BCN Challenge 2014 - 24 & 25th May

[The Bearwood Boster]

But you've still not told me what has happened to Nobber.I am bereft as I thought we were special sigh.

Trina

[Greygal]

Well, as the happy crew of the good ship Indigo Dream, me and hubby would like to put on record how impressed we were with the camaraderie and spirit of this year's Challenge, which may or may not have had something to do with us all having to smile in the face of meteorological adversity! Although we crewed in 2011, this seemed very special indeed and while not a stranger to the BCN, our experience in 2014 has encouraged us to go for it in our own boat for the first time next year. So that's another boat for the Challenge, another two boaters engaged with Birmingham's canals, another two mouthpieces for the BCN's extraordinary variety, and another two greyhounds to patrol the towpaths and lick the natives. The whole raison d'etre of the event is to increase usage and appreciation of the BCN and it's certainly doing that. We'll be leaving Brum temporarily at the end of June in our little 'not long enough to win unless they change the rules' boat and I'm sure there'll be Challenge echoes at every turn. Most probably Albion-shaped ones... Thank you everyone who took part and made this such a wonderful weekend.

Edited May 28, 2014 by Greygal

[Starcoaster]

My right leg still has pins and needles after the amount of time it spent propping up one of your soft boys!

[carlt]

 

He is also someone who got himself involved in the BCN Challenge, and is a forum member.

 

 

Intermission:

 

[tree monkey]

RLWP, on 28 May 2014 - 3:42 PM, said:

 

That's how you did two locks - Blower's Green twice!

 

You are very cunning in competing for your wooden spoon. Unfortunately, I think Reginald may have beaten you this year with a new strategy - completely mess up filling in the score sheet so it is impossible to work out how many points they earned. Cruising canals that were not a part of the challenge is also a nice touch

 

Richard

i would like to defend our/my filling in of the score sheet, it was all part of our cunning plan to earn no points and win the wooden spoon, which you have to admit worked rather well, although i am a little worried we did actually get a couple of bonus points just by being on Reg, him being historic and all that, I did consider tarting him up(down?) to look like a hudson but decided against it, valuable whisky time might have been wasted

 

i though my little note was a nice touch, with just the right amount of humble pie, it was worth it to hear Richard saying in a pained voice "you carn't hand that in"

 

more seriously i enjoyed my BCN weekend hugely and entered just for the opportunity to go boating and meet some friends old and new, in fact this is where our strategy failed massively because we boated on low scoring bits we saw almost no one at all, until our triumphant arrival in Hawes basin 2 1/2 hours late (there was a lack of water i tell you, i have photos to prove it), in fact we did a fair amount of actual boating

 

thank you to everyone who helped organise this weekend and i look forward to the next year

[The Bearwood Boster]

On a serious note- as someone who moors on the BCN - we love it ! It's a canal with history and character.No matter how many times we traverse it,it never gets boring. We frequently boat 'little used areas' and have never had any probs.Long live the B C N !

[RLWP]

i would like to defend our/my filling in of the score sheet, it was all part of our cunning plan to earn no points and win the wooden spoon, which you have to admit worked rather well, although i am a little worried we did actually get a couple of bonus points just by being on Reg, him being historic and all that, I did consider tarting him up(down?) to look like a hudson but decided against it, valuable whisky time might have been wasted

 

i though my little note was a nice touch, with just the right amount of humble pie, it was worth it to hear Richard saying in a pained voice "you carn't hand that in"

 

I believe Team Cobbett have managed an even more obscure form filling strategy, so they may actually score less points than Reg!

 

It's going to be close run between my 'interpreted' Reginald route, Cobbett's cock up strategy and Clarrie's genuine minimal boating approach

 

Richard

Edited May 28, 2014 by RLWP

[Graham Davis]

So when is the 2015 event and how do I enter?

[john6767]

So when is the 2015 event and how do I enter?

It is always the late May Bank Holiday weekend, and the application forms come out around Christmas, so you can relax for a bit.

