Big thank you to CRT guys at Hurleston

[MtB]

3 minutes ago, Goliath said:

Swing bridges! Lets have some help with those. 

 

NOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!

 

Those present some of the best challenges available! 

 

If someone turns up and 'helps', then the chance of figuring out how to do whichever particular one I'm at, gets snatched away. That bustud aluminium one just north of Oxford was a good case in point. For my whole boating life I've been trying to figure out a method of passing through that bridge solo, but I've NEVER managed to spend more than three minutes there considering it, without someone appearing out of apparently nowhere and offering to help. I'm not so curmudgeonly that I say no thanks so I've never succeeded in doing it alone. 

 

And now they've gone and electrified it so I'll never know if I could have done it by myself....

 

Huh. 

 

 

[beerbeerbeerbeerbeer]

18 minutes ago, Mike the Boilerman said:

 

NOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!

 

Those present some of the best challenges available! 

 

If someone turns up and 'helps', then the chance of figuring out how to do whichever particular one I'm at, gets snatched away. That bustud aluminium one just north of Oxford was a good case in point. For my whole boating life I've been trying to figure out a method of passing through that bridge solo, but I've NEVER managed to spend more than three minutes there considering it, without someone appearing out of apparently nowhere and offering to help. I'm not so curmudgeonly that I say no thanks so I've never succeeded in doing it alone. 

 

And now they've gone and electrified it so I'll never know if I could have done it by myself....

 

Huh. 

 

 

I managed it the one and only time I did it. But managed to break my cratch doing it. 

(painful). 

 

[The Bearwood Boster]

Mike the Boilerman is...Victor Meldrew !

("I  don't belieeeeve it")

[rgreg]

46 minutes ago, Mike the Boilerman said:

 

NOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!

 

Those present some of the best challenges available! 

 

If someone turns up and 'helps', then the chance of figuring out how to do whichever particular one I'm at, gets snatched away. That bustud aluminium one just north of Oxford was a good case in point. For my whole boating life I've been trying to figure out a method of passing through that bridge solo, but I've NEVER managed to spend more than three minutes there considering it, without someone appearing out of apparently nowhere and offering to help. I'm not so curmudgeonly that I say no thanks so I've never succeeded in doing it alone. 

 

And now they've gone and electrified it so I'll never know if I could have done it by myself....

 

Huh. 

 

 

Do the whole of the Leeds and Liverpool single-handed then tell us you don't welcome any help with swing bridges! 

[Stilllearning]

11 hours ago, Mike the Boilerman said:

A volly out in the rain? Well I never. Is this a first? They deserve a pat on the back.

 

When its freezing cold or pishing with rain a volly would be a welcome sight. Thing is, I've never encountered one. They only come out on warm sunny days when you don't need them, in my experience.

 

 

A few years ago we were on a pre Christmas cruise from the Leicester line to Burton, and as we arrived at the top of the Watford staircase the volly made us a cup of coffee each while supervising us down the flight.

[cuthound]

3 hours ago, Mike the Boilerman said:

 

True, sort of, but as a single hander the pleasure of working a lock in peace and quiet by myself is lost by now.

 

Seeing a lock come into view with the blue shirt wearing the red lifejacket hanging about having perhaps already set the lock, opened the gates what else can I do but cruise into the lock? And now s/he is exhorting me to "stay on the boat" so immediately when I get off another interchange follows "why did you get off the boat, when I was doing the lock for you?"

 

So by now the presence of a volly and some mild conflict has already disrupted the peaceful pleasure of locking alone and interfered with my own practiced sequence of locking alone. Its not a big deal as it doesn't happen that often, but I do feel the need to push back when posters on here get all sucky-uppy to the wonderful largess of vollies giving up their valuable time to 'help' the pathetic feeble boaters who should be so grateful for the assistance.

 

Seems like you are no longer enjoying your boating Mike, so to help you out I'll make an offer of £50 for all of your boats... ?

[Stilllearning]

57 minutes ago, cuthound said:

 

Seems like you are no longer enjoying your boating Mike, so to help you out I'll make an offer of £50 for all of your boats... ?

But I do know what he means. Over many years of single handing I evolved a simple, fairly foolproof sequence of movements that got me through a narrow lock as fast as possible and safely, then a volly comes along and distracts me....

