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BCN 24 Hour Marathon Challenge 2024

Captain Pegg

By Captain Pegg
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Captain Pegg Veteran

Captain Pegg

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1 minute ago, Dfasham said:

Experience of the gauging of Dudley Tunnel is that it needs to be done from the Southern Portal. Ferrous which is a very low boat and easily fits through the tunnel cannot get through the gauge at the Northern portal but will fit through with room to spare at Park Head. Our experience of getting a volunteer to crew the support boat from the tunnel trust has generally been very good and always willing to accommodate wherever possible. 


How long ago did you last try?

 

I had to present the boat at the northern gauge the day before transit even though we went south to north. That was for the 2017 Challenge.

 

Supposedly that’s the only correct reference gauge.

 

I also enquired about a trip through on the Friday before last year’s Challenge but the DCTT said that had insufficient volunteers to be able to escort a passage on a Bank Holiday weekend.
 

I think I’ll enquire as to whether the DCTT really can support any passages and if necessary amend the route planner.

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ditchcrawler Veteran II

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43 minutes ago, Ben Jameson said:

My first thought on seeing that the finish was at Hawne Basin was that we must take Oates next year....

I hope you are going to arrange a suitable spoon dredger to take along as a butty so we can have another crack at Titford Pools as well? (actually, that may well be better than it was back in 2022).

Ben.

The pools are great, its getting there that causes the problems

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Dfasham Gongoozler

Dfasham

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15 minutes ago, Captain Pegg said:

How long ago did you last try?

 

I had to present the boat at the northern gauge the day before transit even though we went south to north. That was for the 2017 Challenge.

 

Supposedly that’s the only correct reference gauge.

 

I also enquired about a trip through on the Friday before last year’s Challenge but the DCTT said that had insufficient volunteers to be able to escort a passage on a Bank Holiday weekend.
 

I think I’ll enquire as to whether the DCTT really can support any passages and if necessary amend the route planner.

Ferrous has been through twice in the last few years, I think once pre pandemic and once since from South to North can't remember exact dates but from memory both times gauged at the south portal on the evening before. When I took Ferrous 2022 I wanted to go from North to South, we could get around the first 1/3 of the boat through where the cabin is higher and thinner but towards the middle where the cabin spreads is where the radius of the gauge was catching. They were in two minds about going through knowing the history of the boat going through multiple times with no issues but I could see the skipper of the support boat wasn't happy and didn't really want to push it on that occasion. There was a lot of talk about water levels being high but to be honest in my experience of the Wolverhampton Level it wasn't particularly high. Gauging Rivets to go through can be quite tight! 

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agg221 Rising Star

agg221

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10 minutes ago, ditchcrawler said:

The pools are great, its getting there that causes the problems

Last time Ben and I went to the Pools was around 1998 I think, during the Challenge. We picked up a length of heavy duty cable which had to be cut off the prop one strand at a time. That was in the days when there was a support team and various people turned up and took it in turns to work the wires off. It took several hours, during which I amused myself (when not taking my turn down the weed hatch) but cutting various branches off the fallen tree in front of us with a hacksaw. We were the first boat for quite a few years up that particular bit of the pools, but did not make it to the finish.

 

Alec

43 minutes ago, Dfasham said:

Experience of the gauging of Dudley Tunnel is that it needs to be done from the Southern Portal. Ferrous which is a very low boat and easily fits through the tunnel cannot get through the gauge at the Northern portal but will fit through with room to spare at Park Head. Our experience of getting volunteers to crew the support boat from the Tunnel Trust has generally been very good and always willing to accommodate wherever possible. 

I made up a profile gauge according to the official dimensions and we fit fairly easily, but I don't know how that relates to the tunnel gauges at either end.

 

Btw, it was Rivets which 'pushed' Oates through Gorsty Hill on the way back on the 2022 Challenge!

 

Alec

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Ben Jameson Gongoozler

Ben Jameson

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17 minutes ago, agg221 said:

Last time Ben and I went to the Pools was around 1998 I think, during the Challenge. We picked up a length of heavy duty cable which had to be cut off the prop one strand at a time. That was in the days when there was a support team and various people turned up and took it in turns to work the wires off. It took several hours, during which I amused myself (when not taking my turn down the weed hatch) but cutting various branches off the fallen tree in front of us with a hacksaw. We were the first boat for quite a few years up that particular bit of the pools, but did not make it to the finish.


Yes! We made it up to the first pool on the Challenge in 1999 on Calisto (hire boat) and then found the wire rope and fallen tree:

Titford Pools 1999

The attempt in 2022 with Oates ended at the narrows before the pools due to lack of depth:

BCN Challenge 2022

It'd be quite nice to go and have a decent look at the pools!

Ben.

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Captain Pegg Veteran

Captain Pegg

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1 hour ago, Dfasham said:

Ferrous has been through twice in the last few years, I think once pre pandemic and once since from South to North can't remember exact dates but from memory both times gauged at the south portal on the evening before. When I took Ferrous 2022 I wanted to go from North to South, we could get around the first 1/3 of the boat through where the cabin is higher and thinner but towards the middle where the cabin spreads is where the radius of the gauge was catching. They were in two minds about going through knowing the history of the boat going through multiple times with no issues but I could see the skipper of the support boat wasn't happy and didn't really want to push it on that occasion. There was a lot of talk about water levels being high but to be honest in my experience of the Wolverhampton Level it wasn't particularly high. Gauging Rivets to go through can be quite tight! 


I think the fact Ferrous and it’s regular crew are presumably known to the DCTT may help.

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ditchcrawler Veteran II

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Posted
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20 hours ago, agg221 said:

Last time Ben and I went to the Pools was around 1998 I think, during the Challenge. We picked up a length of heavy duty cable which had to be cut off the prop one strand at a time. That was in the days when there was a support team and various people turned up and took it in turns to work the wires off. It took several hours, during which I amused myself (when not taking my turn down the weed hatch) but cutting various branches off the fallen tree in front of us with a hacksaw. We were the first boat for quite a few years up that particular bit of the pools, but did not make it to the finish.

 

Alec

I made up a profile gauge according to the official dimensions and we fit fairly easily, but I don't know how that relates to the tunnel gauges at either end.

 

Btw, it was Rivets which 'pushed' Oates through Gorsty Hill on the way back on the 2022 Challenge!

 

Alec

 

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rusty69 Veteran II

rusty69

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2 minutes ago, David Mack said:

Does that mean some unsuspecting boater might have to explain to their insurers how their boat was damaged by running into an underwater vampire?

It's unlikely. Kate Beckin sail and underworld are deifinitely a clause on my policy.

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  • 2 weeks later...
Captain Pegg Veteran

Captain Pegg

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I've just sent out the 2024 Information & Rules pack and entry form to past participants and new entrants that have contacted me recently.

 

Based on the interest so far I'm hopeful that the number of entrants for the last two years will be bettered.

 

If anybody wants to receive these and isn't yet on my mailing list please PM me or mail on bcnschallenge [at] gmail [dot] com

Edited by Jen-in-Wellies
obscurate email address.
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Captain Pegg Veteran

Captain Pegg

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18 minutes ago, john6767 said:

When do you think you will be able to send out the planning sheets to those who have entered?

 

The route planner is usually sent out by return when an application is received.

 

Which means the first one is due now so I’d better up date it to reflect the finish location this evening.

 

I’m not planning any significant changes to last year because most of the incentives I put in were scuppered by the Rushall locks issue.

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