond's report with bated breath...
Passed under Nanney's Bridge (bridge 8 )lunchtime today, no issues whatsoever. There are workmen on the bridge and scaffolding, but no sign of canal closure nor any sign that there ever was. Without signage on the canal itself I don't see how it could be closed since, having spoken to a few hire/share boaters on the way down, some were totally unaware of any problem there so if there wasn't a sign telling them the navigation was closed they wouldn't know (they just rely on what the boatyard may tell them, they weren't checking the CRT website). So with a high level of confidence I'd say just 'come on down'
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20 minutes ago, Stroudwater1 said:
Yes the problem is that there are road closed sign contractors who put the road closed signs up well in advance of any roadworks, sometimes even getting sittings wrong or ignoring the roadworks timings have changed. The sensible thing would be for the repairers to be the ones to turn them the right way round when working and tuck into hedgerows when not. Even better would be a facility to alert satnav apps when roads really are shut.
So understandably motorists know the road is not actually closed for 75% of the time so rather than face a long detour go through. Then there’s the question of does the road really need full closure which much of the time it doesn’t.
So I guess that’s why Road closed signs are ignored.
Looking at the relevant roads on Google mapping, it isn't really a case of any 'long detour'. If someone were going from Reaseheath or Beambridge to Winsford (the closed road is Winsford Road) it would actually be quicker to via the B5074 through Church Minshull. What I suspect is happening is that people are following their Satnavs and if the route is blocked in this way think is simply easier to move the barriers. There are a variety of ways around this obstruction for a motorist which I why I said they should put a couple of 1 tonne builders bags of sand blocking the road along with the normal barriers. For boaters there is no other way around.
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Just now, Arthur Marshall said:
No idea whether this means the canal is physically closed or not. Which is a nuisance as that's where I'm heading...
Update 20 May 2026, 3:43pm
Our teams have reinstalled the barriers at Bridge 8, Nanney's Bridge, to prevent road traffic from using the bridge and have put diversion routes in place.
Initial inspections have now been completed, and the team are now on site carrying out repairs to the damaged bridge.
A further update will be provided on or before Friday, 22 May.Currently on the Middlewich Arm and intending to get through Nanney's Bridge tomorrow as it's only 6 miles away. I spoke to a boater coming from that direction into Wardle Lock as I passed through and her comment was,"The bridge is fine, they are working on it at the moment but the closure is just a rumour". I'll let you know tomorrow if there is any truth in this 'rumour'
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1 hour ago, IanD said:
Where are you now?
Wheelock, where the customer adviser from CRT sent me an e-mail telling that there isn't an Elsan point here, that'll be the Elsan point into which I emptied our 2 full cassettes earlier today
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10 minutes ago, IanD said:
Kidsgrove was fine, the natives were friendly when we went out to explore -- we ended up moored at Red Bull VM, couldn't get in closer to the junction.
Yes, we stopped off at Red Bull Services intending to use the Elsan point, which turned out to have an 'Out of Use' notice on it (with no mention that I could find on the CRT website
)
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On 17/05/2026 at 08:34, IanD said:
Probably not, plan to stop in Etruria tonight and go through Harecastle in the open booking period on Monday, moor at Kidsgrove then up the Macc on Tuesday.....
Out of curiosity, how was Kidsgrove? It had a bit of a reputation a few years back for free-ranging feral kids causing problems, I thought that period had passed......until. I stopped off at the Lidl just the north side of the tunnel coming through and was listening to one of the cashiers relating recent events in the shop. Apparently a group of feral youth had come into the store, shoplifted like there was no tomorrow and when staff then tried to throw them out, started throwing bricks at the place from the car park. On the other hand there was a small boat called 'Bowt' moored there with no-one aboard and looking undamaged, so as with many of these things, sometimes you're lucky, sometimes you're not and sometimes it's just an urban myth.
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9 hours ago, Creaking Gate said:
I fell int he canal at Wheaton Aston, in wintertime. Its was around 4-5ft deep, and i can tell you that i would have no way been able to get out on my own. The cold sucked my energy totally. Luckily i was accompanied and they pulled me out. The weight of my clothes and jacket fully soaked was mindboggling.
Based on my experience, i'd say drowning in 3ft, with a muddy silty bottom is very possible in the cold.
I would also suggest that if one cannot swim, 3ft of water is plenty deep enough to drown in, even without the cold. As you try to wade across to the side and slip in the muddy silty bottom, trip over a car tyre or shopping trolley and go under panic will soon do the rest.
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4 hours ago, Corixa said:
We have been trough it twice this morning. Scaffolding was being erected earlier, then when we returned after winding around 12:00 there was nobody there and no signs to say the navigation was closed.
Which is kind of silly, if there is a danger of vehicles coming off the road through the parapet, why are they scaffolding before installing a proper road closure. All they need are 2 x 1 tonne builders bags of sand placed centre of the carriageway either side of the bridge along with lesser barriers and warning signs and, surely, the job's a good 'un. We are still heading that way, expecting to get there Wedn esday or Thursday (depending on weather), I hope it is on one of the 'open' days
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7 minutes ago, MtB said:
I can remember doing the same as a teenager. Being the awkward type I liked to get out of a pool other than by the ladder or steps etc. Reaching up and pulling oneself up onto a ledge seemed easier if the ledge was higher than water level, as one's arms would be out straight and some momentum could be had with a hard pull.
