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BCN Challenge


dove

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Yes that mattress does look familiar :angry:

 

It took a while to realise that it wouldn't come out through the weed hatch so we had to resort to the 'hang on to the mattress and drag the boat away method', while yours truly cut it away from the prop <_<

 

A great weekend. I wish I could have stayed in the pub a bit longer, but commitments on Monday meant we had to shoot off.

 

It will be interesting to see who's strategy comes up with the points.

 

Muskrats 'water skiing' strategy looked to be going well when they passed us ;)

 

Can we do it again next year Unki Richard :)

 

Well since you were such a good boy, and went down the weedhatch so often with no moaning (well not much), yes you can come with us again next year.

 

Now a bit more human after more than about 4 hours sleep.

 

Sue

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Well since you were such a good boy, and went down the weedhatch so often with no moaning (well not much), yes you can come with us again next year.

 

Now a bit more human after more than about 4 hours sleep.

 

Sue

:cheers:

He,s a good Lad young PJ he is coming up the tidal trent for a couple of days with me sometime soon !! :D

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That bit is a "never do", I'm afraid. Apparently it's badly polluted up there, so it's out of bounds and I can't see it getting cleaned up in time for 2012. Team Tawny Owl went up there in 2009 (IIRC), and look what happened to them...

Yes, please avoid this like the proverbial plague. A couple of weeks ago we went up it unknowingly and, when we realised we couldn't get any further, tried to turn around. No hope. So had to reverse back to the junction through weed and foul muck. We had considerable help from a local couple who said we were the third boat in the last few days to get stuck.on this canal. (Ridgacre Branch).

 

Stewey

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Yes, please avoid this like the proverbial plague. A couple of weeks ago we went up it unknowingly and, when we realised we couldn't get any further, tried to turn around. No hope. So had to reverse back to the junction through weed and foul muck. We had considerable help from a local couple who said we were the third boat in the last few days to get stuck.on this canal. (Ridgacre Branch).

 

Stewey

 

In a steel narrowboat that wouldn't worry me, especially if it's not mine. In a fibreglass boat or an inflatable canoe, it might.

 

If a few more people had gone up then this canal might not have been closed by the black country distributor road as recently as the 1990's (And believe it or not, I had a brief land on my desk to look at reopening it less than a year after it had closed, funded by... The Black Country Development Corporation... :angry::blink: )

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In a steel narrowboat that wouldn't worry me, especially if it's not mine. In a fibreglass boat or an inflatable canoe, it might.

 

If a few more people had gone up then this canal might not have been closed by the black country distributor road as recently as the 1990's (And believe it or not, I had a brief land on my desk to look at reopening it less than a year after it had closed, funded by... The Black Country Development Corporation... :angry::blink: )

 

 

Did you know that shortly after the deal was done to close the Ridgeacre off BW had new offices built at Ocker Hill . . . .. .. .. .........................

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Did you know that shortly after the deal was done to close the Ridgeacre off BW had new offices built at Ocker Hill . . . .. .. .. .........................

 

I hadn't put two and two together Laurence... ............ .................................... :blink:

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Tawny Owl was equipped with a camera on the front of the cabin taking pictures every 30 seconds. It occasionally has a fit of the sulks and misses great chunks of time out - Robert the Geek doesn't know why (I'll have him flogged).

 

Here are some of the pictures it did take

 

Team Tawny Owl scavenging at Titford (curses, it's got a hole, throw it back in):

 

bcn1.jpg

 

Proper Job aiding Tawny Owl around the turn at the bottom of the Crow:

 

bcn2.jpg

 

Atlas and Malus in Netherton tunnel. Blimey, they were LOUD!:

 

bcn3.jpg

 

There is a boy on the roof of the pumphouse at the foot of the aqueduct. He had climbed over from the right hand side. I wonder how he got back?:

 

bcn4.jpg

 

Richard explaining about the BCN Challenge to friendly natives, while waiting for Gosty Hill Tunnel:

 

bcn5.jpg

 

As it got late, we had to accelerate to near warp speed:

 

bcn6.jpg

 

bcn7.jpg

 

Richard

 

The Wyreley and Essington usually throws up a few surreal incidents. At around 5:00AM we met two lads carrying a three foot diameter mirror. Apparently they were coming home from a party :blink: :

 

bcn8.jpg

 

bcn9.jpg

 

Dove near Daw End:

 

bcn10.jpg

 

Team Cat Who Walks By Himself sleeping off a hangover outside the Manor Arms:

 

bcn11.jpg

 

Team Tawny Owl at work on the Rushall:

 

bcn12.jpg

 

bcn13.jpg

 

Mrs Tawny Owl - photo journalist:

 

bcn14.jpg

 

Tawny Owl executing the turn onto the Tame Valley (See Tim Lewis's photo earlier):

 

bcn15.jpg

 

Richard

Edited by RLWP
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Here's what we did, can't be asred work out all the points. It was just good fun to get stuck into some locks.

 

Boat...Dove, draught 36" Length 70-6", crew Me and Andrea.

 

Set off from top of Perry Bar locks 8:00

up Aston

up farmers bridge

new main line

All the loops

up Smethwick

old main line

up Oldbury locks

on to Navigation winding hole (question)

back down Oldbury

Down Spon Lane

Down Ryders Green Locks

On the Tame Valley

Up Rushall Locks

Had a kip. Now 12:30

On the W&E

Down Walsall Locks

Into Walsall town arm

 

Broke our record and did 72 locks in one day

 

Andrew

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Nobber's reward:

 

bcn27.jpg

 

Richard

 

 

Hooray!

