Canal Boat Diaries

[IanD]

3 minutes ago, Tracy D'arth said:

Good point Tony.  I suppose stopping the engine in reverse gear was also out of the question. I stalled an SR3 coming out of a lock when it picked up a keep net. The stranded steel cable was a devil to get off the blade.

Carbon fibre ones are bad to cut off too, also very expensive which doesn't make for a happy fisherman. Served him right, he shouldn't have been fishing on the inside of the bend while leaving his (long) keep net sticking right out into the canal as we passed...

[Tacet]

On 15/03/2022 at 09:51, Rob-M said:

The rush of water pulls the boat backwards in to the bottom gates.  I've experienced this on a motor whilst waiting for a butty to be locked down, once the bottom paddles were opened the motor, even with engine in forward, is sucked in to the bottom gates with considerable force.  The first time this happened to me if I hadn't been stood on the steerers step I would probably have been swept over the side by the tillar.

Having descended the lock, one would expect it to be filled, gates opened, boat and top gates closed before the bottom paddles are drawn.  Plenty of time for Naughty Lass to get a few feet away from the bottom gates.

 

Maybe he was dithering whilst filming?

 

 

[Rob-M]

37 minutes ago, Tacet said:

Having descended the lock, one would expect it to be filled, gates opened, boat and top gates closed before the bottom paddles are drawn.  Plenty of time for Naughty Lass to get a few feet away from the bottom gates.

 

Maybe he was dithering whilst filming?

 

 

He got a blade full and lost drive.

[IanD]

6 minutes ago, Rob-M said:

He got a blade full and lost drive.

 

It looked to me like he was below the bottom gates waiting to go up , and was pulled forwards towards the gates by the currents from the emptying lock. Often happens...

[Victor Vectis]

1 hour ago, The Happy Nomad said:

Is not a 'longer than normal' centre line useful to a single hander in wide deep locks??

 

(Until that is it wraps around the prop).

Yes.

Especially when going up the modernised locks on the GU, Hatton, Stockton etc.

And where the steps curve up and away from the lock landing the extra length is extra useful for flicking the rope over the end of the balance beam.

 

And I've never got it wrapped around the prop.

What never?

No never!

What never?

Well, hardly ever.

 

Only once and that was on a narrow canal.

[PeterF]

We had a hire boat go passed us on the L&L at 2000rpm but moving slower than tickover with hardly any water movement around the stern of the boat. Shouted at them to pull in as they had something on the prop. When i helped get them.in and started they had a whole 10m of rope in a ball around the prop. The boat had bow and stern lines but no middle line. I asked them about this and they said they had lost their stern rope and moved the middle one to the stern. Never linked the higher revs and slow progress to the loss of the rope. To quote one of the crew "so that is where it went".

[Idle Days]

On 15/03/2022 at 02:02, jeddlad said:

I like Robbie's gentle manner but his mooring up in the Marina at the end of episode was certainly reminiscent of Tim West......

Or me!

[Ex Brummie]

2 hours ago, Tony Brooks said:

In my case when I have had a stern line around the prop I found gearbox in neutral and pull on the fixed end of the rope caused it to unwind with only a bit of fraying on the rope but in this case I think he has a Lister SR and probably an LH150 gearbox so as soon a she stopped the engine it would have jammed in ahead gear. I doubt he knew enough to leave the engine idling in neutral or how to jack the ahead clutch out of engagement so the box was in neutral. In those circumstances I may have done something similar.

My blood ran cold when I read about leaving the engine in idle and the gearbox in neutral. He was the only one on the boat, so there would be no-one to knock the control whilst enquiring how he was progressing with his hand down the hatch. I once saw something similar when a friend we were cruising with caught a bladeful, and having stopped the engine, managed to catch his feet in a loose rope which caught the Lister start key and started the engine back up again whilst he was positioning himself for the weed hatch.

[Tony Brooks]

Just now, Ex Brummie said:

My blood ran cold when I read about leaving the engine in idle and the gearbox in neutral. He was the only one on the boat, so there would be no-one to knock the control whilst enquiring how he was progressing with his hand down the hatch. I once saw something similar when a friend we were cruising with caught a bladeful, and having stopped the engine, managed to catch his feet in a loose rope which caught the Lister start key and started the engine back up again whilst he was positioning himself for the weed hatch.

 

I agree, if he needed to go down the weed hatch that is when he would need to jack the ahead clutch out of mesh. If he had just left it idling in neutral and pulled on the fixed end it may have just unwound itself.

[Stroudwater1]

Im still confused why he was hanging around by the lower gates, wasnt he about to go up Wigan Locks? Perhaps it was artistic filming licence but why was he positioned sternwards at the lower gate when he was going upwards? If he had his prop fouled then couldn't he have poled away from the lower gates as soon as possible? Its not somewhere I ever like to be anywhere near forwards of rearwards when lower gate paddles are being opened. 

 

So far he has fallen in at Tardibigge, fouled on centre line, needed a mechanic for the water pump, crashed fairly heavily into a boat at the marina, got stuck on the Aire, drifted right over to the other side of a 14ft lock from a by wash, crashed into the lower gates. I know we all have had some of these, but after 4 years of continuous ish cruising he sure is accident prone. Nice lad though. 

