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Autumn Cruise on the Trent

Naughty Cal

By Naughty Cal
in Holidays Afloat

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Naughty Cal Veteran II

Naughty Cal

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Forgot to mention earlier. We were genuinely surprised to find the pontoon moorings in Newark pretty empty.

 

As I speak there is just us and a pair of narrow-boat but they look to be getting ready for the off. Can't remember ever having seen it so empty!

 

Plenty of boats moored around Newark near the barge and opposite the castle but not many here.

 

Oh an the CRT boat loggers have already been round. Better make sure we move off before Thursday lunchtime!

 

Having not eaten in a Wetherspoons pub for a long while we both actually enjoyed our lunch in there. Sirloin steak with all the trimmings and a pint for £7.35. The steak was nice as well, cooked just how I like it.

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NickF Rising Star

NickF

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A bridle in use on a conventional tug is set up from a single point on the tug (the towing hook) to both sides on the tow, but rigged the way you had to do it because of having a cleat on either side and a single point to secure to on the narrowboat would have the effect of the two lines under tension holding your boat straight ahead because it can't pivot in either direction with both lines tight. In this situation your boat could only be steered by making it move sideways and in effect pivoting about the T-stud on the narrowboat ( think of it as being like a horizontal pendulum). The result of this is that your boat's steering will work in reverse provided both lines of the bridle are kept tight at all times, with port helm swinging you to starboard and vice versa. It's not easy the first time you try it, but if you can stop yourself from making all the normal steering movements based on your own ship's heading and judge things by the direction you're actually moving in, it's not as difficult as you might think. Helm changes should be applied as slowly as circumstances allow to keep both parts of the bridle under the same constant strain.

Interesting stuff! Is that why butties are towed with cross straps ... to reverse that effect?

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Tony Dunkley Influencer

Tony Dunkley

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Interesting stuff! Is that why butties are towed with cross straps ... to reverse that effect?

Yes, just so, either boat is free to pivot about the point where the ropes cross but the butty can't yaw out of line significantly. Same method was used towing empty dumb barges. Cross straps/ropes can only be used for empty/light boats of course.

The steering reversal effect was something I learned of quite by chance, but out of necessity, some years ago, after the tug I was working, on a Contractors job moving plant and screening/washing equipment on a pontoon, broke down leaving a lot of expensive hired in stuff, and the men, standing around with nothing to do until the part to repair the tug arrived. Apart from the tug, the only other vessel on site was a small transom sterned motorboat used for ferrying the workforce about. I first tried pushing the pontoon with it, but seeing where you were going was the real problem, the pontoon being about 40 x 30 feet with a lot of high and bulky stuff on it, so I reversed the bridle I'd had on the tug and tried towing with the two lines from the centre of one of the 30 foot sides of the pontoon to the two cleats on either side of the motorboat's stern. The engine in the motorboat was only about 15 hp so it was all painfully slow, but it worked. The first few minutes needed a lot of care and concentration because of going against natural instincts of which way to steer.

Edited by tony dunkley
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Naughty Cal Veteran II

Naughty Cal

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That's the one!

 

... are you coming on up to Nottingham?

Not this time. Had a couple of days here in Newark, leaving here this afternoon and heading to Muskham Ferry for the evening. Then its back to Torksey on Friday lunchtime as we are eating with friends in the White Swan. Then Saxilby on Saturday evening as we are having an Indian at the new restaurant with another group of friends.

 

We don't seem to have been very far this time!

 

Went to the circus last night. That was very good. Not been for years. Sadly no photos were allowed :(

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Naughty Cal Veteran II

Naughty Cal

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It's blowy on the Trent today. We are currently moored at Cromwell Lock. The intention had been to head to Muskham Ferry tonight but unless this wind dies down we will be staying put here.

 

We have waves breaking over the stern of the boat!

DSC_0040.jpg

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bigray Contributor

bigrayDonate to Canal World

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If you get to Muskham and fancy a walk I can recommend the Plough in Norwell. It's a decent walk but the food and beer is excellent. About as far from Cromwell as well.

 

Edited to add its probably a bit late now anyway!

Edited by bigray
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Naughty Cal Veteran II

Naughty Cal

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Ok. So the curry didn't go so great. Food was nice but two hours in we had only eaten poppadoms and a pickle tray. It was nearly three and a half hours after being seated that we all ate our mains and we left the starters out. And to top of off the manager was down right rude about it all.

 

On the 100 yard journey back from the Indian to the moorings in Saxilby we had an in (not Liam this time) but Liam has somehow managed to drop the bow line in which has inevitably made its way around both drives locking the props up. Thankfully the boat, not ours made its own way back to the moorings and the rope will wait until tomorrow morning.

 

Deep joy!

 

Could eat another take out now!

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Naughty Cal Veteran II

Naughty Cal

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Day Nine
Cromwell Lock to Torksey Lock
16 miles 2 Locks
DSCF5118.jpg
DSCF5122.jpg
DSCF5124.jpg
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Day Ten
Torksey Lock to Saxilby
4 Miles 0 Locks
DSCF5133.jpg
DSCF5137.jpg
DSCF5145.jpg
DSCF5146.jpg
Day Eleven
Saxilby to Burton Waters
4 Miles 0 Locks
DSCF5149.jpg
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Brilliant pics, as ever. Looks like you were fairly lucky with the weather as well.

 

Regards,

Lockie.

The weather was very hit and miss. We had a few very wet and windy days but they were mingled in with some nice dry crisp autumn days as well.

 

It was nice to not be hurrying around after what has been a busy summer of cruising for us and Naughty-Cal. The distance we have covered last week would have been a days cruising on our summer trip!!

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NickF Rising Star

NickF

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Day Nine
Cromwell Lock to Torksey Lock
16 miles 2 Locks
DSCF5124.jpg

I sailed past the "sunken island" sign last summer ... How does an island sink!? Surely a sunken island is just a sand bank!

Edited by NickF
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