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Ice on GU/Oxford?


Tigerr

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There has been varying amounts of ice on the Grand Union very near Nether Heyford for the last few days. It was about a centimetre thick, and boats were breaking it quite noisily, but by yesterday evening much of it (but not all) had gone.

 

However it has been another very cold night, and the cut is iced across again this morning. Nothing has come past so far today, so I don't know how thick it has reformed.

 

The weather forecast for here for next couple of days indicates it may stay much the same, but by the weekend the situation may be improving.

 

No idea about the other end of your planned journey, though.


There will be no ice on that canal at that time.

Ian.

 

How are you able to predict that?

 

Looking at the weather forecast when we came up here a few days ago, I would have said the canal would not still be iced over by now. However it most certainly is.

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How are you able to predict that?

 

Looking at the weather forecast when we came up here a few days ago, I would have said the canal would not still be iced over by now. However it most certainly is.

 

 

I suspect it was an attempt at humour, given that (as you point out) none of us here are any better equiped to accurately predict the ice conditions a week+ ahead than the OP!

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It is very likely that the situation next week will be different to what it is now.

and ... due to tree shading and other local factors it is quite possible for things to change significantly over just a few tens of yards.

 

........Dave (iced in on a pay by the day boatyard mooring but hope to move tomorrow)

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Ice does seem to pre-occupy people these days, Back in the 1960's it was accepted as one of the consequences of winter. Pisces on the Grand Union Canal December 1968 :-

Well quite, and the boat I actually need to move away from exactly the area that the OP plans to start their trip from is an ice-breaker!

 

However, it's not just a choice about whether to go ice-breaking. It is also a choice about working lock flights where the lock sides and balance beams may need extreme caution.

 

I'm neither as young or as agile as I was when that picture of Pisces was taken, (and in fact part of my problem iis an injury sustained when I fell into icy water around 2 years ago).

 

So whilst in theory I could break mile after mile of thin ice, and try to stay vertical whilst working the lock flights, my preference, given a choice, would be not to move the boat whilst it is just not the canal itself that is iced up.

 

 

I suspect it was an attempt at humour, given that (as you point out) none of us here are any better equiped to accurately predict the ice conditions a week+ ahead than the OP!

 

Oh, OK!

 

The humour was lost on me I'm afraid - call me Mr Grumpy!

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Ice does seem to pre-occupy people these days, Back in the 1960's it was accepted as one of the consequences of winter. Pisces on the Grand Union Canal December 1968 :-

 

 

 

People seem to worry (panic, even) about their blacking being damaged by ice being moved by other boats passing.

 

This only seems to have cropped up recently.

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People seem to worry (panic, even) about their blacking being damaged by ice being moved by other boats passing.

 

This only seems to have cropped up recently.

 

Have you been looking at the London Boaters Facebook page ?!?

 

Apparently if anybody moves their boat at all, and for whatever reason, when there is any ice at all, they are anti-social b***ards who have no right to have a boat on the cut.

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Walking on slippery surfaces is an art. Take short deliberate strides and keep yer hands out of yer pockets ready to save yourself if you slip. Walking like this on ice is natural for folk from cold countries, folk like Eskimos, Finns, Kimi whatsit and Hakkenwhatsit the F1 drivers for example. Swedes, all the Abba band did it and Norwegians ect, even in the summer when its not slippery, those short strides are bred into them, evolutionary, you never see them running except maybe in a panic like if being chased by a Grizzly or Polar bear or some other beastie. .

One day Moorhens will have grown webbed feet which will enable them to swim as fast as the ducks.

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Well quite, and the boat I actually need to move away from exactly the area that the OP plans to start their trip from is an ice-breaker!

 

However, it's not just a choice about whether to go ice-breaking. It is also a choice about working lock flights where the lock sides and balance beams may need extreme caution.

 

I'm neither as young or as agile as I was when that picture of Pisces was taken, (and in fact part of my problem iis an injury sustained when I fell into icy water around 2 years ago).

 

So whilst in theory I could break mile after mile of thin ice, and try to stay vertical whilst working the lock flights, my preference, given a choice, would be not to move the boat whilst it is just not the canal itself that is iced up.

