Now, I'm not a CRT basher. But...

[Lily Rose]

8 hours ago, Captain Pegg said:

Surely all of the Oxford is within the range of Napton based hire boats? Did Napton to Oxford and back in a weeks hire with the family in 1978. I'll bet it was harder then than it is now. The swing bridges were generally left closed and I recall one in Banbury with a busy road over it. Vague memories though as I was pretty young at the time. Hoping to make a return visit exactly 40 years later at the end of October.

 

JP

Technically yes but I doubt if more than a small proportion of hirers manage it. I met one who did just over a week ago. He managed to get into the Napton flight with 30 minutes to spare before it closed on his last full day and had been in a panic for the previous two days. Perhaps in June and July, with very long days and no lock restrictions, a few more might try it but I doubt if it's much fun at the moment.

 

As an aside, I did Thames Ditton to Oxford Port Meadow and return in a week's cruiser hire back in 1978. I wouldn't much fancy trying that now.

[Captain Pegg]

4 minutes ago, Lily Rose said:

Technically yes but I doubt if more than a small proportion of hirers manage it. I met one who did just over a week ago. He managed to get into the Napton flight with 30 minutes to spare before it closed on his last full day and had been in a panic for the previous two days. Perhaps in June and July, with very long days and no lock restrictions, a few more might try it but I doubt if it's much fun at the moment.

 

As an aside, I did Thames Ditton to Oxford Port Meadow and return in a week's cruiser hire back in 1978. I wouldn't much fancy trying that now.

Things are often slower today but I think that's more about the number of boats both in terms of slowing to pass moored boats and having to wait for and re-set locks. We actually went to Oxford in October half term that year so generally quite short days. Does Oxfordshire Narrowboats send boats toward Oxford on weekend trips?

 

JP

[john6767]

9 hours ago, Captain Pegg said:

Surely all of the Oxford is within the range of Napton based hire boats? Did Napton to Oxford and back in a weeks hire with the family in 1978. I'll bet it was harder then than it is now. The swing bridges were generally left closed and I recall one in Banbury with a busy road over it. Vague memories though as I was pretty young at the time. Hoping to make a return visit exactly 40 years later at the end of October.

 

JP

On a week yes it is possible, but the majority of hires tend to be 3 or 4 days rather than whole weeks.  A good number of the week hires will do the Warwickshire ring or Stratford and back, I doubt many do Oxford and back.

Edited September 8, 2018 by john6767

[Lily Rose]

1 minute ago, Captain Pegg said:

Things are often slower today but I think that's more about the number of boats both in terms of slowing to pass moored boats and having to wait for and re-set locks. We actually went to Oxford in October half term that year so generally quite short days. Does Oxfordshire Narrowboats send boats toward Oxford on weekend trips?

 

JP

We saw plenty of Oxfordshire narrowboat both north and south of Lower Heyford but don't see too many north of Fenny Compton so I suspect most of them are on weekend or midweek hire, going in both directions.

 

[Athy]

Quite a few turn round at Cropredy - ditto Napton boats.

[john6767]

Just now, Athy said:

Quite a few turn round at Cropredy - ditto Napton boats.

Which makes a lot of sense, that is a good point to get to in a long weekend from both directions.

[Lily Rose]

2 minutes ago, john6767 said:

Which makes a lot of sense, that is a good point to get to in a long weekend from both directions.

I was just thinking that. I'd imagine quite a few turn at Banbury as well.

 

In our travels we rarely see an Oxfordshire or College boat north of Cropredy and rarely see a Napton-based boat south of Banbury.

Edited September 8, 2018 by Lily Rose

[Athy]

2 minutes ago, john6767 said:

Which makes a lot of sense, that is a good point to get to in a long weekend from both directions.

Absolutely, yes.

[Captain Pegg]

26 minutes ago, Lily Rose said:

I was just thinking that. I'd imagine quite a few turn at Banbury as well.

 

In our travels we rarely see an Oxfordshire or College boat north of Cropredy and rarely see a Napton-based boat south of Banbury.

