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Some boating "firsts" for me this year

churchward

By churchward
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churchward Veteran II

churchward

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We had a great time chugging our way round the Leicester ring in the last couple of weeks and I managed some firsts. Have you had any boating firsts this year?

 

I saw a narrowboat style widebeam boat actually cruising for the first time. I thought my eyes had gone squiffy as it came through the bridge 'ole.

 

I also saw for the first time a reason to ban alcohol for cruising boats. It could have been a very nasty incident. A bunch of drunken (including steerer) folk on the roof of a moving boat came up the canal toward where we were moored and a young girl fell in. The remaining crew seemed incapable of reacting other than trying to reverse to her and get her on board the counter. She couldn't get aboard though and the chaps unable to lift her out although they had the boat in neutral by then her legs repeatedly went under the uxter plate. I got our life belt and threw it to her and pulled her to shore and lifted her out. She got back on board to jeers from her crew mates and to cap it all the boat then rammed another moored boat just beyond the bridge a couple of hundred yards down the cut.

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alan_fincher Veteran II

alan_fincher

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So far this year we have.....

 

Completed the refit of the middle of the boat - a huge improvement.

Done the Thames, Oxford to Brentford, our first time on the river or tidal water.

Done virtually of the Southern Oxford - never got below Banbury before, and not since the 1970s.

Done the Lee to Hertford, including down the Limehouse Cut - more new territory.

Done Regents from Limehouse - I've never got beyond the Hertford Union before.

Learnt we don't need any lines ashore in Grand Union locks - our centre ring failed, and we learned to live with no centre line - as a test, we came up Denham Deep all paddles drawn, and didn't get knocked about.

 

I still can't consistently just draw up against the edge with this bl**dy boat though - although I can with others. Perhaps by the end of the year I can say I can.

 

All pretty positive, really.

 

Any downsides ?

 

I'm still miffed that I let myself get into a pointless argument with some idiots who turned a lock right in our face. Life's too short, and we should have kept quiet. :lol:

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Lady Muck Veteran

Lady Muck

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Loads, because I've never boated outside London before. I did my first staircase locks and first big lock flights.

 

We got in a boat 'jam' where we all crawled along at tickover speed (don't get many of them on the Lee). We witnessed a boat pile up as well, it was comical tbh, caused by a hire boater panicking - he'd been told to pass on the right, started to pass on the left then panicked and swung the boat over to the ther side of the canal at the last minute. Chardonnay was involved.

 

We also shared a trip boat with a racoon and a donkey (see our blog for pics) in Camden at the weekend.

 

Scariest thing was driving over some unidentified wreckage on the Hertford Union. It lifted the stern right out of the water, so much that some boaters moored next to the bridge hole screamed. Him indoors was indoors at the time. It gave me such a shock.

 

On the other hand, I love boating because it is always full of 'firsts' you never know whats going to happen next. I love that.

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churchward Veteran II

churchward

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So far this year we have.....

 

Completed the refit of the middle of the boat - a huge improvement.

Done the Thames, Oxford to Brentford, our first time on the river or tidal water.

Done virtually of the Southern Oxford - never got below Banbury before, and not since the 1970s.

Done the Lee to Hertford, including down the Limehouse Cut - more new territory.

Done Regents from Limehouse - I've never got beyond the Hertford Union before.

Learnt we don't need any lines ashore in Grand Union locks - our centre ring failed, and we learned to live with no centre line - as a test, we came up Denham Deep all paddles drawn, and didn't get knocked about.

 

I still can't consistently just draw up against the edge with this bl**dy boat though - although I can with others. Perhaps by the end of the year I can say I can.

 

All pretty positive, really.

 

Any downsides ?

 

I'm still miffed that I let myself get into a pointless argument with some idiots who turned a lock right in our face. Life's too short, and we should have kept quiet. :lol:

 

Indeed it is nice to cruise some new territory. The Leicester ring was new for us except for the part from Braunston to Fazeley jcn and Foxton to Braunston. The river Soar in the sunshine was a real treat.

