Anchor's Aweigh.

I have been doing some casual research on the "t'interwebby" on the types of anchors that would be suitable for use with our new boat when travelling on tidal rivers.  Selection depends on the size of your boat, the length of your boat, the weight of your boat as well as the speed of the current flow and the depth of the water. There is an additional issue around the type and nature of the bed of the river.

The problem is there is no real "one size fits all" boat anchor.

Then there is the type of anchor, the thickness and length of the chain, the thickness and length of the warp to choose. You could also factor in a second anchor (which will let the specific single anchor weight be reduced) if there are problems with deploying and recovering heavy anchors. Plus the grab load can be shared across two mooring points on the boat. The reason for the chain is to make sure the anchor lays correctly flat to the river bed and the angle is right to dig in and take hold.

I found an interesting quote here. "For an anchor to "hold" it requires a horizontal pull along the bottom of the waterway. Ideally you would have enough anchor "line" paid out to allow for roughly three times the depth of water. The third of the paid out line nearest the anchor needs to be laying on the bottom, to provide the horizontal pull at the anchor stock. Having chain in this section helps considerably, as it tends to lay on the river bed. The effectiveness of an anchor is dependant on this deployment. They are designed to dig in harder, the more horizontal pull is provided. A small anchor, correctly deployed on a correct length line, with a chain length to the anchor stock, will be many more times effective than a heavy anchor on a short line, or one that does not have a suitable amount of chain to ensure the pull at the anchor is along the sea or river bed."

Then there is the problem of deployment and recovery after use. My fact finding is based around selecting an anchor that can be set and recovered by hand. Suitable for a 16 ton 50' standard beam narrowboat.

So what we have to do is come up with a compromise.

CQR (Clyde Quick Release)/Plough

The CQR "Clyde Quick Release" is a plough styled anchor. The CQR anchor is so named due to its resemblance to a traditional agricultural plough, many manufacturers produce a plough-style design, all based on or direct copies of the original CQR (Secure), a 1933 design by mathematician Geoffrey Ingram Taylor. As I work in a University with mathematicians I have learned not to take their theory at face value. Owing to a now well established history, ploughs are particularly popular with boaters. They are generally good in all bottoms, but not exceptional in any.

 
 
The Bruce or Bruce Claw

The "Bruce anchor" This claw shaped anchor gained its reputation from the production of large scale commercial anchors for ships and fixed installations such as oil rigs. The Bruce and its copies, known generically as "claws", have become a popular option for smaller boaters. Claw-types set quickly in most seabeds and although not an articulated design, they have the reputation of not breaking out with tide or wind changes, instead slowly turning in the bottom to align with the force.

The Danforth Anchor

The Danforth Anchor, this type of anchor have two long flukes that pivot and bury the anchor when under tension. They hold best in firm sand, gravel or mud. Danforth type anchors are not recommended for rocky bottoms were they cannot penetrate, and soft clay bottoms were they may not hold well.

 
 
 

The shank is the stem of the anchor in which direction is pulled to set (bury) the anchor. Weak shanks will bend when the boat pulls from another direction.The crown connects the various parts of the modern anchor. Also know as the hinge in the case of the CQR. The stock turns the anchor into an attitude that enables the flukes to dig into the sea bed. Danforth and CQR anchors are examples of anchors with a stock to help guide the points into the seabed. The tripping ring is used for the optional tripping line: by pulling the tripping line, the anchor will break out. The flukes will be buried into the seabed. The very tip of a fluke is sometimes called the bill.

 
 
The IWA Thames Tideway Handbook has a useful table of information that can be used as a rough guideline. 


Length        - Craft type       - CQR/Bruce       -  Chain       - Warp  
20ft (7m)    - narrow boat   - 4.5kg                 -  6.2mm      - 10mm
30ft (9m)    - narrow boat   - 9.0kg                 -  8.0mm      - 14mm
40ft (12M)  - narrow boat   - 11kg                 -  8.0mm      - 16mm
52ft (16M)  - narrow boat   - 16kg                 -  10.5mm    - 18mm
72ft (22M)  - narrow boat   - 18.5kg              - 10.5mm     - 20mm

The next problem is the length of the chain and then the length of the warp to choose. The minimum chain length would seem to be 5 metres and the warp around 15 meters.

