BCN Challenge

[carlt]

 

But has some Tagger really chosen "Artex" as his tag????

he does all his graffiti with textured paint.

[Laurie Booth]

That was the slowest lock on the flight due to the angle, and our man wasn't going into them real quick either. I normally have water over the edge as I enter a narrow lock!

 

Mike

I still rate my 2hours to do Ryders Green Top lock a rare achievement.

[RichardN]

Final scores:

1st Place: Muskrat who started at Longwood Boat Club and worked their way down to Hawne Basin anti-clockwise and got 539 points

2nd Place: Atlas & Malus who got 506 points. They started at Hawne Basin and worked round Clockwise to the Curly Wurly. Ivor seemed very disgruntled to have only come 2nd!

3rd Place: Indigodream with 481 points :-). We started at the bottom of the Wolverhapton 21 and basically worked our way round clockwise. We should not have had 7 hours rest!

 

The Pelsall Festival despite the weather is very impressive. 124 boats have made it round the Curly Wurly to Pelsall so it is a great sight. I am impressed at how the BCNS manage to mobilise equipment, truck generator, their own burger van, beer tent etc all well manned by a host of volunteers. I am sure that lots of people have contributed to the survival of the BCN but I have to say that I am impressed with the work that the BCNS put in though they will need another generation to take over.

 

It sounds like the challenge will be running again next year. Watch out for announcements. It is great fun, you get to visit parts of the BCN you would not normally and they are so worth doing!

[Laurie Booth]

Who came last?

[RLWP]

Who came last?

 

The Cat has to be a strong contender

 

Richard

[dove]

The Cat has to be a strong contender

 

Richard

Joanna and the two joey's came 10th, we came 13th (don't know what we did wrong) and the cat came about 17 or 18th I think.

 

Andrew

[Capt Ahab]

Joanna and the two joey's came 10th, we came 13th (don't know what we did wrong) and the cat came about 17 or 18th I think.

 

Andrew

We came in 12th

[Windfola]

 

3rd Place: Indigodream with 481 points :-). We started at the bottom of the Wolverhapton 21 and basically worked our way round clockwise. We should not have had 7 hours rest!

 

Wow, well done. I am seriously impressed. Were the dogs paddling secretly below decks?

[RLWP]

<snip>

 

3rd Place: Indigodream with 481 points :-).

 

<snip>

 

Curses, beaten by six points!

 

Richard

[RichardN]

Wow, well done. I am seriously impressed. Were the dogs paddling secretly below decks?

 

No we had them bow hauling. Worked well till we were going past some moored boats and they saw a rabbit.

 

Curses, beaten by six points!

 

Richard

 

I thought with all the locks we did that we would be further out in front - you had a far more cunning route.

[stort_mark]

Curses, beaten by six points!

 

Richard

 

Looks like a return trip along the TV or up and down the Ryders Green flight would have done the trick then

 

[RichardN]

Looks like a return trip along the TV or up and down the Ryders Green flight would have done the trick then

 

 

I must dig out the scoring sheet that we got sent before hand. I tried putting in Muskrat's and also what I remember being told in the pub of the route taken by Atlas & Malus. The Cat's site has you beating both of them so either there is something not right there or I am missing something obvious. Having met Muskrat I think they are going to be very hard to beat - they have done a lot of boating, they know what they are doing and they think it through very well. I wondered why he was driving with his engine hatch open - he has an air cooled engine and he simply cannot go very fast without it overheating so lets just hope he does not get a new engine before the next challenge!

[RLWP]

I must dig out the scoring sheet that we got sent before hand. I tried putting in Muskrat's and also what I remember being told in the pub of the route taken by Atlas & Malus. The Cat's site has you beating both of them so either there is something not right there or I am missing something obvious. Having met Muskrat I think they are going to be very hard to beat - they have done a lot of boating, they know what they are doing and they think it through very well. I wondered why he was driving with his engine hatch open - he has an air cooled engine and he simply cannot go very fast without it overheating so lets just hope he does not get a new engine before the next challenge!

 

He'd have to be careful. We carried a GPS system set up as a speedometer and we can just top 4mph on the Telford bits of the BCN. I'm pretty sure Muskrat is a quicker boat, so he would have to watch his average speeds (if that's how the judges check).

 

However, from what I can tell , Muskrat usually wins on raw cunning rather than speed

 

Richard

[Proper Job]

.......No we had them bow hauling. Worked well till we were going past some moored boats and they saw a rabbit.

 

 

Ah ha........

 

A short cut across the fields........ That's how you got the extra 6 points

 

He'd have to be careful. We carried a GPS system set up as a speedometer and we can just top 4mph on the Telford bits of the BCN. I'm pretty sure Muskrat is a quicker boat, so he would have to watch his average speeds (if that's how the judges check).