 

 

ats a funny looking coke Unka Richard. I fink thats what gave me a poorly tummy an it serves you right

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I notice you mounted your motor bike (with red shiny side car) and buggered off back to the unStable Bar, young Nobber

 

It'll take me days to clear up all those crisp, sticky sweet and chocolate bar wrappers from your berth

 

Richard

 

Perhaps you'd like to go and stay with some other Uncles and Aunties for the Lapworth Banter?

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<sigh>

 

Look, can you keep you colouring books off the floor? And no more frogs in the gas locker, OK?

 

Richard

 

More from the BCN Challenge, edited so the pictures show proper.

 

Team not Ling on Yeoford confusing Team Tawny Owl:

 

bcn16.jpg

 

A hire boat on the Walsall canal. No, really...:

 

bcn17.jpg

 

Stort_Mark retrieves a football to assist the natives of Darlaston. Team Tawny Owl likes to keep the natives friendly:

 

bcn18.jpg

 

RLWP checks the plan (no-one knows why):

 

bcn19.jpg

 

Team Firefly man the lines at Walsall:

 

bcn20.jpg

 

Manchuria at Walsall:

 

bcn21.jpg

 

She is attempting to widen the basin to make room for other boats (Dave Moseley picture):

 

P5293077.JPG

 

Tug Joanna at Walsall:

 

bcn22.jpg

 

And her two joey boats:

 

bcn23.jpg

 

Finally, some shots around Walsall:

 

Team Odana arriving at Walsall:

 

bcn24.jpg

 

Tardebigge, Atlas and Malus:

 

bcn25.jpg

 

Working boats at rest:

 

bcn26.jpg

 

Nobber's reward:

 

bcn27.jpg

 

Richard

Edited by RLWP
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71'6" boat, 2'11" draught- more when going along!

 

Farmer's Bridge top lock

Digbeth Branch

GU to Salford Junction (as suggested by Mike Askin- I wonder what you bribed him with, Richard ;) )

Tame Valley,

Rushall Canal,

Daw End branch, up to Ogley Basin,

Curly Wyrley,

Cannock Extention to Norton Canes- Rest stop from 8:50pm, visit the Toby Carvery to refuel, set off at 3:04am, bowhauling so as not to wake up the moorers, take the mickey out of Team Tawny Owl on the way past,

Walsall Canal- having a great deal of trouble with the weed- down to the Walsall Town Arm at 7am,

Wednesbury Old Canal,

New Main Line,

and finish at Smethwick Junction at 2pm- then back to Gas Street via the loops for 4pm.

 

Oh yes, and ten crew, including the forum owner with a Tirfor winch.

 

A few photos from Team Yeoford's weekend:

 

The motley crew

 

Can be seen as a slideshow by pressing button at top right.

 

Enjoy

 

Tim

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We had a web cam mounted on the front of the boat taking an image every 5 seconds. This give a record of the full 24 hours travelling time as a time lapse video.

 

 

I have uploaded to YouTube, and day 1 is ready for your viewing pleasure. Had to split into 2 parts and just over the YouTube 15 min limit.

 

 

 

 

 

Day 2 to follow.

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And the video of day 2

 

 

Team Tawny Owl on the Anglesey Branch at 1:34

 

Dove at 2:30

 

The Cat at 3:20

 

Team Tawny Owl hustling at 5:30 :blush:

 

Yeoford at 7:28

 

Nice work John, did you do the trip home as well?

 

Richard

Edited by RLWP
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Didn't do the trip home, should have done I guess. Passed Tawny Owl about 9PM, moored not far away.

 

Well done. I know you were concerned about where you would leave Firefly

 

Richard

 

We spotted the attractive concrete footbridge near your house :P

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That bit is a "never do", I'm afraid. Apparently it's badly polluted up there, so it's out of bounds and I can't see it getting cleaned up in time for 2012. Team Tawny Owl went up there in 2009 (IIRC), and look what happened to them...

 

But not as part of the challenge, rather, on the way home after. It was allegedly unnavigable, but we got in and out without too much trouble. I still have the sign on my workshop wall as a souvenir..... :cheers:

 

008-5.jpg

 

Use it or loose it I say..... :closedeyes:

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Thanks to all who took the time to post pictures and video's -good stuff.

 

The hire boat in John's day two video is from Napton Narrowboats from their Elite fleet ?Victoria, we hired a sister boat last April - we didn't however do the BCN!!

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I did speak to them as we went past. They had come from from Napton's Autherley Junction base not from Napton. If they had come from Napton that would be impressive, but still this was not just the BCN, this was the Walsall Canal rolleyes.gif

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this was the Walsall Canal

 

Which looks verging on the un-navigable in parts of your video - is it as bad as it looks?

 

(Interesting choice of hire route too)

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Without 'too much' trouble. Hmm...

 

Richard

 

Missed you this year Neil

 

What's the odd shopping trolley between friends....

 

Missed taking part too. :( Sadly, this years event was moved to the BH weekend, making it clash with an event I've attended every year since 1973... :rolleyes:

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Which looks verging on the un-navigable in parts of your video - is it as bad as it looks?

 

(Interesting choice of hire route too)

 

Nahhh, it's a bit slow, and Darlaston takes for ever, but we only had one weedhatch trip on that section, that was on Monday

 

Richard

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