BCN Moorons

[nicknorman]

7 hours ago, JamesWoolcock said:

These boats were tied there on 5th October, blue boat on the the Main Line just to the left of the finger post in your pic, the other opposite side to where they are shown, or maybe further towards the lock.

So they've moved!

Wow!

RH boat in your pic is a Licenced Trader.

James

I’ll pass that snippet on to Annette, thanks.

44 minutes ago, john6767 said:

Yes, but he would have had to follow the 2 boats for another mile.

They weren’t going that slow, we were barely closing on them. The only reasons for taking a detour was to avoid having to wait whilst two boats ascended the lock. Why be stationary when you can take another route and keep moving!

But interestingly we were doing 3.5mph or less on the main line, which is quite shallow in places eg around Bromford. On the old main line, it seems to be deeper in places and I saw 3.8mph for quite a while.

[Alan de Enfield]

1 hour ago, StephenA said:

So they really should know better....

Why - do Traders have to pass a test before being allowed ’out’ ?

[haggis]

7 hours ago, JamesWoolcock said:

These boats were tied there on 5th October, blue boat on the the Main Line just to the left of the finger post in your pic, the other opposite side to where they are shown, or maybe further towards the lock.

So they've moved!

Wow!

RH boat in your pic is a Licenced Trader.

James

That's how they were when we went past on Friday, 13th. When we came back on Sunday 15th they were both together a shown in Nicks photo. 

Haggis

[Athy]

13 hours ago, JamesFrance said:

You don't grow them, if you never wash or brush your hairs for a few years that is the result.

 

No, if you never wash or brush your hair the result is long dirty hair. Dreadlocks need to be formed and tended (not being a hairdresser I am unsure of the process involved, some sort of plaiting I iimagine), Rastafarians (the people who most commonly wear their hair in this way) do wash their hair.

[MoominPapa]

7 hours ago, Iain_S said:

Wouldn't Brades have been shorter/quicker?

Last time we did Brades the pound between the staircase and the single lock was down to welly-depth, 'cause CRT have made the  staircase shiny and tight, but the single still leaks like billy-o, so factor in ten minutes with all six paddles open on the staircase to refill into the timings.

 

MP

 

[Flyboy]

8 hours ago, JamesWoolcock said:

These boats were tied there on 5th October, blue boat on the the Main Line just to the left of the finger post in your pic, the other opposite side to where they are shown, or maybe further towards the lock.

So they've moved!

Wow!

RH boat in your pic is a Licenced Trader.

James

That explains it then. A lot of trading /hotel boats seem to think they don't have to follow normal protocol and moor where they like.

[BWM]

9 minutes ago, Flyboy said:

That explains it then. A lot of trading /hotel boats seem to think they don't have to follow normal protocol and moor where they like.

With trading boats, that seems short sighted in the sense that upsetting boaters with thoughtless behaviour will only diminish their customer base. 

[MtB]

1 hour ago, nicknorman said:

I’ll pass that snippet on to Annette, thanks.

They weren’t going that slow, we were barely closing on them. The only reasons for taking a detour was to avoid having to wait whilst two boats ascended the lock. Why be stationary when you can take another route and keep moving!

 

Back in the day the etiquette was to go up and help work them through.

(If only to get them out of one's way!)

24 minutes ago, BWM said:

With trading boats, that seems short sighted in the sense that upsetting boaters with thoughtless behaviour will only diminish their customer base. 

 

Trading boats have different rules for time allowed to stay, IIRC. Twice the time as ordinary boats, is it? 

[nicknorman]

45 minutes ago, Mike the Boilerman said:

 

Back in the day the etiquette was to go up and help work them through.

(If only to get them out of one's way!)

 

Hmm well since I’ve been boating for far longer than you, I’m still in that old-fashioned etiquette mindset. Of course we would help. I didn’t consider it needed to be said!

[MtB]

13 minutes ago, nicknorman said:

Hmm well since I’ve been boating for far longer than you

 

How long have I been boating then? I thought it was about 40 years...

(Albeit with a Big Gap..!)

[BWM]

1 hour ago, Mike the Boilerman said:

 

Back in the day the etiquette was to go up and help work them through.

(If only to get them out of one's way!)

 

Trading boats have different rules for time allowed to stay, IIRC. Twice the time as ordinary boats, is it? 

My comment wasn't related to time spent there, just the ludicrous choice of mooring taking in both a junction and the lock landing. I'm all for the promotion of trade by any way that helps them. 

[Heartland]

It is annoying to have access blocked at Spon Lane Locks, but was the turn on to the Gower Branch and up the only BCN staircase lock, not considered. You probably have passed those other boats as they ascended Factory

[nicknorman]

32 minutes ago, Heartland said:

It is annoying to have access blocked at Spon Lane Locks, but was the turn on to the Gower Branch and up the only BCN staircase lock, not considered. You probably have passed those other boats as they ascended Factory

Yes, but it was the lure of the empty lock at Spon Lane that did it! Plus the old mainline is much more interesting. We only chose the new mainline because we were tight on time, wanting to get from Brum city centre to the rural Shroppie in a day. I regretted going that way when we were in convoy on the long straights - just looking for an excuse to turn off really!