 

However, from what I can tell , Muskrat usually wins on raw cunning rather than speed

Richard

Me thinks an element of the two

[RichardN]

He'd have to be careful. We carried a GPS system set up as a speedometer and we can just top 4mph on the Telford bits of the BCN. I'm pretty sure Muskrat is a quicker boat, so he would have to watch his average speeds (if that's how the judges check).

 

However, from what I can tell , Muskrat usually wins on raw cunning rather than speed

 

Richard

 

Yep, very cunning! My wording must have been clumsy, I did not mean to suggest he was speeding. He has a springer so I think breaking wash is less of a problem so I did wonder if he managed to get a shade more speed the we did - in lots of places we had to slow as we were getting a breaking wash at 3 mph according to Graham's GPS. However Muskrat originally had a fibreglass top, now steel and has had a new bottom plate, or rather an extra bottom plate, he was gauged at 28" and it sounds like he also struggled to get over 3 mph. Couple that with a dodgy engine and I have to say it is very impressive that he has beaten everybody again. Rats. At Pelsall Ivor of Atlas & Malus was particularly put out :-)

[RLWP]

28", that explains some of the points.

 

I'm going to get Tawny Owl fitted with a 3'6" dagger board for next time. I want those points for dragging your arse along the bottom

 

Richard

[Black Ibis]

Ooh, does anyone know how Team Yeoford did? Is there a list of everyone somewhere?

[stagedamager]

28", that explains some of the points.

 

I'm going to get Tawny Owl fitted with a 3'6" dagger board for next time. I want those points for dragging your arse along the bottom

 

Richard

 

After last Friday i can heartily recommend the Daw End Branch, plenty of arse dragging along there!!

On a side note, we never discovered the great mattress of Tame Valley!!!

Dan

[RLWP]

After last Friday i can heartily recommend the Daw End Branch, plenty of arse dragging along there!!

On a side note, we never discovered the great mattress of Tame Valley!!!

Dan

 

It lurks, sleeping, awaiting the unwary

 

 

Richard

[stagedamager]

i can believe that, but it must have sculcked off somewhere, it wasn't on the bottom of the TV, mind you, after we'd been through we'd got most of the stuff off the bottom, and probably cut a nice new channel!

[Proper Job]

Yep, very cunning! My wording must have been clumsy, I did not mean to suggest he was speeding. He has a springer so I think breaking wash is less of a problem so I did wonder if he managed to get a shade more speed the we did - in lots of places we had to slow as we were getting a breaking wash at 3 mph according to Graham's GPS. However Muskrat originally had a fibreglass top, now steel and has had a new bottom plate, or rather an extra bottom plate, he was gauged at 28" and it sounds like he also struggled to get over 3 mph. Couple that with a dodgy engine and I have to say it is very impressive that he has beaten everybody again. Rats. At Pelsall Ivor of Atlas & Malus was particularly put out :-)

I don't think Muskrat is a Springer. It's got a very high bow and reminds me of the hire boats that came out of Weedon in the early 80's (I'm pretty sure they originally had fibreglass tops).

 

I'm surprised it's 28" because it's got a very high stern as well.

[RLWP]

Next time, I'll get Tawny Owl gauged with the water tank empty and all the crew sat on the stern

 

Richard

[RichardN]

I don't think Muskrat is a Springer. It's got a very high bow and reminds me of the hire boats that came out of Weedon in the early 80's (I'm pretty sure they originally had fibreglass tops).

 

I'm surprised it's 28" because it's got a very high stern as well.

Yes I got it wrong, she is not a springer:

MUSKRAT Built by HUCKER MARINE - Length 11 metres (36 feet 1 inch ) - Beam 2.1 metres (6 feet 11 inches ) - Draft 0.6 metres (2 feet ) Metal hull, power of 13. Registered with British Waterways number 70001 as a Powered. Last registration recorded on 29-May-2011.

 

Don't know if Hucker Marine was at Weedon.

[Nine of Hearts]

Yes I got it wrong, she is not a springer:

MUSKRAT Built by HUCKER MARINE - Length 11 metres (36 feet 1 inch ) - Beam 2.1 metres (6 feet 11 inches ) - Draft 0.6 metres (2 feet ) Metal hull, power of 13. Registered with British Waterways number 70001 as a Powered. Last registration recorded on 29-May-2011.

 

Don't know if Hucker Marine was at Weedon.

 

Looks increasingly like if you're serious about this challenge, you're going to need a specialist vehicle. Hmmm. Let's see, quite a deep draught but can cope with shallows where they arise. Capable of a steady 4mph...

 

I mo get me one of these;

 

[john6767]

I have to say I am struggling to see how I could have gone much faster, and I think we hit a good number of the high multiplier sections. Not really sure what to do differently, other than a bigger crew and more locks.