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Drayke

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Nice to see perhaps, not so nice to keep meeting coming the other way! 

 

Heading up the north Oxford today I reckon met all 73 of them, mostly on blind bends. 

 

It actually gets really wearing negotiating a constant stream of opposing traffic after an hour or two.

 

 

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13 minutes ago, Mike the Boilerman said:

Nice to see perhaps, not so nice to keep meeting coming the other way! 

 

Heading up the north Oxford today I reckon met all 73 of them, mostly on blind bends. 

 

It actually gets really wearing negotiating a constant stream of opposing traffic after an hour or two.

 

 

How many were wide?

 

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4 minutes ago, ditchcrawler said:

How many were wide?

 

 

None, thank gawd. Even so, most of those I met seemed incapable of coming through a bridge 'ole at anything faster than a glacially slow creep. Just like widey.

 

 

 

Edited by Mike the Boilerman
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2 minutes ago, Mike the Boilerman said:

 

None, thank gawd. Even so, most of those I met seemed incapable of coming through a bridge 'ole at anything faster than a glacially slow creep. Just like widey.

 

 

 

Yes you sit there hovering and see hardly a ripple 

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1 minute ago, ditchcrawler said:

Yes you sit there hovering and see hardly a ripple 

 

Yes by about the fifth time I saw one in a bridge 'ole in the distance and it was still in it five minutes later when I actually got there and had to stop, I was beginning to get a bit short tempered.

 

Grrr. See?

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If it was like that today, a fairly overcast Thursday, what's it gonna be like during bank holiday weekend with a hot and sunny forecast?

 

We're heading that way slowly (so slowly I expect Mike may well catch up with us on his way back!), leaving Sutton Stop on Saturday but not aiming to get to Braunston until Tuesday probably. Hope we can find somewhere to moor near Tesco in Rugby, I'm fed up walking a mile or more back from a shop laden down with food. It would be nice to have a shorter walk for a change.

 

 

Edited by Lily Rose
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8 hours ago, Lily Rose said:

If it was like that today, a fairly overcast Thursday, what's it gonna be like during bank holiday weekend with a hot and sunny forecast?

 

Bank holiday weekend might get the private boats out, but what about the hire boats? Napton Narrowboats at Autherley Junction had 9 boats moored up when I came past on Wednesday. How can you run a business with that much of the fleet unused on what ought to be one of the busiest weeks of the year?

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44 minutes ago, David Mack said:

 

Bank holiday weekend might get the private boats out, but what about the hire boats? Napton Narrowboats at Autherley Junction had 9 boats moored up when I came past on Wednesday. How can you run a business with that much of the fleet unused on what ought to be one of the busiest weeks of the year?

 

I bet most of the Naptons etc will be out from this afternoon to Monday 9am though. A sunny bank holiday weekend does seem to bring out all the hireboats. Suddenly, from 9am Monday it seems to get a lot quieter and then a bit quieter still in the afternoon as the private weekenders to back into the marinas. That's been my experience of the Napton/Braunston/Rugby area in the last 4 years anyway.

 

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10 hours ago, Mike the Boilerman said:

 

Yes by about the fifth time I saw one in a bridge 'ole in the distance and it was still in it five minutes later when I actually got there and had to stop, I was beginning to get a bit short tempered.

 

Grrr. See?

That annoys me too. Especially if I’m holding back and it’s a bit breezy. Just gerronwithit!

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1 minute ago, Proper Charlie said:

That annoys me too. Especially if I’m holding back and it’s a bit breezy. Just gerronwithit!

I admit to taking it fairly slowly (not tickover though) when I'm approaching a blind bridge or bend etc, better than a "high speed" head on crash. I had one of those a couple of years ago (not my fault, no, really, it wasn't) and it wasn't much fun for the boat or my 3 passengers inside who had no warning of it. Luckily no-one was hurt but it could easily have been different.

 

However, as soon as I can see it's clear I get back to normal cruising speed as quickly as possible.

 

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7 minutes ago, Lily Rose said:

I admit to taking it fairly slowly (not tickover though) when I'm approaching a blind bridge or bend etc, better than a "high speed" head on crash. I had one of those a couple of years ago (not my fault, no, really, it wasn't) and it wasn't much fun for the boat or my 3 passengers inside who had no warning of it. Luckily no-one was hurt but it could easily have been different.

 

However, as soon as I can see it's clear I get back to normal cruising speed as quickly as possible.

 

 

Taking it slow on a blind bend is fine and normal and good practice.