I've still got that 'teenager' inside who thinks he can still do that sort of thing
the effect was rather lost however when some young sprog on the side of the pool said, rather loudly,"You look like a seal coming ashore". I was going to say,"Would you like a slap little boy?" but thought better of it
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4 hours ago, IanD said:
Yes, we set off just before noon, now moored at Stone -- were you on board your boat in the marina?
Saw the Bosley warning (boat cilled in Lock 12), not too worried about it since we're not going through until Tuesday... 🙂
I would guess you'll be coming past us at Westport Park, Stoke on Trent then if you are heading up the Macc. We're here until Monday as we've booked the 9.00am slot through Harecastle.
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1 minute ago, Alan de Enfield said:
Well, if the boat has been built in compliance with the RCD it must have a practical and usable means of unaided boarding, (from the water).
Apparently seveveral PCA surveyors have suggested that the 'welded tab' is insufficient to comply, suggestion being there should be tabs welded on the rudder, giving 'steps'.
It is very diffficult to be in the water and try to get your foot up the the surface level and get a foot onto the top of the rudder.
Back during lockdown I went swimming in the Great Ouse at Ely (all swimming pools except Jesus Green Lido at Cambridge were shut). Getting back out wasn't too problematical, although I'd had the opportunity to work out how I was going to get out before I got in. When I finished swimming I then stood on the skeg in front of the rudder, then climbed up onto the rudder and finally onto the back button before getting onto the back deck. I'm not saying it was dignified, but it worked
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4 minutes ago, MtB said:
As a single hander I find myself thinking this all the time I'm boating. Especially on sections of canal with piling edges. Even 12" of piling above the waterline might be difficult but then I imagine trying to get the boat into the side and with 3ft draught, I often can't. Even so, getting up onto the bank from 3ft of water plus a foot or two height of piling may well prove impossible.
I think the best way is to go the the back of the boat, reach up and grab the base of the tiller/swan neck and climb up the skeg and rudder. But this only works if you fell in with the boat out of gear.
Whilst I accept that it probably sounds a bit counter-intuitive but on my 'training' sessions getting out of the swimming pool onto the side without using the ladder, I often make a bigger mess of it when it is a pool where the water is level with the side. Swimming to the side, catching hold of it and hauling myself up (usually in the deep end) onto my elbows and then clambering out seems to work better when the side is 6 - 9 inches above the water level. Don't ask for an explanation 'cos I haven't got one, it just seems that is the case🤔.
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On 14/05/2026 at 14:16, Pikecatcher said:
I know that. I was talking about the logic of it, like why don't they just stand up.
The problem is that if you cannot swim, 3 feet of water is plenty enough to drown in. You start wading towards the side and trip over a shopping trolley and go under, for a non-swimmer that is enough of a shock to start total panic, particularly if they ingest a mouthful/lungful of water. As others have identified panic is the main killer when drowning, logic doesn't enter into it.
Anecdotally I was at a lock, I can't remember which canal but it must have been a broad lock, when a little old lady (about 75 years) came up and asked for me to wait for her husband who was coming up in a boat behind us (I'd already seen him and was waiting anyway). She lent forward so that she could see under the bridge below the bottom gates to wave to her husband to indicate we were holding the lock for him. She then lost her balance and pitched head first into the lock entrance. Fortunately she was wearing an automatic lifejacket that inflated immediately. My first question to her was,"Can you stand up?" but no matter how many times I tried, it just wasn't registering with her, she continued to splash around (although safely supported by the lifejacket). Getting her back out of the water was a whole different issue. Being quite elderly when I tried to pull her up by her arms, she screamed in pain, so that idea was out. Much the same when a couple of others came along to try to assist (it was about 15 - 18 inches down to the water). We eventually got her out when I utilised a tarpaulin that I had on the boat roof covering a tandem that we had. Two of us on each end, allowed the tarpaulin to sink beneath her then hauled her out on what was essentially a 'hammock'. It is a method also used in sailing utilising the sails. The big issue is always how to get out of the canal, I try to 'train' for this every time I go swimming (once a week) by always getting out of the pool without using the ladder. Whether it would be as effective getting out of a cold canal having swallowed a load of canal water is subject to debate, but as long as the side is no more than about 9 inches I think I probably/possibly can.
On a slight tangent, for those who know the Staffs & Worcs above Autherley Junction, there is a narrow section near to Fordhouses Park where, whenever I have gone along there I've thought,"If someone fell in here, how on earth would they get out again?" the embankments are sheer and about 3 feet high. The section is about 400 metres long and the only way I could see for getting out would be to wade to the end, but then I don't know how deep it is, you might need to swim.
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5 minutes ago, Arthur Marshall said:
As commented a few times above, it looks as if there's no problem boating through whether CRT say it's open or shut, presumably as overhead traffic might make the bridge fall on you, which strikes me as unlikely. It's just CRT covering themselves if it does. Barriers on the road don't affect the canal.
