BCN Challenge 2023

[Goliath]

Now if you’d have said Holders Beer and a Bathams I’d have said the Great Western 

 

so let me think

[Francis Herne]

36 minutes ago, Goliath said:

I think I’ve misunderstood then. 
I thought the gathering was at the Pumphouse. 
And boats were stuck there. 
But your saying boats are stuck at the Pools?
 

Sorry for being dim. 

I do know it can be shallow from Pumphouse and onwards. 

The water was about 6-8" low at the weekend and boats were getting stuck on the way to the Pools. It kept falling, and by yesterday afternoon most boats moored at the Pumphouse were stuck too with the level about a foot down. Today it's been improving, I've left this afternoon but last report is that Atlas and Malus are afloat now. Joanna still stuck fast but it's 32" draft. No word on Vulpes.

Edited Wednesday at 20:40 by Francis Herne

[Victor Vectis]

Give that man a coconut! (or a pint of Bathams)

Got it in one.

 

The GW has to be in my 'Top Ten' of UK pubs.

[Goliath]

Posts have crossed

 

So the Western it is. 
Usually they offer several Holdens and one Batham’s. 

I think the Western is amongst my top 5

ETA top 5 on the canals. 
 

You know my no1 

Edited Wednesday at 20:51 by Goliath

[Captain Pegg]

34 minutes ago, Goliath said:

I think I’ve misunderstood then. 
I thought the gathering was at the Pumphouse. 
And boats were stuck there. 
But your saying boats are stuck at the Pools?
 

Sorry for being dim. 

I do know it can be shallow from Pumphouse and onwards. 

 

I probably didn't explain very well. The canals aren't deep at all other than perhaps the wide area above the top lock. The boats are moored down the Tat Bank branch round the back of the Pumphouse and are sat on the bottom.

[Goliath]

3 minutes ago, Captain Pegg said:

 

I probably didn't explain very well. The canals aren't deep at all other than perhaps the wide area above the top lock. The boats are moored down the Tat Bank branch round the back of the Pumphouse and are sat on the bottom.

Ok, right,

got it now. 👍

 

who were these folk that had to climb off and walk home then? Dignitaries with any influence?

19 minutes ago, Francis Herne said:

The water was about 6-8" low at the weekend and boats were getting stuck on the way to the Pools. It kept falling, and by yesterday afternoon most boats moored at the Pumphouse were stuck too with the level about a foot down. Today it's been improving, I've left this afternoon but last report is that Atlas and Malus are afloat now. Joanna still stuck fast but it's 32" draft. No word on Vulpes.

Sorry, with the excitement of beer talk I skipped this post 🤢

 

That’s some drop there. 
Do the local resident boaters find this happens frequently?

 

[Captain Pegg]

26 minutes ago, Francis Herne said:

The water was about 6-8" low at the weekend and boats were getting stuck on the way to the Pools. It kept falling, and by yesterday afternoon most boats moored at the Pumphouse were stuck too with the level about a foot down. Today it's been improving, I've left this afternoon but last report is that Atlas and Malus are afloat now. Joanna still stuck fast but it's 32" draft. No word on Vulpes.

 

If Atlas & Malus are afloat then Vulpes will be. It's good news because if Atlas & Malus had stayed stuck the plans for Cruising the Cut would have been up the spout.

[agg221]

3 hours ago, Captain Pegg said:

 

Francis is best placed to answer on what happened but the Titford Canal has never been very deep in my experience. The pool at the top of the locks is probably OK because it's wide and lots of boats manoeuvre there but other than that it is very shallow heading up to the pools even when the water is on weir.

 

The level was a few inches down last Saturday as the BCNS tried to take a boat load of CRT dignataries and guests to the pools but they ran aground in mid channel not very into the journey and eventually the guests aborted and were put ashore after little more than 100 metres in over an hour.

 

Thats the first time I've ever seen it really low on water and I must have boated there more than 10 times. Normally the combination of the pools and pumps keeps the water level up. Hopefully now the leakage is fixed the pools are refilling from natural sources as well as the pumping. There's a lot of water up there. 

