berko -aylesbury arm and back.

[matty40s]

I need to see new water, and don't have my daughter until monday.

 

 

Aylesbury arm beckons, leaving lower berko sat late morning and that's the limit of my planning.

 

Anyone bored??

[koukouvagia]

I need to see new water, and don't have my daughter until monday.

 

 

Aylesbury arm beckons, leaving lower berko sat late morning and that's the limit of my planning.

 

Anyone bored??

 

Say hello when you get to Cowroast.

[matty40s]

I shall wave, love your boats (plural)

[LEO]

Hi

 

Have a good trip, I may be at Cowroast, hope the weather holds.

 

Leo.

[alan_fincher]

Can't help with crewing, other than possibly leaving the odd lock ready for you.

 

We are currently at Cooks Wharf, Pitstone, but should be starting to push South within the next half hour.

[matty40s]

.......once it stops raining........

 

There has been 14 boats going up and none coming down today.....

 

which means you should have had all the locks in your favour alan.

[matty40s]

great weekend,

Said hello to Chalice on her way down South, they passed me just as I was setting off on a very wet Saturday. Finally gave up during another torrential shower at Cowroast at 8.30pm and moored a foot away from the bank as the water level was so low.

sunday morning dawned sunny but windy. Cleared some paperwork up and then set off at lunchtime towards Bulbourne without a plan.

I decided to miss the Wendover out as the summit pound was so low, and continued down the Marsworth flight to .....er...Marsworth. The top lock had only one lower paddle working, the other one was hanging off, and then the next set of lock gates would not close due to underwater obstruction. Bright idea that there would be a keb? somewhere wasn't so bright when the rust eaten end almost fell off. We managed to shift the obstruction after a while and I continued down the flight accompanied by Panther from Aylesbury. Found moorings at the bottom.

Monday picked Olivia up and we walked up the flight and along the Wendover Arm then back through the resovoirs, later we walked the first stretch of the Aylesbury.

Today has been another wash-out. So into Aylesbury by car for a swim and a look round. Also realised you can moor less than 200 yards from the swimming pools so might do it by boat next time if there is enough water.......several boaters we spoke to over the weekend said it was hard work in quite a few spots.

[alan_fincher]

Nice to finally meet you Matty.

 

It was a bit of a "damp" day wasn't it - something replicated today as we have passed across London on the Regents.

 

I decided to miss the Wendover out as the summit pound was so low,

 

Indeed it was - possibly as much as 8 inches down ?

 

later we walked the first stretch of the Aylesbury.

Today has been another wash-out. So into Aylesbury by car for a swim and a look round. Also realised you can moor less than 200 yards from the swimming pools so might do it by boat next time if there is enough water.......several boaters we spoke to over the weekend said it was hard work in quite a few spots.

 

I have never, ever, done the Aylesbury when it wasn't awash with water. That applies even when they have put heavy restrictions on its use. Most of the way water always cascades over the top gates, which cannot mean anything other than the pounds are as full as they can be.

 

That said, I suspect your draft is such as to make much of it heavier progress than it is for us.

[matty40s]

Hi alan, lovely to meet you , I suppose the Aylesbury is only as deep as the bottom is from the top so to speak....however much water is cascading over!!.

BTW, you obviously found out there are no problems with your engine, there were no shiny patches on the water as I headed North(except for the usual culprit on the Waitrose stretch). Your fuel issue needs addressing however, I am back at work in the morning and am making a call to someone in TS in North London (as a concerned holidaymaker I assure you) :-)

[mykaskin]

might do it by boat next time if there is enough water.......several boaters we spoke to over the weekend said it was hard work in quite a few spots.

 

I haven't been down in Victoria yet, but the South Midland crew took a trip down the arm on Sunday and if over 3 foot deep of Josher can get down there it can't of been that bad! I seem to remember the channel was narrow in places, but all the levels overly up when I visited on Shoestring.

 

Cheers,

 

Mike

[Tim Lewis]

great weekend,

Said hello to Chalice on her way down South, they passed me just as I was setting off on a very wet Saturday. Finally gave up during another torrential shower at Cowroast at 8.30pm and moored a foot away from the bank as the water level was so low.

sunday morning dawned sunny but windy. Cleared some paperwork up and then set off at lunchtime towards Bulbourne without a plan.

I decided to miss the Wendover out as the summit pound was so low, and continued down the Marsworth flight to .....er...Marsworth. The top lock had only one lower paddle working, the other one was hanging off, and then the next set of lock gates would not close due to underwater obstruction. Bright idea that there would be a keb? somewhere wasn't so bright when the rust eaten end almost fell off. We managed to shift the obstruction after a while and I continued down the flight accompanied by Panther from Aylesbury. Found moorings at the bottom.

Monday picked Olivia up and we walked up the flight and along the Wendover Arm then back through the resovoirs, later we walked the first stretch of the Aylesbury.

Today has been another wash-out. So into Aylesbury by car for a swim and a look round. Also realised you can moor less than 200 yards from the swimming pools so might do it by boat next time if there is enough water.......several boaters we spoke to over the weekend said it was hard work in quite a few spots.

 

You probably heard my with my trusty angle grider in Marsworth top lock dry dock! - Spent the last four days knocking off rust/pitch and applying paint to the base plate, also had a very favourable hull survey.

 

BW were working on the top lock lower paddle today.

 

Tim

[matty40s]

Mike,, took a photo of you on Victoria on Sunday when I was going to pick up my car, ....north of Northchurch, looked fantastic, and great waves .

 

I did wonder what all he noise was up top lock Marsworth over the weekend, thought someone was earning good overtime....btw, whats that bloomin big barge moored in the lock moorings for, caused major mayhem over the entire weekend as far as I could see.??

[Tim Lewis]

Mike,, took a photo of you on Victoria on Sunday when I was going to pick up my car, ....north of Northchurch, looked fantastic, and great waves .

 

I did wonder what all he noise was up top lock Marsworth over the weekend, thought someone was earning good overtime....btw, whats that bloomin big barge moored in the lock moorings for, caused major mayhem over the entire weekend as far as I could see.??

 

The barge was in the dry dock the week before us - it was a tight fit!

 

It was moved back over to outside the dry dock today for more welding - the welder was complaining that as it had been to sea/onrivers that it was magnetised making welding on it difficult.

 

Tim