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Ray T

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Posts posted by Ray T

  2. LED Headlight too bright

    in Boat Equipment

    Posted

    2 hours ago, Jen-in-Wellies said:

    I was given a 40x3W LED lamp unit that was broken. When working this could blister paint a mile away! It was free, so I cut it down to just six LED's and made a tunnel lamp for Standedge. Worked very well, but I only use it for one way working tunnels. If there is a risk of dazzling someone else, then I fit the old unfocussed 55W halgen bulb lamp. More than adequate. The old working boats just had a smokey oil lamp with only the most modern ones given an electric lamp. These would have been similar to the dim car headlights of the time. You only need to see the shape of the tunnel to keep the boat centred.

    Jen

    Some of them just used a candle!

  3. Marina suggestions

    in New to Boating?

    Posted · Edited by Ray T

    Just now, Tonka said:

    Does he still walk around the marina and act like he still owns the place

    No, why should he, he's too busy worrying about his own security.

    After giving up his rights to the dry dock he has no claim on the marina at all.

  4. Marina suggestions

    in New to Boating?

    Posted · Edited by Ray T

    Just now, Tonka said:

    I was specifically told by the Castle Marina harbour master in 2009 when I was looking at getting a mooring at Ventnor about the power tool ruling. Doesn't the previous owner still live in the farm house between the 2 basins and his name was Peter ??.

    The marina manager you dealt with left in 2011 ish. The farmers name is Paul F**** and he still lives there.

  5. Marina suggestions

    in New to Boating?

    Posted

    Just now, Boatingbiker said:

    Just to clarify the comments made above regarding Ventnor Marina.

    Both Ventnor and Wigrams Marinas which are located on/near the Napton Junction are both owned by Castle Marina.

    Ventnor marina is not open to residential moorers , however their staff do live on board within the Marina and are always seen around the Marina when ever we are there (on all days of the week) Wigram is open for residential moorers.

    AFAIC, the limitation of noisy work on boats at the weekends is a condition of a local neighbour who I believe use to own the Marina and imposed the condition upon selling the Marina to Castle, and not to disturb other boaters as stated previously. That does not prevent anybody moving their boat out onto the Grand Union to carry out any works within the normal CRaT regs and which could be nearer to the local neighbour than any boat moored within the marina. Of course consideration for others (boaters and non-boaters) should be observed at all times.

    Hope this clarifies earlier misleading comments. And I am not employed by Castle Marina , but have moored at Ventnor for a couple of years.

     

    Unfortunately this agreement doesn't preclude the farm owner from using his noisy grass mower for lengthy periods in the summer. :ninja:

  6. Marina suggestions

    in New to Boating?

    Posted · Edited by Ray T

    Some slight mis information about Ventnor on this thread.

    Ventnor Farm Marina was first opened by the owner of Ventnor Farm next door. He was very particular about who he allowed in and what happened in the marina grounds.

    The marina has been taken over by the Castle Marina's group and is now called Ventnor Marina. http://www.castlemarinas.co.uk/marinas/ventnor There are no liveaboards as planning permissions preclude this apart from two harbour masters in each of the two phases. These gents walk the pontoons every day and carry out a visible check on all the boats. I have used power tools at the weekends in the past and have never been reprimanded for so doing. I am sensible about the length of time I do this and also check with other moorers, if any aboard near by. What they will not allow is the stripping and repainting type jobs in the marina to which I agree with.

    There are leisure / live aboard berths at the sister marina at Wigram's Turn.

    • Greenie 1

  7. Grand Union Canal Traffic Records

    in History & Heritage

    Posted

     

    17 hours ago, jeannette smith harrison said:

    I was almost   sure this is Not Tom Humphries the person is too tall & build is to big to be Tommy as I remember him . so I enlarged the picture & showed it to my uncle  Alf Humphries ( son of Tommy from his first wife Harriett my Grandads sister) who said that is was not his Dad

    Tom Humphries AKA "Oxford Tommy."

    Tom & Ellen Humphris.jpg

    Tom Humphries Aston & Drake.jpg

  11. Join Canal Charity's Biggest Ever 'Santa Splash' Event

    in Waterways News & Press

    Posted · Edited by Ray T

    With just a few weeks until Christmas, the season to be jolly is nearly upon us!  Try something a bit different this year to ease yourself into the festive spirit and get afloat on England’s first coast-to-coast canoe trail with a ‘Santa Splash’.

    Canal & River Trust, the charity which cares for 2,000 miles of the nation’s canals, is looking for participants to help to create their biggest ever ‘Santa Splash’.  The festive paddle will take place on the 200-year old Leeds & Liverpool Canal on Saturday 2 December in Bootle, Liverpool.

    Free Santa suits will be available on a first come first served basis on the day.  Prizes for the best dressed person and best-dressed canoe, kayak or paddleboard will be on offer.  Hot food and drink will be available at the finish for all ‘Santas’ to refuel.   

