The Virtual BCN Challenge 2020

[pearley]

3 hours ago, Keeping Up said:

Yes I know that, but Newark was the nearest destination from Boston via Stamp End that I could think of which began with the letter N.

 

Edited to add, I did think of referring to the "Boston Canals Network" but then didn't because I just knew that if I did there would soon be somebody correcting me to say it wasn't in Boston but in Lincoln.

It's just that we're stuck in Newark. Not for the first time. Injuries, flooding and now CV19.

I've got to know the town almost as well as I know the BCN.

[WotEver]

4 hours ago, pearley said:

It's just that we're stuck in Newark. Not for the first time. Injuries, flooding and now CV19...

CV19 eh? North Coventry...

[tree monkey]

2 minutes ago, WotEver said:

CV19 eh? North Coventry...

Shhhhush, the planning for the revolution is nearly complete, 

 

make Mercia great again

[Capt Ahab]

On 18/04/2020 at 09:43, alan_fincher said:

The problem here is that you are making this sound like a FUN thing.

 

The BCN Challenge, if done properly, shouldn't be fun!

 

You could do it from the comfort of your home shower....

 

[cheshire~rose]

Are you sitting comfortably?

 

 

 

Registration is now open!

About the challenge

 

Motto: tempus rerum imperator (Time, commander of all things)

 

People are invited join the challenge as individuals or to form teams. There are no restrictions on team numbers and there will be no points benefit or deduction based upon the number of people in a participating team.

In keeping with the Covid-19 travel restrictions, the entre challenge MUST be completed without leaving your home or garden. Any participants deemed to have taken an unnecessary journey to take part (either to visit a BCN site or to meet with other competitors) will be disqualified.

The boat that you use to participate with will be a virtual one (you do not need to actually own a boat to take part). The event will be hosted within the Canal World Discussion Forum – you will need to join if you are not already a member.

The spirit of this event falls in line with the aims of the real BCN Challenge:

 

 

 “At their height, the Birmingham Canal Navigations (BCN) extended for approximately 160 miles with numerous private branches, arms & basins to serve the industries of the region. Over the last 100 years this total has been reduced to approximately 100 miles. Unfortunately, much of this is under used. With at least one section being impossible to navigate at the present time, the BCN Marathon Challenge was reintroduced in an effort to increase traffic on the lesser used parts of

 

the BCN.”

 

With this in mind we hope this virtual challenge will promote an increase in traffic to the resources available to us all online to increase people’s awareness and understanding of the rich tapestry of heritage encompassed in the BCN.

 

 

How much time will it take?

 

The challenge will be spread over 6 days and each day the participants will commit to completing a daily virtual seven hour cruise covering any element of The Birmingham Canal Navigations network. It is anticipated that this will require a minimum of around 2 hours work for most teams but no team is restricted to 2 hours and can spend as much time researching their route and working on the daily challenges as they wish. 

 

 

Participants must register their team and their vessel details with the organiser NO LATER THAN MIDDAY BST on Saturday 2^nd May.  We will need one working email address to communicate with each team

 

 Registration is now open.

 

 

No later than MIDDAY BST on Sunday 3^rd of May each team will formally create a first post under the “Cruising Logs” section of the forum introducing their team and its members and giving a description of the vessel they plan to use for the challenge. The heading of that thread should contain the name of your team and Virtual BCN Challenge 2020 so it can be easily identified by the organisers. We also need to know which forum members posts are to be taken into consideration as official posts on that thread by the organisers. Posts by any forum members not declared before the start of the event as being spokesperson for the team will not be taken into consideration for the benefit of awarding points

A team member must also email the organisers with their starting point. Any team not declaring their starting point will be disqualified. You cannot change your starting point after midday on Sunday 3^rd May.

 

 

 

 

At 1pm on Sunday May 3^rd we will issue the score card for the event.

 

 

Information you need to know

 

 

 

The Organisers will also issue each entrant a virtual piece of equipment which will be known as an Automat Sehnsucht.

 (From German:  Sehnsucht (n.) Definition: A wistful longing and yearning in the heart for travels past and future. Automat: Machine)

 

This machine has the power to warp time allowing the boat it is virtually installed in to navigate at any point in time between 1768 and 2020.

