2017 boating plans!

[Chertsey]

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 :-)

Blimey, nothing like a bit of positive thinking!

[Richard T]

The Bridgewater has been owned by Peel Holdings for a long while - there is currenetly a licencing dispute between them and CRT which has been discussed extensively elswhere on this forum.

We are going to the far north this year and have a hire boat booked on the Caledonian canal in early June. Otherwise we will be pottering around on the Soar and Trent. Work will get in the way over the summer until the end of October when I hope to retire. Don't think that we will manage to use Tyto as much as we did last year - 63 nights on board plus nemerous odd days.

[Naughty Cal]

Our big trip for this year is the Caledonian Canal and West coast of Scotland.

 

A first for us as it will be the first time we have trailered the boat.

[harleyj]

In 71 days we fly out to join Lazy Bee for six glorious months travelling the absolutely unique and delightful canals of England. We can hardly wait. We are going "oop north" this year to parts unknown. Hope its not too cold in March

Comming over early this year to go to the Cheltenham Gold Cup, one of those bucket list things.

By the way it's going to be 37 degrees here tomorrow!

[monkeyhanger]

Anybody fancy sharing crossing the Wash (Boston to Kings Lynn) towards the end of May 2017?

Yes. That's something I plan to do this year. May have to be early June though due to time constraints.

[MoominPapa]

This year we're leaving the Fens, heading south and not coming back......

 

We're going to rent out the house before we go, and give up the mooring at Bill Fen, so we'll be true CCers. Bill Fen is a great winter mooring, except that it's at the end to 60 miles of flood-prone rivers and we always have to get back too early in the autumn, and then get stuck waiting for the water to go down and the EA to finish short-notice stoppages in the spring. The plan is to find a winter (marina) mooring wherever we find ourselves. Next year it'll likely be on the southern GU, within easy driving distance of Bletchley, where I'm volunteering on a project to build a replica pioneer computer at the National Museum of Computing.

 

As for boating, we go first to London, then maybe Lee and Stort, then up the Thames, taking in some combination of the Wey, Basingstoke, K&A and upper Thames, before getting to Oxford for our younger daughter's graduation in mid-July. After that is less defined. Maybe Birmingham, as we didn't go there at all last year, then maybe down the Stratford and the Avon and the Severn to Gloucester.

 

This route means that Melaleuca will, yet again, not be entering the BCN challenge, but we hope to be there as crew.

 

MP.

[alan_fincher]

Just hope that this neglect does not end up mirroring the sagas of the Owls and the Finchers :-)

 

Oi!

 

Haven't particularly been neglecting anything.

 

It is now clear, however, with hindsight, that when the HNBC awarded the Hemelryk award to "Sickle" the restoration was more complete in some areas than others(!) (Though it was undoubtedly a heap better than "Dover" which also won another year.....)

 

It is also obvious that the well known boat builder who wrote a satisfactory condition report for insurance purposes had probably done something rather less that a full detailed survey(!)

 

But if you have a good condition report, and the boat is fully comprehensively insurable, why go looking for extra expense before you need to? Nothing we have done, (or haven't done), has caused us to have to spend any extra money beyond what would have needed spending anyway, so we have the best result we could have had in the circumstances, given we decided not to have a full survey on the boat when purchased.

[Scholar Gypsy]

By the way it's going to be 37 degrees here tomorrow!

 

That's pretty cold - only 5 degrees above freezing...

[koukouvagia]

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 :-)

 

I'm afraid that once the real craftsmen start to work on your boat they'll be honour bound to restore it to almost pristine condition - no bodging, no compromise. When we took Owl to just to have the Seffle swapped for the Kelvin we ended up with a completely new engine room and back cabin.

Similarly we originally intended just to have the back cabin of Hampton skinned. We will end up with a new stern, a completely new cabin which will be fitted out and decorated, an extension to the undercloth conversion, a new paint job etc. etc.

 

I'm hoping that it'll be ready to show off at Braunston and Alvecote. As you can tell, I'm optimistic by nature.

[Chertsey]

Oi!

Haven't particularly been neglecting anything.

 

It is now clear, however, with hindsight, that when the HNBC awarded the Hemelryk award to "Sickle" the restoration was more complete in some areas than others(!) (Though it was undoubtedly a heap better than "Dover" which also won another year.....)

 

It is also obvious that the well known boat builder who wrote a satisfactory condition report for insurance purposes had probably done something rather less that a full detailed survey(!)

But if you have a good condition report, and the boat is fully comprehensively insurable, why go looking for extra expense before you need to? Nothing we have done, (or haven't done), has caused us to have to spend any extra money beyond what would have needed spending anyway, so we have the best result we could have had in the circumstances, given we decided not to have a full survey on the boat when purchased.

I am sure PB was referring to *our* neglect of Chertsey... Not had it out of the water since 2010 :-/ However I am not overly worried about the steelwork as that was either fine or fixed then... Just hope that's not famous last words.

[Chaotic River]

Nice to hear from you - after less than three years' membership you have doubled your post count to 2! - but I have to say that your forum name will give Mr. Payne no confidence at all.i

I have not posted much, because I have been able to find all the information I need from searching this amazing forum... My forum name was one suggested by Microsoft messenger many years ago. Now I have got up to 3 posts

[jeanb]

We're moored on the T&M and this year intend cruising the South Oxford, before it being spoilt by HS2, as it is one of our favourite canals. A couple of years ago we went onto the Thames at Oxford thence the K&A to Bath before retracing our steps up to the midlands. This year if all goes well we would like to head from Oxford to London then on to the GU before heading north. With this in mind we would be very grateful if somebody could put us on the right track for any information re the Thames from Reading to London and on to the GU. Thanks

[Captain Pegg]

We're moored on the T&M and this year intend cruising the South Oxford, before it being spoilt by HS2, as it is one of our favourite canals.

