Where are all the boats 2.

[Francis Herne]

Audlem was quite busy over the weekend even without the historic boats. I was concerned by the relative lack of hire boats though - a handful, but nothing like what I'd expect on the Four Counties in summer.

[MtB]

1 hour ago, Theo said:

USE ROND ANCHORS.  PINS ARE NO GOOD. ROND ANCHORS ARE BEST.

 

I shout because it is so true.  Get the one with the curved business end.  They hammer in easily.  Your can get them out of the ground easily. They don't have sticky up bits which catch the shins of the unwary.  They don't pull out of the ground.  If they move a bit under large forces the dig in a bit more.

 

One of mine was so severely (sp?) tested a bit ago that the welded ring on the end through which you pass the mooring line broke.  The anchor didn't come out of the ground, though.  I replaced the ring with a suitable shackle.

 

N

 

Seconded. 

 

I bought a pair of whopping big rond anchors from the smithy at the Blisworth tunnel. Sadly they don't have a curved business end but they are bent more than 90 degrees, so almost as good and still dig in if pulled hard. 

[cuthound]

11 hours ago, ditchcrawler said:

But would @cuthound want them in his lawn ? I have a couple in the shed I think

 

Mrs Hound would definitely have something to say about that!  

 

[nicknorman]

Scholar Green (Macc) to Rode Heath (T&M) today - one boat ahead of us down the T&M before they pulled in, one opposite direction boat. That was it! Red Bull moorings empty, Church Lawton moorings virtually empty. We tied up at Rode Heath around 15:30 and since then 1 boat has come past. It really is eerily quiet, though I quite enjoyed doing 1/2 of heartbreak hill in solitude.

Edited August 1, 2024 by nicknorman

[johnmck]

 We are currently ascending the Staffs and Worcester from Stourport. At one stage, we thought there must be a stoppage we were unaware of, boat movements being so rare.

Ascended The Bratch today. Two boats descending before we went up. Then, very little in the way of boat movements, and very few hire boats. In the past, we always met a queue here!

It is eerily quiet.

[matty40s]

We left the Thames today, and nobody was moving on the Hanwell flight as CRT decided that they couldnt be bothered to help anybody...(2 pensioners stranded in the middle of a pound for 4 hours, 3 boats unable to leave locks, and several moored boats toppling over and stuff falling off cabin tops.

Lots of people called emergency line...to be told

"yes, it's been happening for a few days, but our teams are working on it'

" we have no water so are waiting for rain"

" we have teams working on it, boats sometimes tip"

" somebody left all the paddles up" 

" we have teams working on it, but we dont know when we can help you"

The last one was my call, so I told the emergency help line I would sort it myself.

Etc

So muggins walked from the bottom lock to the top of the Hanwell, opened one bottom and top paddle halfway as I walked down the flight. As I reached the second long pound, the bywashes were running, and the 2nd pound had started to fill.

By the time I got back to our boat, just above Clitherow lock where we had grounded, the sunken bike wheel by the towpath had started to disappear. I had let the stranded pensioners know what was going on, and said we would move soon. Another half hour and we went for it, pound still a foot down, and found the pensioners in the next lock, unable to shut the gates as the cill was full of debris.

Another half hour later, debris removed, and the thunderstorm starts.

We made it to Bulls Bridge by 21.30, moored on water point...and yes, we shut every gate and paddle on the way up.

CRT did NOT have teams on it, they werent interested.

..

And unforunately for them, the expected maelstrom of storm rain to fill the Brent hasnt happened, so the 6 boats coming up tommorow will have exactly the same, or worse problems.

 

[Victor Vectis]

Well done Matty.

👍

[matty40s]

More boats moving this morning than any other day of the trip, over 20 so far from Bulls Bridge to N Circular, flipping one to those who say none ever moves in London.

Painful going after Black Horse (closed)bridge though, with pretty much constant line of moored boats on towpath. 

Many sunk boats, a couple being broken up and lifted onto large hoppers today.

The variety of craft deserves it's own thread.

[IanD]

1 hour ago, matty40s said:

More boats moving this morning than any other day of the trip, over 20 so far from Bulls Bridge to N Circular, flipping one to those who say none ever moves in London.

Painful going after Black Horse (closed)bridge though, with pretty much constant line of moored boats on towpath. 

Many sunk boats, a couple being broken up and lifted onto large hoppers today.

The variety of craft deserves it's own thread.

Is it "swap-moorings Friday"?

[dogless]

They've restricted passage at Hanwell now due to water issues ... 8am - 4pm only.

 

Rog

[Lady M]

It was still a very disappointing response from CRT and interesting that none of the other boaters present knew what to do.