 

 

The introduction of the new Automat Sehsucht technology means that, for the first time, it will be possible to cruise the entire BCN, including all the 60 miles which have been closed. This enhancement means that many new connections and cruising rings will become possible. Following extensive negotiation with adjacent canal owners, free non points scoring travel will be possible outside the BCN, extending the scope of the options open to participating teams. – More details on this to follow.

 

 

Participants must follow a logical and progressive journey on the network. Please note that whilst the Automat Sehsucht can move you through time at will, it cannot teleport your boat to a different place on the network during the 6-day challenge. You can only move along the canals at a sedate 2.5 mph, thus complying with the speed limits contained within the original canal bye laws (3.0 mph max and 2.0 mph min), which will prevail in some of the era’s you will be visiting.

 

 

Given the speed limit of 2.5mph for all craft, your choice of starting location could be significant and should be considered carefully. With 160 miles of canal available for navigation and a maximum potential range of about 100 miles, less the time spent locking, you will not be able to navigate the entire network during the event. Furthermore, to encourage use of the lost sections “super bonus points” will be awarded.

 

 

 

 

The practicalities

 

 

 

A virtual cruising day will be no more than seven hours long and will start at 9am each day. The organisers will post an update each day no later than 8:30am. This update will advise of any unexpected stoppages or potential delays you may experience along your route. You will also be furnished with details of a daily challenge and a daily quiz.

 

 

If you are using the Automat Sehsucht to visit a lost canal, please return from your travels with a photograph for your cruise diary post plus a points scoring snippet of relevant historical information for each length, which will need to be posted within your daily e-mailed answer sheet.

 

 

Each team must post an update to their cruise diary no later than 10pm each day. Included in the diary entry we expect to see a description of the route you have taken, any interesting sights, any problems you may have encountered and there must be a photograph of where you have chosen to tie your lines that evening. The photo does not need to be your own, but if using the intellectual property of someone else that photo must be properly acknowledged (where you found it). Any photos relating to the daily challenge must also be posted in your cruise diary.

 

 

Quiz entries should NOT be posted online but instead sent by email. You can update your diary at any time during the day but any entries made after 10pm will not be included in the scoring. Bonus point may be awarded for inventive reports

Teams will also need to email their updated score sheet to the organisers on a daily basis.

 

 

Safe Social Distancing moorings on the BCN have been provided at specific junctions, and mooring is only permitted at these locations. Any unused time cannot be carried forward from day to day, and any unused time will be lost. If a crew fails to reach a COVID safe location for the night a points deduction is to be applied in respect of the time it would take to reach the nearest safe haven.

 

 

Given the limited use of the BCN in recent months, canal and lock conditions are variable. Whilst the organisers will do all they can to maintain a fully operational system, some unexpected delays may occur on certain canals and any temporary stoppages will be announced before each day’s cruise.

 

 

Each Participating crew must ensure that they end their Virtual BCN Challenge at Bradley Workshops no later than 6pm on Saturday 9^th May 2020. Failure to arrive at the destination by the deadline will result in a points deduction equivalent to the time taken to reach the official destination from the point their virtual cruise came to an end. Final score sheet must be received by the organisers NO LATER THAN 6:30pm on Saturday 9^th May 2020.

 

 

On Sunday 10^th May the final score card will be published. The winning team will receive a virtual keg of ale, a virtual platter of Black Country faggots with chips and gravy for the entire team and a virtual catering pack of pork scratchings. (For those who no longer have their own teeth these can be substituted for virtual pork puffs)

 

 

 

 

Ways to earn Bonus Points

 

 

 

There will be a variety of ways to supplement your points:

 

 

A daily quiz

A daily challenge

A daily historical research challenge

 

 

There will also be the potential for additional bonus points for:

 

 

·        Imagination

·        Humour

·        Geekery

·        Illustration

·        Creative writing

·        Musical soundtrack

 

 

 

 

As ever, the organisers’ decision is final ……..

Edited April 19, 2020 by cheshire~rose

[Odana]

A Hockley Port Team is being assembled .... We may go for two,just for some internal competition

Edited April 19, 2020 by Odana

[Captain Pegg]

2 hours ago, WotEver said:

CV19 eh? North Coventry...

No. There’s no such postcode even though CV postcodes cover much of Warwickshire. North Coventry is CV6.

