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The Virtual BCN Challenge 2020


cheshire~rose

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2 hours ago, Rob-M said:

That was the approach I was playing with, you called up the web page on your smart phone and clicked submit location which used the GPS location to record the current location along with the current time.  this detail was then all added to a map so anyone could monitor where the boats were.

 

16 minutes ago, john6767 said:

Yep, it would save all that shouting to the crew to record the time when you get to each junction 

 

Sounds complicated to me.

 

We just take a gps-tagged, timestamped photo at each junction.  You can then copy the timestamp to the log after you've done the locks or whatever and are on a straight bit.

 

We did attempt continuous map updates using  https://www.waterexplorer.co.uk/ last year, but the software crashed about 6 hours into the challenge and we didn't notice.

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1 hour ago, john6767 said:

True, so I guess you can just shout at them to record it on the phone.

The naughty boys steering Tawny discovered  a bell push by the throttle, we might have overused it a bit

Edited by tree monkey
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On 12/05/2020 at 14:59, TheBiscuits said:

 

 

Sounds complicated to me.

 

We just take a gps-tagged, timestamped photo at each junction.  You can then copy the timestamp to the log after you've done the locks or whatever and are on a straight bit.

 

We did attempt continuous map updates using  https://www.waterexplorer.co.uk/ last year, but the software crashed about 6 hours into the challenge and we didn't notice.

An alternative would be for each skipper to use the RYA's Safetrx app. That can be set up to give real time access to a trusted person (ie the competition organiser), so that they can call the Coastguard and ask for assistance if you are late!  (It also replaces the Coastguard's CG66 system). It's easy to use.

https://www.rya.org.uk/knowledge-advice/safe-boating/keep-in-touch/Pages/safetrx.aspx

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24 minutes ago, Dr Bob said:

Morning All.

Dr Bob here, well actually it's Dr Bob Jnr, Jnr, Jnr.

My great grandad Bob, left instructions in his will to turn up on this forum mid May 2020 and use his login email and password to get access to this thread. He wrote it all out in detail in a sealed letter only to be opened in May 2020. I opened it yesterday so here I am. Looks like I am a week late. Apologies! Quite amazing. It really is. I am really surprised what I found, I am really surprised.

In his letter, he talks about his time on the canals in 1918 and how he got there after being forced to walk the plank during some sort of future canal boat challenge (via a strange time travel machine), but because he had taken a load of dosh with him, he decided to stay and made a fortune investing in shares and making a packet off gambling – he bet on all the winners of the FA Cup and the Grand National for the 10 years after he arrived. He remarried and had four girls with now quite an extended family. He wrote a will in 1932 and sealed it in a letter but then in June 1932 disappeared, never to be seen again.

The family searched and searched but no joy. He did however give good direction to the family and we have all done very well.

Uncle Elon was told to start building electric cars in 2008 when that seemed the last thing anyone wanted. Wow, that was a good call. It really was. Uncle Don was set up in business but told to get into politics. The business side was very successful but his golf seemed to deflect him and it all started to go off the rails – but we all love him. Uncle Bill was told to focus on silicon chips but at the time, we were all thinking that was something to do with fish and chips. He's not done too bad since.

Anywho, Great Grandad told me to come on hear and thank Auntie Waitrose and Cpt Ahab for all their great efforts in organising the BCN challenge (at least that is what I think he called it – his writing was awful). He said it was a wonderful week to break the monotony of the 'lock down' (not a clue what that referred to) and despite being told it would only be 2 hours a day, it turned out to be all of the day. It really was a great idea to do it, it really was. He recalls he emailed Auntie Waitrose at least 20 times during the week yet never bought anything from her. That seemed to be one his most treasured memories of the time. He said he longed to do another challenge like it but never got the chance.

Great Grandad also thanked the team for their efforts during the week in making it so much fun. He gave me a long list of names but I haven't a clue what or who they are. He listed the names as @mrsmelly @Jennifer McM

@peterboat @roland elsdon @Alan de Enfield @rusty69@Laurie.Booth

He did say that Rusty remained in 1918 along with him but they lost contact after a while. He hoped that Alan recovered as he seemed to be laid low for the whole week with the virus (we thought he was a goner, we really did) and was likely the person who spread it back to 1918. We shouldn't have laughed when he infected those cyclists.

His only disappointment of the week was that we didn't win the challenge. We had such a good boat and such a great team but we didn't seem to put it all together. He wasn't sure why we didn't get more points as he estimated we would be around the 400 mark. How on earth did we get a -ve score?

So thanks to Auntie Waitrose and team for such a great, great event and all the other teams for putting together some really interesting ….but not very funny ….logs. His final request in the letter was to say to @TheBiscuits...We thrashed you and where are the noodles! Not a clue what that is all about.

So thank you all for letting me in.....I think I may stick around for a while.

Dr Bob Jnr, Jnr, J

Absolutely brilliant. What a great way to thank Jan for not only having, but implementing quite the whackyest idea of the lockdown. It did turn out to be more work than we expected but was fun and a huge distraction in these difficult times. Made us enthusiastic to give the real thing a go too. Thank goodness for the great tradition of  eccentricity. It certainly lives here. 

Not only that, but Jan managed to persuade a great team to help. I'm still missing Captain Ahab's measured tones as he gave us our daily updates. 

Edited by Mrs Trackman
Missed out part of what wanted to say.
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12 minutes ago, Mrs Trackman said:

Absolutely brilliant. What a great way to thank Jan for not only having, but implementing quite the whackyest idea of the lockdown. It did turn out to be more work than we expected but was fun and a huge distraction in these difficult times. Made us enthusiastic to give the real thing a go too. Thank goodness for the great tradition of  eccentricity. It certainly lives here. 

Not only that, but Jan managed to persuade a great team to help. I'm still missing Captain Ahab's measured tones as he gave us our daily updates. 

" Eccentricity "...............is that a posh word for " Nutcase "?

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On 17/05/2020 at 00:58, Laurie.Booth said:

Sorry I could not be more active in this fantastic event. Will try harder when I get back from Cuba.

 

Hey Laurie good to see you.

You were meant to be in charge of the space- temporal navigation which was clearly going tits up. @peterboat had a sod of a time trying to fix it.

If you'd have been round more, we could have got those 3 points we were missing.

 

Is @KiwiBill still on the challenge? Can we start again?

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A long overdue follow up to this

 

I only ever had one team ask about plaques and they wanted 4 of them. Unless anyone else was interested I don't feel that is going to be feasible

 

Also as none of the participants actually nominated a favourite cruise log there is no winner of the swan so I will see about purchasing it to send to the winning team

 

I am glad everyone enjoyed themselves

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16 minutes ago, cheshire~rose said:

A long overdue follow up to this

 

I only ever had one team ask about plaques and they wanted 4 of them. Unless anyone else was interested I don't feel that is going to be feasible

 

Also as none of the participants actually nominated a favourite cruise log there is no winner of the swan so I will see about purchasing it to send to the winning team

 

I am glad everyone enjoyed themselves

Can we get a plaque for not getting many points?

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2 hours ago, peterboat said:

We got the wooden spoon but you wernt there your great great grandfather was left in 1918 remember?

Oh, yes. That's right. I remember now. .....but if Wotever's having one, can't we have one too?

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  • 3 months later...

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