1 hour ago, Mike the Boilerman said:

 

How long have I been boating then? I thought it was about 40 years...

(Albeit with a Big Gap..!)

50 years for me, you young whipper-snapper!

[Flyboy]

1 hour ago, BWM said:

My comment wasn't related to time spent there, just the ludicrous choice of mooring taking in both a junction and the lock landing. I'm all for the promotion of trade by any way that helps them. 

They won't get much trade there, not exactly a prime spot.

[pearley]

11 minutes ago, Flyboy said:

They won't get much trade there, not exactly a prime spot.

Quite. The bit they are moored on doesn't have any footfall. 

[john6767]

8 hours ago, nicknorman said:

I’ll pass that snippet on to Annette, thanks.

They weren’t going that slow, we were barely closing on them. The only reasons for taking a detour was to avoid having to wait whilst two boats ascended the lock. Why be stationary when you can take another route and keep moving!

But interestingly we were doing 3.5mph or less on the main line, which is quite shallow in places eg around Bromford. On the old main line, it seems to be deeper in places and I saw 3.8mph for quite a while.

Ah ok I had misunderstood, I thought they were going slow, in that case Brades would have been my choice, and to be honest I would pick Brades over Factory most times anyway.  I would agree with that once you get that far along the New Main Line it does slow down and the Old Main Line is faster, and more interesting.

[Rob-M]

I generally use the Old Line and the last couple of times I've used Brades rather than Smethwick.

[Mike Todd]

The passage under the motorway at the moment is quite extraordinary. Quite some scaffolding contract!

[nicknorman]

54 minutes ago, Rob-M said:

I generally use the Old Line and the last couple of times I've used Brades rather than Smethwick.

Ah but you miss all the excitement of trying to get round Spon Lane Jn having come up the locks (which seem in much better condition than when we last did them). There was a weird wind tunnel effect with a constant disturbance on the water, firstly trying to push the bow hard left, then once I’d got mostly round, hard right so I nearly collided with the bank again. Telemachus is not normally much affected by the wind, but this was something significant! You can’t steer with the stern still in the lock and on first attempt, I got 1/2 way out of the lock with the bow so determined to go hard left that I stopped and reversed back in to have another go. I had Jeff hold the bow rope and try to pull it round, but it wasn’t going right. I got off and with both of us pulling, we managed a bit of right hand down whereupon I jumped back on and gave it beans. Otherwise I’d have ended up back in Birmingham!

[Rob-M]

17 minutes ago, nicknorman said:

Ah but you miss all the excitement of trying to get round Spon Lane Jn having come up the locks (which seem in much better condition than when we last did them). There was a weird wind tunnel effect with a constant disturbance on the water, firstly trying to push the bow hard left, then once I’d got mostly round, hard right so I nearly collided with the bank again. Telemachus is not normally much affected by the wind, but this was something significant! You can’t steer with the stern still in the lock and on first attempt, I got 1/2 way out of the lock with the bow so determined to go hard left that I stopped and reversed back in to have another go. I had Jeff hold the bow rope and try to pull it round, but it wasn’t going right. I got off and with both of us pulling, we managed a bit of right hand down whereupon I jumped back on and gave it beans. Otherwise I’d have ended up back in Birmingham!

Isn't there a handy post there that you can use to strap round?

 

[nicknorman]

3 minutes ago, Rob-M said:

Isn't there a handy post there that you can use to strap round?

 

No, I think there is something to help you go the other way. Well there was some sort of post (maybe I’m thinking of the Jn sign post?) but it would need a very long rope.

[WotEver]

21 minutes ago, nicknorman said:

No, I think there is something to help you go the other way. Well there was some sort of post (maybe I’m thinking of the Jn sign post?) but it would need a very long rope.

You need to charge the bowthruster batteries

[nicknorman]

Just now, WotEver said:

You need to charge the bowthruster batteries

Bowthrusters are the spawn of the devil. Anyway, rather than pay Steve for a bowthruster, I saved thousands by instead buying Jeff a T-shirt which says “I am the bow thruster”.

And to be honest, there was such a strong force pushing the bow left that I doubt your average narrowboat bow thruster would have been able to fight it.

[WotEver]

5 minutes ago, nicknorman said:

Bowthrusters are the spawn of the devil. Anyway, rather than pay Steve for a bowthruster, I saved thousands by instead buying Jeff a T-shirt which says “I am the bow thruster”.

You should have used a little more of the saved money for a gym membership. Then you could have stayed on the boat

[JamesWoolcock]

11 hours ago, nicknorman said:

Yes, but it was the lure of the empty lock at Spon Lane that did it! Plus the old mainline is much more interesting. We only chose the new mainline because we were tight on time, wanting to get from Brum city centre to the rural Shroppie in a day. I regretted going that way when we were in convoy on the long straights - just looking for an excuse to turn off really!

50 years for me, you young whipper-snapper!

Not aimed at either of you, but it's not how long you've been boating, but how much have learnt!

I know folks who have been boating that long but show all the signs of not having learnt much passed their first year or so.

But still, they can be nice people and that's what we want.

James