 

I do understand, and would probably be in a similar situiation to you regading agiliy etc. but if you have decent boots and take thing easily, rather than try and break any records, it should be OK. The worst bit would be crossing lock gates where there is no adjacent bridge. But that can be resolved by only operating the paddles on the towpath side, and if anyone waiting gets impatient, they can be offered the opportunity t cross the gates and work the other side.

Whatever happened to icebreakers?

The last time I saw one was at a CRT gathering when he kept introducing me to complete strangers.

What am I paying my fees for that's what I want to know.

Disgusted of Cow Roast

Where it is very frozen

 

Can you walk across the canal on the ice without it breaking? If not, it is only frozen, not very frozen, we would quite happily plough through a couple of inches of ice in Pisces, as would the working boats who had a living to make.

 

Oh and for what it is worth, I cannot remember any Ice Breakers actually breaking ice back in the 1960's either.

Edited by David Schweizer
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I could not walk across the ice because I am very heavy...as opposed to heavy...but last night was a -8 here so nothing has moved and last I heard the coal boat was frozen in at Pitstone (may well have moved yesterday as we had quite a thaw during the day)

I'm always fascinated with the old pictures I've seen of icebreakers on the cut and the crews all dressed in ordinary clothing and footwear. Some must have met a chilly end.

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I've been breaking ice all morning and no sign of a thaw either.

 

It makes a lovely sound and looks so pretty.

 

 

 

Yes I did a pleasant few miles of icebreaking recently too. No sign of any damage to my blacking either.

 

Here at Reading though, it's a lovely sunny day. Temp must be getting on for double figures.

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Thanks - I am in London and of course we have no idea about weather here. I was only concerned in case there was proper thick ice which wool make the locks very heavy going. Sounds like some local crust which is no problem. (No comments about local crust please - they are sensitive in those parts).

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I was canalside in Banbury at 11.00 today. There was a thin covering of broken and refrozen ice. Thin enough that I was able to break the ice around the rudder by moving the tiller.

 

If Friday night stays above freezing as per today's BBC weather forecast, then I suspect it will disappear by Saturday.

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Whatever happened to icebreakers?

The last time I saw one was at a CRT gathering when he kept introducing me to complete strangers.

What am I paying my fees for that's what I want to know.

Disgusted of Cow Roast

Where it is very frozen

 

CRT have been known to break ice at Cow Roast in recent years.....

 

 

Not a bad effort, but they did get rid of something more suitable....

 

(Mind you, I'm assuming Matt and Sarah didn't know quite how thin some of the bow plating was at waterline when they tried this!......)

 

 

Edited by alan_fincher
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Its all about the size of the feet to spread the load on ice. If your feet are sized in proper proportion to your body weight you have less chance of plunging through ice to your doom.

Here is a rough guide to the ideal foot size-body weigh ratio for walking on ice.

A 6 stone person, shoe size 10.

An 8 stone person = size 12.

A 10 stone person = size 14.

A 12 stone person = large size 16.

A 14 stone person = extra large size 18.

A 16 stone person = super large size 20.

An 18 stone person = super giant size 22.

A 20 stone person = standard clown size 24.

A 22 stone person = large clown size 26.

A 24 stone person = extra large clown size 28.

A 26 stone person = super large clown size 30.

A 28 stone person = giant clown size 32.

A 30 stone person = large giant clown size 34.

A 32 stone person = extra large giant clown size 36.

A 34 stone person = super extra large clown size 38.

A 36 stone person = super gigantic extra large clown size 40.

A 38 stone person = super gigantic super mega large clown size 42. 40 stone people and over = would probably have to make their own because I doubt if any big enough are available anywhere, including BOOTS.

Hope this little chart will keep folk safe on the ice. closedeyes.gif

 

Additional information;. DO NOT attempt to step on anything if your weight-shoe sizes are so. Example= A 40. stone person who has size 2 feet. But a 6 stone person with super mega large clown size 42 feet could walk on anything including, tissue paper and even water quite safely.

Edited by bizzard
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