MtB Posted June 19, 2022 Report Share Posted June 19, 2022 2 minutes ago, Peugeot 106 said: I haven’t a clue what it did when it got to a lock if it ever did. Probably joined the Grand Union at Braunston with its wide locks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peugeot 106 Posted June 19, 2022 Author Report Share Posted June 19, 2022 5 minutes ago, MtB said: Probably joined the Grand Union at Braunston with its wide locks! Presumably going from the Grand Union to the Osney marina up the Oxford i’m Sure it wasn’t Humphrey Boggart driving it Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MtB Posted June 19, 2022 Report Share Posted June 19, 2022 7 minutes ago, Peugeot 106 said: Presumably going from the Grand Union to the Osney marina up the Oxford i’m Sure it wasn’t Humphrey Boggart driving it Unlikely at best! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Captain Pegg Posted June 19, 2022 Report Share Posted June 19, 2022 The section of the Oxford between Braunston and Napton can take widebeams up to 12' 6" legitimately. It could also have been a boat booked for passage from Dunchurch Pools or Barby to Braunston, or indeed the one that doesn't bother booking. So it is possible but of course it wouldn't be going through any locks on the Oxford. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MtB Posted June 19, 2022 Report Share Posted June 19, 2022 3 minutes ago, Captain Pegg said: The section of the Oxford between Braunston and Napton can take widebeams up to 12' 6" legitimately. It could also have been a boat booked for passage from Dunchurch Pools or Barby to Braunston, or indeed the one that doesn't bother booking. So it is possible but of course it wouldn't be going through any locks on the Oxford. That would be the wideboat "MILES AWAY". Let's hope the two of them meet on a particularly narrow bit. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wanderer Vagabond Posted June 19, 2022 Report Share Posted June 19, 2022 2 minutes ago, MtB said: That would be the wideboat "MILES AWAY". Let's hope the two of them meet on a particularly narrow bit. Somewhere like the middle of Braunston Tunnel would be 'interesting' Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rgreg Posted June 20, 2022 Report Share Posted June 20, 2022 13 hours ago, Nightwatch said: Share the locks, of course, but not with a single hander like we did once. He did do a lot of climbing on and off but not the same as an additional pair of hands. Mooring adjacent to the wharf as has been said. We moored many moons ago near the very top lock and found out at 0400 that it is close to the brewery depot yard. Hey ho! and all that. A well organised, efficient single-hander can be more beneficial to share locks with than many crews. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Idle Days Posted June 20, 2022 Report Share Posted June 20, 2022 I'm puzzled. Why the need for speed? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blackrose Posted June 20, 2022 Report Share Posted June 20, 2022 13 hours ago, Captain Pegg said: I could tag a handful of posters on this forum who regularly single hand and would likely outpace you through a flight. Yes I've sometimes found I can even take my widebeam through locks single handed faster than narrowboats with two or more people aboard. If I'm ahead of a narrowboat and they're having to wait for me at locks I'll offer to wait and let them take the next lock, but sometimes that doesn't happen as I leave them behind. I'm not sure what they're doing, I guess everyone works locks at their own pace. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blackrose Posted June 20, 2022 Report Share Posted June 20, 2022 11 hours ago, Wanderer Vagabond said: Surely a single hander on a wide beam is going to be no problem in a lock since they are going to be in there on their own (unless they're on the Aire and Calder, or the Thames). Yes I didn't understand what he was on about either. It just seems like a need for a general whinge. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blackrose Posted June 20, 2022 Report Share Posted June 20, 2022 11 hours ago, Peugeot 106 said: Never been near a widebeam in a lock. i’m sure there are some good single handers and hirers and have met both So what were you whinging about then? The thread was about flights of locks and then you started criticising single handers on widebeams! 🤔 There are some good single handers on widebeams too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David Mack Posted June 20, 2022 Report Share Posted June 20, 2022 A singlehanding wide beam in a wide lock is no different to a singlehanding narrow beam in a narrow lock. So why the widthism? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Captain Pegg Posted June 20, 2022 Report Share Posted June 20, 2022 (edited) 33 minutes ago, Idle Days said: I'm puzzled. Why the need for speed? There is a natural rhythm to working locks that is different for everyone but do recognise that not everyone boats in a way that means they can choose when and where to moor up every night. I hate people who tell me there's no rush, I don't tell them there's a need to be quicker so what on earth makes them think it's OK to say that? And a volockie that can't facilitate the method of the boater they are assisting shouldn't be there. Speed isn't the issue because it's quicker to walk than use a narrowboat but that doesn't mean we may have a booking at a marina or a boatyard to meet or crew who need to make a station to get a train home to their family at a reasonable time, all of which will have been planned around achieving reasonable journey times. Edited June 20, 2022 by Captain Pegg Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peugeot 106 Posted June 20, 2022 Author Report Share Posted June 20, 2022 1 hour ago, blackrose said: So what were you whinging about then? The thread was about flights of locks and then you started criticising single handers on widebeams! 