On the other hand, I love boating because it is always full of 'firsts' you never know whats going to happen next. I love that.

How true! Mind you I don't mind repeating things either. I am not sure I can get tired of an afternoons cruise from Napton to Braunston no matter how many times I do it.

Edited by churchward
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Lady Muck Veteran

Lady Muck

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Learnt we don't need any lines ashore in Grand Union locks - our centre ring failed

 

You saw the state of our centre line - it snapped again after we met you. It got so short after all the splicing we had to swap it for the stern line which was in slightly better condition. We now have new ropes, it was worth hanging on until we got to Tradline, thought they were great.

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NB Alnwick Veteran II

NB Alnwick

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Well we have never been aground on a tidal river before . . .

 

In fact, in spite of what many may think, we haven't been stranded hard aground before :lol:

 

Edited to say that: by that I mean that we have always found a way of getting off in a relativley short time - but I do remember having several attempts at climbing over the heap of railway ballast in Aston Bottom Lock :lol:

Edited by NB Alnwick
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Proper Job Veteran

Proper Job

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The BCN Challenge - a first time for me and the chance to 'go places where few dare'.

 

Easy when you have a good group of like minded idiots to do it with :lol:

 

You've never done the BCN Challenge then. Richard was going down Tawny Owl's every ten minutes on the Bradley arm.....

 

Mnnn.... The Bradley arm........ That was a bit special :lol:

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Chertsey Veteran

Chertsey

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Steered a Big Woolwich for the first time (thank you Chiswick) and I got to sleep in the back cabin.

 

Got my NCBA certificate and went out in charge of Tarporley for the first time last Sunday - and no disasters ensued!

 

Apart from a very damp week back in April, haven't even been out on Warrior yet - so hopefully many more firsts to come (maybe even the Wash, possibly the Trent, very likely the Rochdale, Sheffield, L&L ... all those would be firsts)

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Chris J W Influencer

Chris J W

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Not really. I feel a bit daft for not remembering my first time overnighting in a back-cabin and getting to control Baldock{*} for, oh, three minutes at least.

 

--

 

{*} The boat, that is. I think only SWMBO Baldock can control the human that shares the same name! :lol:

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carlt Veteran II

carlt

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Not really. I feel a bit daft for not remembering my first time overnighting in a back-cabin

Did you get the cross bed, or the side bench?

 

I spent a week on a side bench (sleeping wouldn't be an accurate description).

 

It would have been more comfortable sleeping on the gunwales.

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Dekazer Rising Star

Dekazer

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Got my NCBA certificate and went out in charge of Tarporley for the first time last Sunday - and no disasters ensued!

 

How exciting! We might have passed you, we came down from Kings Cross on Sunday - lovely boat it is.

 

Edited to add, our first boat this year! (Blisworth for first tunnel, that was ace ace ace).

Edited by Dekazer
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Chris J W Influencer

Chris J W

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Did you get the cross bed, or the side bench?

 

Cross. Didn't sleep particularly well either, but that was more to do with the different surroundings rather than the comfort level which was high.

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Chertsey Veteran

Chertsey

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How exciting! We might have passed you, we came down from Kings Cross on Sunday - lovely boat it is.

 

Edited to add, our first boat this year! (Blisworth for first tunnel, that was ace ace ace).

I don't think we passed anyone... we went west to Little Venice. It is a great boat. I can't get over the fact that it stops and goes backwards. It even steers going backwards. (see bowthruster thread. Or, rather, don't.)

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Lady Muck Veteran

Lady Muck

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I don't think we passed anyone... we went west to Little Venice. It is a great boat. I can't get over the fact that it stops and goes backwards. It even steers going backwards. (see bowthruster thread. Or, rather, don't.)

 

I wonder if we have met you - we know alot of the volunteers on Tarporley - were you with Kelvin on Sunday? I'm certain he said he was boating that day!

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