A rule of thumb seems to be 10 metres of chain and 20 meteres of warp is a good compromise for most situations. You could however double the chain and warp lengths for a bit of overkill. I will also be attaching an anchor float to the line so that if we ever have to cut the line from the boat. We can then go around and attempt to recover the anchor. When Ken and Lynda the previous owners took us for the grand tour of our new boat, there was an anchor in the front locker. After feeling the weight of it. I am about to order a truss in readiness, just in case I ever have to deploy it!

It is a good idea to make sure the anchor warp has been secured onto the boat. Boats have been known to deploy an anchor that was not secured to the boat!

P.S.  It is not a good idea to deploy an anchor on a canal. You might disturb the clay lining and create problems with leakages or even breaches.

Later....

What's in a name.

Well, the title of this blog was going to be Narrow-boat Wits-End which is the same name as our family home. The house is located at the end of a cul-de-sac and so lends itself to the name. We thought long and hard over narrow-boat names going through the usual "Onion Bargee" which is a play on the Indian culinary dish "onion bargie". However, settling after a while to eventually at some point in the future renaming the boat to match the house. Maybe even renaming to "Wits-End II".

All this was long before we eventually found "our boat" on the Internet. Everyday we would both go trawling on the net looking at boats on Apollo Duck and other such on-line brokerage sites. We had a few visits to view various narrow-boats but could not find anything exactly to our liking.

I did come across some pictures one day of a boat which I sent by email to Mag's for her to have a look. Her swift reply was "I want that boat" but as far as we knew the boat in question was not for sale. The pictures had been done during the narrow-boat fit-out for advertisements. Fast forward several months and a minimum of 20 boat viewings later. I had a look on the ABNB brokerage web site. I could not believe my eyes when I found "our boat" from the Internet was actually up for sale.

There she was "Rose of Arden" a 50ft Narrow-boat and we knew that she was exactly what we wanted.

The name "Rose of Arden" also rang a bell with me, but I could not for the life of me remember why. Soon afterwards we had a boat viewing, which just confirmed what we already knew. She was a stunning boat, that looked better in real life that the pictures on ABNB. Rose of Arden had certainly been kept in first class order. After her survey not a single fault could be found. Ken and Lynda were looking to move to a river cruiser and so Rose of Arden was up for sale. 

During our conversations when viewing the boat, Lynda mentioned going to Henley on Thames and I got the feeling again about the boats name! So much so that I did a trawl of the Internet when we got home. Bingo! Arden Rose is an artist who paints scenes from around the world in the French impressionist style. I love art, I love the French impressionist style, more than any other form. So much so that I went to Rome just to see three Monet's a few years ago. I timed it by chance (April 2005) to fit-in exactly with the late pope's funeral. (but that's another story for another posting)  One of Arden Rose's pictures is titled Henley and the subject matter is the River Thames at Henley. I remember admiring it in the past. What is it they say about Elephants....

To see some of Arden Rose's works click here.

Cutting a long story short, we have had a change of mind! No, we don't want to sell the boat, we want to keep the name. "Rosie" as she has already become known to us, will continue to sail under the name chosen by Ken and Lynda. So at some point in the future I suppose, I will have to re-name the blog!

I know that it might seem to be fate had eventually drawn us together. Personally I don't go for that myself. I just think it was a series of pleasant coincidences and that we were lucky to acquire "Rosie" from Ken and Lynda.

Our thanks also go to ABNB and especially Barry number III for making the experience as professional as possible.

ABNB provided a First Class service, one that some other brokerages that we visited could learn a great deal from.

We are (as my mother would have said) beginning to look like a right pair of grinning Wally's - Does anyone have a recipe for a potion that will remove the smiles from our faces.







Running Total 65 miles, 9 locks and 8 swing bridges.

Later....

Man overboard!

Well, we have just returned from our first long weekend aboard the boat. We went from our current guest mooring in Doncaster. Heading up the river Don towards Sheffield. However, we only intended to go a short distance whilst Mag's go to grips with operating locks and to enjoy the magnificent weather. At Doncaster Town lock, we were sharing with wide beam narrow boat Isambard. Poppy, for reasons known only to her, decided to abandon ship whilst we were in the lock. However, at the time we were not aware of her being in the water. We were the first out of the lock and made our way a short distance up river. When the shortage of a crew member was noticed. I did a quick turn around and headed back towards the lock scanning the water and river bank for any signs of Poppy. We feared the worst. We saw Nb Isambard heading our way and they were waving at us.