I don't think HS2 is in proximity of the south Oxford. Anyway if railways really spoiled canals then the south Oxford was surely spoiled by building the Didcot to Wolverhampton line in about 1850? It's also now one of the busiest freight corridors on the rail network.

 

I would suggest it's still not nearly as intrusive as the M40.

 

JP

[Scholar Gypsy]

I don't think HS2 is in proximity of the south Oxford. Anyway if railways really spoiled canals then the south Oxford was surely spoiled by building the Didcot to Wolverhampton line in about 1850? It's also now one of the busiest freight corridors on the rail network.

 

I would suggest it's still not nearly as intrusive as the M40.

 

JP

 

I agree with you about railways vs motorways, esp the incessant noise from the latter. But here is where the HS2 route crosses the Oxford near Wormleighton.

 

From http://interactive-map.hs2.org.uk/

 

[john6767]

I agree with you about railways vs motorways, esp the incessant noise from the latter. But here is where the HS2 route crosses the Oxford near Wormleighton.

 

From http://interactive-map.hs2.org.uk/

 

hs2_wormleighton.png

It crosses the South Oxford where the big sign that says "you are now going under HS2" is

[Captain Pegg]

I agree with you about railways vs motorways, esp the incessant noise from the latter. But here is where the HS2 route crosses the Oxford near Wormleighton.

 

From http://interactive-map.hs2.org.uk/

 

hs2_wormleighton.png

I figured it would need to cross somewhere and as crossings go it could affect less canal and be somewhere currently less 'unspoiled' (not that any agricultural land is truly unspoiled). I guess different things annoy different people but there are surely many more things already detracting from the Oxford than HS2 is going to. It's still a lovely waterway.

 

JP

[Guest]

Plan for 2017

Flog house, live on boat, spend kid's inheritance.

Edited January 2, 2017 by Guest

[Scholar Gypsy]

We're moored on the T&M and this year intend cruising the South Oxford, before it being spoilt by HS2, as it is one of our favourite canals. A couple of years ago we went onto the Thames at Oxford thence the K&A to Bath before retracing our steps up to the midlands. This year if all goes well we would like to head from Oxford to London then on to the GU before heading north. With this in mind we would be very grateful if somebody could put us on the right track for any information re the Thames from Reading to London and on to the GU. Thanks

 

You do need to plan moorings on the lower Thames. My favourite is Cliveden Reach (NT property), but there are good moorings also at Henley, Windsor, Laleham etc.

 

The transit from Teddington to Brentford is a pretty straightforward trip, you just need to time it right to fit with the tides. Some tips here. http://www.thamescruising.co.uk/wordpress/?p=36

 

ETA: I should have mentioned that there is a new system for managing the EA visitor moorings (24H) on the Thames. More details on this thread. I have no experience of how this system is working out in practice ...

 

PS: We always try and stop at Walton (just above Sunbury lock). Runneymede is worth a visit too. Good moorings at Bourne End (upstream of the village), Marlow, Shiplake. Sorry I am going upstream now, while the list above was going downstream.

Edited January 2, 2017 by Scholar Gypsy

[jeanb]

Thank you SG. Wormleighton, the canal and surrounds are magic and we fear that HS2 will spoil beautiful countryside.

[Eldog]

Just bought our first boat which is now sitting around Crick. Planning a three or four week trip around April/May but not knowing too much about the locality, am in dilemma with the multitude of options. Perhaps I should just spin a coin when I get to a junction and see where we end up! - unless someone has a brill suggestion.

[cuthound]

I would try a round trip, comprising the GU Leicester line to Watford Locks and on to Norton Junction, GU to Braunston, North Oxford to Hawkesbury Junction, Coventry Canal to Fradley, Trent & Mersey to Shardlow, River Trentham to River Soar, through Loughborough & Leicester, up Foxton Locks and back to Crick.

 

Your first locks will be volunteer operated, there are tunnels, easy rivers (if not in flood conditions) and a nice mix of countryside and town canals.

 

A very relaxed pace for 3-4 weeks, and doable in 2 if needs must.

 

Edited for spillung.

Edited January 4, 2017 by cuthound

[Scholar Gypsy]

Just bought our first boat which is now sitting around Crick. Planning a three or four week trip around April/May but not knowing too much about the locality, am in dilemma with the multitude of options. Perhaps I should just spin a coin when I get to a junction and see where we end up! - unless someone has a brill suggestion.

 

That's an interesting mathematical problem. Assuming you also toss a coin when you start your journey, you would have

• 1 in 8 chance of going to Welford and back - rather a short trip.
• 1 in 32 to Market Harborough and back (not via Welford in either direction)
• and so on.

Some of the options would involve you going round in circles and taking rather longer to get home.

[Nightwatch]

A good location to set off from. Me? I would go to Braunston as suggested, time allowing carryon do the circuit,or turn at Braunston and go down the GU towards Stoke Bruerne. Turn when ready.

[Dave123]

Our plans are to head towards London from the T&M, probably via the Grand Union. Then to go up to the end of the Lee and the Stort. Then the Basingstoke and then towards Bristol along the K&A. I suspect that may take until the end of the year! I hope everyone else's plans work out. Happy New Year!

[tosher]

Anybody fancy sharing crossing the Wash (Boston to Kings Lynn) towards the end of May 2017?

 

Giving that trip some thought myself, sounds interesting.