Grand Union air draught

[Mike Todd]

4 hours ago, Bronco99 said:

Just spoke to Calcutt. Happy to accommodate my 9' (that's feet, right?) for a 50 quid fee. Seems like a lovely place. I was watching Tim & Pru last night who kept their nb there and were visiting the festival at Braunston. Little chance we'll all be happily jabbed and that will be on in 2021 but I'd love to experience it.

 

Hopefully I'll get as far as there without incident and my tow can then get me down to Stratford for the onward leg.

 

Invaluable advice, thanks. Sorry if I struggle occasionally with a perception of patronising piss-takes. It's all good banter and we're all up against it atm.

Stratford?

[matty40s]

12 minutes ago, Mike Todd said:

Stratford?

Shakespeare and all that... but not the one that got vaccinated recently...

[TheBiscuits]

9 minutes ago, Mike Todd said:

Stratford?

Stratford-upon-Avon for the return to the mooring at Evesham.

 

Although there's a very good slipway at Evesham - speak to Doug at Sankey Marine - so I'd aim for there on the trailer and just bimble upriver to Stratford-upon-Avon on the boat either before or after the grand tour.

[Bronco99]

9 minutes ago, Mike Todd said:

Stratford?

Yeah, as in Upon-Avon, bypassing the link between the proposed, but as yet unfinished (if, indeed started) wide beam navigation linking Warwick to the River Avon.

2 hours ago, Alan de Enfield said:

I don't think that model has a flybridge.

No flybridge, can't imagine any flybridge managing the GU. I got a Norman at Rickmansworth and I've seen enough to know that! But Silver Lady is just a standard river cruiser with occasional coastal work capability. Not designed for canals hence all the research on which ones might be suitable. K & A has proved more than up to the job. This boat has a 2.9' draught, but with the sterndrive auto trimmed up it cuts the draught right down so no problems there mooring wise. Just hoping my screens are compact enough with the wheelhouse off to manage the headroom dimensions issue. At least as far as Calcutt.

[Mike Todd]

3 minutes ago, Bronco99 said:

Yeah, as in Upon-Avon, bypassing the link between the proposed, but as yet unfinished (if, indeed started) wide beam navigation linking Warwick to the River Avon.

No flybridge, can't imagine any flybridge managing the GU. I got a Norman at Rickmansworth and I've seen enough to know that! But Silver Lady is just a standard river cruiser with occasional coastal work capability. Not designed for canals hence all the research on which ones might be suitable. K & A has proved more than up to the job. This boat has a 2.9' draught, but with the sterndrive auto trimmed up it cuts the draught right down so no problems there mooring wise. Just hoping my screens are compact enough with the wheelhouse off to manage the headroom dimensions issue. At least as far as Calcutt.

I was just wondering about the route from Calcutt?

[Rob-M]

2 minutes ago, Mike Todd said:

I was just wondering about the route from Calcutt?

A425 and M40

[Bronco99]

1 minute ago, Mike Todd said:

I was just wondering about the route from Calcutt?

Trailer from Calcutt Marina. I spoke to them confirming use of it today.

 

Sounds about right

 

[Bronco99]

12 minutes ago, TheBiscuits said:

Stratford-upon-Avon for the return to the mooring at Evesham.

 

Although there's a very good slipway at Evesham - speak to Doug at Sankey Marine - so I'd aim for there on the trailer and just bimble upriver to Stratford-upon-Avon on the boat either before or after the grand tour.

Evesham are giving me a mooring for a few weeks when Silver Lady goes in the water as she already has Avon license, I was brought up there they're putting my webasto in. Then it's down to meet up with one of the pilots at the Dockers Club for my first Estuary trip to Avonmouth (you can get one cheap if you go via the club and buy one a drink or 2 rather than the official channel). Even though I recently got my Dayskipper I'll take a pilot first time ?

 

But yeah I might take a trip up to Stratford while I'm moored at Evesham. In fact we had it in mind to invite some friends on exactly that trip.

[Mike Todd]

46 minutes ago, Bronco99 said:

Trailer from Calcutt Marina. I spoke to them confirming use of it today.

 

Sounds about right

 

I wondered just because you originally asked about navigation routes!

[John Brightley]

1 hour ago, Bronco99 said:

Yeah, as in Upon-Avon, bypassing the link between the proposed, but as yet unfinished (if, indeed started) wide beam navigation linking Warwick to the River Avon.

No link has ever been started, and the chance of it happening is quite remote in my opinion, as there have been many influential people in the past opposed to such a link.

But if you want a taste of it you can hire row boats or canoes on the rivers at both Warwick and Leamington. I also saw a Broads-style cruiser on the river at Warwick once (in the 1970's) though there is nothing like that there now. A friend of a friend also has a small boat on the river at Barford (he also has his own island in the river there!)

[john6767]

1 hour ago, Mike Todd said:

Stratford?

He is getting lifted out and going to Stratford (or somewhere else on the Avon) by road.

[Bronco99]

37 minutes ago, john6767 said:

He is getting lifted out and going to Stratford (or somewhere else on the Avon) by road.

