Round Suttons in one

[Ray T]

Round Suttons in one

 

 

Love the video.

 

Myk, is that you at the helm?

Edited January 28, 2011 by Ray T

[canaldrifter]

Great sound-track too.

 

Tone

[mykaskin]

Round Suttons in one

 

 

Love the video.

 

Myk, is that you at the helm?

Yep

[RLWP]

Yep

 

I'd never have thought of making that turn starting so far out to the left. Well played Sir

 

Richard

[Speedwheel]

No video just pics.

 

[XAlan W]

No video just pics.

 

 

Wished it would have been as empty in the days when I had to work around there, more often than not there would have been 2 or so pairs tied between the lock & the ``GREYHOUND`` you couldn`t swing out as wide as either of the 2 boats in the video/ photo`s so a bit of tooing & froing was required under the watchful eyes of all the working boaters, & your marks for artistic impression was discussed at a later date in some pub or other

[canaldrifter]

Also having a light boat must help if the wind is in favour?

 

Tone

[Keeping Up]

Also having a light boat must help if the wind is in favour?

 

Tone

 

But it never is. By definition, the wind is always blowing in exactly the wrong direction.

[Jan_G]

But it never is. By definition, the wind is always blowing in exactly the wrong direction.

 

I've never managed to get the Dog House (60ft) round that turn in one go nor any hire boat of the same length , neither have either of us managed to get an even shorter hire boat (45ft) round without a little bit of reverse, so I would say that is pretty good going.

 

 

 

 

jan,

 

 

 

 

 

xxxxxx

[alan_fincher]

I've never managed to get the Dog House (60ft) round that turn in one go nor any hire boat of the same length , neither have either of us managed to get an even shorter hire boat (45ft) round without a little bit of reverse, so I would say that is pretty good going.

Of course it's possible that Mike scrapped 27 videos of failed attempts, before he finally cracked it on the 28th attempt.

 

(Sorry Mike, only joking, honestly!.......)

[MoominPapa]

Of course it's possible that Mike scrapped 27 videos of failed attempts, before he finally cracked it on the 28th attempt.

 

It's probably all done with CGI, these days......

 

MP.

[NB Alnwick]

We have done it in one go several times but then 'Alnwick' is only 62 feet long . . .

 

Even so, we usually but a line ashore so that we can go round nice and slowly so as to avoid colliding with the hire boats that are, inevitably, trying to come round in the opposite direction . . .

[canaldrifter]

It must have been an interesting place to navigate in the days when it was a toll lock.

 

Tone

[hughc]

It's easier with a pair. Regards, HughC.

[Laurie Booth]

Pity you went the wrong way, you were meant to go to Coventry Basin

[Janet S]

We've managed it in one on a couple of occasions...

 

Admittedly the boat is only 34 foot, so you could turn her on a sixpence!

 

Janet

[mykaskin]

Of course it's possible that Mike scrapped 27 videos of failed attempts, before he finally cracked it on the 28th attempt.

 

(Sorry Mike, only joking, honestly!.......)

 

Here's one of the failed attempts! :-)

 

 

 

Actually the above was the first one I didn't get round in one, and since it was first time loaded around there with a couple of inches off level it could have been worse:

 

(sorry David!)

 

Cheers,

 

Mike

[Keeping Up]

Watching the videos and playing "spot the difference", what was that about the one attempt that made it work, round in one, that was wrong with the other two?

[RLWP]

Watching the videos and playing "spot the difference", what was that about the one attempt that made it work, round in one, that was wrong with the other two?

 

Too much tiller angle?

 

Richard

[mykaskin]

Watching the videos and playing "spot the difference", what was that about the one attempt that made it work, round in one, that was wrong with the other two?

 

Well, for one thing the load, unloaded there is little in the water to stop the bow from flying sidewards:

 

(Photo: James Bill) From the same go - on the Jam Ole last year.

 

Also, positioning, trottle, control, depth, wind, and dozens of other factors.

 

Of course, doing it in one to me means not using the gears. Any one can maneuver around a corner...

 

The other great test of skill was taking an empty pair around in one at the end of the brentford dock. Usually you'd put the butty on the inside to act a bit like an anchor, but it has been known to do it with the butty on the outside (who was it that wrote about doing that? - Tim Wilkinson?)

 

Mike

 

ps. With two extra tonne on near the mast that was transfered from Archimedes later that night I got around even easier, but then the stern was about 3 inches higher.

Edited January 30, 2011 by mykaskin

[soldthehouse]

I'd never have thought of making that turn starting so far out to the left. Well played Sir

 

Richard

Yes

[mykaskin]

I'd never have thought of making that turn starting so far out to the left. Well played Sir

 

Richard

 

It's all about reducing the severity of the corner, the line used to around the outside of ever corner, even if there was a brigde of the end and they really had to work at the tiller to get it through. When I mean around the outside of the corner, I mean within a foot or less of the bank!

 

Mike

[Keeping Up]

Thanks MIke. When I watched the first of the two "failure" videos I thought, "He's started the turn too soon" but then I watched the second one and reckoned the turn on that one had started too late, but they started at almost the same place so I don't know the answer - particularly because the perspective of the shots makes it difficult to tell.

 

I'm lucky, being modern and shallow Keeping Up (67 ft) sits fairly level in the water and always goes around in one without much trouble. I don't claim the credit, it's the boat (and having posted this, no doubt it'll all go wrong next time). In fact the only time I've really messed it up, was trying to make the zig-zag from the lock towards Coventry, when I suddenly realised I had nowhere left to put the stern when I wanted to change direction..

[Josher]

'Saving Longford from Developers' - no story, but some photographs in today's Coventry Telegraph Here

[furnessvale]

Watching the videos and playing "spot the difference", what was that about the one attempt that made it work, round in one, that was wrong with the other two?

 

Not intended as a criticism of the steerers involved, Suttons is a so and so at the best of times!

 

IMO on both failed attempts the boat is too near the inside of the bend at the critical moment, the actual turn having been started a fraction too early. (I would compare it to the old films of bomber runs where the bomb aimer is saying "steady, steady" and the rest of the crew are willing him to get on with it.)

 

Especially with a loaded boat, which is deep in full length, getting close to the inside will catch the shallower mud and you skitter away in a straight line. This is especially noticable in Mike's video of Victoria. Note how the stern is close to the bank and then suddenly, despite Mike still applying lots of tiller, the boat goes in straight line and the gap to the left bank opens. Until she comes off the mud she is going in a straight line and there is nothing going to stop her. The only thing to do is opposite lock and plenty of astern but that is the end of the round in one attempt.

 

By the way, I have caught the mud myself many a time:-)

 

George