 

The pools themselves are deep but have of course been recently cleared/dredged.

 

The shallowest point last year that we found  was the narrows just before the two branches split near the pools. In fact, it was so shallow that there was no way we were getting through and that was at normal level. The wide section near the derelict building wasn't very deep and produced a particularly high yield of saris.

 

Alec

[Captain Pegg]

I’ve been up to Titford this morning and the level is recovering. The boats are now afloat and the pumps are still running.

 

All looks good for the weekend.

[Captain Pegg]

Just to add to the above, Mike Anson, BCNS chair, has asked CRT if they have any issues with boats navigating to the Pools this weekend and had not received a repsonse as of yesterday evening. Hence as things stand it's business as usual but we are keeping an eye out for any communication.

 

I'll know more later today as I'll be there in a couple of hours from now.

[john6767]

As an observer this year, fingers crossed for next year; is anyone manning the @BCNChallenge Twitter account?

[matty40s]

Good luck to all this weekend, cracking weather for it.

Well done to Captain Pegg for jumping in at the deep end.

Sad we cant be there, but work, ailing parents and Kathy's illness has made us take the time off we get to slow down at present.

[tree monkey]

15 minutes ago, matty40s said:

Good luck to all this weekend, cracking weather for it.

Well done to Captain Pegg for jumping in at the deep end.

Sad we cant be there, but work, ailing parents and Kathy's illness has made us take the time off we get to slow down at present.

Yup, good luck to everyone taking part, it looks like it's going to be a cracking weekend

[Rob-M]

Team England currently getting in some practice in the pub.

[Victor Vectis]

Team 'Red Wharf' currently poised, coiled spring like, at Compton.

Having sampled the beer at the GW this afternoon now debating do we left at Horsley Fields and pretend to be at least semi competitive or carry straight on having taken lunchtime refreshment at the GW after the assult on the north face of the Wolverhampton 21.

[Captain Pegg]

On the Titford issue the level will still be low over the weekend. It’s recovered but it’s still not on weir and realistically I don’t think that will happen soon.

 

There shouldn’t be a problem with going up the locks to the pumphouse but if you want to proceed to the pools then I think proceeding with a bit of caution and seeing how you go is the order of the day.

 

I’m not manning the Twitter account. I thought that a WhatsApp group might work but I haven’t done that but suggestions welcome for next year.

 

 

[Victor Vectis]

OK

How many extra points for being marooned under the motorway until resuced by the RNLI?

😃

 

Oops. Rescued

Edited Friday at 20:15 by Victor Vectis

[RLWP]

What's happening??

[Rob-M]

15 minutes ago, Victor Vectis said:

Team 'Red Wharf' currently poised, coiled spring like, at Compton.

Having sampled the beer at the GW this afternoon now debating do we left at Horsley Fields and pretend to be at least semi competitive or carry straight on having taken lunchtime refreshment at the GW after the assult on the north face of the Wolverhampton 21.

Hope you don't get the Wolverhampton Boat Club in front of you on the 21 which is what happened to us a few years ago, made progress quite slow.

[matty40s]

9 minutes ago, RLWP said:

What's happening??

He said RNLI, not RLWP...😀

[Tom and Bex]

Team Tatty Lucy fed and watered, and ready for an early night and early start! 

 

Follow us on Twitter @NBtattyLucy for regular updates and photos!

[TheBiscuits]

3 hours ago, RLWP said:

What's happening??

 

There's an annual 24 hour challenge event on the BCN.  I'm quite surprised you haven't heard of it before ...

 

[tree monkey]

Almost there, don't be naughty and open the super secret envelope yet

[RebelMike]

Good luck everyone!

 

As has become traditional, we're live streaming from the camera on the front of Rebellion:

https://youtube.com/live/cnj3Dqkl84g?feature=share

 

[Rob-M]

Fast approaching our first lock of the day with two other challenge boats chasing us.