 

I'm droning on about a bridge 'ole 300 yards in the distance, the other boat is clearly far closer than me so it's their bridge, they can see me coming (as I can see them), yet they still take so long to come through that I have to stop when I get there.

 

 

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One gets the same in locks too these days. You're waiting to go uphill while two other crews are coming down, you see the gates open and get ready to cruise in as they cruise out, and ten minutes later the second of two boats inside is still being overtaken by the slugs and snails as they cautiously creep out through the pair of open gates. 

 

 

Edited by Mike the Boilerman
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I always think to myself "What would happen if an oncoming boat, maybe going a bit faster than they should, appears at the most inconvenient possible moment?". The result is that the tighter a bend, the more I slow down, then once I can see the way out I pick up speed. Or if I'm steering the butty, it's pointless to  consider speed because I have no control over it, and I just concentrate on accurate steering. But it is frustrating to see an oncoming boat taking too long to emerge from a bridge hole or lock and not be able to use telepathy to plant a thought in their brain "go on, a bit faster would be a good idea".

 

Last Wednesday going up the Kennet it rained pretty much all day, we lit the ranges in August, and hardly met another boat all day, so weather certainly plays a part. This Sunday I expect to be doing a long day of boating, including Napton to Braunston maybe in the afternoon in hot sun, passing quite a lot of traffic, and wondering "Why?". Come on people, unless you have a reason to press on, why not take a siesta when it's scorchio?

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28 minutes ago, Mike the Boilerman said:

 

Taking it slow on a blind bend is fine and normal and good practice.

 

I'm droning on about a bridge 'ole 300 yards in the distance, the other boat is clearly far closer than me so it's their bridge, they can see me coming (as I can see them), yet they still take so long to come through that I have to stop when I get there.

 

 

Ah, got it, I misunderstood.

 

In those circumstances, if I'm the boat nearer the bridge, and taking it fairly leisurely, I normally speed up to get through the bridge and avoid that happening. Obviously it's frustrating for the other boat if I don't do this but also for me. If a bridge is clearly mine and then, due to me proceeding slowly, we both get there at the same time then it's a PITA for both of us.

 

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8 hours ago, Lily Rose said:

I admit to taking it fairly slowly (not tickover though) when I'm approaching a blind bridge or bend etc, better than a "high speed" head on crash. I had one of those a couple of years ago (not my fault, no, really, it wasn't) and it wasn't much fun for the boat or my 3 passengers inside who had no warning of it. Luckily no-one was hurt but it could easily have been different.

 

However, as soon as I can see it's clear I get back to normal cruising speed as quickly as possible.

 

And what when you see someone patiently waiting for you, the only time I wont speed up is if I am passing moored boats

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Sometimes i think they unsure that you have actually stopped and are waiting for them so to be sure they know i wave them through many times until they get the message all frustrating sometimes as my boat is a bastid to keep still at the best of times :blush:

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21 hours ago, MoominPapa said:

Bank holiday this weekend, init? 

 

Two weeks ago, the Old West River was deserted. Today it's heaving (relatively).

 

Wish us luck finding a mooring in Ely tomorrow for an Aldi trip.

 

MP.

 

Watch out you don't get run down, It's the Mildenhall Cycle Rally this weekend (Over 1500 booked) many will be passing through Ely throughout Saturday and Sunday

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20 minutes ago, F DRAYKE said:

WOW 125 boat movements today same area.

Just wait until tomorrow!

 

Is counting boats your new hobby?

 

I've seen it very busy along there many times but I'm not sure 125 (presumably in 12 hours again?) is all that busy. That's only just over 10 boats an hour, or 5 in each direction. Are you sure you didn't nod off and miss some?

 

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On 23/08/2019 at 22:30, Lily Rose said:

Just wait until tomorrow!

 

Is counting boats your new hobby?

 

I've seen it very busy along there many times but I'm not sure 125 (presumably in 12 hours again?) is all that busy. That's only just over 10 boats an hour, or 5 in each direction. Are you sure you didn't nod off and miss some?

 

No the wife was doing the counting. yes over 12hrs. We are only used to about 12 boats a day. Still nice to see this many boats on the move.

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3 minutes ago, F DRAYKE said:

No the wife was doing the counting. yes over 12hrs. We are only used to about 12 boats a day. Still nice to see this many boats on the move.

Presumably you're not from round these parts then?

 

I think Napton to Braunston is reputed to be one of the busiest, if not THE busiest, stretches of canal in the country. Certainly nearby Hillmorton has the busiest locks.

 

I would think only the depths of winter would see as few as 12 boats along there.

 

Lots of marinas in the area and lots of hire bases.

 

 

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