Cruising when the water is frozen

[sigsegv]

37 minutes ago, PD1964 said:

I don’t know if anyone can advise, anyone know the state of the T&M from Lock 1 Derwent Mouth Lock to Stensen Marina, any info on the Ice would be appreciated, as moving a boat from Redhill to Stensen in a day or two. Thanks. 

I cruised from Shardlow to Stensen marina this Friday, so I've done a job clearing some of the ice for you already There were some patches of thicker ice but nothing too troubling, and if anything the ice will have thinned since then. For a while we were actually iced in a Stensen, but it's mostly thawed there on the cut (though it looks like there's still a bunch of ice in the marina proper - we're just moored on the cut). You'll likely want to cruise sooner rather than later, with this other cold snap coming in.

 

**edit** Actually scratch that, not sure where I got the idea it was getting colder... after Thursday it's supposed to start warming up again, and it'll even hit 10C this coming Sunday

Edited December 13, 2022 by sigsegv

[PD1964]

3 minutes ago, sigsegv said:

I cruised from Shardlow to Stensen marina this Friday, so I've done a job clearing some of the ice for you already There were some patches of thicker ice but nothing too troubling, and if anything the ice will have thinned since then. For a while we were actually iced in a Stensen, but it's mostly thawed there on the cut (though it looks like there's still a bunch of ice in the marina proper - we're just moored on the cut). You'll likely want to cruise sooner rather than later, with this other cold snap coming in.

Doing it tomorrow, as the boats just been taken to Redhill, was supposed to be going to Mercia, but there’s a stoppage at the Railway bridge just after Stensen, as long as it’s open I should be ok, just don’t want to upset anyone moored up along the way, like the big Aqualines when they move down from New&Used.

[sigsegv]

I'm afraid I'm visiting my parents today else I'd take a quick cycle along the towpath and check the condition of the ice for you. When we cruised on Friday I'd say maybe about half the stretch was frozen, and I can only imagine it's gotten better since then so I reckon you'll be fine.

[doratheexplorer]

4 hours ago, Midnight said:

Oh sorry, people moan because we have generally become a self-entitled, intolerant society and it contagious. 

The generally accepted definition of 'woke' is "alert to racial prejudice and discrimination".  I'm not sure why you think that's related to breaking ice with a narrowboat, but central to the concept of wokeness is tolerance.  In fact, overall most people who are dismissed as "woke" are attacked precisely because of the intolerance of the attacker.

 

I suspect the reason why people think more moaning goes on about ice breaking is simply because of forums like this, giving voice to the moaners.  30 years ago, some grizzly old guy moaning about such things on his narrowboat would have only been heard by ducks.

[Alan de Enfield]

1 minute ago, doratheexplorer said:

In fact, overall most people who are dismissed as "woke" are attacked precisely because of the intolerance of the attacker.

 

Or another way of looking at it is that it could be the intolerance of the non-movers / Cmers towards those who actually want to use their boats for what they were intended for.

[doratheexplorer]

12 minutes ago, Alan de Enfield said:

 

Or another way of looking at it is that it could be the intolerance of the non-movers / Cmers towards those who actually want to use their boats for what they were intended for.

Oh I don't doubt that the non-movers are intolerant.  In fact, they surely are.  But it's not because they're woke.  Unless you mean woke as in awake, because they've woken up due to bits of ice hitting their boat.  As you'll see from my earlier post, I'm all for cruising on through ice.  What I don't like is the lazy use of 'woke' or 'snowflake' to mean 'anyone I don't like'.

[Alan de Enfield]

Just now, doratheexplorer said:

Oh I don't doubt that the non-movers are intolerant.  In fact, they surely are.  But it's not because they're woke.  Unless you mean woke as in awake, because they've woken up due to bits of ice hitting their boat.  As you'll see from my earlier post, I'm all for cruising on through ice.  What I don't like is the lazy use of 'woke' or 'snowflake' to mean 'anyone I don't like'.

 

Your own definition of 'woke' was someone who is intolerant, so by that - intolerant boaters are woke !!

[PD1964]

32 minutes ago, sigsegv said:

I'm afraid I'm visiting my parents today else I'd take a quick cycle along the towpath and check the condition of the ice for you. When we cruised on Friday I'd say maybe about half the stretch was frozen, and I can only imagine it's gotten better since then so I reckon you'll be fine.

Thanks for the info, I find it always best to seek local knowledge, hopefully it will be navigable, it’s supposed to be getting colder over the weekend❄️❄️

[doratheexplorer]

12 minutes ago, Alan de Enfield said:

 

Your own definition of 'woke' was someone who is intolerant, so by that - intolerant boaters are woke !!

No it wasn't.  Where do you think I said that?

[Mike Todd]

9 minutes ago, Alan de Enfield said:

 

Your own definition of 'woke' was someone who is intolerant, so by that - intolerant boaters are woke !!

