OTLEY

[BWM]

7 hours ago, pete harrison said:

OTLEY has now been recovered back onto the canals, making its way north via the River Thames and Oxford Canal over the past few days. The engine did not miss a beat and it passed through the deformed lock at Napton with little more than a shudder, i.e. no flushing required and under its own power but it was very tight.

 

OTLEY is now tied up in the midlands awaiting renovation 

I met one of the previous owners a couple of weeks ago in Kingswood basin, a Mr Grieves, who had fond memories of working with her.

[roland elsdon]

We missed you going the other way as you say napton is narrow but still manageable. I think judging by the scratches on the brick facings it's getting worse.

look forward to seeing her when she emerges from  the black hole on the n Oxford where boats go to an alternative universe.

[mark99]

Hope we get updates via images if appropriate.

[pete harrison]

34 minutes ago, BWM said:

I met one of the previous owners a couple of weeks ago in Kingswood basin, a Mr Grieves, who had fond memories of working with her.

Doug Greaves owned OTLEY from 1967 to 1995, and loaded it several times for Croxley both as a single motor and as a pair with BODMIN. During Mr Greaves ownership OTLEY spent much of its time in the Birmingham / Black Country area and was always very well turned out. I have not seen Mr Greaves since mid 1990 when he assisted me through Lapworth and Hatton Locks with our previous boats BADSEY and BARNES 

[BWM]

2 hours ago, pete harrison said:

Doug Greaves owned OTLEY from 1967 to 1995, and loaded it several times for Croxley both as a single motor and as a pair with BODMIN. During Mr Greaves ownership OTLEY spent much of its time in the Birmingham / Black Country area and was always very well turned out. I have not seen Mr Greaves since mid 1990 when he assisted me through Lapworth and Hatton Locks with our previous boats BADSEY and BARNES 

He seems to spend a fair bit of time around the Lapworth area, if I see him again i'll mention that you now own Otley. Do you know where you will be based with the boat, I get the impression that he moves around the Birmingham/midlands and could pass on the information?

[zenataomm]

6 hours ago, billybobbooth said:

so what about your boat zenataomm you not going to renovate that as well?

..... no, only me.

[alan_fincher]

6 hours ago, roland elsdon said:

We missed you going the other way as you say napton is narrow but still manageable.

Not for some "Grand Unions", it isn't.

We were not "slightly stuck" a few weeks back, we were totally jammed trying to go uphill, and the front end never made it very far past the bottom gates at all.

I have seen rumours it may be due for surgery this coming winter?  It very badly needs it!

http://sickleandflamingo.blogspot.co.uk/2018/04/boat-flamingo-posted-by-alan-friday-6th.html

 

Edited May 11, 2018 by alan_fincher

[David Mack]

1 hour ago, alan_fincher said:

http://sickleandflamingo.blogspot.co.uk/2018/04/boat-flamingo-posted-by-alan-friday-6th.html

 

 

 

I put a comment on that blog post nearly a month ago, but it hasn't appeared. Did you not like my comment? Or are you still having issues with blog comments?

[ChimneyChain]

[AMModels]

I came across a photo of OTLEY and BORDESLEY earlier when clearing through some stuff in my shed, was going to scan it in but its nowhere near as good as CC's above.

[roland elsdon]

Interesting I thought the problem was a banana shaped lock but you appear to be wedged at an angle going uphill. However with a similar bow woolwich not northwich we sail in . Maybe our 55 ft length and 18 inch draft at the front put us in the sweet spot.

[roland elsdon]

I just read your blog yes we make sure the pound is a bit off and creep in. If you go down the Stratford watch bridge before wilmcote has the same issue walls bow in at top.

[alan_fincher]

1 hour ago, roland elsdon said:

Interesting I thought the problem was a banana shaped lock but you appear to be wedged at an angle going uphill. However with a similar bow woolwich not northwich we sail in . Maybe our 55 ft length and 18 inch draft at the front put us in the sweet spot.

No, we were pretty straight with the lock when we wedged.

 

The problem is simply that distance between walls is less than with of boat over the guards at that point.

The length of boat didn't enter into it, as the vast majority of the boat was still outside the lock.

5 hours ago, David Mack said:

 

I put a comment on that blog post nearly a month ago, but it hasn't appeared. Did you not like my comment? Or are you still having issues with blog comments?

For some reason it wasn't being flagged up as awaiting moderation.

It should be published now.

[roland elsdon]

Sorry by an angle I mean it looks like the wedge has pushed the stern across  which the blog pics show was not the case, they prove pretty inconclusively that you cleared the wing walls and then stuck about 10 foot in.

hopefully they will fix and not as I have heard ' monitor' 

licence reduction request to crt?

[Steve Priest]

Margaret Clark and Myself have been campaigning to get something done with lock 9 for the past couple of years, since Margaret’s boat Mercury has not been able to get through, and I have had trouble with Aquila coming down. We have asked a lot of people who have got stuck to report it to Neil Owen, the CRT engineer who has been monitoring it. As of last Autumn, it had become clear that boats were getting stuck quite regularly, and had become a higher priority and Neil Owen conducted a series of laser surveys to establish whether the wall was still moving. I haven’t contacted him about it for some time, and frankly with the Middlewich breach to sort out I didn’t think that there was much likelihood of anything happening in the immediate future, but it is included in the Autumn stoppage list, commencing in early November. The stoppage notice says that they intend to take down and rebuild the towpath side chamber wall, and the offside entrance walls, so hopefully we will be ok by next Spring

[alan_fincher]

2 hours ago, Steve Priest said:

Margaret Clark and Myself have been campaigning to get something done with lock 9 for the past couple of years, since Margaret’s boat Mercury has not been able to get through, and I have had trouble with Aquila coming down. We have asked a lot of people who have got stuck to report it to Neil Owen, the CRT engineer who has been monitoring it. As of last Autumn, it had become clear that boats were getting stuck quite regularly, and had become a higher priority and Neil Owen conducted a series of laser surveys to establish whether the wall was still moving. I haven’t contacted him about it for some time, and frankly with the Middlewich breach to sort out I didn’t think that there was much likelihood of anything happening in the immediate future, but it is included in the Autumn stoppage list, commencing in early November. The stoppage notice says that they intend to take down and rebuild the towpath side chamber wall, and the offside entrance walls, so hopefully we will be ok by next Spring

This is good news if true, although I have seen so many remedial works make it on to the stoppage list, but not actually happen, that I will only believe it when it happens.