An unknown narrow-boat with two men on board heading in the opposite direction had spotted her in the water inside the lock. They rescued Pops from the lock and passed her over to Nb Isambard. A very wet and bedraggled dog was brought back aboard in mid stream. We then restarted our voyage back up river as far as Sprotborugh Lock. Poppy had in the meantime been in the shower for an unplanned spruce up! We only found out the full story of her little adventure later. We had not put her life-jacket on as the weather was so hot. So for the rest of the voyage she was kept on a leash. The ending of this little saga was a good one and all three of us learned a valuable lesson. Or did we?

We spotted an ice-cream vendor on the tow-path at Sprotborugh lock so we moored up for a couple of large 99's. However, by now Poppy had been forgiven and was being allowed a share of the treat. We then turned the boat around and moored up on the opposite bank to the tow path. There were several other boats moored up (Nb Monkey Business and Nb Out Of The Blue) and we soon joined in with everyone on the bank side in a general discussion about all sorts of topics. We were having such a good time with everyone we decided to stay over night.


Sprotborought Lock. There are very good moorings on the off side. With a large well kept area of grass with a few scattered seats all sandwiched between the canal and the river. A Spar supermarket is available in the village, which is a short distance away over the canal bridge. (The Spar closes at 9:30 in the evening) There is good car parking available on the tow-path side. For boaters there is a BW water-point available along side the lock keepers office. Don't moor on the tow-path side for over night stays. The Wyre Lady runs a booze cruise up and down the river at the weekends. So it can be a bit noisy and the punters can be a bit boisterous when the wyre lady arrives back around midnight to disembark her well marinated passengers.

The resounding defeat for the Capello "team" from England, perpetrated upon us by our arch foes from Germany could have led to many a fan jumping in the canal.

In the late afternoon I was having a siesta "as you do" when there was a knock on the boat roof. Someone was asking if we could move a bit along the bank to leave room for them to moor up. This was it later turned out John and Anne on river cruiser "Champagne" from Great Heck. At the time, I was still half asleep, I missed my footing and went over the side "for a look" it was dark brown, quite like strong brewed tea and quite warm. However, I was awake in an instant! Later, we got to know John and Ann much better and enjoyed a very pleasant evening chatting and swapping stories and  having a few drinks, as you do.

Today we were awaked by the arrival of John and Tracy and their dog Holly. We had a late breakfast and then at about 11am we started a slow cruise back to Doncaster. On arrival we enjoyed a late lunch and a quick tidy up of the boat was followed by a short drive home.

Distance Today 6 miles, 4 locks and 0 swing bridges.
Running  Total 65 miles, 9 locks and 8 swing bridges.

Later.....

First Voyage - Wed 22nd of june 2010.

We had booked our passage on Tuesday the 22nd of June for 10:30am on the 23rd from Torksey lock. In the event we locked early (on the advice of the lock keeper at Torksey) onto the River Trent and set off from Torksey at 09:40. Steady if uneventful progress was made down river on an ebb tide. I had done some safety preparations for our maiden voyage, I set up the heavy anchor, chain and warp on the bow. I also prepared the small anchor ready for deployment on the stern. I then programmed the VHF radio to channel 16 and 74 so that we could monitor any large traffic movements on the Trent, just in case of any eventuality. I did all the usual pre-start checks - radiator water, engine oil and stern gland greaser.


The weather was superb the sun was exceedingly hot in an almost cloudless sky.


The crew for this trip was myself John and Tracy who were both newbies to boating. So this trip was going to be a good baptism for the pair of them. Tracy was put in charge of the galley and charged with providing refreshments along the way. John was getting some training in on basic boat handling skills. We were taking it in turn to steer the boat. Mag's was unfortunately working and missed out on our maiden voyage.


When we passed West Stockwith basin, the Trent was at a low water point as the lock cill was clearly visible.  We did not meet any other boats until we were about 5 miles from our destination when we caught up with Narrow-boat's Mojo and Sailor Vee.  We joined the back of the convoy and adjusted our speed to match theirs. Nb Mojo was trying to raise Keadby Lock by VHF marine radio as he passed under the M180 as did Nb Sailor Vee a short time later. But there was no answer from the lock keeper. When we were in sight of the wharf cranes, at about 13:30 we heard the keeper say via radio that he would not be able to lock any boats before 2:45 due to the low water level over the cill. This meant that Sailor Vee and ourselves were all sailing around in a circle on the Trent to kill some time. We did this between the M180 and the railway bridge.