[cuthound]

6 minutes ago, Stilllearning said:

But I do know what he means. Over many years of single handing I evolved a simple, fairly foolproof sequence of movements that got me through a narrow lock as fast as possible and safely, then a volly comes along and distracts me....

 

I also know exactly what he means. I have single handed too, although mostly Mrs Hound is there to help me.

 

I was just having a bit of fun. He often makes ridiculous offers on boats engines, etc and probably cars with full ashtrays.

[Sea Dog]

4 hours ago, Goliath said:

 

I tend to work one side of the lock with them. If they suggest I stay on the boat, I say I’ll come up for a chat. 

I like that approach.  I have a rule on my boat that no-one remains on-board in a lock unless someone is in attendance at the open paddles (for immediate action in case it all goes wrong). Perhaps I should amend that to "someone trusted' which could of course, be a volockie if we're confident of their ability.

 

Whilst we're on the subject, the first thing I do when entering a lock as the steerer is to plan my escape route should I need to get out. This is normally over the roof to a central ladder, which is why my solar panels are not full width and there's no junk in the way.

[WotEver]

8 hours ago, Goliath said:

Swing bridges! Lets have some help with those.

You need to talk to Rachel...

[beerbeerbeerbeerbeer]

56 minutes ago, WotEver said:

You need to talk to Rachel...

?

Why’s that?

what’ve I missed?

[WotEver]

2 minutes ago, Goliath said:

?

Why’s that?

what’ve I missed?

She has the definitive document on precisely how they should be operated... sadly it became mislaid in her recent house move before any of us got a chance to read it. 

[MtB]

6 minutes ago, WotEver said:

She has the definitive document on precisely how they should be operated... sadly it became mislaid in her recent house move before any of us got a chance to read it. 

 

I thought it was lift bridges.

 

In fact I thought it was discussion of that specific ally lift bridge near Thrupp that's been electrified now that prompted her rash claim that it was easy to do single handed, and she knew it was because had a BW document setting out the method. A document she has been curiously unable to produce for our perusal for six or seven years now whilst continually insisting she didn't make it up.

 

[WotEver]

Just now, Mike the Boilerman said:

I thought it was lift bridges.

It probably was. It’s been so long now that it’s just a dim and distant memory. More grey and white than colour...

[Alway Swilby]

21 hours ago, dmr said:

Next week we will be going down into Manchester through what is probably the worse bit of canal in the country. I expect silted locks, locks full of rubbish, locks where the gates won't fully open, shopping trollies, bikes and motorbikes on the bottom, prop foulings, and generally low water levels. A volunteer is (hopefully) going to do the whole day with us. I hope it rains, at least that keeps the local youth away.

 

..............Dave

Presumably you mean the decent down the Rochdale. Last week we were worried too but in the end we had few problems. We met the very helpful volunteer lockie at lock 65 and he helped us down all the way to Piccadilly. If anything there was too much water and there were no weed hatch trips at all on either boat (we were sharing the locks). It wasn't raining but we had no problems with the locals. All in all it was quite a pleasant day! 

Hope it goes as well for you.

[dmr]

31 minutes ago, Alway Swilby said:

Presumably you mean the decent down the Rochdale. Last week we were worried too but in the end we had few problems. We met the very helpful volunteer lockie at lock 65 and he helped us down all the way to Piccadilly. If anything there was too much water and there were no weed hatch trips at all on either boat (we were sharing the locks). It wasn't raining but we had no problems with the locals. All in all it was quite a pleasant day! 

Hope it goes as well for you.

Thanks.

You did very well to get down without any weedhatch visits.

We are long and deep so any stuff in the locks will give us trouble. On the way up here there were a couple of locks that we struggled with.

We have just found out that 18 working boats are coming up to get to the event at Hebden. We really need to get down before they start else there will be so much water coming down we won't be able to get the gates open

 

.............Dave

 

[David Mack]

12 minutes ago, dmr said:

 

We have just found out that 18 working boats are coming up to get to the event at Hebden.

Including a few forum members. It will be 'interesting'!

[dmr]

4 minutes ago, David Mack said:

Including a few forum members. It will be 'interesting'!