 

The experienced CRT man that eventually got us out of it with great difficulty reckoned that they have to extract boats every few weeks, although how many of these are actually modern boats with fenders down wasn't actually clear.  He mentioned Margaret's boat - I know Posces also failed the test, and apparently (Grand Union) Lynx does as well.

 

Sue Cawson has certainly posted elsewhere that remedial works will be happening this winter - perhaps then we we will be able to access a canal currently denied to is?

 

I'm also keeping an eye on the situation at Filance lock - another one selected "Grand Unions" seem to be having problems with.

 

[Paul Greaves2]

On 11/05/2018 at 18:37, ChimneyChain said:

Brilliant photo.  Thanks for posting it.  Jane is on Otley, not sure where Doug is though.  And name reads, D, M, J & K Greaves so Katie was born.

[Paul Greaves2]

On 11/05/2018 at 08:36, pete harrison said:

Doug Greaves owned OTLEY from 1967 to 1995, and loaded it several times for Croxley both as a single motor and as a pair with BODMIN. During Mr Greaves ownership OTLEY spent much of its time in the Birmingham / Black Country area and was always very well turned out. I have not seen Mr Greaves since mid 1990 when he assisted me through Lapworth and Hatton Locks with our previous boats BADSEY and BARNES 

 

14 minutes ago, Paul Greaves2 said:

 

 

Edited July 5, 2018 by Paul Greaves2

[Paul Greaves2]

11 minutes ago, Paul Greaves2 said:

Hello Pete  Great news and well done on getting Otley.   Hope all goes well with her.  I recall also travelling to Burton quite a bit, can't recall the years exactly but after Katie was born.  Think this pic might be there but not sure.

Update.  Google says 1973 and I see its Bodmin in the foreground with Otley behind.   https://www.google.com/search?q=dm+%26+jk+greaves&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8&client=firefox-b

 

[pete harrison]

30 minutes ago, Paul Greaves2 said:

Brilliant photo.  Thanks for posting it.  Jane is on Otley, not sure where Doug is though.  And name reads, D, M, J & K Greaves so Katie was born.

Doug and Jane Greaves acquired BORDESLEY in 1982, and spent the next couple of years sorting it out following several years being used as a rubbish boat by Alan (Caggy) Stevens. When BORDESLEY was used for carrying newsprint in mid 1985 it was still unpainted, so I suspect the photograph above was taken shortly afterwards - probably 1986 with the location being the Black Country Museum. I have numerous photographs from 1990 where BORDESLEY's painting is complete.

 

I spent quite some time chatting with Doug Greaves at Braunston on 23 June, and he was quite surprised by my memories of OTLEY from the early 1970's onward 

15 minutes ago, Paul Greaves2 said:

 

 

Yes, the butty in this photograph is BODMIN, and I think they sold this boat in about 1976 

[alan_fincher]

On 11/05/2018 at 08:36, pete harrison said:

Doug Greaves owned OTLEY from 1967 to 1995, and loaded it several times for Croxley both as a single motor and as a pair with BODMIN. During Mr Greaves ownership OTLEY spent much of its time in the Birmingham / Black Country area and was always very well turned out.

I can't exactly date these pictures, but think they have to be either 1975 or 1976.

I'm guessing the motor with Bodmin has to be Otley, but please correct me if I am wrong.

 

[pete harrison]

4 minutes ago, alan_fincher said:

I can't exactly date these pictures, but think they have to be either 1975 or 1976.

I'm guessing the motor with Bodmin has to be Otley, but please correct me if I am wrong.

 

Yes, the motor is OTLEY - still with its 'British Waterways' wooden cabin 

[Paul Greaves2]

19 hours ago, pete harrison said:

Yes, the motor is OTLEY - still with its 'British Waterways' wooden cabin 

Yesssss.   I remember now.  The metal cabin went on in August of about 1980ish.  I recall going on a "holiday" and the cabin being unpainted and hence a nice rust covered shell.  The primer was added during the trip and Otley was taken out the water somehwere to have the hull blacked, checked.  All a bit sketchy but I remember getting the train back from Rugby to go back home, so it was probably down that way.  

[Paul Greaves2]

20 hours ago, pete harrison said:

I spent quite some time chatting with Doug Greaves at Braunston on 23 June, and he was quite surprised by my memories of OTLEY from the early 1970's onward 

 

Nice one Pete.  Not seen him myself for quite some time.  Does he still look like the mad professor.    You don't have to answer that.  

[BuckbyLocks]

22 hours ago, Paul Greaves2 said:

Brilliant photo.  Thanks for posting it.  Jane is on Otley, not sure where Doug is though.  And name reads, D, M, J & K Greaves so Katie was born.

Doug is the one in the hat, and Kate is in the black skirt doing the polishing. It was probably the year that the signwriting was done. All I know is that that pile of stone by the boats was a B****** to unload.