When the first tranche of craft eventually came out of the lock at about 3pm, the lockie would only allow two vessels into the lock including Nb Mojo. He then released a second tranche from the canal onto the Trent. However, this time he would not allow any vessels from the Trent into the lock!! Whilst he turned around an empty lock to eventually release a third tranche from the canal. At about 4pm we were called into the lock, whilst the river had by this time changed from a steady ebb into full flood condition. We were at this point at the head of the circle of boats and had to manoeuvre into the lock first. This was a good test of Rosie's engine. Keeping half a boat length from the wharf we edged up to the lock entrance and with a quick burst of speed and hard over on the tiller, we entered without a problem. Not a bad result for a first attempt on a full flood tide. Sailor Vee who was behind us also managed to complete the manoeuvre without a hitch much to the relief of the crew.


The lock keeper was able to give us the latest football score.... England -v- Slovenia 0-1 to England.  The suspicion amongst everyone was that the lock keepers had been watching the world cup match.


We had lost a great deal of time, so we pressed on straight up the Stainforth and Keadby Canal and eventually cleared the Vazon road  and Railway crossing after waiting some time for a gap in the traffic.  Thereby lies another story of this trip. We ended up in the extensive weed bed at this point. When the crossing keeper called us on, our prop was fouled by the weed. This required a quick trip into the weed box to clear the prop. I get out of the box just in time to see the crossing close. After waiting for another gap in traffic. (This time we stayed in the weed free centre of the canal) We finally cleared the rail crossing and the associated road crossing. Soon after this we moored up for the night. Myself and John went in search of a chippie for our supper. It was like ambrosia to the starving crew.

Next morning we set off up the Stainforth and Keadby Canal at about 9:45 and made our way eventually onto the The Sheffield and South Yorkshire Navigation. Passing through the various swing bridges, lift bridges and locks until we arrived in Doncaster in the late afternoon. We have moored Rosie here for a few days recreation before continuing into Sheffield.

Crew report....

Tracy shows a real flair for crewing a boat - Both in the galley and as deck crew Tracy is very good at handling locks, swing, lift bridges as well as a proficent navigator.

John as in all his school reports (when he could be bothered to attend) could do better. In the main due to his shortage in physical stature. (think Golum) Next time we will do role reversals.

Like the England match, 1 - nil to the girls.

Well done Tracy.

Distance Today 49 miles, 5 locks and 8 swing bridges.
Running Total    59 miles, 5 locks and 8 swing bridges.

Later....

Angling for more cash.

The topic today was inspired by a Fossdyke canal angler.

But first a word about a new development by British Waterways. Fishing along the cut is about to get even more widespread than it has in the past.  BW on their drive to raise cash, are about to lease out more stretches of the canals to fishing clubs. I know for some people, fishing is a leisure activity that helps them to wind down from the day-to-day stresses of life. Each to their own, but however fishing is not for me.  I had a friend who owned a fishing tackle shop many years ago. He said the best bait he ever discovered was to use different bright coloured paint on as many different types of float as possible. He said he could catch more anglers with the floats than the anglers would ever catch fish using them.

Today's typical angler stands, draped in more camouflage and equipment than a front-line Soldier. Trying to outwit an organism with a brain no bigger than a breadcrumb whilst getting licked in the process. It's true, anglers and fish are alike. They both get into trouble when they open their mouths. Today whilst having another tootle along the Fossdyke I came across a lone angler on the bank. Poppy the dog was on the back with me and when I spotted him we slowed down a bit. However, as he was almost hidden in the bank side vegetation Poppy started to growl when she spotted him. One word from me and she shuts up and just carries on looking at the angler. Then the world's first brain transplant donor passes on a few words of wisdom "Oi! That dog should be on a lead!"  I replied "Sounds to me like you could do with a muzzle for that mouth."  I think it's to do with the maggots, one or two must have gotten into his head. Yes, I am convinced its true -  There's a fine line between fishing and standing on the shore looking like a complete idiot.

"There are worse things in life than death. Have you ever spent an evening with a fisherman" -Woody Allen.

