mykaskin

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

All the levels on the GU quite adequate from Braunston to Berko, but levels around Dudswell Locks could have been better thanks to replacement new lock gates at Cowroast not letting a flow of water down to overcome losses on other locks further down.

I happened to be filming in Braunston Tunnel yesterday, when I found myself coming to a bit of a stop. The wiggle got us! Click for the fun and games! I don't like them wiggles, they jump out of nowhere Cheers, Mike

Long-lining (proper) is only used on flights, where the line goes between locks. What was probably meant is that they were using a long line to tow the butty into the lock from the motor. If so it's possible to drop the line and let another boat through, but it then involves moving the motor boat out of the way, getting the other boat in, and then reversing the motor back into the lock mouth. By the time this has happened you could have got the butty through anyway. They would know (hopefully) which locks leaked, or which sections were river fed. Anything lower than Sewer Lock usually has plenty of water, though I try and shut the locks that only go up to a non-fed section. In a perfect world, with all gates shut, all locks should fill, as the top weir on these locks is set into the ground paddles, and then into the locks. However where the bottom gates leak badly this doesn't happen. There are a couple of examples where locks do leak so badly at the top (and this needs more local knowledge than most have) so it's not possible to assume bottom gates can always be left open.

I nearly always slack off when passing boats, so good to know it was common practice. A pity that others don't, it drags the butty around as they pass, pulling it forward, so I often put the power on again just as they are passing to try and counter act it. I've seen the Port Revel stuff, not seen this one I don't think. I've always dreamed of sizing these up to narrow boat sort of dimensions then you could have some fun on the canals with them too - though the bigger ones are probably not far off. However when you think the power to weight ratio would be less then a fully loaded Victoria with the JP barely turning... Mike

Well indeed, and not knowing the full details I can't say how much was down to handling or awareness. I think while it might be taught, it's only people who deal with it on a constant basis (like that found on confined waters like the Humber and Trent) that tend to deal with the effects on a regular enough basis to be able to expect them, and deal with them without even thinking. Knowing something doesn't always mean you can deal with it when it happens. Victoria is always in a state of sucking herself up the bank on most canals. Even on the Aire and Calder you could see the water dropping at the bank side a little!

From what I gather from comments on the 'net about incidents where these effects were a factor - it seems that the masters weren't aware of it - especially in confined waters - the ship squats more in a confined channel, and other effects like getting sucked towards the bank if you get to close to it seem to evade even regular users of such waters. ps. Canal boaters have been aware of it for over a century!

Squat as they call it on ships is a relatively new phenomenon to the captains and pilots of such vessels. They don't understand close water interactions like canal folk do. It is sometimes used to get under low bridges believe it or not!

I think he just means for the posed photograph as shown.

This video should give you an idea of what it can be like: Most of the narrow boat splashing happens later in the video. It's rare for it to be any worse than this, and most waves will be momentary and not constant. Get your crew member to check the front now and again to ensure there isn't any issues with water ingress as you go along. Cheers, Mike

Richard Horne - a member of the Commercial Boat Owner Association CBOA - does his best to get commercial contracts for the boat, and has had a few one off loads over the last few years. As you said however, it's usually a publicity stunt but at least hopefully it will make people think about water transport. More than you'd give credit for in London at the moment - though mostly maintenance/building type loads plus the Camden Market rubbish traffic to Powerdays.

So long as the front doors are raised above the well deck, I think you would be really unlucky to ship enough water that the scuppers can't clear. Usually they are in a place where the bow wave is at it's lowest any way if you're lucky. Mike

Hi everybody! For those that like these things, I've put together a playlist of the tug of war pulls I filmed at Rickmansworth Festival last weekend, here: Youtube Playlist Clicky Cheers, Mike

Long Lining is almost a forgotten art. It's difficult, dangerous, and usually only any real use on close lock flights with a loaded butty. Here The Narrow Boat Trust practice the art on the Wolverhampton 21: Youtube Clicky Enjoy, Myk

I've been to nearly all but the Basingstoke Canal on the list, on several boats over many years however. I'm quite disappointed that both the Foss and Driffield Navigation aren't on the list - both I've visited with Victoria so can be done in any narrowboat. I've also done the first part of the Dudley tunnel, but because the gauge is too pessimistic at the museum end I ballasted down too much and ran across on the shallows on the start of the main bore. Next time I'll start from the south end. Snakeholme Lock, Driffield Navigation And the River Foss: As far as we got on the River Foss. Mike

I’ve got a few ‘slow tv’ videos on my channel most at least over an hour long.

Yeah that’s fair enough. I normally put music to things like this so it covers the edits and makes a montage. However I get slated for putting music on, so you could try adding your own. if I didn’t edit tight then it would be over two hours long and quite boring too! Myk

We set off once the water was back in the river and not flowing too fast - we know our boat well. We were at Pershore as you can see when the floods came. We managed to clear debris on the locks where it was small stuff shown on the video. Apparently the Avon Navigation Trust did an amazing job of clearing the Narrowboat stuck on the balance beam at Evesham so they could get their own boats through but luckily the rest of the locks was just small stuff, some moved sand which we flushed out of the way and trees felled which we squeezed past.

Hi guys and gals, I've just finally got around to editing a video I shot in 2007! It involves taking my Dad's boat Kismet on lots of flooded rivers, and then getting trapped in one of the biggest floods on the Avon. It's an hour long, so best to get comfy, but please enjoy: YouTube Clicky Cheers, Mike

I assume so long as you don't fall into the main channel of the canal you can moor as many as you like - and since it's private water one wonders if you could expand it to a marina and not need a connection charge...

I assume - though don't actually know this site in particular - that like most of the wharves on the Shroppie, that the expansion of the canal was down to the landowner. These wharf sites that look like winding holes, are primarily private moorings but to allow boats to turn were made wider so boats could wind after unloading. Mike

Wow - that must still be under the embankments! I didn't realize just how big it all was.

The beauty of this one is that the wharf should be private water - so you shouldn't have to pay CRT anything to moor a boat.

If you want to virtually follow it - this website is good: http://www.ruisliponline.com/lido/feeder.htm Myk

Hi everybody, I've released a little video flying around the so called Brinklow Arches - an embankment and river crossing at Brinklow on the North Oxford Canal. Enjoy: You Tube Clicky Thing Cheers, Myk