WANTED! Crew member for BCN 24 Hour Challenge 2025 - 23rd - 26th May

[Duke of Larus]

In May last year, my father and I were lucky enough to take part in our first Birmingham Canal 24 Hour Challenge.

 

It was a crazy ride, 14 hours of boating on Saturday, an early start on Sunday (4:30 anyone...), breakdowns, rain, hail, thunder, and much more besides. It was also one of the most fun things I have done for a long time - it really lived up to the 'Challenge' part of it's name! We ended up coming 11th out of 25 entries.

 

This year, we have decided to enter with two ABC hire boats and we currently have one berth left. We're looking for someone who enjoys a challenge and would be happy to spend the late May Bank Holiday weekend on the Birmingham Canal Network with a group of like-minded nutters! Previous narrowboating experience helpful but by no means necessary 🙂

 

Drop me a message if you're interested and I'll get back to you when I can.

[Cheese]

Have you checked with ABC that they are okay with the plan?  They might regard the Challenge as some form of "race" ...

[Duke of Larus]

ABC are very happy to support us on this. We have been hiring from them for a few years, they provided us with our boat last year and offered us the two boats this year. We would not be doing this challenge if it wasn't for their support, so a huge thanks to Charlotte and the team! 😊

[DUKE OF DORSET]

Last year, after the challenge, I took the boat we hired down to Worcester to say thank you to Charlotte and her colleagues. It was she who asked if we were going to do it again this year. I told her it was up to her. She was very happy to let us do it again. 

[rogher]

Two boats?

Are you going to compete against each other, or go a s a pair?

[Duke of Larus]

We're planning on travelling as a pair 🙂

[BCN Challenge]

I think you mean you’ll be working in tandem. A pair is something different in boating terms.

 

Note that if boats collude on their route so as to deliberately increase the number of crew available to work each boat the organisers may score the total number of combined crew against both boats.

 

[Duke of Larus]

Sorry, yes - the boats will be travelling together, not a working pair (apologies - no disrespect to Atlas & Malus! 😊). We shall leave decisions on scoring upto the organisers and the Canal Gods, but we'd happily take advice clarifying their position on the matter 🙂

[rogher]

Have a great time.
i hope to join in, one year!

[Ken X]

PM sent.

[BCN Challenge]

13 hours ago, Duke of Branta said:

Sorry, yes - the boats will be travelling together, not a working pair (apologies - no disrespect to Atlas & Malus! 😊). We shall leave decisions on scoring upto the organisers and the Canal Gods, but we'd happily take advice clarifying their position on the matter 🙂

The Canal Gods will read their own rules before they confirm and in future will not post rules from the pub lest they contradict themselves.

[Duke of Larus]

Thank you to everyone who engaged with this post, I'm pleased to say the space has now been filled. Team Larus is set to go!

[oboat]

On 14/02/2025 at 21:40, Cheese said:

Have you checked with ABC that they are okay with the plan?  They might regard the Challenge as some form of "race" ...

Why do you have to be so negative?

[Duke of Larus]

@oboat It's a fair question. Most (if not all) hire companies - ABC included - have a clause in the Ts&Cs stating hired boats cannot be used for competitions or racing. When we were originally looking for a boat last year, we didn't ask ABC initially because we knew their Ts&Cs. Several turned us down, so on the off chance, @DUKE OF DORSET spoke to Charlotte in Worcester and she was happy to support us.

[oboat]

Fare comment.

[Francis Herne]

On 14/02/2025 at 18:21, BCN Challenge said:

I think you mean you’ll be working in tandem. A pair is something different in boating terms.

 

Note that if boats collude on their route so as to deliberately increase the number of crew available to work each boat the organisers may score the total number of combined crew against both boats.

 

This might be the most extreme form of collusion possible:

(not my photo - it was posted on one of the BCN Facebook posts several months ago; I'm afraid I can't remember whose it is)

[Stroudwater1]

12 hours ago, oboat said:

Fare comment.

 

Last year there were hire boats from 3 companies, ABC, Canal cruising Company  of Stone and IIRC (but probably don’t)Black Prince.
 

TBH being a bit more shallow drafted they probably would be expected to fare well. It’s also pretty good advertising too. 

[truckcab79]

On 16/02/2025 at 06:04, oboat said:

Why do you have to be so negative?

You must be new here. 😉😂

[DUKE OF DORSET]

On 17/02/2025 at 21:45, Stroudwater1 said:

 

Last year there were hire boats from 3 companies, ABC, Canal cruising Company  of Stone and IIRC (but probably don’t)Black Prince.
 

TBH being a bit more shallow drafted they probably would be expected to fare well. It’s also pretty good advertising too. 

The IIRC boat was, indeed, Black Prince. On the trip to Worcester after the event last year I was on the boat waiting for a lock to fill and the chap from Black Prince came out of his office and engaged me in conversation about the challenge. He even offered to hire me a boat for this year, but, with the Tardebigge flight both to Birmingham and back and the timing of the hire period, I decided against it. However, Many thanks to him for the offer.

[Charlielamus]

Are you still looking for crew? I can't make it up in my boat this year...

[Jerra]

20 minutes ago, Charlielamus said:

Are you still looking for crew? I can't make it up in my boat this year...

The Duke of Larus posted on the 15th Feb the place had been filled.

[Duke of Larus]

8 hours ago, Charlielamus said:

Are you still looking for crew? I can't make it up in my boat this year...

Thank you for your message, but we managed to find someone for this year. There is a main thread about the Challenge: 

You could try asking there 🙂

[Charlielamus]

Thank you!