Totally accurate, that man. Towed from Calcutt Marina by road to Stratford-Upon-Avon and boat back to Evesham (my starting point)

[TheBiscuits]

2 minutes ago, Bronco99 said:

Totally accurate, that man. Towed from Calcutt Marina by road to Stratford-Upon-Avon and boat back to Evesham (my starting point)

 

Can you slip Silver Lady at Stratford boat club?  It doesn't look like a very good slip for larger boats - although I have never used it, just looked at it.  That's why I recommended Sankey Marine (the far side of Evesham from Evesham Marina, past Tesco) 

[Bronco99]

3 minutes ago, TheBiscuits said:

 

Can you slip Silver Lady at Stratford boat club?  It doesn't look like a very good slip for larger boats - although I have never used it, just looked at it.  That's why I recommended Sankey Marine (the far side of Evesham from Evesham Marina, past Tesco) 

If necessary (and I'll have to clarify the slipway at Stratford) then I'll go in at Wyre Piddle nr Pershore. It's a marina I know very well and they have excellent slipway facility and my family live in Pershore 10 mins walk away

[John Brightley]

16 minutes ago, Bronco99 said:

If necessary (and I'll have to clarify the slipway at Stratford) 

I don't think there is a slipway at Stratford Boat Club but there is one at the small marina on the north side of Clopton Bridge which looks from Streetview to be quite wide and gently sloping.

[Alan de Enfield]

30 minutes ago, Bronco99 said:

Totally accurate, that man. Towed from Calcutt Marina by road to Stratford-Upon-Avon and boat back to Evesham (my starting point)

If I may suggest - the term 'towed' maybe misleading 'trucked' may be better.

 

Towing along the A45 (or whatever) may result in 'not a lot' of GRP being left by the time you arrive.

[Bronco99]

1 hour ago, John Brightley said:

No link has ever been started, and the chance of it happening is quite remote in my opinion, as there have been many influential people in the past opposed to such a link.

But if you want a taste of it you can hire row boats or canoes on the rivers at both Warwick and Leamington. I also saw a Broads-style cruiser on the river at Warwick once (in the 1970's) though there is nothing like that there now. A friend of a friend also has a small boat on the river at Barford (he also has his own island in the river there!)

Do you have any more info on why that proposed link has been so opposed by these influential people, John? 

7 minutes ago, Alan de Enfield said:

If I may suggest - the term 'towed' maybe misleading 'trucked' may be better.

 

Towing along the A45 (or whatever) may result in 'not a lot' of GRP being left by the time you arrive.

Depends on the type of wheels and fenders I've got on my GRP

 

Well, make a silly comment expect a silly response...

Edited January 6, 2021 by Bronco99

[John Brightley]

15 minutes ago, Bronco99 said:

Do you have any more info on why that proposed link has been so opposed by these influential people, John? 

See the thread here: https://www.canalworld.net/forums/index.php?/topic/68363-higher-avon-navigation-whats-the-story/

The only thing I can add is that if the river were made navigable, this would have a major impact on the setting of Charlecote Park, a National Trust house, so the NT was opposed to the scheme. It may be possible to devise a a scheme to avoid the park completely, but this would require a substantial new canal cut. 

[Bronco99]

I'll go and dig the thing out myself ready for my arrival to save on towage (sorry, trucking fees) followed by taking a few chunks out of Stockton Lane Bridge. Hope that Blue Lias pub mentioned earlier keeps a well stocked cellar...

[ditchcrawler]

1 hour ago, John Brightley said:

I don't think there is a slipway at Stratford Boat Club but there is one at the small marina on the north side of Clopton Bridge which looks from Streetview to be quite wide and gently sloping.

I am trying to think back so could be wildly wrong here, but isn't there one opposite the lock from the basin on the far side of the river. Looked at the map and it seems I am wrong but one in the boat yard 

Edited January 6, 2021 by ditchcrawler

[john6767]

28 minutes ago, ditchcrawler said:

I am trying to think back so could be wildly wrong here, but isn't there one opposite the lock from the basin on the far side of the river. Looked at the map and it seems I am wrong but one in the boat yard 

There does appear to be a slipway at the marina in Stratford, but it does not look very wide.  The road access to it does not look very good either, so it may not be suitable.

Edited January 6, 2021 by john6767

[ditchcrawler]

3 minutes ago, john6767 said:

There does appear to be a slipway at the marina in Stratford, but it does not look very wide.  The road access to it does not look very good either, so it may not be suitable.

Not the same one  

[ditchcrawler]

[john6767]

6 minutes ago, ditchcrawler said:

Two slipways, they are very posh in Stratford

[TheBiscuits]

18 minutes ago, john6767 said:

There does appear to be a slipway at the marina in Stratford, but it does not look very wide.  The road access to it does not look very good either, so it may not be suitable.

 

That's the one I was thinking of, but there is a bigger one if you pan right from there, behind the Tapas bar:

 

10 minutes ago, ditchcrawler said:

 

Yep that one! 

 

https://www.google.com/maps/@52.1917703,-1.7006518,3a,75.1y,3.79h,72.75t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1swvt6nUSxKY6WehgeUrp13w!2e0!7i13312!8i6656

 

 

Edited January 6, 2021 by TheBiscuits