BCN Challenge 2014 - 24 & 25th May

[the barnacle]

 

BCN Challenge 2014 Rules (PDF)

thank you for the rules -all makes sense - all the more to respect those that enter - I just wish I was able to help in some way and join in on the day, is this the only event like this? steve

[Mrs Trackman]

Am I the only one who feels sorry for the couple disturbed at 5 am while busy under a bridge? Seems a reasonable assumption that they would have had the canal to themselves at that time.

Unlike the couple on the new main line one Saturday night at 10pm-under the bridge between the 2 lots of moored boats. There are always lots of pedestrians there.

[Keeping Up]

By way of a contrast, after going to sleep dreading the thought of being rudely awakened at 4.30 by the alarm clock it was wonderful to be gently woken up by the sound of a passing Bolinder at 4 o'clock instead.

[matty40s]

thank you for the rules -all makes sense - all the more to respect those that enter - I just wish I was able to help in some way and join in on the day, is this the only event like this? steve

 

No, there is the tug of war at Rickmansworth Festival which has even more rules which nobody understands or follows.

[john6767]

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.

Yes I have done them before.

 

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCZzol576-sHQROO54yfxHBQ

 

Once I get home (still in the centre of Birmingham and it is still raining) I will get working on it, but it does take a bit of time to do.

[madcat]

The BCN challenge is brilliant . Hawne Basin did us proud this year with a magnificent welcome.

Red Wharf was the perfect berth for a ships cat.

[Laurie Booth]

Slide show

 

Edited May 30, 2014 by Laurie.Booth

[Paul C]

Slide show

 

https://www.youtube.com/edit?o=U&video_id=D0ZCkc8ewsg

 

 

The link's wrong, I think thats the link for editing your videos - I'm being asked to sign into Google to do that.

[rrt2]

Really did enjoy the challenge, got to see parts of the BCN I would never have had a chance to see. The very friendly fellow competitors.

As for the folks at Hawne basin a very nice buffet and I did manage some of the Entire, it really was a superb end to the challenge that they put on.

 

Nice to see a working boat being loaded as well and a real bonus the almost complete lack of moored boats.

[Laurie Booth]

 

The link's wrong, I think thats the link for editing your videos - I'm being asked to sign into Google to do that.

New Link,

Cheers

 

 

[RLWP]

Ahh, the classic 'Twenty Four hours from Tipton'

 

Thanks Laurie

 

Richard

[nellieD]

Slide show

 

 

Slide show

 

Excellent group of photos Laurie!! You certainly captured the feeling of the day. Looking forward to next years - it will have to come up to the Hawne Basin welcome.

[Laurie Booth]

Ahh, the classic 'Twenty Four hours from Tipton'

 

Thanks Laurie

 

Richard

[Starcoaster]

Great pics, Laurie. Reg looks awesome!

[junior]

During the social on sunday afternoon The BCNS were giving out brown envelopes to all entrants with boat name and owners name on. As the alcohol took effect I put mine down somewhere and seem to have misplaced mine. Has anyone acquired an extra one? Was there anything important in the envelope?

[matty40s]

During the social on sunday afternoon The BCNS were giving out brown envelopes to all entrants with boat name and owners name on. As the alcohol took effect I put mine down somewhere and seem to have misplaced mine. Has anyone acquired an extra one? Was there anything important in the envelope?

That was your £50 thank you.

[RLWP]

Your membership of the BCNS. As a first time competitor you get a years membership for free

 

Richard

[Laurie Booth]

Great pics, Laurie. Reg looks awesome!

Glad you liked the pictures, below is a link to the photographs, all can copy the pictures for themselves if they want.

 

http://s153.photobucket.com/user/lauriebooth/library/2014%20BCN%2024%20hour%20Marathon?sort=3&page=1

[junior]

Just been catching up on a few bloggers BCN Challenge updates.

 

Without naming names, I have found one that states they know some teams cruised for the full 30hrs with each crew member taking the 6hr break rather than the boat. I was under the impression that wasn't within the rules but this particular blog states that the rules were confusing and open to interpretation. I guess if it was an honest misinterpretation of the rules this would become apparent to the scorers from the submitted score sheet. If there was any decipt involved could this easily be covered up?

 

If you add that to the fact it has been muted on here that some teams opened their envelopes well before 8am I'm beginning to wonder how seriously the results should be taken.

 

Our teams original intent was just to go and have a load of fun and see as much of the BCN as possible, but having recruited Rob-M for his BCN knowledge and seen how much work he put into the route planning we thought we aught to take it seriously and have a crack at being competitive. Being Challenge virgins, having a large crew on a medium sized boat is never going to get a high placing, but after the effort we put in it would be nice to be in the mix with other newbie teams on similar sized boats, and to have played strictly by the rules and worked hard all weekend it's a bit frustrating to see suggestions of foul play.

