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Mooring under trees


blackrose

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Had my BSS exam this morning and then decided to go out and find some shade as I'm working at home from the boat all day. I was moored under some trees when I heard a lot of cracking wood. I came out to investigate about 15 yards behind the boat a massive branch suddenly came off the tree but got caught so it didn't fall into the river, which was quite lucky as there was a GRP boat passing. 

 

I moved forward by about 30 yards under some smaller maple trees. I think the one that's shedding branches is a horse chestnut. I knew willows exploded in the heat. I assumed that was because of the high water content expanding, but didn't know the same thing happened to other species. So perhaps mooring under big trees to avoid the heat isn't such a good idea? 

 

The falling branch is the one at a 40 degree angle. You can't tell from the photo but it's about 18" thick. 

 

IMG_20220711_154247.jpg

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3 minutes ago, blackrose said:

Had my BSS exam this morning and then decided to go out and find some shade as I'm working at home from the boat all day. I was moored under some trees when I heard a lot of cracking wood. I came out to investigate about 15 yards behind the boat a massive branch suddenly came off the tree but got caught so it didn't fall into the river, which was quite lucky as there was a GRP boat passing. 

 

I moved forward by about 30 yards under some smaller maple trees. I think the one that's shedding branches is a horse chestnut. I knew willows exploded in the heat. I assumed that was because of the high water content expanding, but didn't know the same thing happened to other species. So perhaps mooring under trees to avoid the heat isn't such a good idea? 

 

The falling branch is the one at a 40 degree angle. You can't tell from the photo but it's about 18" thick. 

 

IMG_20220711_154247.jpg

Can't tell much from the photo but that's odd. Is it horse chestnut?

 

there is a chance it was a structural fault, decay or a growth issue that failed due to the weight of the leaves and forming seeds

 

there is something called summer branch drop, which basically describes a sudden and unexpected  shedding of a large branch and often I mean LARGE but this tends to happen after a prolonged hot spell followed by a spell of intense rain, we don't know why it happens but it is rare.

 

Definitely curious 

 

 

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1 minute ago, blackrose said:

Anyway I don't think I'll moor under these trees again. Sh*t me right up! Looks like there are other big branches that could fall.

 

 

IMG_20220711_162309.jpg

I appreciate that scare factor and your decision, it would have scared the buggery out of me but it's extremely rare, seriously rare in fact buy a lottery ticket :)

 

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I had a willow fall down about 6ft behind me in bugsworth basin a few years ago about this time of year….heard a couple of cracks then watched it just miss us as I looked out….it was just in the river bank off the main arm…made a mess of a drystone wall….we moved up swiftly! 

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4 minutes ago, frangar said:

I had a willow fall down about 6ft behind me in bugsworth basin a few years ago about this time of year….heard a couple of cracks then watched it just miss us as I looked out….it was just in the river bank off the main arm…made a mess of a drystone wall….we moved up swiftly! 

Willow is almost designed to fail, because of its ability to basically root from any bit of timber it a sort of survival strategy.

Combine that with people's obsession to hack the buggery out of them and than never return to repeat the works on a regular cycle they are one of the few species I would avoid mooring under and even saying that big failures are fairly rare

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7 minutes ago, frangar said:

I had a willow fall down about 6ft behind me in bugsworth basin a few years ago about this time of year….heard a couple of cracks then watched it just miss us as I looked out….it was just in the river bank off the main arm…made a mess of a drystone wall….we moved up swiftly! 

I remember them chopping up that tree and fixing that wall. 
was it 2018??
 

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29 minutes ago, Goliath said:

I remember them chopping up that tree and fixing that wall. 
was it 2018??
 

I think it was…..I remember Pablo(??) chopping enough up so he could drive out and a cyclist trying to go underneath it much to Pablo’s annoyance! 

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1 minute ago, frangar said:

I think it was…..I remember Pablo(??) chopping enough up so he could drive out and a cyclist trying to go underneath it much to Pablo’s annoyance! 

I think the bulk of it had gone when I were there. 
Must have been a big one. 

Dunno why I got it into my head he was called Pedro, but he didn’t like it and I couldn’t stop myself calling him Pedro. 
Once I get a name wrong, I find it dead hard to correct myself. 
But yes, it’s Pablo, as in Picasso. 

