Where are all the boats 2.

[nicknorman]

19 minutes ago, Alan de Enfield said:

 

Superb !

From memory Aboyne was a 'runway' slightly wider than a tyre and down wind check  'clear the sheep' before landing.

 

Never did Feshiebridge looks like I missed something pretty good.

Was that ridge and thermals, or 'clear wave' ? Cannot see any lenticulars

Thermals with a 7,000’ cloudbase.

[cuthound]

4 hours ago, matty40s said:

1st lock today, Slapton, just opening top gate and I could see something strange in the gloom beyond the bottom lock. 

There was a boat trying to push the gates open, even though waterfalls were over the top of the beams.!! 

Nothing then until Leighton Buzzard, where a constant stream of  boats now come the other way.

22 boats in at Wyvern, although Friday is changeover day.  These are the first Wyvern boats we have seen ...in a week on the GU/London, and a week on the Thames.!

 

The Grand Union is becoming a very sorry state. Lock landings and exits full of nettles, brambles and potholes. Must be 20 lock beams 'temporarily repaired' with scaffold planks and bolts. Lines and lines of moored boats, some cared for, lots not. Boats moored in ridiculous places, giving no thought for other canal users. Many sunk boats.

Sad to see, and it's only going to get worse.

 

Such a shame the GU used to be one of my favourite canals, particulatly south of Braunston.

[matty40s]

2 hours ago, cuthound said:

 

Such a shame the GU used to be one of my favourite canals, particulatly south of Braunston.

It used to be one of mine, but after doing the whole length from the Thames for the first time in 7years, am very disappointed, and mightily worried.

Basics are being ignored, I lost count of yellow bags over paddles with "this piece of equipment is under repair", ankle breaking holes on lock dismounts and other areas, the worst thing is actually nettles...around gates, on landings, on end of lock remounts, anybody in Summer on a boat wears shorts, and would really suffer. Hanging brambles from trees are endemic. In some areas, the willows make the cut as narrow as the Leicester arm!!

 

[beerbeerbeerbeerbeer]

Yes,

I lost my dinner to a willow tree swiping it off the top and grounded some poor bloke who was  giving me room,

put my foot and leg up to the knee down hole on lock landing,

chopped through undergrowth to work a lock,

played bouncy on the ‘repaired’ beams,

and dodged the canoes tied loosely to boats,

 

 

[johnmck]

We are now on the Golly. Generally, it appears to be in fair order, apart from excessive overgrowth of trees and bankside foliage. But...

In our travels this year, we have noticed infrastructure deterioration,  more so than any time in our boating experience.  The south Oxford locks are in a poor state, illustrated by the problem at Somerton deep. Similarly, parts of the Shroppy are failing. I predict a major stoppage soon at Woodseaves cutting. It is collapsing and just about passable now. Crt are not totally to blame though. A limited income, major infrastructure faults, it can only get worse.

Boat numbers may be still on the rise, but this does not really equate to increased boat movement, as Matty has found on the GU.

The dynamics are changing. Hire boats are pricing themselves  beyond market tolerance.  The canals are becoming an alternate dwelling choice, swamping moorings in popular areas centred on the capitol and the southern hot spots,  but spreading out.

The 2nd Golden age of canals, is ending. 

[MtB]

1 hour ago, johnmck said:

Hire boats are pricing themselves  beyond market tolerance. 

 

Even cruising just the southern Oxford I notice a substantial deterioration since covid.

 

Hire boat bases seem still to be half full of unrented hire boats but this might be a reflection of the poor state of the canals, as much as the cost. On the other hand the hire boaters I've encountered so far this year seem oblivious and having a great time!! 

 

 

And another thing. 

 

I boat around and bike back to pick up the van. Recently this is getting as good ad impossible due to uncut hedgrows encroaching so far out over the towpath for long stretches on the Oxford. I've had to give up the bike and walk this year.

 

Hurrah some might say! 

