fender.
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Posts posted by fender.
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I'm beginning to get puzzled by this case - HOW can a narrowboat disappear? Is it possible Holly is somewhere on one of those numerous arms (or semi derelict arms) on the BCN?? She could have done a night trip back into that area from the North Stratford without anyone noticing. Maybe she's up on Titford Pools tied up under the M5 viaduct? OR even scuttled in the pools?
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And it was in the London papers yesterday.
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I don't mind if boaters pay the full cost of the canals.
Of course we should then ban walkers and cyclists from the towpaths, there should be no more abstraction of water for agriculture, the canals should be no longer used for moving our water supplies around the country, anglers can pay a fairer amount, we must rip up all the fibre optic cables from under the towpaths. This is what the tax payers pay for. boaters are not subsidised, they pay extra on top of that tax to put their boats in the water.
The only people who don't benefit from the waterway system are those who live abroad.
I think carlt you've hit it on the head.
Why do we pay enormous 'subsidies' for terrorists? They get millions in legal aid to defend themselves, so they can then continue to plot to blow up the country. I appreciate a fair bit of modern art - however some subjects are just crap and made soley for the 'excitement' of people's senses (Sensation is one exhibition in particular that comes to mind) These two different things are steeped in bringing about a hyperreality that most people dont even want. The canals bring a real benefit that is enjoyed by many thousands - and not some spurious, superflous thing that works to produce a distorted perspective of reality.
PS I dont agree with subsiding war either.
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I don't think that is strictly true, it may be that the waterside site has more lucrative uses. Housing and other development spings to mind.
That in a nutshell is how I feel about it. The canals themselves come last as usual as the drive for more development is pursued.
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I understand that the Mayor of London is committed to protecting all boatyards in the London area (on river and canal), as a reduction in services means a reduction in repairs and maintenance for both commercial and leisure users, both of whom he views as being vital to the London waterways economy.
Of course a reduction in boatyards elsewhere also means a reduction in services, this news item from Oxford says it all:
http://www.oxfordmail.net/news/headlines/d...s_home_sink.php
There should be no more boatyards closed - and especially in the light of the red diesel debacle - more support should be given to help boatyards, otherwise we lose much that is invaluable to the waterways. It is somehow implausible that there should be a increase in boating - and a similar decrease in boatyard facilities. It might be good for these so-called 'market forces' but ultimately it is self defeating.
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The nice bit is that all BW have to do with these trees is haul them out of the cut and leave them, within a week they will be neatly cut up and touring the system on someones roof.
Quite right - plenty of choppies for boaters - There's a massive tree fallen onto the cut at Little Venice yesterday - the canal channel is clear now but towpath still obstructed - and looks set to be blocked for the whole weekend unless yous get your stoves blazing and roofs stacked wiv logs!
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can anyone tell me what is happening with this canal .it used to run from Selly Oak Birmingham though to dudley...but i cant find out any thing about it...........I thank you
(ohh by the way the profile was a joke before any one gets to upset)
There was the quote (in one of John Gagg's books I think) "...lappal tunnel is on the Dudley Canal and there are very few traces of it now..."
We're all still looking for it!!!
It was spelt either with one or two p's though the one is the more accepted version.
And what a majestic tunnel it was despite all its shortcomings!
I used to know a BW workman (based at Rotton Park depot) and he used to tell me about their exploits, right up until the end of the 70's, conducting regular inspection trips of the tunnel via an air shaft (I think it was the one just off Lapal Lane south I'm not sure) the task was to make sure the water was draining away properly from the tunnel.
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Any suggestions of some sort of eye or hoop that we can fix to the boat adjacent to the bollard on the pontoon? We're in London so there isn't a chandlery to peruse and I don't know what to look for on the internet.
Thanks
B
As well as the boat show, there's several chandleries within London, so there are plenty to peruse: theres one in Covent Garden, 2 at Uxbridge, one by Teddington lock footbridge, four at Walton on Thames and its possible Eel Pie Island has one.
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I guess you need to be careful about exactly how mudweights work
The bottom of the broads is very soft and silty - from what I've seen when lifting the mudweights they sink quite a long way into the mud and that, combined with their weight holds them in position
if the bottom of canals is the same they should work exactly the same but I don't know much about canals
Any thoughts
If anyone was ever to considering anchoring their boat in a canal then a mudweight would be the only option. Anchors will dig into the canal bed and damage the puddle lining.
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I always thought the word 'place' was going to be problematic really, looking at its first definition. floating boats are constantly in a different place, as they move around even when moored.
Yes and we are of course 65,000 miles on from the previous spot once an hour has passed.
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cc'ers:
1) continous cruisers
2) contentious cruisers (aka bridge hoppers)
3) (in)continent cruisers (dont go anywhere, stay at moorings 24/7)
4) contemplating cruisers (have paid moorings in marina somewhere - real lucky bastards!)
5) codswallop cruisers (they say they're this and this and not that and that)
6) clapped-out cruisers (waiting to be relived by a section 8 enforcement)
7) consiqential cruisers (have mooring off BW waterways - lucky buggers dont get flak)
8) considerating cruisers (thinking about being a cc'er - dont you'll get al the sh*ite thrown at you!
9) causation cruisers (always starting arguements about cc'ers!)
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Grand Union from West Drayton to Hanwell flight is the new Ganges.
Not only that - so is the Paddington Arm and the Regents Canal all the way to Limehouse. More coconuts than narrowboats! Seems we've got an expoential increase in cc'ers (continous coconuts)
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Is this reservoir actually going to be built?
Reminds me a bit of the 'Windsor and Maidenhead flood relief' channel, otherwise known as the 'flood the s**t out of anybody unfortunate enough to live in the Wraysbury area' channel. Two rivers = more rapid conversion of rainfall into flood conditions. At least the poor etonites got a nice little lake to ponce about on, thats only fair.