Wrong way around. Actually, as already cited, woke is about being sensitive to prejudice against protected characteristics. I suppose that one could be sensitive to something but still be intolerant of it, but mostly it is found that if someone has a sensitivity towards a group then they will also be tolerant. Most prejudice comes from ignorance, I suspect.

[enigmatic]

On 12/12/2022 at 11:46, Goliath said:

No one complains though when the coal boat comes through with the coal do they?

Had that conversation with a coal boat today.

 

Told them they'd be able to tell where I'd given up at the point I realised it was easier to reverse 300 yards round a corner than carry on edging forward! They said "well at least we won't get shouted at"!

 

 

On 12/12/2022 at 11:00, Andrew C said:

I'm currently on the Llangollen and heading towards the Shropshire Union Canal and hopefully Chester before Christmas. Having only begun as a liveaboard this April, I've not encountered iced over canals before until seeing the arm at Ellesmere frozen. Is there a news source to go to to check if the Shroppie, (or any other canal) is navigable when temperatures drop below 0, or can any boaters around the area confirm the canal state please? I'm not keen on passing through Hurlesdon locks to find myself stranded🙁

Hurleston isn't a bad place to be stranded, and there's much warmer weather forecast for the weekend so should be possible to make it to Chester regardless (if you don't mind travelling in rain at least)

 

Also, if you're new to it, the biggest thing to be aware of is that the ice makes steering more of a challenge, because it tends to push back whenever you try to make a turn. But thin ice or broken-by-other-boats is actually quite fun to travel through. Thick ice not so much.

[beerbeerbeerbeerbeer]

38 minutes ago, enigmatic said:

They said "well at least we won't get shouted at"!

 

Disgraceful shouting at a coal boat when folk are in need of deliveries. 


 

[enigmatic]

Even more disgraceful shouting at me when I'm clearly just clearing a path for the coal boat to make deliveries that bit quicker 

[system 4-50]

The grit speaders are out on the roads.  Why aren't salt speaders out on the canals?

[ditchcrawler]

6 minutes ago, system 4-50 said:

The grit speaders are out on the roads.  Why aren't salt speaders out on the canals?

Why haven't CRT got the ice breakers out like BWB did in the 60s

[enigmatic]

29 minutes ago, ditchcrawler said:

Why haven't CRT got the ice breakers out like BWB did in the 60s

Boaters back then were more concerned with navigating than their blacking...

[Midnight]

23 hours ago, doratheexplorer said:

The generally accepted definition of 'woke' is "alert to racial prejudice and discrimination".  I'm not sure why you think that's related to breaking ice with a narrowboat, but central to the concept of wokeness is tolerance.  In fact, overall most people who are dismissed as "woke" are attacked precisely because of the intolerance of the attacker.

 I'm sure you're correct I'll go and stand in the corner.

[LadyG]

1 minute ago, Midnight said:

 I'm sure you're correct I'll go and stand in the corner.

You're such a snowflake, lol.

[Andrew C]

20 hours ago, system 4-50 said:

The grit speaders are out on the roads.  Why aren't salt speaders out on the canals?

🤣

[IanD]

Passed a fuel boat at Greenford today, had been breaking (some) ice from where I joined the towpath at Northolt. Plenty of moored boats with occupants (stoves lit or gennys running), I wonder how many shouted at him?

[PD1964]

I did from Redhill to Stensen T&M today, broke ice all the way from Sawley, thicker ice the nearer you get to Stensen,  every other boat moored up, no one shouted, everyone I spoke to friendly, mind you I was going as slow as poss past all the boats. So thanks to everyone I passed for not getting irate👍

[MtB]

On 13/12/2022 at 15:29, doratheexplorer said:

The generally accepted definition of 'woke' is "alert to racial prejudice and discrimination".  I'm not sure why you think that's related to breaking ice with a narrowboat, but central to the concept of wokeness is tolerance.  In fact, overall most people who are dismissed as "woke" are attacked precisely because of the intolerance of the attacker.

 

I suspect the reason why people think more moaning goes on about ice breaking is simply because of forums like this, giving voice to the moaners.  30 years ago, some grizzly old guy moaning about such things on his narrowboat would have only been heard by ducks.

 

Dora you are wonderfully right as always. 

 

Have a big wet greenie. 

 

 

 

 

[cuthound]

4 hours ago, IanD said:

Passed a fuel boat at Greenford today, had been breaking (some) ice from where I joined the towpath at Northolt. Plenty of moored boats with occupants (stoves lit or gennys running), I wonder how many shouted at him?

 

Hopefully only those who wanted coal, gas or diesel.

[ditchcrawler]

4 minutes ago, cuthound said:

 

Hopefully only those who wanted coal, gas or diesel.

Hopefully we will be coming passed you next week.

[cuthound]

Just now, ditchcrawler said:

Hopefully we will be coming passed you next week.

 

I'll keep an eye out for you.