Gold Finger!!

hlb

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Thoses in the know, will have followed my exploits of infiltraiting the Ditch crawlers and shunters world. After being grilled by the comitees extermination squad. I this week recieved my membership for the LCBC and the itinery for the year. Easter weekend apparently comprises of a noggin and natter and a trip to Twitfield with dress over all!! This apparently involves the boat in question being dressed up like a tart in flags, buntings and things. Good job Mucky Farter ait here, she would feel a bit of a puff!!

Anyway we decided to have Easter this week instead of next because of other commitments and wow!! Must have been going on 70 deg on Saturday and though a bit windy Sunday great too.

now though the big barge Delft is only 20 miutes away from home by car, it's a two day trip to get her home and this was our task. Mind we will take her back again next week!

Now I know there are some crap sailors about everywhere, but the Lancaster canal takes the biscuit.

As a reminder. Delft is 49ft 10-6in beam and 18 tons. Not that big, but on this canal of 1960's tupperware Freelines. Its BIG. This in it self would not be a problem. But the tuppaware freternity seem to look at it comming and freeze. I meen, stop dead. Course this means, stop broadside in the middle of the canal, leaving know where for the 18 tons, big anchor on front, wont stop, iron plated battering ram, to go. This lot have either got nerves of steel or a death wish.

The first nights stopover is at Bilsbourough and we find only one spot. It's Ideal. Two pubs this way. The paper shop that, and all within 50 yds. The mooring is slightly tight, but then Delft dont stop in a week or two!!. Debs is hollering about the boat infront. There ready for abandaning I'm told.

Delft slunked back into her moorings for the night. Though the boat infront disapeared quite sharpely!! We finally made it to the moorings at the bottom of Debs garden, only to find the prop had picked up loads of crap just then and carriered straight into the bridge parapit, instead of stopping serenly and the wind gently blowing her to her moorings.

Oh hum. The canals ok but!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
 
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So up to your usual eh? Causing absolute havoc wherever you go!!
You'd need to saw off the cabin to get mucky farter down the lancaster!
Hows tricks anyway?
 
yep, Im chasing the ducks off the grass...

and I can drive boats....
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and I like to travel in style, eat your heart out ships cat...

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Ah, I see, it was really little doggie who drove into the bridge!

Certainly looks very nice and cosy inside DeborahAnne and is a credit.

Had always imagined ditch crawling to be a sedate and comfortable way of boating, no waves and things like that. But after Haydn's account I am not so sure.

John
 
it gets quite exciting cruising ditches epecially when we go through a bridge

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and boaters coming the other way are met with this filling the bridge hole...


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can't imagine why they panic !! /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif
 
Friend of mine has sold up and ordered a 55 footer.I think it gets delivered in August. He'll be based in the Midlands so Haydn might have some competition if they come your way!
 
As I think you may know, I am in New Zealand. Until about 5 years ago an uncle and aunt of mine here went to UK almost every year to go crawling the waterways and I can see why. They are a bit long in the tooth now and have even sold their own boat here in NZ.

There have been a number of canal boats built here (I am aware of 2 myself) for NZ owners to ship to and keep in Europe for canal holidays. I have never seen the waterways in UK but have seen them in Europe - what a nice life.

John
 
yes ditch crawling is a lovely occupation, can highly recommend it, have done it for years. Now go boating on hlb's sea boat from Plymouth, and so we have too many serious boats that need maintaining. So I am selling mine, and going to get a smallish cruiser (fibreglass) for weekends up here on the Lancaster canal, which is only 20 minutes away from where we live. & it will go in a boat shed for the winter, so hopefully very low maintainance.

I've been to New Zealand super place, like the lake district here in places but with loads more sheep ! Where abouts in NZ do you live ??
 
We are about 40 miles north of Wellington on the western coast (the Tasman Sea one) with the boat (a yacht) in Wellington Harbour - on a map there is a fairly big island (Kapiti Is) on that coast, we are directly onshore from that.

As you are probably aware from your visit there are no canals here (apart from a few feeding power schemes, etc which are not available for boating of any kind) and even all the rivers are no good for canal type boats as generally very shallow and fast running. So main boating on rivers is with jet boats (runabout size) with a few bigger boats on the few slower deep rivers and, of course, on the lakes.

I grew up on the banks of one of NZ's larger and deeper slow rivers so spent much time boating on it in everything from home made rafts, through sailing dinghies, row boats and MoBos. Was alot of fun and hence my interest DeborahAnn.

John
 
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