🤔 There are some good single handers on widebeams too. Sorry you seem to have taken this so personally it wasn’t meant. If I upset you I apologise. Each to his own. I don’t want to get dragged into a slanging match which seems to happen quite frequently on this forum. Incidentally the forum has frequently been very useful to me in between the slings and arrows. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Captain Pegg Posted June 20, 2022 Report Share Posted June 20, 2022 23 minutes ago, Peugeot 106 said: Sorry you seem to have taken this so personally it wasn’t meant. If I upset you I apologise. Each to his own. I don’t want to get dragged into a slanging match which seems to happen quite frequently on this forum. Incidentally the forum has frequently been very useful to me in between the slings and arrows. Sorry, I probably started that by picking up on what I saw as a bit of a contradiction in one of your posts. (A real human being contradictory, who'd have thought it, eh?) I've learnt over the years on the forum that it's dangerous ground to imply criticism of any one group of boaters and I think by and large that's how it should be, there's no one way to boat and the original purpose of canals is long gone and they are subject to constant change (and probably always were to some degree). Best that we all live with it. There is though a contradictory emotion I feel as a narrowboater when I happen upon a widebeam ahead of me in a lock. The thought "why can't you be a narrowboat so I can share the lock" is natural but of course the actual occurrence is just the same as encountering a narrowboat ahead of you in a narrow lock and that happens all the time. Although with a short boat I have managed to share narrow locks with other short craft, a wide lock with a short widebeam, and a wide lock with two other narrowboats. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Athy Posted June 20, 2022 Report Share Posted June 20, 2022 20 hours ago, Nightwatch said: Share the locks, of course, but not with a single hander Not nessercelery. We still have a good memory of the man on 'Samantha Rose' with whom we lock-palled up the floight in 2001 - our first day on our brand new boat. He knew what he was doing and was very active, and Mrs. Athy kept him supplied with mugs of tea and pieces of cake so that he didn't waste any time going into the galley. I think we did all 29 locks in four hours and a few minutes; without his help it could have taken far longer. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David Schweizer Posted June 20, 2022 Report Share Posted June 20, 2022 22 hours ago, Nightwatch said: Share the locks, of course, but not with a single hander like we did once. He did do a lot of climbing on and off but not the same as an additional pair of hands. Mooring adjacent to the wharf as has been said. We moored many moons ago near the very top lock and found out at 0400 that it is close to the brewery depot yard. Hey ho! and all that. Interestingly I was single handing the K&A many years ago, and shared the locks from Hungerford to Bath with Nightwatch and it's previous owners. As Helvetia was swifter than NIghtwatch I always left the lock first, reaching the next lock well ahead of them and had it ready with one gate open for them to enter. They were well pleased with this arrangement, and actually fed me on two evenings, by way thanking me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nightwatch Posted June 20, 2022 Report Share Posted June 20, 2022 31 minutes ago, David Schweizer said: Interestingly I was single handing the K&A many years ago, and shared the locks from Hungerford to Bath with Nightwatch and it's previous owners. As Helvetia was swifter than NIghtwatch I always left the lock first, reaching the next lock well ahead of them and had it ready with one gate open for them to enter. They were well pleased with this arrangement, and actually fed me on two evenings, by way thanking me. A deal David, a deal. I’ve nothing against single handlers. Honest. Just thinking of the wife that’s all. Don’t want her getting tired. Needs to cook dinner after the locks. Brace, brace, brace, incoming. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peugeot 106 Posted June 23, 2022 Author Report Share Posted June 23, 2022 On 19/06/2022 at 16:47, David Schweizer said: Last question first, there are usually decent towpath moorings opposite the Wharf immediately above the locks, if not there are rings outside the Black Horse, a couple of locks down, but a good idea to ask, as they are the pub's moorings. The food used to be quite good and reasonable price. The best time to arrive is before they open the locks so that you can be near the front of the queue, I have done the flight in 3 1/2 hours from the Black Horse with no boats in front of me, but allow 5 hours if it is busy Thanks we did stay outside the Black Horse and left at around 8am arriving at Sells Green for 12. We came down on our own and only saw 2 other boats going the other way (tied together looked good). Big Big thanks to Hazel and Geoff volunteers who uncomplainingly helped us all the way Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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