I have just been and purchased a small hand-held radio for use on the marine VHF frequencies. Long ago, in a previous working life I was a radio officer in the merchant navy. Not only that, but I have also held an amateur radio licence for the last quarter of a century. So I suppose I know a bit more than most how to conform to the terms and conditions of the Wireless Telegraphy Act, operate radio equipment et al.  So today I rang up the old Radio Communications Agency which has now been subsumed into OFCOM to enquire about obtaining a marine licence. I asked if there was any exemption for anyone holding professional radio communications qualifications to which the answer was no! So, I shall do the same as most of the others do along the canals and pirate on the marine frequencies.

Poppy my furry faced friend!

I can remember it quite clearly. It was early October and the summer was drawing to an end. Autumn was starting to make the first of many gradual changes to the trees. I was sat at the computer, in the spare bedroom. Gazing somewhat absent minded out of the window. Off in the distance I could see the dark outline of Hoober Stand against the far horizon. Most mornings before going to work, I gaze out of the dining room window as I eat my breakfast. Watching the birds as they return to the Old Moor bird sanctuary. Flocks and skeins of Golden Plover, Canadian Geese and a few Mallards for good measure. All slowly making their way back after spending a night foraging in the local fields.

I have discovered that many things in life just seem to happen in the most unexpected of ways. Today was no different to many other such days. One moment it was an instant idea that popped into my head. The next moment, the fleeting idea had popped out again. This is normal for me when my attention is distracted by something else. I am something of a concentration butterfly! We get many birds to the bird table and feeders in the garden, but on this particular morning an unwelcome visitor arrived in the shape of a plump female Sparrow Hawk. There was a sudden flurry of birds, loud Blackbird alarm calls and one less feathered visitor to feed tomorrow. Now, all my ideas were concentrated around how I could discourage the Sparrow Hawk from visiting theback garden bird table again.

Years ago, I would just have put up my mist net, caught the hawk, ringed its leg. After release I know that the bird would never come that way again. These days I don't do any bird ringing. I have mellowed more and just like fishing, I now have a personal problem with my conscience and the process of trapping - ringing and releasing the birds. So a more cunning plan would be needed to thwart this high speed low level feathered mugger.

I have often thought that my best ideas come when I am not juggling too many other ideas at the same time. However, in this modern age there are far too many distractions for my liking. It's not that I lack the ability to pay attention. It's just that the novelty or attractiveness of something else always seems to come along. A few days later, in another idle moment, the original idea returned once more. However, this time, with no other distractions, I was able to mull it over in my head in much more depth. I would be the first to admit I was quite taken by the whole prospect. I would also admit that I had a warm glow inside throughout the rest of the day. Whenever I started day-dreaming, which I am good at, the thought would return again and again. Now I was beginning to find that mulling over all the pros and cons of ownership to be quite distracting in itself.

Some time later, in a moment of madness, I decided to share my thoughts with Mag's my partner in life. However, I need to offer a word of caution to the wise. If there is one thing I have learned the hard way about the Memsahib. If I want to get my own way, I would need to plan with great care. Especially, if there might be some significant opposition, from "she who must be obeyed". It was after all something of a risky endeavour I was undertaking. I knew I would need to use a bit of guile, along with my Baldrick like cunning plan.

I have found that it's no good with my "loved one" to come straight out with my ideas. She has that inbuilt instinct of all women to distrust all the ideas of the male. A woman always knows best is her watch word. So I knew my cunning plan would have to be done in such a way that "my love" would think she had the original thought. Just how I was going to activate my action plan was not clear and neither was it going to be easy. I knew that I might have to wait a long time for just the right moment.

The right moment, when it arrived, actually came almost unannounced. Surprise, surprise! It was "other half" herself that gave me the opening. It all started when an email from her popped into my mailbox at work. She had forwarded on some pictures from a work colleague with the usual "just have a look at these" quote attached. I knew in an instant that I had to act slowly and not show too much enthusiasm. Otherwise my carefully choreographed plan might not succeed. I replied some time later in the day to her email, "thanks for the photographs, they look very cute" and then I enquired about whom the photographs belonged to.

When eventually the email came back in reply I was metaphorically ready and waiting to pounce. The email said they belonged to Brian and that he only had two left. Brian! I thought, who could this Brian be? After a bit of digging around amongst her friends I discovered who Brian was. I went out of my way to bump into him and as nonchalant as possible I enquired into their availability and as to their price. He said "she who must be obeyed, must have told you about them, I thought she would want one".