We have a booking for Liverpool so can't stay to watch, also have just worked out that we have now spent 10 months on the Rochdale, our longest stint on one waterway in ten years, so its time to sling our hook and get going again.

There are subsided (narrowed) locks on both sides of the summit so will have to be taken single, which means taking 36 lockfulls of water out of the summit pound.

We have adjusted our plans to go down into Manchester on the Tuesday so should hopefully take plenty of water down with us to help the big working boat ascent on Wednesday. I expect the local volunteer (and working boat owner himself) will make it all work .

 

............Dave

[MtB]

4 minutes ago, dmr said:

which means taking 36 lockfulls of water out of the summit pound.

 

Surely you will take ONE lockful of water from the summit pound, down through 36 locks with you....

 

 

[dmr]

1 minute ago, Mike the Boilerman said:

 

Surely you will take ONE lockful of water from the summit pound, down through 36 locks with you....

 

 

Pay attention!  There are 18 working boats coming up to attend a campaign type gathering at Hebden Bridge, so they have to cross the summit pound and on average each will use a lockfull on both sides.

 

We could take just a single lockfull as we go down but we will likely take a fair bit more to make sure that any low pounds ahead of us are less low.

 

Its an interesting canal. Two days ago we did Todmorden to just below Summit and it took all day, the first few pounds were totally empty so I spent ages bringing water down, a bit later there was so much water coming down that I spent ages draining it off so we could get through the locks safely.

 

............Dave

[Mike Todd]

On 08/05/2019 at 11:07, Mike the Boilerman said:

 

NOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!

 

Those present some of the best challenges available! 

 

If someone turns up and 'helps', then the chance of figuring out how to do whichever particular one I'm at, gets snatched away. That bustud aluminium one just north of Oxford was a good case in point. For my whole boating life I've been trying to figure out a method of passing through that bridge solo, but I've NEVER managed to spend more than three minutes there considering it, without someone appearing out of apparently nowhere and offering to help. I'm not so curmudgeonly that I say no thanks so I've never succeeded in doing it alone. 

 

And now they've gone and electrified it so I'll never know if I could have done it by myself....

 

Huh. 

 

 

Given that, when we were moored just down from there, that there was nothing to hold the bridge open (neither counterbalance nor chain, not even blue string) and quite a weighty crew member (ie not a small one) was needed to sit on the beam, I doubt whether  it could have been done single handed without very special preparation - like taking your own mud weights!

[Ryeland]

Just now, Mike Todd said:

Given that, when we were moored just down from there, that there was nothing to hold the bridge open (neither counterbalance nor chain, not even blue string) and quite a weighty crew member (ie not a small one) was needed to sit on the beam, I doubt whether  it could have been done single handed without very special preparation - like taking your own mud weights!

My single handed method was to jam a pole under the handrail on one side, but it was so badly balanced that it took all my strength to lift it from the towpath side.

Richard

[MtB]

1 hour ago, Mike Todd said:

Given that, when we were moored just down from there, that there was nothing to hold the bridge open (neither counterbalance nor chain, not even blue string) and quite a weighty crew member (ie not a small one) was needed to sit on the beam, I doubt whether  it could have been done single handed without very special preparation - like taking your own mud weights!

 

Yes that was my plan too. I had mud weights, chains, and various bits of paraphernalia in the boat prepared and ready to do exactly that, but as I say, I never got the chance as people materialise out of thin air to help around that bridge as soon as I start to get the gear out. Or more accurately, AFTER I've just got all the gear out..!

 

 

I had also prepared a Banbury Stick. Never got to try that either.

 

 

[Mike Todd]

3 hours ago, Ryeland said:

My single handed method was to jam a pole under the handrail on one side, but it was so badly balanced that it took all my strength to lift it from the towpath side.

Richard

Surprised that you would carry a pole long and strong enough - my recollection is that it would have needed something more substantial than the conventional Banbury Stick.

[MtB]

2 minutes ago, Mike Todd said:

Surprised that you would carry a pole long and strong enough - my recollection is that it would have needed something more substantial than the conventional Banbury Stick.

 

Last time I passed by on my bike at about 6am, I stopped and tried to lift it from the towpath side. I found I just about could.

 

As usual someone appeared, and asked me what I thought I was doing to the bridge....