You would think with a hire base at Heyford and one in Oxford that the hire companies would be making representations to CRT because hirers would certainly feed back to the hire base if they found the going difficult.

 

JP

[Alan de Enfield]

2 minutes ago, Captain Pegg said:

...........hirers would certainly feed back to the hire base if they found the going difficult.

Would they ?

If it is all they have known (or are 1st timers) they know no better - if they are not happy, or unable to cope then I'd suggest that they don't say anything, they just go to Ibiza the following year instead.

[MtB]

16 minutes ago, Alan de Enfield said:

Would they ?

If it is all they have known (or are 1st timers) they know no better - if they are not happy, or unable to cope then I'd suggest that they don't say anything, they just go to Ibiza the following year instead.

 

I find these minor obstacles and challenges all part of the fun of boating, as I suspect, do most hirers. The steady ironing out of even the slightest difficulty or hurdle demanded by the Demandy moaners is leading to boating getting less interesting in my opinion. 

 

I applaud CRT for not fixing the lift bridge and for creating the reed bed chicane... 

[Athy]

2 minutes ago, Mike the Boilerman said:

 

I find these minor obstacles and challenges all part of the fun of boating, as I suspect, do most hirers. The steady ironing out of even the slightest difficulty or hurdle demanded by the Demandy moaners is leading to boating getting less interesting in my opinion. 

 

I applaud CRT for not fixing the lift bridge and for creating the reed bed chicane... 

I have some sympathy for your viewpoint. When we were at Thrupp I admired the very tidy and well-maintained surroundings but I would not want every mile of canal to be so parkified.

However, your applause might be muted if someone fell of that lift bridge (whose towpath-side handrail post is no longer attached to anything solid) and hurt themselves or worse.

[MtB]

1 minute ago, Athy said:

However, your applause might be muted if someone fell of that lift bridge (whose towpath-side handrail post is no longer attached to anything solid) and hurt themselves or worse.

 

No it wouldn’t. I’m pretty unsympathetic towards people who need wrapping in cotton wool at my expense so they don’t hurt themselves on blindingly obvious hazards. 

 

Jeez I’m turning into nick Norman!

[Athy]

Just now, Mike the Boilerman said:

 

No it wouldn’t. I’m pretty unsympathetic towards people who need wrapping in cotton wool at my expense so they don’t hurt themselves on blindingly obvious hazards. 

 

Jeez I’m turning into Nick Norman!

Gosh, haven't you grown?

But it's not obvious that the handrail is unsafe until you grasp it. Luckily I didn't rely on it as I was crossing the bridge to lift it.

[MtB]

1 minute ago, Athy said:

Gosh, haven't you grown?

But it's not obvious that the handrail is unsafe until you grasp it. Luckily I didn't rely on it as I was crossing the bridge to lift it.

 

How many people have fallen off the bridge and hurt themselves so far due to this loose handrail then? I predict the answer is ‘none’. 

 

Honestly there are more dangerous things on the canal than a loose handrail in a bridge. Paddle gears for example. I imagine you oppose these being unguarded in case stupid people stick their fingers in the gears?

[furnessvale]

12 minutes ago, Athy said:

Gosh, haven't you grown?

But it's not obvious that the handrail is unsafe until you grasp it. Luckily I didn't rely on it as I was crossing the bridge to lift it.

Does ANYONE put their full weight on things like handrails without testing them first?

 

I am thinking particularly about handrails on lock ladders.  I always test before trusting my weight to them.

 

George

[Athy]

11 minutes ago, Mike the Boilerman said:

 

How many people have fallen off the bridge and hurt themselves so far due to this loose handrail then? I predict the answer is ‘none’. 

 

Honestly there are more dangerous things on the canal than a loose handrail in a bridge. Paddle gears for example. I imagine you oppose these being unguarded in case stupid people stick their fingers in the gears?