 

I guess the competition relies heavily on honesty from all involved and I wouldn't want to see marshals/wardens doing spot checks etc, that would take away the spirit of the challenge, I guess you just have to accept that some people will feel the need to bend the rules, and take heart from your own honesty.

 

Ultimately it won't take away anything from the fun I know myself and all of my crew had, and I can't wait to take part again next year. I'd do it all again next week if I could an have scheduled a return to the BCN for after the Braunston rally to explore at a more leisurely pace.

Edited May 31, 2014 by junior

[nicknorman]

Just been catching up on a few bloggers BCN Challenge updates.

Without naming names, I have found one that states they know some teams cruised for the full 30hrs with each crew member taking the 6hr break rather than the boat. I was under the impression that wasn't within the rules but this particular blog states that the rules were confusing and open to interpretation. I guess if it was an honest misinterpretation of the rules this would become apparent to the scorers from the submitted score sheet. If there was any decipt involved could this easily be covered up?

If you add that to the fact it has been muted on here that some teams opened their envelopes well before 8am I'm beginning to wonder how seriously the results should be taken.

Our teams original intent was just to go and have a load of fun and see as much of the BCN as possible, but having recruited Rob-M for his BCN knowledge and seen how much work he put into the route planning we thought we aught to take it seriously and have a crack at being competitive. Being Challenge virgins, having a large crew on a medium sized boat is never going to get a high placing, but after the effort we put in it would be nice to be in the mix with other newbie teams on similar sized boats, and to have played strictly by the rules and worked hard all weekend it's a bit frustrating to see suggestions of foul play.

I guess the competition relies heavily on honesty from all involved and I wouldn't want to see marshals/wardens doing spot checks etc, that would take away the spirit of the challenge, I guess you just have to accept that some people will feel the need to bend the rules, and take heart from your own honesty.

Ultimately it won't take away anything from the fun I know myself and all of my crew had, and I can't wait to take part again next year. I'd do it all again next week if I could an have scheduled a return to the BCN for after the Braunston rally to explore at a more leisurely pace.

This seems unlikely to me. The need to write down the start and end point of each section surely precludes significant cheating, certainly to the extent of adding an extra 6 hrs cruising and with the organisers' knowledge of how long it takes to do a lock, and boat type vs section depth giving realistically achievable canal speeds. Here's a thought: sometimes, what people write on the internet isn't true!

 

The winning boat is likely to:

 

Be long

Have an efficient but limited number of crew

Be shallow drafted

Have chosen an optimum route

Have cruised for the full 24hrs, not like you and us for around 22hrs

 

 

Personally I think it would be better if one was allowed to open the envelope say 15 mins before start. As you know we started at Salford and by the time the contents was digested, Salford and its clue were long gone.

 

Ed: "someone says they know someone who..." Should not be taken too seriously.

Edited May 31, 2014 by nicknorman

[junior]

Ed: "someone says they know someone who..." Should not be taken too seriously.

Good point and something I hadn't really considered. I guess having seen this new admission (hearsay) and the early envelope opening stuff the other day, the two things combined got me wondering just how much it means to people to do well at all costs and prompted my post. Either thing on it's own and I probably wouldn't have given it a second thought.

 

Anyway, I'm off to spend the day mulling over whether to change my username to 'Hefty Junior' or 'The Walsall Hooligan' as I seem to have picked both up in the last 24hrs (said in good humour).

Edited May 31, 2014 by junior

[john6767]

I find it hard to see that anyone actually believes that they can cruise for 30 hours and have all that time count, if they did not stop then their finish point would be where they were at 8AM on the Sunday, and that I would assume would be how their sheet would be marked. That is surely all obvious, perhaps it is just a case of wind-up.

 

It would help logistics if you were allowed to open the envelope a few mins early, but that does rather spoil the point if if being a 24hr challenge, not 24hr 15 min challenge.

 

It is interesting this year that there is all this talk of people cheating, I am not aware of there being any of that previously, but of course it may well have been going on. will be interesting when the results come out.

 

I agree with Nick's analysis of the winning profile, except that crew is not so likely to have an impact. You only needed a crew of 4 to not get any crew bonus point, and with less than 4 I would assert that you will not be efficient on lock flights, particularly those with double bottom gates. Our golden rule is that the boat has to never stop moving, it is going forward or up/down at all times.

[Tim Lewis]

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

Has not always been the case, for many years it was held on the nearest weekend to the longest day (21st June)

 

Tim

Edited May 31, 2014 by Tim Lewis

[nellieD]

During the social on sunday afternoon The BCNS were giving out brown envelopes to all entrants with boat name and owners name on. As the alcohol took effect I put mine down somewhere and seem to have misplaced mine. Has anyone acquired an extra one? Was there anything important in the envelope?

 

No worries we have your details just contact John Carrington & tell him you were too drunk to care for your brown envelope and if its not found another pack can be sent.

[junior]

 

No worries we have your details just contact John Carrington & tell him you were too drunk to care for your brown envelope and if its not found another pack can be sent.

That made me laugh out loud. Thank you!!