I'm on my way there next weekend, too. I'm quite looking forward to the trip as, following my heart attack, my wife won't let me do any locks... I may have to invest in a Captain's hat so I can sit smugly on the back while she does all the work. I believe it's compulsory when you're wearing one to tell her loudly why she's doing it all wrong, too.
You really like to live dangerously don't you?
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4 hours ago, Arthur Marshall said:
It appears the car drivers are moving whatever barriers CRT are installing, presumably because they think it's safe so CRT closes the navigation in case a car falls on our heads or knocks more off the bridge. It appears to be safe to go through as long as no cars are about. Possibly an overreaction from CRT...
Have to say that I'm kind of puzzled on this one. CRT don't have the authority to close the road, which is what they seem to be doing (and have done again) but all they need to do is apply for a statutory Emergency Road Closure Order (have they done this?). Once they've done this they can block the road with builder's bags full of sand if they want to, and motorists will have a job moving them out of the way.
From a personal perspective I'd like to know whether the canal is open or shut since my current route takes me through there next week (Thursday?) so if it is open it needs to stay that way.
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From my trip up the Trent a while back I'd say you'll have no problem getting from Keady to West Stockwith on the tide, we timed it perfectly and went in on slack water, easiest turn possible (call up the lock-keeper when you are about a mile away/20minutes and ask whether the tide is still flooding). Similarly from West Stockwith to Torksey. Where we 'ran out of tide' was between Torksey and Cromwell Lock, the tide had turned before we reached it so pushed into the ebb tide for about half an hour.
What I could never get my head around was why the tide on the Trent floods for 2 hours and ebbs for 8 hours, what happened to the 1/12ths rule??
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Just as a casual observation, if the OP's request is complied with surely this thread itself will no longer make any sense
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I think the favoured comment regarding these situations is,"This isn't an airport, you don't have to announce your departure"
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On 05/04/2026 at 09:45, nicknorman said:
As an aside when my mate’s boat was hard to start, the local boatyard mechanic (no names!) said “there aren’t any glow plugs” (he couldn’t find them) and proposed removing the head to drill and install glow plugs. Fortunately further research by my mate and I think comment from RLWP IIRC, it transpired that there were already glow plugs, but tucked away under the inlet manifold… And it was just the timer relay that was the problem.
Think I'm with you about the glow plugs, given the description of the problem. The OP says that once the engine has fired up, all is well whereas I would have thought that with all this talk of tappets, etc. it would have run like a bag of nails until it had warmed up. The description of the problem reminds me of an old Bedford truck I once had the 'pleasure' of driving which had duff glow plugs. It was necessary wind the engine for ages, (whilst pumping out white unburnt diesel smoke into the warehouse) before the bl**dy thing would fire up, but once it did so everything was fine.
Just as an aside, I also have a Lister LPW4 with just shy of 10,000 hours on the 'clock' and fortunately haven't experienced this problem.......yet (touch wood).
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Have to say when it comes to 'unlucky holidays' you are something of an amateur
. I have a cousin with whom we always check where she is going for her hols and make d*mn sure we are nowhere near her. Her first claim to fame was a Christmas trip to Sri Lanka in 2004, that didn't end well 
.She took another winter (February) 'holiday' in New Zealand around the Christchurch area in 2011, she has had a variety of slightly lesser disasters but at least she can say her holidays aren't boring! This year she spent the winter in Tenerife (75mph winds and snow).
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1 hour ago, cheesegas said:
The MAIB incident I linked to has the solid fuel stove as the likely cause - I'd expect this is the case for quite a few fires.
I'm not sure I'm convinced of that. In the link you gave it stated that the stove had not been installed in accordance to the manufacturers recommendations so was faulty from the start. A properly used and installed stove is unlikely to randomly start a fire. The 'favourite' means of starting home fires often involves cooking (usually with fat or oil) and I don't see narrowboats being much different. With the gas system on narrowboats I would suppose that a gas regulator failure could also have dramatic consequences. The next most likely area would be in the engine compartment with either an overheating engine or a short of some sort on the battery system.
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9 hours ago, blackrose said:
So can you smell smoke and react quickly when you're in a deep sleep?:
I have 2 different smoke alarms on my boat, optical and ionisation and I never get false alarms unless I burn toast or something else in the kitchen.
Which is rather my point. I'm also working on the assumption that a fire on the boat will also generate CO which will activate the CO alarm directly above my bed (and another one 10 feet away at the front of the boat). Looking at the principal causes of boat fires engine overheating, fuel system issues, and electrical system failures, the only one likely to happen overnight is electrical, and pretty much everything is switched off overnight.
"Canal Boat Diaries".....chimney bashing??
in General Boating
Posted
Genuine question but is this AI making things up again? It is 2017 since I went through Standedge Tunnel but I thought that they stopped using electric tugs back in 2009 (I certainly don't remember any when I passed through). Have they re-introduced them? were they always there and I just missed them? or is AI talking bullox???