Medway News.

[oldgit]

Entrepid group of narrowboaters called in at club for food and liquid refreshment last Wednesday after braving the lower Thames on on their way up the Medway to Allington, presumably to get to Tonbridge.
Most of club is off to Ipswich over B/H weekend , a few doing a more local trip to Conyer and Swale Marina.
Quick trip to Maidstone for SARAH T. Unfortunate event on way up involving police and coast guard,chap pulled from water after jumping off Motorway bridge.
Tide very slow coming in on way up,did touch bottom a couple of times,however on return, tide was very early, arrived at Aylesford Bridge with no hope of getting under.
Had to anchor and await turn of tide.
Going downstream,parked alongside Murv.
Boats are virtually same airdraft. We will find out at some point if his T36 goes under that bridge at Maidstone.
For those who know the lock,it was very smoothly operated by a couple of volunteers while Tim,the lock keeper,was attemping to mow a nearby verge.

 

[apollo]

Most of club is off to Ipswich over B/H weekend .

And BCC is coming to you!

 

[Murv]

Quick couple of snaps of Sarah T heading off into the impending rain...

 

[Flynnbarr]

I wonder what advice the narrow boaters would have got if they'd come on this forum looking for hints and tips.

Good pics Murv,captures the bleakness of The Medway perfectly

 

[Murv]

I wonder what advice the narrow boaters would have got if they'd come on this forum looking for hints and tips.

Good pics Murv,captures the beauty of The Medway perfectly

Thank you! Your autocorrect is playing up though, so I took the liberty of editing your quote to read as you meant it to

 

[oldgit]

Thank you! Your autocorrect is playing up though, so I took the liberty of editing your quote to read as you meant it to

For GODS sake Murv...have you no pity....they will all be having sleepless nights up there on the the long pond...sorry the Thames.
Photoshop a lock gate with a friendly lock keeper standing on top in that picture immediately........

 

[Murv]

Oops, sorry Fred, I didn't think that through properly.

I'm not the World's greatest at photo editing, but I'm quietly confident that I'll get away with this

 

[Flynnbarr]

Fab Murv just fab....Is there no end to the talents you have,moody photography,life like drawings.....
You don't happen to do insurance claim form sketches do you.....

 

[oldgit]

The pix...all it really needs to keep things realistic is
A .A self service board on display
B. A que of 12 boats waiting outside the lock
C. Soundtrack of 12 bowthrusters grinding away in disharmony
D.12 crews all grumbling and waiting for somebody else to operate the lock.
E.A forumite moored up with the kettle on and waiting for the lockie to come back on duty while fiddling with his solar panels ?.

 

[Ramage]

Was the edit to add E. ??

The pix...all it really needs to keep things realistic is
A .A self service board on display
B. A que of 12 boats waiting outside the lock
C. Soundtrack of 12 bowthrusters grinding away in disharmony
D.12 crews all grumbling and waiting for somebody else to operate the lock.
E.A forumite moored up with the kettle on and waiting for the lockie to come back on duty while fiddling with his solar panels ?.

 

[oldgit]

Was the edit to add E. ??

Yup.
He is probably lurking in the background somewhere .

 

[apollo]

The pix...all it really needs to keep things realistic is
A .A self service board on display
B. A que of 12 boats waiting outside the lock
C. Soundtrack of 12 bowthrusters grinding away in disharmony
D.12 crews all grumbling and waiting for somebody else to operate the lock.
E.A forumite moored up with the kettle on and waiting for the lockie to come back on duty while fiddling with his solar panels ?.

Ha ha, dont mention solar panels!!

 

[boatone]

The pix...all it really needs to keep things realistic is
A .A self service board on display
B. A que of 12 boats waiting outside the lock
C. Soundtrack of 12 bowthrusters grinding away in disharmony
D.12 crews all grumbling and waiting for somebody else to operate the lock.
E.A forumite moored up with the kettle on and waiting for the lockie to come back on duty while fiddling with his solar panels ?.

Ha ha - very funny Fred. Yet again you seem to take great pleasure in taking the P*** out of the Thames and failing to recognise how a much loved and valued river is facing serious decline which will affect many people - not just boaters.

As for your Mikado-esque "little list"....
A. True
B. Rare but increasingly possible
C. FALSE - and anyway, most people with bow thrusters are incapable of acting in harmony
D. FALSE - there's always at least one competent boater amongst them - especially if I am present
E. I rarely wait for a lockie to come back on duty, only have one solar panel, and don't fiddle with it as I'm a shortarse and cant reach.

I understand there is at least one lock on the Mudway that will swallow most of the NATIONAL annual capital works grant of £3m leaving not much for other work across ALL EA waterways - that certainly isn't covered by Medway registration income, even taking into account your contribution - oh, I forgot, you're a visitor, aren't you?

As they say .... we are all in this together.... or are we?

 

[oldgit]

"I understand there is at least one lock on the Mudway that will swallow most of the NATIONAL annual capital works grant of £3m leaving not much for other work across ALL EA waterways - that certainly isn't covered by Medway registration income, even taking into account your contribution - oh, I forgot, you're a visitor, aren't you?"

interesting ..which lock ?
As for being as visitor, bit of sore point that......
The lockies are constantly suggesting we get a yearly ticket and save money .Would be far cheaper for us to get a proper 12 month licence as we invariably end up paying more than we need during season buying individual daily and weekly tickets.
However as they need some extra dosh,happy to pay a bit more..
.Nobless Oblige and all that.

As they say .... we are all in this together.... or are we?

We most certainly are.