And the temperature outside is ...........

[The Anonymous Bard]

Getting colder by the day... just been out to fetch coffee and -6 North Notts at 9am!

[matty40s]

It's very thick here in Berko now, with a lovely white topping from the second belt of snow last night.

 

I noticed a GRP just north of Hemel station which was only tied by it's front rope. The back end has swung out across he cut. If it freezes there (wasn't frozen yesterday) it will be a stoppage in itself.......or mincemeat!!

[Athy]

Well Creek is frozen over but I bashed the ice experimentally with a lump hammer yesterday and the ice broke easily. I hope it does not get any thicker as I'm having my newly-acquired Springer project boat craned in tomorrow morning!

[Deepinvet]

Not sure if I like the sound of all this ice..... We are taking a boat out of Middlewich on Tuesday Morning to do the Cheshire ring (we have 8 days to do it)....Will we get out of Middlewich????Here in South Lincs we have plenty of snow and it's about -5 this mornig.

 

If anybody catches sight of NB Larch.. that's us, say hello you will be more the,n welcome for a slug of sloe gin

[NB Alnwick]

The ice at Cropredy is not so bad this morning - patchy and slushy with clear water where the sun shines through the shadows. But we haven't seen any canoes yet or steel boats passing! Our biggest worry is that we are down to our last bucket of coal and are eagerly awaiting the arrival of NB Dusty . . .

 

Also when the ducks and swans came down for breakfast we noted that none were 'legless'

Edited December 20, 2009 by NB Alnwick

[bottle]

In Rugby at the moment, nearly an inch of ice this morning now sunny and with a couple of boats running their engines, one raw water cooled and the other in gear the ice is breaking up.

 

Did one good deed today, when we arose we noticed two swans iced into the canal just outside our bedroom porthole.

Managed to get boat pole and edge along the gunnel (spelling) from the bow breaking canal ice as I went, gently got towards them and eventually they got free.

 

We then spent a wonderful time watching them as they managed to get onto the ice and preen themselves, removing ice from their feathers.

[Janet S]

Ice on the River Soar yesterday as we returned from our week on board Titanic Theodora...

 

 

Janet

[journeyperson]

Henhull near Nantwich around mid-day. The ice was only a few millimetres thick but when I left at 2.30pm it was beginning to freeze again.

 

[cloggy]

cleared the ice down the lee today from fieldes weir to limehouse up to an inch thick in places.

Storts a lot thicker can support a spaniel.

[The Anonymous Bard]

It's a real white out over here now with cars having to turn in front of the house as they can't get up the hill!

 

Picture taken mid afternoon and been snowing hard since... I feel a few Monday morning extra hours in bed coming on

 

http://yfrog.com/jc1001852xj

[dave moore]

Hi all

West Midlands update...about an inch thick on the Dudley No 1 cut above Delph. I broke it by running the engine to boost the batteries, but I wouldn't like to try and move far at the moment - if at all. Forgot the camera, will add a pic soon

Dave

[Josher]

Not sure if I like the sound of all this ice..... We are taking a boat out of Middlewich on Tuesday Morning to do the Cheshire ring (we have 8 days to do it)....Will we get out of Middlewich????Here in South Lincs we have plenty of snow and it's about -5 this mornig.

 

If anybody catches sight of NB Larch.. that's us, say hello you will be more the,n welcome for a slug of sloe gin

 

Hi everyone,

 

Came through Middlewich this weekend - Saturday from Northwich through big lock (good to see Emily Anne moored up there) breaking ice all the way but made easier when we passed the first boat coming the other way "Willow" complete with hire crew. Five or six boats moving around Middlewich but they had just opened Big Lock although only for four hours per day with assisted passage. We made it through Middlewich and moored overnight one mile up the branch. Today was difficult - went the whole length of the branch without seeing another boat, breaking ice all the way. As soon as we arrived at Barbridge no ice at all! Great cruising down the main line in wet stuff (quiet after three hours of crunching). Next the Llangollen and no ice whatsoever.

 

We made the trip to our new home mooring but would not have spent two days wondering if we were going to make it unless necessary. Determination saw us through and we had mixed reaction from boaters moored up even though we were very careful and caused no problems for others whatsoever.

 

Our repaint is due in the spring but no visible signs of any bare metal anyway.

 

Hope this help you Deepinvet - if the temperatures do not drop again you should be ok and Willow is out there somewhere ahead of you!

[NB Alnwick]

Mark (on NB 'Dusty') delivered our coal, diesel and gas this afternoon, he had been breaking ice on the way up from Banbury - what a hero he is!

 

It is now extremely cold - something like -5 outside and the canal is well frozen.

[Lady Muck]

Mark (on NB 'Dusty') delivered our coal, diesel and gas this afternoon, he had been breaking ice on the way up from Banbury - what a hero he is!

 

It is now extremely cold - something like -5 outside and the canal is well frozen.

 

I liked it last winter when the tubes, buses, everything stopped in London, but the coalboat still showed up ontime.

 

It is VERY cold outside here but I managed to overdo it with the stove and put too much wood on- I'm at the table with my back to it, my pants are nearly on fire!

[Guest]

my pants are nearly on fire!

