BCN Challenge 2014 - 24 & 25th May

[john6767]

What is the park?

Is it the grass area offside by the industrial estate on the approach to Horne Basin?

[David Mack]

In the spirit of the challenge, the 6 hour stop over is at night for safety reasons and not disturbing fellow competitors and other canal dwellers

There never used to be any stipulation on when you took your 6 hours stop. We took ours during pub opening hours.

[Dave_P]

Canoe? No problem!! Not sure about the locks though!

I could carry my canoe round the locks and win easily!

[RLWP]

I could carry my canoe round the locks and win easily!

 

I think there is huge potential for a canoe category in the BCN Challenge. Something for the future perhaps

 

Richard

[PhilR]

I don't think there's anything in the rules that says you can't do that.

 

In the spirit of the challenge, the 6 hour stop over is at night for safety reasons and not disturbing fellow competitors and other canal dwellers

 

 

There never used to be any stipulation on when you took your 6 hours stop. We took ours during pub opening hours.

 

We once spent a major part of our 6 hour break rigging up temporary gear-change and speed controls after a catastrophic breakage of the single lever control box. Changing gear and adjusting speed with angle brackets and Mole wrenches was painful but rewarding............ even though the pushing and pulling was in the opposite direction to what seemed normal for my brain functions. The rest of the 6 hours was spent recovering in a Black Country pub and celebrating the fact that it wasn't the gearbox which was knackered.

It was a great weekend ............ even better than when we slept for 6 hours in previous years.

 

I could carry my canoe round the locks and win easily!

 

Maybe, if you are really fit. But as an example, I timed our passage through the Perry Bar locks. Going downhill it took, on average, exactly 3 minutes from the bow passing over the top cill and the stern passing over the bottom cill.

 

 

I think there is huge potential for a canoe category in the BCN Challenge. Something for the future perhaps

 

Richard

 

Now that sounds like a really great idea.

 

[Victor Vectis]

 

I think there is huge potential for a canoe category in the BCN Challenge. Something for the future perhaps

 

Richard

I thought that when overtaken by a couple the other day.

 

I'd half a mind to shout SLOW DOWN at them.

 

[jami dodgers]

Jane and I have had a change of plans and will no longer be taking part in the Challenge. Good luck to you all and we hope to make it next year. All the best, Mike.

[stort_mark]

No, I have had it enlarged, stuck down to a large table, and fabricated a lot of small wooden markers that I have a team of WAAFs move around as I stand on the balcony

 

Richard

 

You all think he's joking, don't you......?

[Proper Job]

NO

[Kustomcut]

Pack come through and quickly put the sealed envelope in the safe, however what map is best to go with this, is there a map in the log envelope itself?

I am strategizing on how we can get a decent score, more locks and bonus points I think than actually mileage, if I read right

Length of boat divide by 35 is our points per mile?

so on a 20ft Dandy I get 0.57 points per mile.

 

Also slightly off the Marathon itself if we decided to try to use our personal efforts to raise money for a charity would that seem bad?

hinking of setting up a just giving page and raising money for CRT unless BCN has its own charity?

[john6767]

There has never been a map in the sealed envelope. To be honest you need the map now to do the planning, not on the day of the event! There are lots of maps out there, the Nicholsons guide that covers the BCN is good, and it you want a big map the Heron Maps, Birmingham Canal Navigation in OK.

 

Boat length in feet divided by 35 is indeed the points per miles, so at 20 feet that is as you say 0.57 points per mile.

 

In the past there has been at least one boat doing it for charity, not a canal one in that case.

[RLWP]

We have often planned with a marked up Ordnance Survey map and a Pearson's

 

Richard

[Kustomcut]

Yes thought as much, well time to map shop in the mean time we did a just giving page see if we can raise a few quid for the CRT

[junior]

I bought the GEO/Heron map to assist in my planning. It fits the whole BCN on the one page/sheet which I found quite handy.

[Kustomcut]

Ok strategy well and truly underway now.

Just need clarification on a few things.

 

Mileage points. 20ft boat = 20/35 = 0.57 points per mile, will it be 0.57 or does it round up or down say to 0.5 or even 6?

Secondly the bonus factor in the areas on the list, are these just additional point added to the mileage and lock pints or is it a multiplier.

For example

 

Lets say I am in a 35ft boat so 1 lock Is 1 point and 1 mile is also 1 point

I do the stretch Catshill junction - Rushall junction, this is 8 miles and 9 locks.

