mykaskin

Hi all, just seen this thread. I’ve only been through The Bratch once, so probably not me. Suttons seems to separate the men from the boys somehow, not quite sure why but the trick is to take it wide and slow - at least to start with! Here is the bollard in action with a loaded motor: Working Boatmans (boatwomans) way of getting around Suttons and I’ve managed to stuff it up before, mind you with the canal off 8 inches and loaded to 3’4” I managed to find the remnants of the carpets the boatmen use to chuck in to make it harder for people to get around! Victoria at Hawksbury Junction - Gravel Run 2010 Cheers, Mike ps. I’m usually filming unless it’s me standing on the back in which case it’s someone else filming if off the boat!

Yes I change my vote to Kegworth as there is a weir stream on the right I didn’t really notice!

The ‘old’ Ratcliffe Lock?

Yep, thats right. And to prove you can get a boat there:

I've got an interesting one - you can get a narrowboat to it: Though it does get a bit shallow after this.

Yes, just book Marsh lock - don't need to inform the MSC as you are not going on it. Just becareful with the marks to keep in the channel. Ah Witton Brook - of course - Dingy Dawdle's have been that way I think?

Knew this one instantly, thought there was a barrier stopping larger boats getting down there now, but we visited on our visit to the Weaver in 1998, and I also took Victoria to the lock 10 years back: Would this be up the Saltersford 'Weir' stream? I'm guessing from the amount of trees you didn't get too far!

I believe Lawrence paid to get them scanned in and then printed so the prints were LHP copyright - judge legal implications yourself. Victoria is quite rocky and rolly thanks to the curved chines. Also behaves differently on the silt, it doesn’t stick like hard-chined boats so you can’t use that to help you round the corners. Rocket Ron tried when taking the boat round the ladder bridge turn and it slipped straight back off again!

Locks and Quays Locks & Quays - Coast to Coast - Part 1 Yorkshire - 1980 is 2008 not 1980 BTW @Tim Lewis.

I don’t believe anything has changed in the last 20 years so that’s interesting news. One of the trustees have been looking into the historic sale of Wansford bridge and it was suggested some part of the canal was also sold either side of it, however of course there would still be a right to navigate it provided by the original act. it is the last major stumbling block to getting larger vessels up the canal with all the locks now working and the channel otherwise majorly impeded. of course the bridge was originally a swing bridge so replacement of the fixed bridge with a moving bridge shouldn’t be the issue here, though with modern traffic considerations brings its own extra problems and expenses. Cheers, Mike.

[quote]I've currently got 4375 locks/ Stop locks / tidal gates & doors located in the UK on my list and I still believe that I don't have them all ! I found another one only last night ! Also looking at another post of yours I see at least 2 or 3 more proposed and I've still not added BMK link into my list of 181 proposed locks [\quote] if you want another two, both Snakeholme and Struncheon Hill locks are actually staircase locks to aide when the tide was low to get over the bottom cill.

Yeah, I've seen them, they are also linked on Wikipedia. Also of interest is the discussions (known as Hansards) available here: https://hansard.parliament.uk/

I've read many times about the continued and often difficult navigation of canals to keep them open, stopping the powers that be closing them for good. However what legal standing did this have, and if a canal was closed did an act of parliament have to be created or is there any easier way to close a navigation (other than letting it fall apart on it's own)? Just so that you know where I'm coming from, I'm trying to assertain if the 1767 'Act for improving the Navigation of the River Hull and Frodingham Beck, from Ake Beck Mouth, to the Clough on the East Corner of Fisholme; and for extending the said Navigation from the said Clough, into or near the Town of Great Driffield, in the East Riding of the County of York.' and further amendments are still in force for it's full length of navigation. Cheers, Mike

If there is only one of them, I saw it at Harkers on the bank about 4 years ago.

Looks very likely, and looking at an old map, shows loads of Chimneys, the River also matches when viewed from the road on Google Maps.

Yes, just one pilot. As to fitting 100 boats in a ship lock, watch:

Went with a pilot, done it a couple of times and so long as the weather is working with you, and not against you should be fine. I'd recommend a pilot in case you need to avoid the local shipping.

And now I know why boat insurance is so expensive... so many mistakes he was very lucky not to end up needing to be rescued by the not very well trained rescue workers (fire brigade?) - don't they teach them about boats?

Thats going back some time before the 'new' gates were installed. It think there were paddles on them, but not worth operating as you say.

If you look at the size of the people in the original image, it looks more like a GU sized lock like the originals. Here is a great photo showing both sized locks, and you can see the originals gates were made exactly like the OP's photo. My guess since this is obviously a new lock dated as 1913 that a temporary old sized lock was needed probably due to changes in water levels when they were building the barge canal. Found it - known as Junction lock - was temporary:

If Chiswick, it was maybe rain water in the bildges, or perhaps a water tank leak. Large amounts of money was spent getting it sorted after the Soar gravel at Stockton - no money spared. The JP2 was spot on 5-6 years ago, I don't suppose it's had a huge amount of use since. The oil in the engine bildge is probably mostly water with oil on top, Listers often leak a bit of oil and if not cleared up can build up. There might be water coming through the engine room cabin top, or from an improperley lubricated prop shaft. My only dealing was knowing one of the previous owners, and so know some of it's history. Probably just needs a bit of proper TLC, but as always get a survey... Don't load it with too much coal, as it's very tippy!

Been sold by Rothens to a private buyer. Not sure their plans for it

Royalty boats are 71.5 feet (presumably 72 with the rudder - but I've never actually run a tape measure over Victoria). I've yet to get stopped due to length, but I haven't been up the Crow, where I understand full length boats need to come down backwards. interestingly they were made to 6 foot 11 inches wide (Victoria still is this width at the back bulk head widest point), as I guess they were worried about width issues even then. Obviously they weren't worried about depth too much at 3 foot 3 inch depth from skeg to uxter, and a 5 foot hold depth! Canal dimensions also include bridge 'ole limitations, and while as far as I know a Leeds and Liverpool short boats can run all the way through London (and a breast GU pair), it doesn't mean when the limits list was made they could. Mike

Yes thats right, and the Queens Dock Princes Dock and Humber Dock all linked together, but it was not a navigation.

It's still got the 'Victoria Dock Branch' which never existed (though the dock did connect to the River Hull at that point)