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2017 boating plans!


Dave Payne

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Hoping to get to Oxford at Easter but it will mean forcing the boat on my brother and his family to take it one way as I won't have time to do there and back.

 

Then I will finish off the sprucing up of the boat before the St Richard's Festival in Droitwich on May Day weekend. That will involve paying to moor the boat 100 metres away from its home mooring.

 

Then it's up to Brum for the BCN challenge probably via a week mooring stopover at Alvechurch. Highlight of the BCN Challenge plan is legging Dudley Tunnel and Rob-M is critical to those plans. Why only hopeful of joining me Rob?

 

The week after the BCN Challenge I am planning to head toward Braunston ready to use Vulpes to visit the Braunston historic festival. Depending on mooring availability I may then head further down the GU in short moves through the summer (I will be working in MK) but need to be back at Braunston for August bank holiday weekend as I have a week off to get the boat to Stourport to go into dry dock. The plan is to go via the Alvecote historic festival for a fleeting visit on the Sunday afternoon and evening.

 

River permitting in October I would like to get to Sharpness.

 

In addition to all that I hope to practice my butty steering skills again on Malus on a week's Duke of Edinburgh Award residential course for the Coombeswood Canal Trust and BCNS. That's earning money for the society carrying precious cargo that has to be kept safe; no playing at historic boats.

 

JP

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Start off by celebrating my boat's 7th birthday tomorrow followed by:

Finishing the fitout to a crude level but sufficient for:

The first full one week trip by a visiting family of relatives.

Then a trip through Standedge, perhaps with a compulsory return (60ft).

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We've a week booked at Rembrandt Gardens then a quick trip to Limehouse to join the St Pancras Crusing Club's cruise through the barrier to Barking Creek (ish) and back to Teddington, then, maybe back to Limehouse with the 4am tide on the Sunday.

 

 

 

It won't be quite as bad as that - HW Teddington will be about 0600 BST on Sunday morning ...

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Hope to go out in March down the K&A then see what happens after that.

Keep an eye on the Kennet , can take longer than the Thames to.settle down.and still lively when it does . Took us a momth last spring, even going against red sleeves/boards .Bunny .

Uncertain plans this year, daughter has first baby due beginning of May and might have to birth early . Marina hoping for us. Bunny

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Each year I manage to do more boating than the last, which I hope to repeat in 2017 despite still not owning a boat. In 2016 I did 830 miles, most of it with the Narrow Boat Trust, and I'm sure I'll be out with them quite a lot again, it's great fun. The NBT struggle to get enough crew, but just about manage to get the coal runs done each year.

 

I do like a bit of variety of boating, and hope to crew on the Tarporley community boat in Camden, as well as the occasional trip helping forum members move their boats. Getting hackenbush up the Nene then down the GU to West London in nine long days in October was a very enjoyable journey; I'm happy on rivers so long as I feel it's within my abilities.

 

Maybe I'll get to see some more parts of the system I've never been on, which mostly means the northern and western parts. Oddly considering where I live, I've yet to go on most of the London canals other than the GU.

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We bought Whio in 2013 on a five year plan to tour the system in five month installments.

We have had four great summers cruising even if the weather has been at times a bit uneven.

This year is now year five. We will cover some old ground but also intend to head into new territory, the East Anglian Fens.

 

We will be arriving back to Heathrow Easter Sunday and straight to Whio. Who knows what we will find after six months away? We do know cooling hose needs replacing having been chafed dangerously thin against the engine bed. Have bought a Gold Licence for Thames and Fen's cruising

A few days to provision the boat then off down south. Booked on the St Pancreas Cruise down then up the Thames to Teddington. Then up to Oxford before heading North and East on to the Fens.

Back into the Midlands broker territory late September to leave our beloved Whio for sale while we ponder what to do with the funds freed up. We do know that narrowboating in England will be a very difficult act to follow for sheer enjoyment.

Don and Val. NB Whio

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It won't be quite as bad as that - HW Teddington will be about 0600 BST on Sunday morning ...

Good, that sounds a bit more civilised!

 

How does the turn across the river and into Limehouse compare with Keadby or West Stockwith?

For all enquiries concerning Bullfinch's cruising plans in 2017 please contact Peel Holdings or the Bridgewater Canal Company's offices for further information.

clapping.gif

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For all enquiries concerning Bullfinch's cruising plans in 2017 please contact Peel Holdings or the Bridgewater Canal Company's offices for further information.

? So you intend to visit the Bridgewater? I didn't know that Peel Holdings now owned it.

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Keep an eye on the Kennet , can take longer than the Thames to.settle down.and still lively when it does . Took us a momth last spring, even going against red sleeves/boards .Bunny .

Uncertain plans this year, daughter has first baby due beginning of May and might have to birth early . Marina hoping for us. Bunny

 

I'm confused, do you mean berth or birth?!

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Good, that sounds a bit more civilised!

 

How does the turn across the river and into Limehouse compare with Keadby or West Stockwith?

clapping.gif

 

I did West Stockwith last year, but have not yet been into Keadby (out a couple of times, a disgracefully long time ago, 1982 & 1990).

 

I would say Limehouse is a lot easier that Stockwith in terms of steering the boat and not hitting fixed objects. It's a spring tide though, which will make the Eddy effects stronger. The main challenge is not hitting other craft, either outbound ones that overtake you at an inconvenient moment, or inbound craft that you can't see coming around the corner from Greenwich. But being in a convoy is a big help, as is VHF radio, as is travelling early in the day.

 

I think this is the best concoction of advice on the issue, by some experienced narrowboaters.

http://www.thamescruising.co.uk/wordpress/?p=91 I have tried the conventional and ferry glide approach, but not yet the torpedo approach. Maybe in 2017.

 

There are also a nice set of photos (by Sue from Indigo Dream, one of these boats) here. I'm steering the boat with a large flagpole on the roof (43-53).

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Then it's up to Brum for the BCN challenge probably via a week mooring stopover at Alvechurch. Highlight of the BCN Challenge plan is legging Dudley Tunnel and Rob-M is critical to those plans. Why only hopeful of joining me Rob?

JP

Hopeful only in that it is dependent on your plans. It is booked in my boating calendar.
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Our plans might be somewhat overwhelmed by repairs and maintenance which has been seriously neglected for the past 6 years. Some of this work is dependent on the availability of others; dry dock and an engine repairer in particular. Just hope that this neglect does not end up mirroring the sagas of the Owls and the Finchers :-)

Edited by PaddingtonBear
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I'm confused, do you mean berth or birth?!

 

Sorry 'give birth' she has a bit of a complication that may result in her having to give birth maybe as much as 4/6 weeks early . Bunny

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My 2017 CC will start with a very slow drift up the southern GU until stoppage season is over,then up the Leicester Line,River Trent, in at Keadby then hit the Northern Ale Powerhouse (Leeds,Wakefield and Huddersfield ) before returning via Standedge ,Manchester , the T&M,Cov,with next winter pottering down the Oxford.

 

Might try and tick off The Pocklington whilst in the north,shame I wont be able to get all the way to Stamford Bridge but that will have to be a challenge for future years.

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