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Route Planner woes


themymble

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2 hours ago, Rebotco said:

 

I did have a knowledgeable friend with me who did know the river very well, but not an official Pilot.

It was a dramatic and hairy trip, but, as you will deduce, we have lived to tell the tale!

I am so glad I experienced that trip, but I probably wouldn't do it again under the same circumstances.

My ignorance of the dangers was my greatest asset at the time, but unfortunately I have now lost that childlike innocence!

Back in the 1980s I worked on the development of the Second Severn Crossing. As part of the work we got a trip out from Avonmouth with the Port of Bristol's chief pilot to the navigation channel west of the English Stones, which is where the main span of the new bridge now is. We went at low tide to see what we could of the rocks where the main towers are founded. It was a sobering experience seeing the maelstrom of water as the whole of the estuary drained through the narrow channel, a moment of calm at the bottom of the tide then once again violent water movements after the tide turned.

The Chief Pilot told us he was dreading the reopening of the K&A expected in a few years time, as it would result in lots of flat bottomed, under powered, under equipped and under prepared boats going out onto the biggest tidal range in the country, having not been willing to pay for a pilot, and he foresaw his staff having to get involved in the aftermath.

I'm not sure it has turned out as badly as that, but I have witnessed a couple of inadequately prepared boats setting out on the trip in apparent blissful ignorance of the dangers.

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I borrowed a mooring on the Menai Straights once, it was a friend of a friend so there was no briefing  

Anyway all went well for two or three months, it was handy to work on a Friday afternoon, we sailed here, and we sailed there and we though we were pretty strong crew, go anywhere, do anything.

Got back to the mooring from Ireland, pretty late, yes, it was Springs, where the hell is the mooring bouy?

Whoosh ,..... Where are the charts, what is the direction of bouyage, state of tide, rocks, what rocks, channels, which channel. 

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1 hour ago, David Mack said:

Back in the 1980s I worked on the development of the Second Severn Crossing. As part of the work we got a trip out from Avonmouth with the Port of Bristol's chief pilot to the navigation channel west of the English Stones, which is where the main span of the new bridge now is. We went at low tide to see what we could of the rocks where the main towers are founded. It was a sobering experience seeing the maelstrom of water as the whole of the estuary drained through the narrow channel, a moment of calm at the bottom of the tide then once again violent water movements after the tide turned.

The Chief Pilot told us he was dreading the reopening of the K&A expected in a few years time, as it would result in lots of flat bottomed, under powered, under equipped and under prepared boats going out onto the biggest tidal range in the country, having not been willing to pay for a pilot, and he foresaw his staff having to get involved in the aftermath.

I'm not sure it has turned out as badly as that, but I have witnessed a couple of inadequately prepared boats setting out on the trip in apparent blissful ignorance of the dangers.

Yes, under the bridges was most "interesting"!

A great whirlpool encountered there.  Spent a lot of time travelling sideways at that point, and occasionally backwards!

Definitely not a river to be underestimated.

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23 hours ago, David Mack said:

Given the stoppage 'season' the OP might be best taking a few months mooring where the boat currently is (somewhere near Worcester?), and then doing the trip via Oxford around Easter. That gives the opportunity to do some local out and back trips (or the Droitwich ring perhaps) in the meantime, to gain familiarity with the boat and its systems before embarking on a long journey. And a few months mooring fees will probably be less than the cost of a crane and a lorry.

 

Thank you all for your input and I seem to have caused more arguments again! We have decided to keep her where she is with a temporary mooring for now. Its only a 21/2 drive up so all being well with survey and purchase we can spend every other weekend ferrying bits and pieces up, getting to know her and make local trips. Then we are going to take two-three weeks in spring when Crofton is open and enjoy a leisurely holiday (if the weather is anything like the last few years it will be nice...yes I have now jinxed it...sorry!)