    All abilities and ages are welcome. Children will need to be accompanied by an adult. A range of non-powered vessels are encouraged, from paddleboards to kayaks and canoes.  The Canal & River Trust’s Desmond Family Canoe Trail team has places available on their canoes for complete beginners, anyone without their own canoe and a limited number of supporters.  It is essential that anyone wishing to take part gets in touch in advance to guarantee availability.  Participants are encouraged to bring family and friends along to cheer them on and take pictures.

     This Santa Splash event is part of the Trust’s Desmond Family Canoe Trail.  Funded by a £1.3 million grant from the Desmond Foundation, the 162-mile trail starts in Liverpool, follows Britain’s longest canal, the Leeds & Liverpool, links into the Aire & Calder Navigation in Yorkshire and reaches the east coast at Goole.

     Saturday 2 December, 10:00am arrival (for 10.30am start), finishes 2:00pm
    Liverpool Santa Splash – Bootle
    Eldonian Village, Vauxhall, (L3 6LG) and involves a two-mile trip to the Desmond Family Canoe Trail Bootle Hub at SAFE Regeneration Centre (L20 4AP).

    Greg Brookes, Desmond Family Canoe Trail programme manager with the Canal & River Trust said: “We’re hoping to create our biggest ever Santa Splash with a huge flotilla of up to 100 Santas.  We hope people will to come down to the canal and cheer on the paddlers.”

    He added: “This isn’t a race, but a unique way to experience the Leeds & Liverpool Canal and have fun getting into the festive spirit. It’s a family-friendly event along two miles of the waterway.  Young people aged 16-25 years old are helping us to develop the 162-miles along the Desmond Family Canoe Trail, and we’d especially love to hear from anyone in this age-group who wants to get involved, have a paddle and see what it’s all about.”

    Participants are responsible for their own safety and equipment.  Reserve your place or     for further details contact Beth Cropper, project leader, Desmond Family Canoe Trail: coastto.coast@canalrivertrust.org.uk or 07483 928 255. 

     Enter online via the booking form: www.canalrivertrust.org.uk/the-desmond-family-canoe-trail

    Follow the Santa Splash progress on the Canal & River's Trust on Twitter - @CRTCanoeTrail #santasplash or Facebook - CRTCanoe Trail.

    For information about the Canal & River Trust Desmond Family Canoe Trail visit:

    https://canalrivertrust.org.uk/about-us/our-work/youth-engagement/the-desmond-family-canoe-trail

     To find out more about the work of the Canal & River Trust, and how you can get involved, go to www.canalrivertrust.org.uk 

     Ends 

    For more media information contact: Naomi Roberts, National Press Officer

    T: 0113 2845238           M: 07557 256482          E: naomi.roberts@canalrivertrust.org.uk

     

    Santa Splash 2017 (2).jpg

  13. March of the Wide Beams

    in General Boating

    Posted

    Just now, Bettie Boo said:

    Thanks for that cuthound.

    As I wrote earlier I thought the bit between Braunston & Wigrams Turn were considered part of the Oxford as well and couldn't figure out why he was saying that cruising that section was thoughtless for a widebeam operator to cruise, when he had assisted/accompanied us on our maiden vouyage on said section.

    Just to clarify I didn't actually think he was criticizing me personally, just widebeam operators in general who choose to cruise that section.

    Sorry for the confusion Ray - I stand corrected and you still have your upstanding, kind and helpful attributes IMO :)

     

    Thank you.

  14. March of the Wide Beams

    in General Boating

    Posted · Edited by Ray T

    Yes, I am the same, not changed.

    I will repeat, "I am not against wide beams persay", but as I said in the quoted post the North Oxford Canal is a narrow canal and is unsuitable for wide boats either in the past or now.

    Why you are taking my comments personally I don't know.

  23. Landmark Dredging Project Begins on One of UK's Best Canals

    in Waterways News & Press

    Posted

    14 November 2017  

    CANAL CHARITY BEGINS ENVIRONMENTAL DREDGING PROJECT
    ON POCKLINGTON CANAL - ONE OF UK’S BEST CANALS FOR WILDLIFE

    This week, work begins on a landmark dredging project to help transform East Yorkshire’s Pocklington Canal.  This is the first time in over a century that two sections (totalling just under a mile) of the 9-mile canal are being dredged. 

     This £152,000 project aims to finish just before Christmas and is led by the Canal & River Trust, the charity that cares for the Pocklington Canal as part of its 2,000-mile network of historic waterways.

     A special amphibious digger will remove approximately 8,000 tonnes of nutrient-rich silt (equivalent to the weight of 2,285 elephants) that will be re-distributed to a nearby arable farm.  Reusing the silt locally is beneficial to the environment as it avoids lorries taking the silt away to landfill.

