Widebeam GU Tunnel Booking

[Lady M]

Original message in CRT stoppage email:

 

Blisworth tunnel will be closed to traffic from 07:30, possibly until 11:00 on Thursday 4th January for the passage of four widebeam boats travelling from Blisworth to Stoke Bruerne and one travelling from Stoke Bruerne to Blisworth. 

Boats may enter the tunnel if directed to do so by a Trust representative at the tunnel portal or after 10:00 if no representative is present. 

 

This seems a bit much to me.  Perhaps I am over-reacting....

[Captain Pegg]

It's a result of there having no been no widebeam passages available between 22nd December and 3rd January due to staff shortages over the Christmas holidays and as the canal is closed south of Stoke Bruerne after this weekend this may be a very necessary window for those craft heading southbound.

 

In normal circumstances there is provision for a maximum of two widebeams in each direction on Tuesday and Thursday mornings.

 

[David Mack]

1 minute ago, Captain Pegg said:

In normal circumstances there is provision for a maximum of two widebeams in each direction on Tuesday and Thursday mornings.

An extra boat travelling in the same direction doesn't add much to the overall passage time, so allowing 4 in the same direction on the same occasion seems like a good idea to me to minimise wider disruption to other users. 

[Lady M]

Thank you.  I'd assumed it was the 'both ways' nature of this one that made it so much longer than usual.  

[MtB]

9 minutes ago, Lady M said:

Thank you.  I'd assumed it was the 'both ways' nature of this one that made it so much longer than usual.  

 

 

 

Are you Michelle Mone and do I get to claim the five pounds?!!

 

 

 

 

 

[Lady M]

Absolutely not.

[matty40s]

The orange rig lifeboat is one that is heading back South to it's natural environment in MK.

[ditchcrawler]

1 hour ago, MtB said:

 

 

 

Are you Michelle Mone and do I get to claim the five pounds?!!

 

 

 

 

 

Nice boat

[Sue68]

The tunnel transits are run by volunteers so don't cost anything

[Lady M]

I wasn't concerned about costs, though believe there will be some.  I was thinking about the potential disruption to other users of that canal who may have to adjust their cruising plan with little notice.  Having to wait until 9.00 am to enter the tunnel is a bit different from having to wait until 11.00 am, especially now when daylight is quite short.

[Captain Pegg]

The CRT volunteer scheme certainly costs money to train and equip the volunteers, who can also claim expenses.

 

Not that we should worry about that in this case since it is likely cheaper than providing employees. Albeit the fact that volunteers can't be rostered may be a factor in why there was a suspension of passage over Christmas.

 

I think CRT have the balance about right in prioritising around 4 hours of each week for widebeam passage through Braunston and Blisworth tunnels. Although I doubt widebeams account for as many as 1 in 20 movements through the tunnels which is what that broadly equates to in terms of time. Albeit noting that if you're going the same way as a widebeam then you aren't necessarily restricted.

 

@Lady M were you planning an early cruise through Blisworth tomorrow?

 

 

 

Edited January 2 by Captain Pegg

[MtB]

2 hours ago, ditchcrawler said:

Nice boat

 

I didn't notice a boat...

 

 

 

[ditchcrawler]

30 minutes ago, Captain Pegg said:

The CRT volunteer scheme certainly costs money to train and equip the volunteers, who can also claim expenses.

 

Not that we should worry about that in this case since it is likely cheaper than providing employees. Albeit the fact that volunteers can't be rostered may be a factor in why there was a suspension of passage over Christmas.

 

I think CRT have the balance about right in prioritising around 4 hours of each week for widebeam passage through Braunston and Blisworth tunnels. Although I doubt widebeams account for as many as 1 in 20 movements through the tunnels which is what that broadly equates to in terms of time. Albeit noting that if you're going the same way as a widebeam then you aren't necessarily restricted.

 

@Lady M were you planning an early cruise through Blisworth tomorrow?

 

 

 

I received 79 notices last year for wide beams traveling through Blisworth and Braunston tunnels 

[Lady M]

37 minutes ago, Captain Pegg said:

The CRT volunteer scheme certainly costs money to train and equip the volunteers, who can also claim expenses.

 

Not that we should worry about that in this case since it is likely cheaper than providing employees. Albeit the fact that volunteers can't be rostered may be a factor in why there was a suspension of passage over Christmas.

 

I think CRT have the balance about right in prioritising around 4 hours of each week for widebeam passage through Braunston and Blisworth tunnels. Although I doubt widebeams account for as many as 1 in 20 movements through the tunnels which is what that broadly equates to in terms of time. Albeit noting that if you're going the same way as a widebeam then you aren't necessarily restricted.

 

@Lady M were you planning an early cruise through Blisworth tomorrow?

 

No I wasn't planning a cruise tomorrow but others may have been.  I wouldn't have wanted to go through at 8.00 am anyway but might have had 10.00 am in mind.

 

37 minutes ago, Captain Pegg said:

 

 

[Captain Pegg]

31 minutes ago, ditchcrawler said:

I received 79 notices last year for wide beams traveling through Blisworth and Braunston tunnels 

 

From which we can deduce there are a minimum of 40 and a maximum of 316 widebeam passages from Stoke Bruerne to Braunston over the course of the year.

 

The latest lock usage stastics for Buckby top lock (2022) show 3815 operations. So that's at least 3,500 and a maximum of 7,000 narrowboat movements.

 

[Victor Vectis]

2 hours ago, ditchcrawler said:

I received 79 notices last year for wide beams traveling through Blisworth and Braunston tunnels 

About 80 too many?

[David Mack]

3 hours ago, Captain Pegg said:

The latest lock usage stastics for Buckby top lock (2022) show 3815 operations. So that's at least 3,500 and a maximum of 7,000 narrowboat movements.

Or twice that number if every working contained two boats, both filling and emptying.

[Captain Pegg]

2 hours ago, David Mack said:

Or twice that number if every working contained two boats, both filling and emptying.

Yes, an ‘operation’ is a full cycle.

[Mike Todd]

17 hours ago, Sue68 said:

The tunnel transits are run by volunteers so don't cost anything

cost much less.