Gravel Run

[WotEver]

I've finally managed to get the video I took of Tom Hill rounding the turn at Hawkesbury in a rather excited frame of mind!

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p9I4kqnwqzw

Well, that's one way of getting around... or maybe it isn't

 

Tony

 

I'm trying a Youtube uploader tool at the minute but that keeps restarting

Sounds to me like your connection was slow and/or flaky at the time. An uploader restarts when it loses communication with the remote site.

 

Tony

[alan_fincher]

Still seems to me the ones that do it slow and steady get around in less than half the time of the ones that try to be more cavalier.

 

To me the measured turn by Themis is the far more impressive in terms of skill, if not visually!

 

How much did the poor bugger coming up from Coventry (apparently) know about what was about to cross his intended path ?

[Chris-B]

Still seems to me the ones that do it slow and steady get around in less than half the time of the ones that try to be more cavalier.

 

To me the measured turn by Themis is the far more impressive in terms of skill, if not visually!

 

How much did the poor bugger coming up from Coventry (apparently) know about what was about to cross his intended path ?

 

Totally agree Alan

" As much power as you need any more is wasted"

 

Chris

 

(Mind you that is not the worse attempt at that turn I have witnessed over the years! "

[bristol & argo]

Totally agree Alan

" As much power as you need any more is wasted"

 

Chris

 

(Mind you that is not the worse attempt at that turn I have witnessed over the years! "

 

 

He might have forgotten he didn't have the trailor....

 

I once set off down Maffers without Argo, but sharing the locks, and found on entering them with the same throttle had way too much momentum!!!

 

Mind you, setting off on the Thames without the deadweight to get water was great

 

Simon

[Liam]

Another little video of Tom & Nick on Archimedes and James on Ara setting off from Hawkesbury Junction after stopping to clear the blade.

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oDJSjkbufLU

[Billw]

We've seen several of the boats heading back along the Coventry today, and the NBT pair moored on the water point at Hawkesbury.

[JohnO]

We've seen several of the boats heading back along the Coventry today, and the NBT pair moored on the water point at Hawkesbury.

 

Surely the loading bay or really the water point ?

[Billw]

A fine sight at Wood Bridge.

 

 

 

 

Surely the loading bay or really the water point ?

 

The water point before the junction.

Edited July 13, 2010 by Billw

[mykaskin]

Hi Folks,

 

My own rather poor attempt at getting around in one at Hawksbury Junction here:

 

 

Thanks to Liam for filming it with my camera.

 

Cheers,

 

Mike

Edited July 14, 2010 by mykaskin

[alan_fincher]

Hi Folks,

 

My own rather poor attempt at getting around in one at Hawksbury Junction here:

 

 

Thanks to Liam for filming it with my camera.

 

Cheers,

 

Mike

I'm no expert, Mike, but if you look at various points, including around 01:57, I reckon you just have the tiller too far over, as a lot of water is being deflected out the left side, to some extent offsetting some of the good effect of that coming out the right.

 

I'm convinced that "working" the tiller helps, and having it hard over can be counter productive. Perhaps worth comparing to the Themis approach, (but not the Archimedes one! ).

 

Nice try, though!

 

Alan

[bargemast]

Hello Mike, first I have to say that I admire the paintjob that's done on "Victoria" She really looks just the job.

 

Nice video made by Liam, on which you can clearly see exactly as Alan is saying that you are over enthousiastic with your tiller that go's too far, and because of that stops the turning that started beautifully in the beginning. Watching only the beginning I would have thought that you were going to make that sharp turn in one go, until you pushed too far. There was no damage done, so not a big deal but worth trying it next time with less runder with some pumping and with a bit less power on, just to see how big the difference will be.

 

Good luck, and thanks for lending your camera to Liam for this nice video,

 

Peter.

Edited July 14, 2010 by bargemast

[JohnO]

The water point before the junction.

[Liam]

Mike asked me whether I could shoot the video of him, although I had my own digital camera that can take videos I'm glad he did, it's nowhere near as good as his quality wise.

 

I was too busy watching the camera rather than the boat but after watching it over again I can see what people are saying about the tiller going too far over. I try not to get the tiller past either dolly, and also row the tiller round, much like Steve did on Themis, it certainly works.

 

Whens the next run?

[Derek R.]

Taking that turn loaded needs patience and a strap, not power. Take a look on pages 12 & 80 of 'A Canal People' and see how in both directions a line off the fore stud is taken ashore to bring the front round with the motor going steady ahead.

[Liam]

Taking that turn loaded needs patience and a strap, not power. Take a look on pages 12 & 80 of 'A Canal People' and see how in both directions a line off the fore stud is taken ashore to bring the front round with the motor going steady ahead.

 

Thats how james did it with ara, dragged it out of the lock and then checked it on the railing on the bridge with me rowing the elum like the clappers. Worked well...