 

 

[MtB]

On 06/08/2024 at 17:32, nicknorman said:

Firstly I think one has to bear in mind that many gliding clubs are just that - clubs! They don’t have any paid admin staff, and so communications can be a bit hit and miss. Then as you say, there are professional clubs operating 7 days/week with paid office staff. Your choice! 
 

Some differentiators to consider:

 

1/ 7 days/week or mostly weekends only?

2/ Launching by winch or aerotow or both?
3/ Training in a modern glass glider, or an ancient thing like a K13, unrepresentative of a modern glider?

4/ Club or business atmosphere?

 

And expectation-managing! Sorry but I suspect you are similar ages to me… Learning to fly when you are 16 is dead easy. By the time you are 25 it is a lot more difficult. And by the time you are pushing 70, very difficult and maybe you will never go solo let alone learn how to glide properly (going solo is 5% of learning to glide, I’ve been doing it for 45 years and still learning how to do it properly). But to make life easier and bearing in mind that landing is the trickiest bit at first, pick a site that has large tracts of grass, rather than somewhere with a runway or other requirements that mean you have to be able to land precisely. And if you join a good club, you will enjoy yourself even if you struggle to go solo.

 

Obvs I would be happy to take you up in my 2-seater at the best gliding club in the land, but slight problem it is 450 miles away!

 

We have a couple of ex-members of Oxford GC at our club so if anything needs prodding… I think OGC is a friendly club, very large airfield, winch only.

 

Oh and I know Cecilia quite well, she is the OGC membership secretary. 

 

Hi Nick, thank you for such a well thought out and comprehensive post. And for the offer of a flight 450 miles away! 

 

I feel inclined to persist with OGC as they are so near one of my boats' mooring, but for now I need to drop the idea as illness in the family has reared its ugly head, and life looks like getting pretty full for a while. 

 

Combined with something I hadn't properly appreciated initially - this being the need to fly regularly and often. 

 

 

Edited August 11 by MtB
Tautology

[Lily Rose]

On 09/08/2024 at 23:16, MtB said:

I boat around and bike back to pick up the van. Recently this is getting as good ad impossible due to uncut hedgrows encroaching so far out over the towpath for long stretches on the Oxford. I've had to give up the bike and walk this year.

 

I remember talking to you about this a few years ago and thought about it again several times recently. After a health check earlier in the year I have started using the NHS Active 10 app to encourage me to do 30 minutes brisk walking most days. Easy enough at home, or on roads or paths near the boat, but impossible on towpaths on the South Oxford unless you like being regularly slapped in the face by brambles etc or like taking unscheduled dips in the canal via badly eroded (downright dangerous) towpaths. At such times I wonder how you and other rural towpath cyclists do it.

 

On 09/08/2024 at 21:39, johnmck said:

The south Oxford locks are in a poor state, illustrated by the problem at Somerton deep

 

I experienced that (sticking offside paddle on the bottom gate?) just last week. Also Pigeon Lock which is incredibly slow to fill the last foot or so. I'm told this was bad until a recent repair on the bottom gate. After that it was worse.

 

[Midnight]

Travelled up Wigan to Clough Bank over two days passed less than half a dozen boats going to other way. Very quiet on the Lancashire L&L

[johnmck]

Our sojourn on the Montgomery will end tomorrow. Of course, it is very very quiet. And somewhat overgrown and shallow, but magic all the same.

Tomorrow its up Frankton and up where there be madness, according to some. We shall see!

[NarrowboatTor]

Really busy on the south Oxford canal, boat after boat going past.

I know there's pollution up north but is everyone evacuating? ( Tongue in cheek 😁)

[MtB]

3 hours ago, NarrowboatTor said:

Really busy on the south Oxford canal, boat after boat going past.

I know there's pollution up north but is everyone evacuating? ( Tongue in cheek 😁)

 

Presumably the busted middle lock at Claydon is back working again then! 

 

 

[Naughty Cal]

Had a run out to Cromwell Lock and Newark today in the car.

 

We were amazed how quiet Newark was for a sunny,  warm weekend in the school holidays.