 

I'm getting a disturbing image.....please dial 999

[nb Innisfree]

I liked it last winter when the tubes, buses, everything stopped in London, but the coalboat still showed up ontime.

 

It is VERY cold outside here but I managed to overdo it with the stove and put too much wood on- I'm at the table with my back to it, my pants are nearly on fire!

 

 

:lol:

[Tam & Di]

I liked it last winter when the tubes, buses, everything stopped in London, but the coalboat still showed up ontime.

 

It is VERY cold outside here but I managed to overdo it with the stove and put too much wood on- I'm at the table with my back to it, my pants are nearly on fire!

 

 

Ah, so that's what it means when there's mention of someone wearing hotpants.

[Lady Muck]

yes they are a bit hot

 

[NB Alnwick]

I liked it last winter when the tubes, buses, everything stopped in London, but the coalboat still showed up ontime.

 

It is VERY cold outside here but I managed to overdo it with the stove and put too much wood on- I'm at the table with my back to it, my pants are nearly on fire!

 

The mind boggles! But I know what you mean - our Squirrel stove has also been somewhat overcharged with coal and it is now so uncomfortably hot aboard 'Alnwick' that we are walking around almost naked.

 

And this is only the end of my first week of cooking, cleaning and washing-up . . .

[Janet S]

it is now so uncomfortably hot aboard 'Alnwick' that we are walking around almost naked.

 

Pictures please?

 

Janet

[Sue1946]

>faints>

 

Actually - from a land based perspective - it has just been so bloody cold here today that nose only saw real air today in order to put bins out!

My poor friend is stuck, almost iced in, and needing to re-position a few miles further north by Christmas. They need to be away by Jan 4th to avoid SGU closures, so ANY news/advice/updates on that stretch of canal would be so very welcomed.

 

 

WOULD IT BE POSS TO TURN THIS THREAD INTO :

 

day to day info on named stretches which are

1. ice free,

2. easy to break,

3 will lose some black

4 or just batten down and bloomin' wait for a thaw?

 

This may be some help to ccers, people moving boats, others?

[NiceNarrowboat]

Every night I come home and shiver. My duvet has been following me round for weeks... I even wear a full coat at work.

Looking at your piccies has kept me sane.

 

'Twas 21 degrees last night (outside) inside around 15! I've been moaning for weeks about being cold . Couldn't wait to get on my boat to warm up...anyway, now that BA has decided to call off it's strike, and there will be no more snow (apparently) I'm on my way...to Alaska, where it's a balmy -25 degrees.

 

Two hours to go...thermals packed.

 

Either way - I'm gonna feel a lot warmer than I currently am! Happy New Year to all!

[GRPCruiserman]

Yes, and I was, of course, careful to say that neither have I.

 

I would never have really thought of the possibility until some claim it happens, and so I'm only repeating what has previously been said, with what I feel is a necessary degree of caution about it's accuracy.

 

There are certainly some on the forum who's opinions I respect who claim to have seen wooden and/or GRP boats holed and sunk as a result of sheet ice displaced by a boat that is breaking it.

 

When we had a small plywood cabin cruiser moored on-line, may years ago, I was worried enough about the prospect to at least hang some old board on ropes on the canal side of the boat in the coldest winter conditions, both to try and stop ice forming right up to the hull, and also to try and prevent damage.

 

Whilst I love ice-breaking, I am convinced that blacking suffers when you do it, and hence I would generally not do too much of it, unless a blacking was planned soon.

 

But, on balance, it's nice to see boats not stopped by ice, and to see people keen to make hire boating rather less seasonal.

 

If it's frozen right across, then boats shouldn't be moved past moored boats as it could quite easily hole and sink a GRP Cruiser. When I had mine it was always left in over winter (as are many today) and I never saw any steeelys come past when the canal was completely frozen across.

 

It could be highly dangerous if someone is inside the boat when it sinks as they may drown or become overcome with the cold and die of exposure.

 

I would have thought that the offending passer by would at least be responsible for the sinking of the moored boat and liable for the recovery costs; and possibly be commiting an offence of not necessarily criminal damage, but certainly neglect and possibley manslaughter if a death occured as a result.

Edited December 21, 2009 by GRPCruiserman

[mayalld]

Not sure if I like the sound of all this ice..... We are taking a boat out of Middlewich on Tuesday Morning to do the Cheshire ring (we have 8 days to do it)....Will we get out of Middlewich????Here in South Lincs we have plenty of snow and it's about -5 this mornig.

 

If anybody catches sight of NB Larch.. that's us, say hello you will be more the,n welcome for a slug of sloe gin

 

Unless the weather eases up, and we get a thaw, I would be very doubtful.

 

The lower PF was well iced yesterday PM, and there has been no thawing so far.

 

Whilst you might manage to force your way through, it would be very slow going, and you don't have enough recovery time in 8 days to cope with the extra time it will take.

[Naughty Cal]

We have been well and truely frozen in this weekend.

 

The taps in the marina have been turned off due to a couple of burst pipes and we ran out of water. But hey its all good fun. and looks very pretty. Had a good dumping of snow yesterday evening, enough to cause a few problems driving from Lincoln to Sheffield this morning.