[nellieD]

Well, as the happy crew of the good ship Indigo Dream, me and hubby would like to put on record how impressed we were with the camaraderie and spirit of this year's Challenge, which may or may not have had something to do with us all having to smile in the face of meteorological adversity! Although we crewed in 2011, this seemed very special indeed and while not a stranger to the BCN, our experience in 2014 has encouraged us to go for it in our own boat for the first time next year. So that's another boat for the Challenge, another two boaters engaged with Birmingham's canals, another two mouthpieces for the BCN's extraordinary variety, and another two greyhounds to patrol the towpaths and lick the natives. The whole raison d'etre of the event is to increase usage and appreciation of the BCN and it's certainly doing that. We'll be leaving Brum temporarily at the end of June in our little 'not long enough to win unless they change the rules' boat and I'm sure there'll be Challenge echoes at every turn. Most probably Albion-shaped ones... Thank you everyone who took part and made this such a wonderful weekend.

Good to hear this!! Glad you will be entering next year in your own boat!!

On a serious note- as someone who moors on the BCN - we love it ! It's a canal with history and character.No matter how many times we traverse it,it never gets boring. We frequently boat 'little used areas' and have never had any probs.Long live the B C N !

Will we see you on the Challenge next year?

[the barnacle]

I have not even fully figured out how the BCN challenge works

[Starcoaster]

Neither have we, and we just did it.

[Ange]

Neither have we, and we just did it.

You beat me to it

[Guest]

I have not even fully figured out how the BCN challenge works

 

Nor me.

 

I reckon it's a bit like a treasure hunt on canals, to prove where you say have been with various permutations based on length of boat, crew members etc etc

[tree monkey]

the barnacle, on 28 May 2014 - 9:23 PM, said:

I have not even fully figured out how the BCN challenge works

we had it sorted straight away, which is why we did so badly, it takes effort to score so low you know

[RLWP]

Good to hear this!! Glad you will be entering next year in your own boat!!

Will we see you on the Challenge next year?

 

How are plans for next year's finish going?

 

Richard

[alan_fincher]

Nor me.

 

I reckon it's a bit like a treasure hunt on canals, to prove where you say have been with various permutations based on length of boat, crew members etc etc

 

BCN Challenge 2014 Rules (PDF)

[Paul C]

Well the latest few pages of interest in the BCN Challenge has certainly stirred up some opinions! Lets hope that it can be turned into a positive and more boaters, not only from possibly a wider geographical spread than Brum on the forum, but beyond too, show an interest in the BCN and visit its backwaters and possibly even enter next year's event (it would be good to break this year's record number of entries).

[Guest]

BCN Challenge 2014 Rules (PDF)

And extra points for disturbing local flat dwellers are?

 

Thanks for posting though, I have never been able to find them before...

[alan_fincher]

Well the latest few pages of interest in the BCN Challenge has certainly stirred up some opinions!

 

Has it?

 

One person has complained about inappropriate behaviour, but got the boat wrong, and presumably can't now tell us instead which one they actually think it was.

 

This apparently for noisy behaviour about 10:00 in a basin where it is widely acknowledged that noisy behaviour by non boaters regularly continues many hours after that.

 

With hindsight, and no actual correctly named "villain", it was surely not even worth discussing?

[Graham Davis]

Nor me.

 

I reckon it's a bit like a treasure hunt on canals, to prove where you say have been with various permutations based on length of boat, crew members etc etc

 

Ahh, in my other hobby, known as a "Scatter Hunt"

[nicknorman]

It is such a shame that the BCN Challenge is causing such an unpleasant thread of comments.

 

Don't worry Nellie, this is just typical "forum". You will notice that there were no unpleasant comments during the event itself - we were all too busy enjoying ourselves. The unpleasant comments only start in the aftermath. It will always be thus.

[MtB]

we had it sorted straight away, which is why we did so badly, it takes effort to score so low you know

 

Indeed.

 

I was wondering what the special envelope contained. Can you remember? All I remember is suggesting you open it in the van as we drove back to REG after I was late klecting you from Hawne Basin, then the condverstation moved on to something more important, probably your choices of Scotch for the trip*.

 

Anyway I dunno why Richard was being so rude earlier about our route submission at the end of the the Challenge, he inisted on filling it in for us after seeing your EPICAL note!

 

 

MtB

 

 

*MAGNIFICENT choice in the Tandhu you brung. Best Scotch I've ever had the pleasure of tasting, dammit. Now I find Talisker coarse and unsophistimacated....

[RLWP]

 

Ahh, in my other hobby, known as a "Scatter Hunt"

 

Is that like Bargain Hunt?

 

Richard

[Mrs Trackman]

Thanks john6767. I enjoyed reading your trip report and look forward to the time lapse film. Was it you that produced one before? I remember loving that, though wanting to pause it in places to get my bearings.