[harrybsmith]

11 minutes ago, Odana said:

A Hockley Port Team is being assembled .... We may go for two,just for some internal competition

At least 2, I've already got my crew assembled.  See you at the finish!

[WotEver]

2 minutes ago, Captain Pegg said:

No. There’s no such postcode even though CV postcodes cover much of Warwickshire. North Coventry is CV6.

CV19AA is the centre of Cov

 

(Okay, it’s CV1 9AA but that doesn’t work with the joke  )

[Captain Pegg]

1 minute ago, WotEver said:

CV19AA is the centre of Cov

 

(Okay, it’s CV1 9AA but that doesn’t work with the joke  )

‘Twas disappointing to find it didn’t exist. I grew up in CV6 and when I returned to the Midlands after nearly a decade in the frozen north I lived briefly in CV34. There‘s a lot missing in between.

 

JP

[cheshire~rose]

Well that shut you all up didn't it?

 

Were you all expecting it to be easy? The clue is in the title - it's a challenge!

 

If you want to enter hover over my avatar and click "messge" in the bottom left hand corner of the pop-up box.

 

Let me know the name of your team, who it consists of and give me an email address where we can contact you.

 

Since posting the premise of the challenge it seems only the local folks at Hockley Port are lining up for taking part (althoough no formal entries have arrives yet)

 

@Kiwidad @john6767 @Richard T @Victor Vectis @Ange @system 4-50 @Dr Bob @Keeping Up @alan_fincher @Scholar Gypsy @Mike Todd @Tom and Bex We are eagerly awaiting news of whether you are in or out.

 

Meanwhile has @tree monkey got over his hangover?

 

 

[StarUKKiwi]

?I'm in, a small team called 

"State of Gracie" 

[StarUKKiwi]

11 hours ago, cheshire~rose said:

Are you sitting comfortably?

 

 

 

Registration is now open!

About the challenge

 

Motto: tempus rerum imperator (Time, commander of all things)

 

People are invited join the challenge as individuals or to form teams. There are no restrictions on team numbers and there will be no points benefit or deduction based upon the number of people in a participating team.

In keeping with the Covid-19 travel restrictions, the entre challenge MUST be completed without leaving your home or garden. Any participants deemed to have taken an unnecessary journey to take part (either to visit a BCN site or to meet with other competitors) will be disqualified.

The boat that you use to participate with will be a virtual one (you do not need to actually own a boat to take part). The event will be hosted within the Canal World Discussion Forum 

 

 

?I'm in, "State of Gracie"

[tree monkey]

However much I would like to get involved, I'm still working and I would be unlikely to be able to devote as much time as the idea deserves, so I will just watch from the sidelines and dream of next years actual challenge.

 

Well done for setting it up 

[Rob-M]

10 minutes ago, tree monkey said:

However much I would like to get involved, I'm still working and I would be unlikely to be able to devote as much time as the idea deserves, so I will just watch from the sidelines and dream of next years actual challenge.

 

Well done for setting it up 

I'm in the same boat. As I'm still working full time I don't feel I want to commit to spending evenings completing challenges but I'll be keeping an eye on what is going on.

[cheshire~rose]

Thank you both for keeping the wheels turning for our country. It is very much appreciated. We did anticipate that there would be some who are working that may find this a struggle which is a shame but hopefully watching from the sidelines will offer some entertainment value for you and others like you. There is of course always the option to offer your services to another team because there are many aspects to this challenge and the most competative teams are likely have team members with a range of skills, qualities and experience. The suggested 2 hours of commitment a day may drop sharply if tasks are delegated among a team. 

23 minutes ago, tree monkey said:

However much I would like to get involved, I'm still working and I would be unlikely to be able to devote as much time as the idea deserves, so I will just watch from the sidelines and dream of next years actual challenge.

 

Well done for setting it up 

 

10 minutes ago, Rob-M said:

I'm in the same boat. As I'm still working full time I don't feel I want to commit to spending evenings completing challenges but I'll be keeping an eye on what is going on.

 

39 minutes ago, StarUKKiwi said:

?I'm in, a small team called 

"State of Gracie" 

Brilliant! 

 

I have finally placed who that forum ID is  did you hear the penny drop? 