Its going to be as large as Lake Windemere!!!
No chance of narrowboaters getting a cruise on it!
Seems the Wilts & Berks will disappear under said reservoir - save for the bit to the Thames which wil be used as an overflow...
As for that flood relief channel I'm buggered they didnt use that to connect up the Slough arm to the Thames. What a waste.
There's a lot of real sh*te waterway planners about!
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Maybe these northerners'll be happy with the new reservoir? Any takers???
The Oxford Mail reports that "New railway sidings would have to be built between Steventon and Grove to bring in sand and gravel. And a section of the Wilts and Berks canal would be restored to allow the reservoir to be drained into the Thames for maintenance work to be carried out."Wouldn't it be better for the environment if they restored the whole canal first and then brought the materials in by narrowboat?
That would have been something!
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The scheme for the new, controversial Thames Water reservoir in Wiltshire/Berkshire includes proposals to restore the Wilts & berks canal as part of the package.
Many London people, including myself do not see the new reservoir as a suitbale way to resolve the London water supply needs, in my view it is cycnical to try to tie in W&B restoration to the proposals especially when the scheme does not attempt to deal with the six million gallons of leaks every day in London.
I would have though that restored canal reservoirs (and new smaller reservoirs) and deeper pounds would have provided the neccessary means for extra water at little cost and at no destruction to exisiting countryside and loss of homes etc etc.
See
http://www.oxfordmail.net/news/headlines/d...oes_on_show.php
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Yeah I've noticed they always fish by the bollards maybe fishermen tie themselves to those so that they cant be pushed in by animal right sabateours?
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When we moored at the basin it was very windy indeed, blowing from the South. I got the impression that the high buildings act like a wind-tunnel so that it was much windier in the basin than out on the main line. While we were moored there (on the pontoons) we saw several boats come in and try to turn towards the North side, then get blown by the wind very hard indeed into either the wall or the boats that were moored there. When we left the next morning it was still windy so I turned to the South wall, and a gust of wind just spun me round and pointed me in the right direction so all I had to do was time my opening of the throttle to set off in the required direction.
Aha yes - all the more reason to turn the boat with the bows facing south! But for some psyhcological reason 99% want to turn with the bows north. Maybe they think they wont get MRSA from St Mary's if they touch the north side????
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There is no correct way to turn although it has always been usual practice as long as I remember to use the island clockwise. There is no hard and fast rule and certainly one can go round the island anti-clockwise if they wish, the waterbus should in fact be taking care in case anyone is coming the 'other way' the other issue is of course that that boats from the west nearly always travel to Paddington basin anti-clockwise via the south side of the island.
I've also another poser - which way is the correct way to turn a boat in Paddington Basin. My reasoning is that the correct way is to turn a boat to the south side where there are no boats moored. Yet I've seen most 'professionals' (save one very well known character who has been in the business longer than anyone else) turn their boats into the moorings (on the north side) BEWARE of mooring at Paddington beyond the pontoons you dont want your windows smashed by fly-by-night 60 or 70 footers this has actually happened a number of times.
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I saw a young couple painting Selkie black a couple of days ago, "seems odd, painting a boat in winter", and they were moored right on a lock mooring too - "new to boating?"
I agree this is a bit of a disturbing trend. who would nick a narrowboat and actually believe they'd get away with it?
I noticed this boat the other day and didn't report it so i guess people don't really see things.
I had to call the owner, and inspect the overpainting, which is dodgy and hastily done, before being completely sure it was the right boat.
Sometimes, perhaps, doing something blatant like that makes people think "they wouldn't be that blatant" but maybe they are relying on that attitude to get away.
Yes magnetman its probably the blatant attitude thats at work here, the perpetrators think they can get away wiv it but we'll have them caught in no time!
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Its really good news that the boat has been found.
Whats distrurbing is this and the Cragdale case represent a new trend of narrow boat stealers whom the likes we have not seen before
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Can we have a picture of the front of the boat if possible so that we have more information to check with? Thanks. I'll inform our waterways staff too.
PS The picture on the website looks up to the front as the boat is lifted is there one looking down (as from a normal towpath perspective?) so seating etc can be seen
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Well isn't this all good seasonal fun, I think someone should organise a mass wrist slashing.
spot on! thames & severn = t & s = thrash and slash :-) Any freddies or jasons about?
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This has proberbly been mentioned a million times before in other threads but not sure if its had a topic all to itself.
The questions are how long will it be before the canals return to the derilict unnavigable state they used to be? 10yrs? 20yrs? 30yrs?
Will it ever happen?
Will the ever increasing running costs condem boating to a merciless death as hobby or for the holiday hire trade?
Or are these questions you would rather not know the answers too because the prospects of it happening dont bear thinking about?
Badger, some of our canals have been derelict several times since being built over 200 years ago. I can think of the Thames and Severn, Wendover arm. There must be others. So no surprise if it recurs from time to time.
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Now we have suits driving Beemers who probably don't know where the canals are
Exactly! Most BW staff havent even been along a canal and few know of wherabouts of locks, bridges, etc when you report problems. moving offices away from canals into new high tech offices elsewhere is not so good after all and must have some kick back in terms of worsening service.
Tavistock Canal Walk
in Fishing, Cycling and Walking
Posted
What a shame. On my visit a few years ago the incline was still quite clear, and the walk to the tunnel entrance was pleasant. I was also fortunate to be able to visit the valve house at Tavistock to see the equipment that regulates the water intake from the River Tavvy and look through books, news cuttings and photgraphs on the canal. FYI the very strong flow is neccessary for the HEP.
The power station is shut for two weeks every year, during which the canal is drained and inspections of Morwelldown Tunnel are made on foot.