     By clearing silt and reeds from the centre of the canal to create an open channel, the charity will ensure that rare aquatic plants and wildlife living on and along the canal continue to thrive. Unlike many of the Canal & River Trust’s other dredging projects, which primarily help to keep the network of canals open to boats, the work on the Pocklington Canal is taking place in the non-navigable upper reaches of the canal.  The main focus is to help wildlife, while also contributing to the overall vision to make more of the canal navigable to canoeists and boaters.

     The Pocklington Canal, which celebrates its bicentenary next year, is one of the UK’s best canals for wildlife, with the majority of its length protected through three Site(s) of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI), due to the variety of important aquatic plants that live below and above the water surface – soft hornwort, flat-stalked pondweed, narrow-leaved water-plantain, flowering-rush, fan-leaved water-crowfoot, flowering rush and arrowhead.

     However, this diversity of aquatic plants has been in decline over the years, partly due to dominance of common reed and over shading by trees.  Dredging will create areas of open water, helping to reverse this decline and in turn see an increase in other wildlife such as dragonflies.

     A staggering 15 species of dragonflies and damselflies live on the canal, which is one of the most northern sites on the Trust’s canal network to show such diversity of species.  In addition to protecting the wildlife in the canal, the Trust has also implemented an annual hay raking regime in order to increase flower diversity, and to attract bees and other pollinators.

     The Pocklington Canal dredging works is funded through the Canal & River Trust’s Gem in the Landscape project - a three-year programme of activity supported by the Heritage Lottery Fund.

     Lizzie Dealey, Gem in the Landscape project officer at Canal & River Trust said: “Largely unchanged since it opened in 1818, Pocklington Canal is a real hidden gem. This dredging project is a pivotal moment in our three-year vision to help transform this historically and environmentally important waterway through wildlife habitat improvements, heritage restoration activities and family-friendly events leading up to and during the waterway’s bicentenary next year.  Just 9 miles from York it’s a great place to relax, and unwind.  Being by the water really helps to contribute to our sense of wellbeing, helping to create healthier and happier communities – and once this project is finished, we’ll hopefully have even happier wildlife!”

     Phillippa Baron, ecologist for the Canal & River Trust said: “Sometimes it’s necessary to step in and give nature a helping hand and restore the equilibrium on our waterways.  Dredging is a carefully planned and monitored process, involving our teams of engineers, environmental scientists and heritage advisors to ensure we protect the heritage of the site and create an environment where rare aquatic plants, insects and birds can flourish. We purposefully carry out dredging in the cold months to avoid disrupting the breeding seasons and nesting areas in spring and summer.”

     She added: “The canal will be in much better shape once the dredging has been completed.  Reeds have choked up this section of the waterway, out-competing the aquatic plants that make the canal so special. With fewer reeds in the middle of the canal more sunlight will also be able reach the water allowing more fragile pond weeds and plants to thrive. A fringe of reeds will be left alongside the canal bank to provide habitats for reed and sedge warblers and other wildlife.”

     Back in September 2016, staff from the Canal & River Trust and Natural England met to decide upon the areas that would benefit the most from dredging. Initial work was carried out earlier this year, with the final section being completed in November and December.

     Simon Christian from Natural England commented: “This very exciting project will result in considerable improvements for the wildlife that live on the canal. The open water habitats created from the dredging will be of particular benefit to aquatic plants and dragonflies and create open views of the canal, not seen for many years, to enable an even better visitor experience.”

     To find out more about the work of the Canal & River Trust, and how you can get involved, go to www.canalrivertrust.org.uk

    For information about the Gem in the Landscape project, visit www.canalrivertrust.org.uk/pocklington-canal

     ENDS

     For more media information, images, interview requests or to visit Pocklington Canal please contact:

    Naomi Roberts, National Press Officer

    T: 0113 2845238           M: 07557 256482          E: naomi.roberts@canalrivertrust.org.uk

  25. CRT Changes To Executive Team

    in General Boating

    Posted · Edited by Ray T

    2 hours ago, Allan(nb Albert) said:

    The generous BW defined benefits scheme was closed to future benefit accrual a year ago. Part of a pay claim submitted jointly by Unite & Unison earlier this year recognised that ex BW employees had been disadvantaged financially by this move.
     

    Not just BW / CRT, British Telecom / Openreach have played the same game and still are moving the goal posts to the detrement of current employees. They have also been looking to see if they can alter the widows pension scheme. At the moment if my wife survives me she gets 50% of  my pension. BT are looking to see if they can "adjust" this. Also when I was 59 and a  bit I was offered a years salary to go. I'd have been stupid to have stayed. I always wanted to retire at 60 having done 42 years.

    Do you know what terms the CRT people were offered? It may have been similar to mine and it may be financially unsound to stay.

     

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