[Captain Pegg]

Rob-M and I briefly conversed yesterday evening, having been an actual team for the past four Challenges. I too had held back due to being full time at work, albeit from home.

 

What I could do is enter a team and nominate @Rob-M and @tree monkey and any other working folk who are interested but unsure if they can commit as spokespersons. Just so long as everyone is clear we might not get off the ground. There would no pressure on anyone, including me.

 

We might ‘beat’ Laurie to the wooden spoon.

 

JP

[cheshire~rose]

2 minutes ago, Captain Pegg said:

Rob-M and I briefly conversed yesterday evening, having been an actual team for the past four Challenges. I too had held back due to being full time at work, albeit from home.

 

What I could do is enter a team and nominate @Rob-M and @tree monkey and any other working folk who are interested but unsure if they can commit as spokespersons. Just so long as everyone is clear we might not get off the ground. There would no pressure on anyone, including me.

 

We might ‘beat’ Laurie to the wooden spoon.

 

JP

That is a great idea, 

 

As for getting "off the ground" your virtual boat can be shallow draughted so you are less likely to go aground to start with  

 

And yes - it is about time someone gave Laurie a run for his long held title. Perhaps you can just have a virtual pub crawl around the system as you watch the others zoom past? 

[Dr Bob]

7 minutes ago, cheshire~rose said:

 

 

And yes - it is about time someone gave Laurie a run for his long held title. Perhaps you can just have a virtual pub crawl around the system as you watch the others zoom past? 

Hang about, last year we would have won that, if we hadn't been given bonus points for registering late???!

Now with that precedence set, how many points this year for registering 5 mins before the start?

 

[Laurie Booth]

50 minutes ago, cheshire~rose said:

That is a great idea, 

 

As for getting "off the ground" your virtual boat can be shallow draughted so you are less likely to go aground to start with  

 

And yes - it is about time someone gave Laurie a run for his long held title. Perhaps you can just have a virtual pub crawl around the system as you watch the others zoom past? 

I wish I could join in but working away at the moment so I can't devote the time to this great challenge. I wish all great fun with this excellent event.

 

[cheshire~rose]

3 minutes ago, Laurie.Booth said:

I wish I could join in but working away at the moment so I can't devote the time to this great challenge. I wish all great fun with this excellent event.

 

................ang on a minute...........

 

You make it sound like you devote time to the real challenge? ?

 

What are we missing here? 

14 hours ago, cheshire~rose said:

Participants must register their team and their vessel details with the organiser NO LATER THAN MIDDAY BST on Saturday 2^nd May

 

48 minutes ago, Dr Bob said:

Hang about, last year we would have won that, if we hadn't been given bonus points for registering late???!

Now with that precedence set, how many points this year for registering 5 mins before the start?

 

We already foiled that plan 

[Laurie Booth]

11 minutes ago, cheshire~rose said:

................ang on a minute...........

 

You make it sound like you devote time to the real challenge? ?

 

What are we missing here? 

 

We already foiled that plan 

Last year I spent loads of minutes, working out the best way of avoiding locks, etc.....

[Dr Bob]

37 minutes ago, cheshire~rose said:

 

 

 

We already foiled that plan 

That's wot they said last time.

[Rob-M]

1 hour ago, Captain Pegg said:

Rob-M and I briefly conversed yesterday evening, having been an actual team for the past four Challenges. I too had held back due to being full time at work, albeit from home.

 

What I could do is enter a team and nominate @Rob-M and @tree monkey and any other working folk who are interested but unsure if they can commit as spokespersons. Just so long as everyone is clear we might not get off the ground. There would no pressure on anyone, including me.

 

We might ‘beat’ Laurie to the wooden spoon.

 

JP

I'm happy to be considered part of such a team, I do happen to have a copy of The other 60 miles at home so maybe some handy reference material.

[cheshire~rose]

5 minutes ago, Rob-M said:

I'm happy to be considered part of such a team, I do happen to have a copy of The other 60 miles at home so maybe some handy reference material.

You see, you already have a tool in your weaponry that many teams would be quite envious of right now.

 

It has also been suggested that anybody who happens to have a copy of Richard Dean's map of The Birmingham Canals will be very happy right now...

 

Cue everyone heading off to Ebay, Abe Books or the Canal Book Shop at Audlem Mill (which is open for mail order)