mykaskin

As an aside - there is a useful tool for downloading iplayer content (without any DRM): https://github.com/get-iplayer/get_iplayer

Having a deep drafted historic boat, and now dragging a butty around makes it somewhat harder to moor up. The butty is deeper than some modern narrowboats, so end up needing to push a lot of water out of the way. Going astern on the motor to bring the pair to a stop easily ends up pushing you back out, even if someone has managed to get off the front. Sometimes, it's possible to jump ashore before the whole lot gets pushed out again. When mooring with the motor alongside the bank, especially at lock landings, having the boat moving slowly forward and strapping with the back end rail line works a treat. When there is no such luxury, I've often found it's easier to reverse into a spot. The forward thrust to bring the boats to a stop help suck the boats into the bank better. Obviously, every mooring is going to be different, so size it up on a time by time basis.

Ship canal from Flixstowe to DIRFT - could be commercially viable, and provide a link from the main canal systems to the Broads and Ouse and GU. Also a convient link to the Grand Contour Canal (my 2nd suggestion). Suggestion the third, River Trent improvements to get 1000 tonne coasters upto the M1 at Sawley. Again low cost, envirmonmentally friendly, and possibly commercially viable also! A more wild one: A link between the Derwent/Pocky Canal, going via the Market Weighton Canal, and through to the River Hull would be interesting, and useful. To say I've thought about this before would be an understatement...

I met Jim and Annie on Elizabeth when I first got Victoria - I was breaking the ice back south along the GU and they followed. Then met up again at Ellesmere Port that Easter and became good friends. Elizabeth is a very interesting boat, and I do hope it goes to a good owner.

It's a embedded youtube player with a large preview image. This is the direct link: YouTube clicky Cheers, Mike

You'll find with a lot of fresh coming down the incoming tide at Stockwith will be quite gentle, and the outgoing flow will be quite fierce I'd say. To give you an idea of a flooded tidal trent at that end watch this video about 2 mins in: Cheers, Mike

You don't get Aegirs when there is so much fresh in the river, you're lucky to get any upward flow and certainly not above Owston Ferry.

My money is on: https://www.google.com/maps/@52.5642076,-1.0670117,3a,15y,81.19h,88.48t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sMdfi85M5Yi5yMbz3VIV8Gw!2e0!7i13312!8i6656 Newton Middle Lock: https://canalplan.eu/place/ro8g Mike

Enjoy a drone trip around the Pontcysyllte Aqueduct: Pontcysyllte Aqueduct Youtube Clicky

There wasn't much still water, and the back of the boat was in the main stream. I have a video from the bank too, which I keep meaning to edit together with this one. You can see my Dad has a much easier job with 50 foot modern boat. I later had to do the same turn mostly loaded on a much bigger tide, but without a winch it wasn't going to happen, so had to wait for the tide to finish running so hard.

Last time I went that way I turned Victoria just above the lock, went ahead to get some speed through the water, and ferry glided the boat towards the lock turning full into it just before reaching it to get the boat pointing in the right direction. It's a little more problematic with an empty motor as the stern is deep in the water so catches the flow where the front isn't. but it does swing easier. Selby is an easy lock compared with Stockwith on a raising tide. Mike

Don't get me started on whats wrong with it - in fact it's easier to say what is right, and that is that it floats!

It's a poor quality copy of a royalty boat, and 'borrowed' a name from the fleet. Fake rivets on a swim? That tells you all you need to know! Mike

Surely it's unlikely to weigh any more than two narrowboats? Just because it looks big, doesn't mean it displaces more water. Most of the interia of a widebeam is open air!

Multiple gates can cause confusion as to which part of the lock is going to be used: