Beeston Stone Lock

[Heartland]

Today April 5th a boater taking a narrow boat through the lock pulled a gate away in the process. Leading to closure between lock 11 and 13.

 

Now how will this affect those coming from the Ellesmere Port Gathering ?

[Rob-M]

They will be held up judging by CRT having access issues.  The rumour is it was a working boat, don't know if there is any truth in that.

[agg221]

19 hours ago, Rob-M said:

They will be held up judging by CRT having access issues.  The rumour is it was a working boat, don't know if there is any truth in that.

If it was a working boat then it was nothing to do with the Ellesmere Port gathering. Firstly, the boats going to that gathered in Chester on Thursday and headed to the Port on Friday while the gate wasn’t lifted until Saturday. Secondly, it’s a top gate that was lifted so the boat was heading away from the Port. I suspect someone saw all the boats going past over the preceding week and added up 2+2=5.

 

A more credible rumour is that it was a liveaboard single handing through. Either way, we are currently at Christleton heading for Whartons so will soon find out. An evening at The Shady beckons.

 

Alec

[Melita]

 

[junior]

Rothens crane boat on the way as I understand it, and work to begin tomorrow morning. Perhaps anyone who gets there could confirm?

[Hudds Lad]

From what i've read on the Book of Face, the boat that did the lifting reported it to CRT and to the Shropshire Union Canal Users group (it's private and i'm not a member so can't confirm) before they left the lock.

That's as much stickybeaking as i can be bothered to do on a bank holiday  

[Rob-M]

1 hour ago, agg221 said:

If it was a working boat then it was nothing to do with the Ellesmere Port gathering. Firstly, the boats going to that gathered in Chester on Thursday and headed to the Port on Friday while the gate wasn’t lifted until Saturday. Secondly, it’s a top gate that was lifted so the boat was heading away from the Port. I suspect someone saw all the boats going past over the preceding week and added up 2+2=5.

 

A more credible rumour is that it was a liveaboard single handing through. Either way, we are currently at Christleton heading for Whartons so will soon find out. An evening at The Shady beckons.

 

Alec

I did see one working boat at Barbury junction on Friday heading away from the port so they weren't all heading to Ellesmere.

[IanD]

36 minutes ago, Hudds Lad said:

From what i've read on the Book of Face, the boat that did the lifting reported it to CRT and to the Shropshire Union Canal Users group (it's private and i'm not a member so can't confirm) before they left the lock.

That's as much stickybeaking as i can be bothered to do on a bank holiday  

I assume they got their bow/fender caught under a gate crossbeam and lifted it out of the cup as the boat rose in the lock?

[Alway Swilby]

3 minutes ago, Rob-M said:

I did see one working boat at Barbury junction on Friday heading away from the port so they weren't all heading to Ellesmere.

In this context do we mean an historic boat? Or was it a boat doing work such as a CRT skip boat or some other working boat?

[Rob-M]

1 minute ago, Alway Swilby said:

In this context do we mean an historic boat? Or was it a boat doing work such as a CRT skip boat or some other working boat?

An historic boat, which I was surprised wasn't heading to the port as they were 3 days away from their home mooring.

[agg221]

2 hours ago, Rob-M said:

An historic boat, which I was surprised wasn't heading to the port as they were 3 days away from their home mooring.

I suspect it was Ironsides? It’s clothed up like a working boat but I think it’s a modern replica. We noticed it there when we went down a week ago so it wasn’t that one.

 

We are moored above Wharton’s and are in the Shady so will wander up and take a look in the morning.

 

Alec

[David Mack]

Given that there is fendering up to the balance beams on the half of the gate closest to the mitre, any boat which managed to get its bow stuck under the balance beam or a gate horizontal must have been at quite an angle across the lock, which suggests it was a fairly short boat, not a 70 footer.

[tizzy]

Its open now just had an email from Cart. Chester here we come !

[agg221]

We went through yesterday as the 5th group after it opened. You could see the notch from the bow of the boat which hung on it; it only just missed the plate so I reckon around 50’ or so in length.

 

Made it to Audlem yesterday and home today.

 

Alec