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11 minutes ago, themymble said:

 

Thank you all for your input and I seem to have caused more arguments again! We have decided to keep her where she is with a temporary mooring for now. Its only a 21/2 drive up so all being well with survey and purchase we can spend every other weekend ferrying bits and pieces up, getting to know her and make local trips. Then we are going to take two-three weeks in spring when Crofton is open and enjoy a leisurely holiday (if the weather is anything like the last few years it will be nice...yes I have now jinxed it...sorry!)

Sounds like a good plan, enjoy it 

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31 minutes ago, themymble said:

 

Thank you all for your input and I seem to have caused more arguments again! We have decided to keep her where she is with a temporary mooring for now. Its only a 21/2 drive up so all being well with survey and purchase we can spend every other weekend ferrying bits and pieces up, getting to know her and make local trips. Then we are going to take two-three weeks in spring when Crofton is open and enjoy a leisurely holiday (if the weather is anything like the last few years it will be nice...yes I have now jinxed it...sorry!)

 

 

 

You Know It makes Sense.png

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2 hours ago, themymble said:

 

Thank you all for your input and I seem to have caused more arguments again! We have decided to keep her where she is with a temporary mooring for now. Its only a 21/2 drive up so all being well with survey and purchase we can spend every other weekend ferrying bits and pieces up, getting to know her and make local trips. Then we are going to take two-three weeks in spring when Crofton is open and enjoy a leisurely holiday (if the weather is anything like the last few years it will be nice...yes I have now jinxed it...sorry!)

 

I'm not sure two weeks to get past Crofton from up Tewksbury way could be described as 'leisurely'! 

 

Three weeks at a comfortable pace perhaps. A month or two would be leisurely in my view. But then as a single hander constantly riding my bike back to get the van, I take weeks to travel what the boat movers do in days...

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1 hour ago, MtB said:

 

I'm not sure two weeks to get past Crofton from up Tewksbury way could be described as 'leisurely'! 

2 weeksish looks doable.

 

Preferred route from Worcester to Crofton Bottom Lock No 63

 
 
Summary of trip

This is a trip of 182 miles, 4¾ furlongs and 218 locks from Worcester to Crofton Bottom Lock No 63.

This will take 106 hours and 59 minutes which is 15 days, 1 hour and 59 minutes at 7 hours per day.

From Worcester travel south on the River Severn (main river - Stourport to Worcester) for 4 furlongs to Diglis Junction, then travel northeast on the Worcester and Birmingham Canal (Diglis Junction to Diglis Basin) for 1¼ furlongs and 2 locks to Diglis Basin, then travel northeast on the Worcester and Birmingham Canal (Diglis Basin to King's Norton Junction) for 24 miles, 2¾ furlongs and 56 locks to King's Norton Junction, then travel southeast on the Stratford-on-Avon Canal (Northern Section) for 12 miles, 4 furlongs and 18 locks to Kingswood Junction (north), then travel southeast on the Stratford-on-Avon Canal (Kingswood Branch) for 2½ furlongs and 1 lock to Kingswood Junction, then travel southeast on the Grand Union Canal (Warwick and Birmingham Canal: widened section - Main Line) for 7 miles, 2¼ furlongs and 21 locks to Budbrooke Junction, then travel east on the Grand Union Canal (Warwick and Napton Canal) for 14 miles, ¾ furlongs and 25 locks to Napton Junction, then travel south on the Oxford Canal (Southern Section - Main Line) for 49 miles, 3¼ furlongs and 38 locks to Isis Lock Junction, then travel west on the River Thames (Sheepwash Channel) for 1 furlong and 1 lock to Sheepwash Channel Junction, then travel south on the River Thames (above Oxford) for ¾ furlongs to Osney Bridge, then travel southeast on the River Thames (below Oxford) for 39 miles, 4 furlongs and 13 locks to Thames - Kennet Junction (Kennet Mouth), then travel southwest on the River Thames (River Kennet) for 7 furlongs and 1 lock to High Bridge Reading, then travel west on the River Kennet for 18 miles, 4 furlongs and 20 locks to Northcroft Lane Arm, then travel west on the Kennet and Avon Canal (Main Line) for 14 miles, 7¼ furlongs and 22 locks to Crofton Bottom Lock No 63.

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