 

No boats about at all. There were no boats on the floating pontoons at all! 

 

Used to be packed at this time of year!

[tree monkey]

On 06/08/2024 at 12:33, Stroudwater1 said:

I think you need to have open cuts for it to be more likely to happen? Sort of thing that occurs down a weedhatch  cutting off wire. You can get it anyway but less likely 
 

A forum member did catch Weil’s  in Birmingham 2? Years ago. Thankfully they were OK. 
 

 

That might have been me, unpleasant for sure but caught in time thankfully 

[Lily Rose]

On 16/08/2024 at 14:18, MtB said:

 

Presumably the busted middle lock at Claydon is back working again then! 

 

 

Blimey, I hope so. We're going up there from Cropredy tomorrow.

[MtB]

59 minutes ago, Lily Rose said:

Blimey, I hope so. We're going up there from Cropredy tomorrow.

 

Just closed overnight so you should be fine. Vollies on the flight though, so be prepared! 

 

[Lily Rose]

Just now, MtB said:

 

Just closed overnight so you should be fine. Vollies on the flight though, so be prepared! 

 

 

Thanks. I didn't recall seeing a stoppage notice for the flight just the one about tge overnight closure for the HS2 nonsense.

 

When I see volockies I normally get off the boat and leave Mrs Lily Rose to take it in. The trouble is, at Claydon last time, they then suggested I go and get the next lock prepared. With any luck they'll have knocked off by the time we get there. When we came down 2 or 3 weeks ago they were finishing lunchtime or early afternoon as it only seemed to be busy in the morning. We moored overnight 2 locks down at about 2.30pm on a Sunday and there were only 2 up and 2 down for the rest of the day.

[gatekrash]

I've found all the boats !!

 

They were heading west on the Coventry between Polesworth and Hartshill.

 

We must have met at least 30. I think there was a boat club on the move as a lot of them had pennants on. 

 

Thought it might quiet down above Atherstone but not really. Quieter up the Ashby though.

[MtB]

2 hours ago, gatekrash said:

I've found all the boats !!

 

They were heading west on the Coventry between Polesworth and Hartshill.

 

We must have met at least 30. I think there was a boat club on the move as a lot of them had pennants on. 

 

Thought it might quiet down above Atherstone but not really. Quieter up the Ashby though.

 

The Ashby ring is always quiet!! 

 

 

[johnmck]

The upper Golly was busy(ish). The ultimate destination for many hirers, for good reason. It is beautiful, challenging and rewarding. Busy, yes. But nowhere was rammed. Moored in our favoured corner spot in the basin. Saw the sights. Coming back down, a little frustration,  but not intolerable.

From Ellesmere down, it has been very quiet. We came down Grindley late afternoon. One exiting as we arrived, then not a boat until we moored at Marbury and nothing moving since our arrival. 

It is just too quiet , especially for the hire companies. 

[Laurie Booth]

On 06/08/2024 at 17:32, nicknorman said:

 

Me far left learning to fly age 12   Teacher my Headmaster far right

 

Edited August 25 by Laurie Booth

[Alan de Enfield]

@nicknorman

 

 

 

 

Guess what I use to 'tow' (tug) with in the late 70s / early 80's ?

 

(No it wasn't me that snapped the UC bungee !!!)

 

 

 

 

 

Edited August 25 by Alan de Enfield

[MtB]

1 hour ago, Alan de Enfield said:

@nicknorman

 

 

 

 

Guess what I use to 'tow' (tug) with in the late 70s / early 80's ?

 

(No it wasn't me that snapped the UC bungee !!!)

 

 

 

 

 

 

Curious twin-engine arrangement I notice on that aeroplane!!

 

 

[Alan de Enfield]

15 minutes ago, MtB said:

 

Curious twin-engine arrangement I notice on that aeroplane!!

 

 

 

Well, one does need a spare in case of failure u-know !

[MtB]

2 minutes ago, Alan de Enfield said:

 

Well, one does need a spare in case of failure u-know !

 

True!!