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Jam Ole Run 1995 - the first one!


mykaskin

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1 hour ago, alan_fincher said:

 

Whist I understand to some degree where you are coming from, the highlighted bit is simply not true.

Admittedly our last two trips down have only been as far as Ricky, but we have absolutely no problems finding moorings for a full length deep draughted boat anywhere down to at least that far.  No plank is involved in any tie up we use going down that way.

In many places on the Southern GU the mooring situation is actually much improved since the 1970s.  Look at photos at Braunston, for example, and empty working boats couldn't get their tail end 6 feet from the bank in places you can now get right against it.

IMO the biggest problem with the vastly increased number of moored boats over all is that many of them are simply not tied up properly.  We spent far too much time on our last Ricky trip with someone having to re-moor drifting boats before we could go past them, (yes we could have nudged or shafted some out the way, but we do try to tie them up, provided they have the relevant bit of string with an inadequate and bent stake still hanging from the end of it) .

 

Alan, I know that you vigorously defend the GU south of Stoke Bruerne, and are reluctant to criticise the strings of moored boats, that clog up long stretches of towpath mooring, but the reality is that they have changed the canal out of all recognition. When we first got Helvetia more than twenty years ago, it was still possible to find a topwpath mooring in attractive isolated spots almost anywhere, but the last time we ventured south, it was almost impossible to find anywhwere apart from in towns or near pubs, neither of which are our preferred option. The concentration of boats, particularly in and around Milton Keynes made progess very slow and tedious. On our return trip back to the Midlands, we counted the number of moored boats on that stretch and posted those figures on the forum, only to be assailed with a barage of abuse and ridicule by the "non moveres" on the forum at the time.  Of course whne I (and you) started Milton Keynes was little more than a proposal on the Planner's maps.

Edited by David Schweizer
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25 minutes ago, David Schweizer said:

Sadly Dennis passed away quite a few years ago, but I do have contact details for one of his sons, and have been meaning to contact him for a while.

Sorry to hear that Dennis was one of the stalwarts of the change from commercial to leisure  boating needed more like him

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20 minutes ago, David Schweizer said:

 

Alan, I know that you vigorously defend the GU south of Stoke Bruerne, and are reluctant to criticise the strings of moored boats, that clog up long stretches of towpath mooring, but the reality is that they have changed the canal out of all recognition. When we first got Helvetia more than twenty years ago, it was still possible to find a topwpath mooring in attractive isolated spots almost anywhere, but the last time we ventured south, it was almost impossible to find anywhwere apart from in towns or near pubs, neither of which are our preferred option. The concentration of boats, particularly in and around Milton Keynes made progess very slow and tedious. On our return trip back to the Midlands, we counted the number of moored boats on that stretch and posted those figures on the forum, only to be assailed with a barage of abuse and ridicule by the "non moveres" on the forum at the time.  Of course whne I (and you) started Milton Keynes was little more than a proposal on the Planner's maps.

 

 

David,

I wasn't intending to "vigorously defend the GU south of Stoke Bruerne". 

Much has changed in 40 plus years, and much of it not for the better.  I would say the recent explosion in the number of wide-beams north of Berkhamsted has become very detrimental, particularly as many seem intent on mooring at the locations most likely to guarantee they are making life difficult. There are even large numbers now between the two major tunnels.  We can walk past 4 or 5 just taking the dogs for a walk.

However saying that there is "no towpath space South of Berkhamsted" is clearly not true, and if you look back it is that which I was challenging.

Yes it can be tedious to keep passing moored boats, particularly, if as I said, they are badly moored boats, but the existence of those boats is still far from enough to mean moorings aren't usually freely available.

I stress I can't speak any longer for South of Ricky, as I've not done it some years.  However friends who have just ventured right round the Paddington Arm, the Regents and the Lee to Hertford report having had few problems finding a mooring, even in the middle of London, albeit I'm sure they were sometimes breasted up. (45 foot boat, I think - maybe 50 feet?).

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59 minutes ago, alan_fincher said:
 

 

David,

I wasn't intending to "vigorously defend the GU south of Stoke Bruerne". 

Much has changed in 40 plus years, and much of it not for the better.  I would say the recent explosion in the number of wide-beams north of Berkhamsted has become very detrimental, particularly as many seem intent on mooring at the locations most likely to guarantee they are making life difficult. There are even large numbers now between the two major tunnels.  We can walk past 4 or 5 just taking the dogs for a walk.

However saying that there is "no towpath space South of Berkhamsted" is clearly not true, and if you look back it is that which I was challenging.

Yes it can be tedious to keep passing moored boats, particularly, if as I said, they are badly moored boats, but the existence of those boats is still far from enough to mean moorings aren't usually freely available.

I stress I can't speak any longer for South of Ricky, as I've not done it some years.  However friends who have just ventured right round the Paddington Arm, the Regents and the Lee to Hertford report having had few problems finding a mooring, even in the middle of London, albeit I'm sure they were sometimes breasted up. (45 foot boat, I think - maybe 50 feet?).

Our trip through london last year was very diffrent from our previous in 1994. I was extremely grateful to have a mooring booked at the canal museum. Moorings for a 50ft boat below Ricky were incredibly rare. On the way out we got to kings Langley before stopping. Sadly the chances of keeping it wound on in the style of the Jam Ole run are very slim. Don’t even get me started on the proliferation of wide beams!! 

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23 minutes ago, PLW said:

great video... anyone know what the GU butty moored below Braunston bottom lock was? about 29 minutes in....

The most likely candidate is ARA (long cabin in G.U.C.C.Co. Ltd. two tone blue livery and part translucent cloths), which was still in use as a camping boat paired with CALLISTO when this video was filmed :captain:

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1 hour ago, PLW said:

Australia a few days ago....

IMG_1287_edited-1.jpg

To be pedantic that’s the Malvern.

Only the front end is the original Australia as the stern after decades sunk in the flashes in Cheshire was too far gone to restore.

Paul

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On 27/10/2018 at 14:28, Paul H said:

To be pedantic that’s the Malvern.

Only the front end is the original Australia as the stern after decades sunk in the flashes in Cheshire was too far gone to restore.

Paul

ah I did not know that, but I assume that I am right in thinking it is the same butty as in the video, the topic of the thread

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On ‎24‎/‎10‎/‎2018 at 14:19, mykaskin said:

Hi Folks,

I've had the chance to edit together some video recorded from the 1995 Jam Ole run. It's proper Bolinder porn as Captain Ron Whithey gives it plenty of beans, and of course Trevor Maggs can be seen with Corona.

 

It's two hours long, but worth watching through as you can really see how the canal has changed over the last years.

Watch here: YouTube Link

Cheers,

Mike

Just watched it in bed as a bit under the weather today - pure nostalgia great stuff...……………….

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