[matty40s]

9 minutes ago, dogless said:

They've restricted passage at Hanwell now due to water issues ... 8am - 4pm only.

 

Rog

Thank goodness we got up last night then.

We were at the bottom lock before 2 yesterday after the volockies at Brentford told us the earlier problems had been sorted.

No good 8-4 if there isnt any water.

The pensioners were stuck before 12 yesterday, and the thunderstorms mainly missed the River Brent catchment area.

At least 8 boats wanting to go up today...2 which didnt dare move yesterday, and another 6 booked in on the 2 o'clock tide.

 

 

[IanD]

3 minutes ago, matty40s said:

Thank goodness we got up last night then.

We were at the bottom lock before 2 yesterday after the volockies at Brentford told us the earlier problems had been sorted.

No good 8-4 if there isnt any water.

The pensioners were stuck before 12 yesterday, and the thunderstorms mainly missed the River Brent catchment area.

At least 8 boats wanting to go up today...2 which didnt dare move yesterday, and another 6 booked in on the 2 o'clock tide.

 

 

The problem at Hanwell is partly lack of volockies -- I know one who's there one day a week (Monday), and he said that with ageing and sickness and retirement there's only cover there for maybe 3 days per week... 😞 

Edited August 2, 2024 by IanD

[dogless]

Lack of water's not a great look after the winter/spring we've had.

 

Glad you've put it behind you @matty40s

 

Rog

[nicknorman]

1 hour ago, matty40s said:

Thank goodness we got up last night then.

We were at the bottom lock before 2 yesterday after the volockies at Brentford told us the earlier problems had been sorted.

No good 8-4 if there isnt any water.

The pensioners were stuck before 12 yesterday, and the thunderstorms mainly missed the River Brent catchment area.

At least 8 boats wanting to go up today...2 which didnt dare move yesterday, and another 6 booked in on the 2 o'clock tide.

 

 

All this talk of “pensioners”! Do you mind! I am a pensioner but perfectly capable of running some water down a lock flight.

[matty40s]

50 minutes ago, nicknorman said:

All this talk of “pensioners”! Do you mind! I am a pensioner but perfectly capable of running some water down a lock flight.

These were proper pensioners, oldest one probably 80, and stuck in the middle of a pound that was 2 feet down on it's normal level so couldnt get off the boat.

Edited August 2, 2024 by matty40s

[David Mack]

There's a very long pound above Hanwell, and the GU above that is river fed. So there can't be an actual shortage of water. So is it just that the locks leak, the intermediate pounds drain down and nobody refills them?

[nicknorman]

Well it’s gone from ghost boating to Middlewich Mayhem in just one lock! I thought Wardle lock would be quiet by 5pm but we had to queue, with Andersen boats having just come out to play. Met Mr Midnight though, that was good so the time wasn’t wasted.

2 hours ago, matty40s said:

These were proper pensioners, oldest one probably 80, and stuck in the middle of a pound that was 2 feet down on it's normal level so couldnt get off the boat.

Ah well, if a pound is down, always keep one on the bank. Or do a Robbie Cummins and just walk out!

Edited August 2, 2024 by nicknorman

[Mrs Bearwood Boster]

We're now at Stafford boat club-great bar with really cheap prices.Pretty quiet here.Stone was busy with moored boats,but not so busy with moving boats.We moored in the shade before Tixall wide on Wed' & when we went through the wide this morning-loads of space.

[Torblimey]

They're all on the Oxford!

So far I've been bashed by a hire boat (I'm moored with at least 3x narrow boat width on the cut), numerous passer byes and a few moored up around me.

Moored on the dog leg straight between bridge 130-129, it's been pretty busy the last 48hours.

[Rob-M]

We came through Rugeley about an hour ago and a fisherman said we were the first boat since 3pm.

[MtB]

22 minutes ago, NarrowboatTor said:

Moored on the dog leg straight between bridge 130-129,

 

So am I! 

 

 

[Torblimey]

8 minutes ago, MtB said:

 

So am I! 

 

 

Are you in front of me or behind?, I heard a phut phut a while ago and there's a boat in the trees by the bridge 🙀 

[MtB]

7 minutes ago, NarrowboatTor said:

Are you in front of me or behind?, I heard a phut phut a while ago and there's a boat in the trees by the bridge 🙀 

Ah your bote is not called Tor!! Just checked your profile lol!

Yes I’m the bote behind you

[Torblimey]

1 minute ago, MtB said:

Ah your bote is not called Tor!! Just checked your profile lol!

Yes I’m the bote behind you

Nah tis Evenstar as in the jewel from Lord of the Rings.

Previous owner was a fan as am I so no change 😊