Fortunately

No, because it's obvious that paddle gear could cause harm, with its heavy and rapidly moving parts. One expects a handrail to stay in the same place.

[MtB]

1 minute ago, furnessvale said:

Does ANYONE put their full weight on things like handrails without testing them first?

 

I certainly do, as the canals are an inherently risky environment. 

 

I’d say that nice Mr Athy tests first too, otherwise he’d have been straight in the drink. 

[Lily Rose]

26 minutes ago, Mike the Boilerman said:

 

 

 

I applaud CRT for not fixing the lift bridge and for creating the reed bed chicane... 

 

We thought the reed bed chicanes added to the attractiveness of the canal at those points. Well Mrs Lily Rose did in particular. I spent most of the time hoping I wouldn't meet a boat coming the other way, and when we did, spent most of my time trying to inch past without getting the propellor caught up in them. The attractiveness faded a bit during this but we managed to come out the other end without problems.

 

Judging by the swearing I heard from the other boater I don't think he was CRT's biggest fan at that point!

 

[Athy]

2 minutes ago, Mike the Boilerman said:

 

I certainly do, as the canals are an inherently risky environment. 

 

I’d say that nice Mr Athy tests first too, otherwise he’d have been straight in the drink. 

I think you may mean "I certainly don't".

See my post no. 89.

2 minutes ago, Lily Rose said:

 

We thought the reed bed chicanes added to the attractiveness of the canal at those points. Well Mrs Lily Rose did in particular. I spent most of the time hoping I wouldn't meet a boat coming the other way.

Yep, and on those days the Lord was good to us.

[Captain Pegg]

59 minutes ago, Alan de Enfield said:

Would they ?

If it is all they have known (or are 1st timers) they know no better - if they are not happy, or unable to cope then I'd suggest that they don't say anything, they just go to Ibiza the following year instead.

My experience is that hire base operators know the basic condition of their local canals. They get this through feedback from hirers and also because their own staff will work their boats on the same stretches. A hirer wouldn’t need to know that things have changed to feed back that they found certain features difficult. That’s just a statement of fact that on which the past has no bearing.

 

JP

[dogless]

My wife and I worked a friend (a single hander) down into Jericho.

At Drinkwater lift bridge with the counter weights removed, a minimum of two people are currently required to be able to open the bridge and hold it open. This is an impossible obstacle for a single hander who would currently HAVE to wait for assistance.

I hope this is a temporary situation, but it's already existed over a week.

My friend has single handed all over the system, but the run into Jericho is quite tricky.

Still a wonderful journey and well worth the effort.

Rog

[furnessvale]

All this talk of "first timers" reminds me that we were all first timers once and yet we survived.

 

Is there a new breed of "first timers" these days that particularly needs to be wrapped in cotton wool?, or have they been so conditioned by modern H & S that everything is done for them?

 

George

[Alan de Enfield]

6 minutes ago, furnessvale said:

Is there a new breed of "first timers" these days that particularly needs to be wrapped in cotton wool?, or have they been so conditioned by modern H & S that everything is done for them?

I'd say "yes"

But believe its wider than just H&S - the whole culture (for the 'younger generation') seems to be of both physical & mental 'protection' - even in schools we no longer have 'losers' or 'failing' it is now "you are just not yet ready for that particular challenge", be it 'sports day' or examinations.

[Higgs]

2 hours ago, Mike the Boilerman said:

 

I find these minor obstacles and challenges all part of the fun of boating, as I suspect, do most hirers. The steady ironing out of even the slightest difficulty or hurdle demanded by the Demandy moaners is leading to boating getting less interesting in my opinion. 

 

I applaud CRT for not fixing the lift bridge and for creating the reed bed chicane... 

 

The reed beds might be what they are, for the reasons they were created, but the equipment was built to function, with all the bits in place. Is your work a half done piece of work, to give your customers a challenge. ?

 

Equipment that is not serviced will deteriorate faster, and be more costly when repairs cannot be avoided. Treat your batteries and engine that way.

Edited September 8, 2018 by Higgs