The Medway. Yet more Good News.

Murv

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Brilliant stuff. How long did it take? Hit any weather? I can imagine waves reaching the wheelhouse quite easily!

In a word, no!!
The worst bit was leaving Liverpool, there were waves breaking on the windows and I started having my doubts that I was really up for the trip.
After that, we were incredibly lucky. The trip took around 3 weeks with 3 days spent holed up in Neyland due to weather. Also, we ended up leaving the boat for a few days in North Wales because of another blow. Other than that, it was very calm.
Ramsey Sound and St Davids head overfalls were a but lumpy but no worse than that. Lands end, Portland, Dungeness, Dover and North Foreland were all glassy smooth!
Just wish I could experience weather conditions like that in my own boat!
 

Adios

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In a word, no!!
The worst bit was leaving Liverpool, there were waves breaking on the windows and I started having my doubts that I was really up for the trip.
After that, we were incredibly lucky. The trip took around 3 weeks with 3 days spent holed up in Neyland due to weather. Also, we ended up leaving the boat for a few days in North Wales because of another blow. Other than that, it was very calm.
Ramsey Sound and St Davids head overfalls were a but lumpy but no worse than that. Lands end, Portland, Dungeness, Dover and North Foreland were all glassy smooth!
Just wish I could experience weather conditions like that in my own boat!
Well it confirms my theory the smaller the boat the bigger the adventure (y) you and that boat must be good old friends by now
 

oldgit

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[QUOTE="Murv, post: 7520345, member: 110517"Dover and North Foreland were all glassy smooth![/QUOTE]

the tale was believable right up until that last bit :):):).
 

Murv

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Well it confirms my theory the smaller the boat the bigger the adventure (y) you and that boat must be good old friends by now

Bit of a love/hate thing in all honesty. It needed some work so had a few issues, namely that the helm seat wouldn't adjust and was set in a position that your knees wouldn't quite fit behind the wheel so you had to jam yourself in at an odd angle, the steering ram was bent so the steering was incredibly stiff, non-functioning auto helm and 12-16 hour days with a pair of 2-stroke Detroit's screaming in your ear got old, very quickly!
Wouldn't have missed it for the World though!
 

Murv

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?? I was wondering if that was a typo but then Two-stroke diesel engine - Wikipedia

I never knew such a thing existed!

They're quite interesting things, they rely on a supercharger for induction, but they're not supercharged in the true sense of the word as they won't run without the supercharger pushing the combustion air in.
The ones in this multicat are later variants with two large turbochargers providing boosted air pressure as well.
I've actually grown quite fond of them in a way, they certainly took the delivery trip well running at high rpm 12-16 hours a day non-stop even though they already had a few thousand hours on them.
They do make an odd sound though, at idle they sound like a 4 stroke at 3000rpm and pushing them up to 1800rpm cruising speed sounds as if they're going to rev themselves to shrapnel!
I wouldn't want one myself, but they seem to have a small but dedicated following.
 

oldgit

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They're quite interesting things, they rely on a supercharger for induction, but they're not supercharged in the true sense of the word as they won't run without the supercharger pushing the combustion air in.
The ones in this multicat are later variants with two large turbochargers providing boosted air pressure as well.
I've actually grown quite fond of them in a way, they certainly took the delivery trip well running at high rpm 12-16 hours a day non-stop even though they already had a few thousand hours on them.
They do make an odd sound though, at idle they sound like a 4 stroke at 3000rpm and pushing them up to 1800rpm cruising speed sounds as if they're going to rev themselves to shrapnel!
I wouldn't want one myself, but they seem to have a small but dedicated following.


do you have a good reason to be up at 04.50 ?
 

oldgit

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No, just the usual insomnia!

Assume the new helm seat is all fitted. ?
Might wander past today to see if still have any covers left on the boat. We are very exposed to the west.

Major triumph a week or two ago discovered the actual source of a very curious long term leak and water in the lazerette, could never work out how on earth it got there.
Discovered some old wood staining and dampness behind a seat in the saloon , below a side window.
Cleaned out all the window channeling and checked integerity of seal at bottom of window with hose pipe etc, no obvious leaks. Grrr.
However ..................
The old oil based sealant had failed at the top of the window.
Strong winds able to force the rain up the window over the top and into the boat.
CT1 to the rescue.

Now only leaves merely 99 other jobs to get on with.
 

Celica

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EA also dredge various bits of the river but the stuff removed has to be put back on the river bank .
Where it stays until the next flood etc etc .
Not sure if this is because the dredged material belongs to somebody or to dispose of it elsewhere demands tests for contamination etc before it can be dumped.
The cost of disposal is very expensive, even if it’s been tested and is found to be inert. It can be reused in building projects if the right exemptions are in place but trying to find projects that want it could be hard., plus it would still need to be transported at a cost.
 

oldgit

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The cost of disposal is very expensive, even if it’s been tested and is found to be inert. It can be reused in building projects if the right exemptions are in place but trying to find projects that want it could be hard., plus it would still need to be transported at a cost.

Think the usual problem is on small stretch of the river bed below Sluice Weir Lock. Enough gravel on the bottom to make getting into lock difficult , doubt sufficient for commercial use.
They did find some worked ragstone at Tovil believed to be Roman. Millstones deposited on the river bank up at East Farleigh.
www.barpublishing.com › pdf
 
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Murv

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Assume the new helm seat is all fitted. ?
Might wander past today to see if still have any covers left on the boat. We are very exposed to the west.

Major triumph a week or two ago discovered the actual source of a very curious long term leak and water in the lazerette, could never work out how on earth it got there.
Discovered some old wood staining and dampness behind a seat in the saloon , below a side window.
Cleaned out all the window channeling and checked integerity of seal at bottom of window with hose pipe etc, no obvious leaks. Grrr.
However ..................
The old oil based sealant had failed at the top of the window.
Strong winds able to force the rain up the window over the top and into the boat.
CT1 to the rescue.

Now only leaves merely 99 other jobs to get on with.

Yes, I managed to fit the new helm seat just in time for lockdown... Not at all happy with the mount I made for it, I will redo it if I'm ever allowed to the boat again!
If you do wander past, could you see if ours is still afloat please? !
Congratulations on finding the source of the leak, if I ever find the source of the water in the bilges I will be extremely happy!

On another note, we carried out a quick bankside survey of the debris and overhanging trees between Allington and Aylesford yesterday. The new water witch should be arriving before the end of next month and plans are afoot to hit the river debris hard with sustained recovery efforts.
I got chatting to the ever-helpful EA staff who were extremely interested in the plans and suggested the possibility of their assistance when we start. The thought of the EA and Peel working together is quite exciting and I'm certainly going to see what I can do to facilitate that!
The lock was a hive of activity, I got a few photo's, they're certainly working hard on the refurbishment despite the large amount of floodwater thundering through the sluices.
Boating on the Medway is set to improve substantially over the coming years!
 

oldgit

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Boating on the Medway is set to improve substantially over the coming years!


Shhh....Under no circumstances must this news be allowed to leak out . :)
Looking forward to using all the new improved facilities being provided at Allington,especially improved mooring s, plus a decent attempt to help tidal boats to get upstream and enjoy all the river by Peel Ports. Debris in the river between Snodland and the lock has proved to be a major disincentive for the less adventurous . Icing on the cake would be a weekend 2 night sp[ecial discount for boats under 35 36 feet.
Mind you B1 went boldly a few years ago.
Just shows what the EA is prepared to do when it has the support of the locals.
 
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