[ditchcrawler]

2 minutes ago, Stroudwater1 said:

I  crashed fairly heavily into a boat at the marina,

 

He hardly touched it.

[Stroudwater1]

Sounded  pretty loud and hard coming in at an angle to me Brian I must say- perhaps it was sound effects to make good picture! 

Edited March 16, 2022 by Stroudwater1

[Guest]

17 minutes ago, Stroudwater1 said:

Sounded  pretty loud and hard coming in at an angle to me Brian I must say- perhaps it was sound effects to make good picture! 

 

Don't forget the sound will have been picked up by the camera which was sited right at the bow very very close to the point of impact.

 

 

[Cheese]

4 hours ago, Tracy D'arth said:

...Destroying a good rope with a bow saw seemed a bit over the top, ..

I think he said it was a natural rope, so splicing  could have been a better option than buying a new one

[ditchcrawler]

13 minutes ago, Cheese said:

I think he said it was a natural rope, so splicing  could have been a better option than buying a new one

Do you think he can splice?  

[Rob-M]

4 minutes ago, ditchcrawler said:

Do you think he can splice?  

Now that is something I find YouTube is good for.

[Tony Brooks]

and if he had polypropylene lines it may have floated and not got caught around the prop.

[Grassman]

22 hours ago, Stilllearning said:

Having passed through Fradley junction on several occasions, I’m unclear as to why one may feel the need to reverse up or down junction lock?

 

Our CRT workboat was moored below Junction Lock. We needed to go down the Coventry Canal but the boat was facing towards Alrewas and rather than go all the way there through 4 locks each way to wind, we chose the much easier option to reverse up through Junction Lock and turn into the Coventry Canal.

 

In my own boat we often do as Rob-M does and reverse from the junction down that lock to moor opposite the café. It keeps the gongoozlers entertained and they often ask us why we are doing it.  

[Alan de Enfield]

10 minutes ago, Grassman said:

In my own boat we often do as Rob-M does and reverse from the junction down that lock to moor opposite the café. It keeps the gongoozlers entertained and they often ask us why we are doing it.  

 

And your reply ......................

 

It gives you lot something to look / laugh at !

[Ex Brummie]

Is it another sound/timing effect or does he, as appears to me,stop the engine whilst gliding into a mooring? 

I've always worked on the principle that before you untie any ropes, make sure the engine is running, and leave it running until securely tied up. 

[Alan de Enfield]

2 minutes ago, Ex Brummie said:

I've always worked on the principle that before you untie any ropes, make sure the engine is running, and leave it running until securely tied up. 

 

 

 

[Rob-M]

32 minutes ago, Grassman said:

 

Our CRT workboat was moored below Junction Lock. We needed to go down the Coventry Canal but the boat was facing towards Alrewas and rather than go all the way there through 4 locks each way to wind, we chose the much easier option to reverse up through Junction Lock and turn into the Coventry Canal.

 

In my own boat we often do as Rob-M does and reverse from the junction down that lock to moor opposite the café. It keeps the gongoozlers entertained and they often ask us why we are doing it.  

Does your reversing go perfectly until someone stops to watch you?

 

I find it confuses the volockies as well when you tell the one at Middle Lock you are going straight on but then swing right at the junction and start reversing.

[Tony Brooks]

1 hour ago, Ex Brummie said:

Is it another sound/timing effect or does he, as appears to me,stop the engine whilst gliding into a mooring? 

I've always worked on the principle that before you untie any ropes, make sure the engine is running, and leave it running until securely tied up. 

 

I noticed that as well but on the odd occasion it seemed he could  reverse with no sound of the engine so probably sound effects.

[Grassman]

2 hours ago, Ex Brummie said:

Is it another sound/timing effect or does he, as appears to me,stop the engine whilst gliding into a mooring? 

I've always worked on the principle that before you untie any ropes, make sure the engine is running, and leave it running until securely tied up. 

 

 

I think it's probably just the way the film has been edited.

[Grassman]

2 hours ago, Rob-M said:

Does your reversing go perfectly until someone stops to watch you?

 

I find it confuses the volockies as well when you tell the one at Middle Lock you are going straight on but then swing right at the junction and start reversing.

 

Yes frequently.

 

The worst occasion was 20 years ago on a hire boat. We'd arrived back at the Anderton hire base early so decided we'd go down and back up the lift. It was a sunny Saturday afternoon and lot's of gongoozlers about observing the goings on. I spoke to the lift operator to tell him our plan and he was fine with it. 

 

Down the lift we went and after exiting the caisson I messed up the turn and the stern became stuck in shallow water on the far side of the river about 10 feet out from the pilings. It took ages to get free, probably about 2 minutes but it seemed like a lot  longer. The gongoozlers were now assembling in great numbers staring curiously at us, and to make matters worse, as I glanced towards the lift operator I saw him pointing at his watch and shouting me to hurry up, thankfully with a smile though.

 

After I'd finally freed the boat and was heading towards the lift, the operator began clapping, and so the 50 or so gongoozlers joined in with a hearty round of applause. All I could do was join in with the 'fun', so I just took a bow and got back into the caisson as soon as I could!