[Hairy-Neil]

Thats how james did it with ara, dragged it out of the lock and then checked it on the railing on the bridge with me rowing the elum like the clappers. Worked well...

 

No need to use the bridge railings. There are two large bollards on the towpath under the bridge for that specific purpose, take it 90 degrees on each....

[Derek R.]

That's it. We went round sometime in the eighties and met an 'old boy' who chatted about PD2's in the stop lock, then he said: "pass me the line from your T stud - I'll pull you round" and that's exactly what he did as Neil stated. Piece of cake, no effort. Walked to the narrows and popped the line back on the deck. Our boating companions didn't get that treatment - thought he could power his ex-BCN 60' round - and walloped the coping.

 

Derek

[mykaskin]

Nice video made by Liam, on which you can clearly see exactly as Alan is saying that you are over enthousiastic with your tiller that go's too far, and because of that stops the turning that started beautifully in the beginning. Watching only the beginning I would have thought that you were going to make that sharp turn in one go, until you pushed too far. There was no damage done, so not a big deal but worth trying it next time with less runder with some pumping and with a bit less power on, just to see how big the difference will be.

 

Actually the boat started to reduce turning before I pushed the tiller further. From a static speed the boat turns well but with the lack of space to get the water around the stern forward power was making the boat accelerate. I also believe there is silt under the inside of the corner (as well as the rubbish I caught on the prop as I went astern).

 

While some water is appearing off the wrong side of the tiller I believe the main amount coming off the rudder is still going in the correct direction as proved in Limehouse basin, where unloaded, I turned her on the spot (infact some of the flow actually goes towards the bow to bring forward momentum to virtually nil). This is what I was hoping here, and you may notice the forward movement does reduce a little (though again this may be due to the lack of water underneath).

 

Strapping around the corner single handed is a little difficult, and while I could have manuovered around the corner without difficulty, I like to "give 'em a show".

 

Cheers,

 

Mike

[bargemast]

Actually the boat started to reduce turning before I pushed the tiller further. From a static speed the boat turns well but with the lack of space to get the water around the stern forward power was making the boat accelerate. I also believe there is silt under the inside of the corner (as well as the rubbish I caught on the prop as I went astern).

 

While some water is appearing off the wrong side of the tiller I believe the main amount coming off the rudder is still going in the correct direction as proved in Limehouse basin, where unloaded, I turned her on the spot (infact some of the flow actually goes towards the bow to bring forward momentum to virtually nil). This is what I was hoping here, and you may notice the forward movement does reduce a little (though again this may be due to the lack of water underneath).

 

Strapping around the corner single handed is a little difficult, and while I could have manuovered around the corner without difficulty, I like to "give 'em a show".

 

Cheers,

 

Mike

 

 

It's normal that forward motion is reduced with the rudder at 90°, as the possibility for the water to push forwards past the rudder (on one side) is gone and that waterflow after hitting the rudder will create backwards motion, with the prop in forward of course.

 

As soon as you see water being directed to the other side of the rudder aswell, you know that you've gone too far and because of that have less of rudder efficiency.

 

Peter. (who liked the show !)

[soldthehouse]

Nice to watch

[mykaskin]

Whens the next run?

 

There is always the Jam Ole recreation run in the second to last week in October - loaded or unloaded it's your choice, but you'll have to find the cargo yourself!

 

Cheers,

 

Mike

[Liam]

Yeah that does sound like fun but unfortunately I shall be working in Bangladesh

[LEO]

HI,

 

Arundel, towing a butty (District No 4) came southbound through the Cowroast to-day at about 12 noon. The butty steerer must have found the northbound journey tough - he had aged about 40 years.

 

Leo.

[alan_fincher]

HI,

 

Arundel, towing a butty (District No 4) came southbound through the Cowroast to-day at about 12 noon. The butty steerer must have found the northbound journey tough - he had aged about 40 years.

 

Leo.

Yeah,

 

The Narrow Boat Trust may have been somewhere ahead of them.

 

I apparently got a call at home from a guy I met going up with the gravel, who was hopeful I could lock-wheel for them on the way down, who said they were in "Barkhampstead" (sic).

 

Sadly I was only just coming out of outpatients, so it was not possible.

 

So a few working boats moving South, right now.

[bristol & argo]

Yeah,

 

The Narrow Boat Trust may have been somewhere ahead of them.

 

I apparently got a call at home from a guy I met going up with the gravel, who was hopeful I could lock-wheel for them on the way down, who said they were in "Barkhampstead" (sic).

 

Sadly I was only just coming out of outpatients, so it was not possible.

 

So a few working boats moving South, right now.

 

Ping Baldock - any idea where they are tonight?

 

It's a long downhill slog short handed, and there could be the added atraction of getting to watch some thumb lining....

 

 

Simon.