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How many is too many?


CIEL

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Just had a tidy of one of the lockers on the back deck when I remembered that someone recently discussed how many lock windlasses they had.

I seem to be a collector and I expect if I really looked I might find a couple more.  The Sea searcher magnet was only responsible for the white one.  The green one was found in the long grass beside a lock and looks home made.

How many have you got?

Chris

windlasses.jpg

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5 minutes ago, Midnight said:

I've only ever bought one,  found several and have given at least 3 away. Currently there's 5 in the locker.

I don't think I have bought any.  The oldest cast one was found in the yard where my "project" boat was acquired in 1975.  The alloy casting someone gave me, don't use it much, the green one was picked up, the cast one with a plastic handle came from a mate who left it behind and couldn't be bothered to fetch it.  The Great Ouse/Middle level with the plastic handle was given to me for doing someone a favour and the last one was spotted at the bottom of a lock and retrieved with the magnet. 

I have lost a couple as well along the way.

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15 minutes ago, Victor Vectis said:

Well, I've one in the bottom of Star Lock, Stone and another just below Cholmondeston Lock on the Middlewich Branch.

Both alloy.

 

I don't say they are lost. After all, I know where they are.

😃

Maybe in a few more days of no rain the one in Star Lock might be visible.

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I've got three.  One's a long throw one, which came with the boat. It gives great leverage, but won't make a complete circle without hitting the beam on some of the local locks.  So I got two shorter ones, one alloy from the Bay of E and one steel (which I bought from the lock-keepers at the Bratch.  I think they fish them out during maintenance, clean them up and sell them to raise funds for CRT.)

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1 hour ago, Victor Vectis said:

Well, I've one in the bottom of Star Lock, Stone and another just below Cholmondeston Lock on the Middlewich Branch.

Both alloy.

 

I don't say they are lost. After all, I know where they are.

😃

In the same vein I know exactly where two pairs of my glasses are - one just south of Northwich on the T&M and one outside the former Jack Mytton pub on the Llangollen. My wife also has a pair just north of the old Sollom lock on the L&L’s Rufford branch - lost when she had an impromptu dip while I was turning the boat.

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1 hour ago, JohnEW2912 said:

In the same vein I know exactly where two pairs of my glasses are - one just south of Northwich on the T&M and one outside the former Jack Mytton pub on the Llangollen. My wife also has a pair just north of the old Sollom lock on the L&L’s Rufford branch - lost when she had an impromptu dip while I was turning the boat.

We have a walkie talkie just opposite the pub at Maestermyn, and my better half nearly lost a croc in the T&M after standing in an ants nest whilst we moored and attempting some sort of can-can to dislodge them from her foot. I retrieved it with the boat hook once i’d stopped laughing. My ribs still hurt, not from laughing, but because of it :( 

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13 hours ago, CIEL said:

The green one was found in the long grass beside a lock and looks home made.

 

 

I don't think it is home made. I have an identical windlass as a spare in one of my boats, although not green.

 

The finish is an authentic mix of grey paint and rust. 

 

 

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We only have a couple of steel ones. I did find a lovely aluminium one at a lock once, but at the very next lock chucked it from one side, attempting to get it to Mrs Rusty on the other side, and the damn thing fell in the water.

 

Someone gave me this the other day (not the tape measure). Its a lovely looking thing, but not sure how practical it would be

IMG_20220802_113341904_MP.jpg

Edited by rusty69
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22 minutes ago, rusty69 said:

We only have a couple of steel ones. I did find a lovely aluminium one at a lock once, but at the very next lock chucked it from one side, attempting to get it to Mrs Rusty on the other side, and the damn thing fell in the water.

 

Someone gave me this the other day (not the tape measure). Its a lovely looking thing, but not sure how practical it would be

IMG_20220802_113341904_MP.jpg

 

 

I got one of them too. Tiny leetle thing! 

 

Like you, I'm not convinced it is strong enough to actually work on today's often stiff paddles. I can imagine how the really short throw would make winding up a smoothly operating paddle really quick though, for someone strong. 

 

 

 

 

Edited by MtB
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3 minutes ago, MtB said:

 

 

I got one of them too. Tiny leetle thing! 

 

Like you, I'm not convinced it is strong enough to actually work on today's often stiff paddles. I can imagine how the really short throw would make winding up a smoothly operating paddle really quick though, for someone strong. 

 

 

 

 

Probably best suited for hanging over the bar in a pub. Perhaps we could donate ours to the Cross keys.

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14 hours ago, buccaneer66 said:

I have two and I don't even own a boat, one cast alloy and the other is a forged Wey & Arun Junction canal company found in Malham lock.

ah that allows you to lurk around locks waiting for your next prey!

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5 minutes ago, robtheplod said:

ah that allows you to lurk around locks waiting for your next prey!

 

 

Years ago I worked myself through Osney lock on the Thames. Watching me was a smartly dressed bod wearing exactly the same sort of midnight blue trousers and jumper that the Thames Lockies wear, and I assumed he was the lock keeper. 

 

I thought it odd he left me to do it myself and I commented to someone later on about it. They said Oh, he's just a member of the public, likes to dress up like the lock keeper and hang around there when the real locky is off duty. Caught me a treat! 

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I have a large headed brass windlass that I bent on one of the locks between Stockton and Hatton last week when the paddle was extremely stiff.  Decided to stop using it now before I snap it.

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