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Just now, Goliath said:

I think the bulk of it had gone when I were there. 
Must have been a big one. 

Dunno why I got it into my head he was called Pedro, but he didn’t like it and I couldn’t stop myself calling him Pedro. 
Once I get a name wrong, I find it dead hard to correct myself. 
But yes, it’s Pablo, as in Picasso. 

I remember his name as I’ve a mate who’s nickname was Pablo….because he was always pisscaso! (Intended spelling!!)…..the OH says it was 2019 cos we were there just before Toddbrook had a moment. 

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23 minutes ago, Goliath said:

That’d make more sense, 2019. 

the year of Todbrook,

I remember that’s why I was up there, to have a look at was going on 

 

 

We did marple flight in torrential rain and watched toddbrook develop….still meant the Huddersfield had enough water for a change! 

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2 hours ago, frangar said:

I had a willow fall down about 6ft behind me in bugsworth basin a few years ago about this time of year….heard a couple of cracks then watched it just miss us as I looked out….it was just in the river bank off the main arm…made a mess of a drystone wall….we moved up swiftly! 

I was in one of the locks on the Stort in 2018 when I heard a loud crack from below the lock, then watched as an enormous willow on the offside slowly fell into the river. Fortunately there was just enough room to squeeze past on the towpath side. Reported it to CRT, but never saw a stoppage/restriction notice about it.

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I reported today's incident to the EA because that great big branch is just hanging there waiting to fall on a passing boat. It very nearly happened today.

 

The bloke from the EA told me that the environment agency is not the navigation authority for the River Nene in Northampton and said that I should speak to the local council. I tried to politely correct him but he wasn't having any of it. He asked me where I got the information to say that the EA were the navigation authority so I said that I paid my licence fee to the EA. He replied that all boats on any waterway in the UK had to have an EA licence! I corrected him again but he just wasn't listening. 

 

In the end I lost patience and said that if the EA weren't the navigation authority for the Nene in my area could they please return my licence fee!

 

There are some complete morons working for the EA

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4 minutes ago, blackrose said:

I reported today's incident to the EA because that great big branch is just hanging there waiting to fall on a passing boat. It very nearly happened today.

 

The bloke from the EA told me that the environment agency is not the navigation authority for the River Nene in Northampton and said that I should speak to the local council. I tried to politely correct him but he wasn't having any of it. He asked me where I got the information to say that the EA were the navigation authority so I said that I paid my licence fee to the EA. He replied that all boats on any waterway in the UK had to have an EA licence! I corrected him again but he just wasn't listening. 

 

In the end I lost patience and said that if the EA weren't the navigation authority for the Nene in my area could they please return my licence fee!

 

There are some complete morons working for the EA

Do the EA have a formal complaints procedure because if so that needs putting on one…all joking aside someone could be seriously injured thanks to that idiots attitude….plus the rest of the info which is downright wrong. It might be a bit of grief for you but I’d raise the complaint to the next level including time of call etc as those conversations are often recorded. 

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25 minutes ago, blackrose said:

I reported today's incident to the EA because that great big branch is just hanging there waiting to fall on a passing boat. It very nearly happened today

Good luck with that. Did you see how long it took to get that bloody great lump of steel hanging off the old footbridge downstream of Ditchford ?

Think that one is down to the landowner but you could try Lindon Wise who will be more helpful.

Hope your BS went well.

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10 minutes ago, CIEL said:

So avoid this part of the River Nene.

Is the Kings Head at Wadenhoe, just upstream open? Last I heard it had closed.

Chris

 

It was very much open when I stopped there a couple or so weeks ago and absolutely heaving when I passed it yesterday on the way back.

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2 minutes ago, PaulJ said:

It was very much open when I stopped there a couple or so weeks ago and absolutely heaving when I passed it yesterday on the way back.

That's good to hear it's a regular stop going up and coming down but I have not managed to get off the River Great Ouse system since 2019.

Probably not this year either but looking forward to 2023!

Sorry about hi jacking the thread.

Chris

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Over here its reasonably common for limbs to fall from trees in the dry season, so much so the trees are kicknamed widow makers.  Its usually Gum trees that do this and they do it to preserve water.  Don’t know if the same trait applies to European trees but its just a thought.  We never camp/park under these trees not only to avoid falling braches but also avoid the very high risk of coming back to find the vehicle covered in bird/bat poo.

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