Would my points be 8+9 = 17 the bonus factor is 2 so is this a multiply of 17 or add to 17?

 

Thanks In advance.

[nicknorman]

I am nervous to sound authoritative since I have yet to do the challenge, but as I understand it the bonus factor is a multiplier - ie 34 points in the example you give. I don't know about any rounding, but considering this would have a significant effect I doubt there is rounding of the length factor.

[john6767]

You would have to ask the organisers what they do as to precision, but I assume that there is no rounding and it is a least single precision floating point calculations. If they do round I think we would all like to know, you if you do ask then please post the answer.

 

The bonus fact is a multiplier on the points (miles+locks) for that section. In your example the points are (8+9)*2 = 34

[cheshire~rose]

 

 

The finish is starting to look like a bit of an issue. If we get the best part of thirty boats heading for Hawne Basin while one or two boats are coming out, it's going to be chaos

 

Richard

 

 

We went to Hawne Basin yesterday. We flattened the TV aeriel on the entry bridge (even though it had been fine through the tunnel) . There was a visiting boat moored across the services (where it says "No Mooring" We brested up to that boat to be advised that the chappie that operates the pump out had just gone to fetch fish and chips for lunch. He would not be long and we were happy to have some lunch while we waited. When he came back on duty it was discovered the pump out machine was not working so we untied and with the wind in the wrong direction we struggled to wind without hitting the visiting boat. Then another boat came into the basin....

 

.............and you are going to have 30 boats????

 

 

We were in Ma Pardoes last night with part of the team who will be doing the BCN Challenge on Golden Boyz. I know she is a forum member but does not come here much but perhaps I could ask her to log in and make herself known to you all so she can be the 20th boat?

[Kustomcut]

You would have to ask the organisers what they do as to precision, but I assume that there is no rounding and it is a least single precision floating point calculations. If they do round I think we would all like to know, you if you do ask then please post the answer.

 

The bonus fact is a multiplier on the points (miles+locks) for that section. In your example the points are (8+9)*2 = 34

Thanks for the heads up re the scoring my computer calculation machine is now setup ready to punch in every possible route.

Wonder if I am taking this a little to serious.....

[john6767]

Thanks for the heads up re the scoring my computer calculation machine is now setup ready to punch in every possible route.

Wonder if I am taking this a little to serious.....

Nope that is normal!

[Proper Job]

Thanks for the heads up re the scoring my computer calculation machine is now setup ready to punch in every possible route.

Wonder if I am taking this a little to serious.....

Richard has the Team Tawny Owl boffins locked in the brig until they have devised the optimum route. They also have to plan for all of the possible wrong turns that Richard can make (as it won't be his fault).

 

They will only be allowed out when the flag goes down at the start.

 

Of course, don't forget, "it's only for fun"

Edited March 28, 2014 by Proper Job

[Oakie]

nb Stronghold - please add Barry Adams and "Mouse" to my crew list - a force to be reckoned with (but only in the pub)!

 

Thanks.

[RichardN]

 

Also slightly off the Marathon itself if we decided to try to use our personal efforts to raise money for a charity would that seem bad?

hinking of setting up a just giving page and raising money for CRT unless BCN has its own charity?

We did in 2011 and raised £2500 for a branch of the Retired Greyhound Trust. We intend to do the same this year, possibly including a local branch but have been too busy to get organised. We will try for the same fund raising target but it will be tough as 2011 had some large one off donations

 

On the way up we intend to train the hounds to bow haul us up to the Bradley Workshops. Not sure what happens if they see a rabbit on the towpath . . . .

 

Richard

nb Indigo Dream

[Laurie Booth]

Richard has the Team Tawny Owl boffins locked in the brig until they have devised the optimum route. They also have to plan for all of the possible wrong turns that Richard can make (as it won't be his fault).

 

They will only be allowed out when the flag goes down at the start.

 

Of course, don't forget, "it's only for fun"

Team Tawny Owl has a simple plan. He gets spies to find out what Team Clarrie is doing then does the opposite, works every time.

[StarUKKiwi]

i think that this is one for us next year - looks like huge fun, unfortunately, I have a broken wrist so we are having to rethink our cruising in May when our crew is over from New Zealand

Edited to add - for Twitter, will it be #BCN2014? I will be able to virtually follow then

Edited March 30, 2014 by StarUKKiwi