Ting!, went the little bell in my head. So she had obviously shown some interest then. A phone call was made and arrangements to visit were quickly put in place. A quick on-line search of the post code and I had the location fixed in my head. The master plan was coming together. That night instead of picking her up outside her building at work and making a quick exit out of Sheffield. I set off in a new direction. She continued to chatter in the usual way, but at the same time I could see she was a bit excited. Brian answered the door and in a welcoming voice said "come in, come in" we went in through the door. Follow me, "through here" said Brian. Standing there like a proud parent, Brian said "here they are". We both looked down into a small cage. One little body was curled into a bundle and fast asleep at the back. Whilst another one came running to the bars and tried to climb out. I picked her up and she licked my face. I passed her to she who must be obeyed and said "you can have whichever one you want, as long as it's this one". It was “fait accompli” on behalf of the puppy. I have never regretted her decision to choose me.

So dear reader, that’s the very moment when "Poppy" a beautiful Wire Haired Fox Terrier puppy, came to join our lives. As I sit here writing. Poppy is waiting for me to get my coat and hat ready for our next walk. Poppy is a very lively dog at any time, always busy rushing around. Playing with her toys and generally annoying all our cats. Now she is 2 years old, her black, white and tan coat is both rough and at the same time sleek. She has recently been for her summer trim. I imagined in my minds eye what she would look like, she looked much better.

The prospect of many more years of long summer walks and washing off the mud in the winter is appealing and daunting at the same time. Our store of logs for the stove has grown steadily bigger as each visit to the countryside usually means we pick up some dead branch with each walk. Poppy you see is such a joy to us all, how ever did we live without her.

As for the Sparrow Hawk, she hung around for a few weeks and then moved on. The birds continue to flock to the garden all the year round. The more exotic birds only come when the weather is hard and food is at a premium. Home made suet fat balls are good for the various Tits and Starlings. The peanuts seem to attract the occasional Jay. The seed feeders have a selection of Chaffinch, Greenfinch and Goldfinch feeding from them. Mealworms seem to attract the Blackbirds and Thrushes. The other bits of food that fall and end up on the lawn are the favourite forage for the Doves, Robins and Dunnock. The Magpies and the odd Rook seem to like the contents of our compost bin where the kitchen scraps end up. So all is well in the garden and seemingly with its inhabitants.

Time for walkies.

Nirvāṇa

(Saturday) The handover went very well as the previous owners Ken and Lynda spent a good while giving us a good grounding of the quirks of the electrical and other on-board systems. We went into the café next to the Torksey lock for coffee and pastries all round, a brilliant first day. We had such a good time, that we never got round to starting up the engine!

I never wanted to be a rich person and it looks like my ambition in life is still on track to come true. Now that  we have finally brought together all of our resources and purchased our new Mid whoops "late life crisis" toy for us both. Whilst reading this blog you might be forgiven for thinking that the Memsahib was the quieter of the two of us. She is in fact the feisty and fiery one, in this duo. As for Moi! Well I am the outgoing, fun loving, tea total, party pooper you might expect! I have an opinion on everything which I am happy to share and you won't even need to ask for it.

Some people would spend all their life in the pub and to be honest since the smoking ban, I have come to spend more time in them myself. But, it has to be said I just can't take my drink, I don't become troublesome if I have a few sherbets. No! I become even more lethargic than normal! Which is a good statement for someone who is well accomplished in all the states of Nirvāṇa and transcendental lethargy! Nirvāṇa for me is perfect peace, its a time when I find it difficult to contain my indifference! Nirvāṇa is a state of mind that is free from craving and anger and filled with the urge to sail the boat.

(Sunday) Took the boat out for a cruise along the Fossdyke today. She certainly has some grunt and she steers very well. Did a few emergency stops and did a few turns on one or two of the quiet stretches of canal.  Had a few hours going through the manuals to get to grips with the electrics and electronics. Later I moored up to watch the football Italy -v- New Zealand. I was willing the NZ side to win as one of our children lives in Christchurch.  Tomorrow, I shall be doing a bit more of the same just to get a better feel for the boat. I quiet enjoyed single handing, as the Memsahib is busy working and keeping me in the style to which I have become accustomed. So it was just me and the Pop's the dog having a good time.

Total Distance 10 miles 0 locks 0 swing bridges.
 
Later.....

Will BW BID farewell to the mooring auction?

I am beginning to wonder how well some of the new (large capacity and very expensive to build) marina's will fare with the ever growing credit crunch. Many of the marina's will have been built with financial projections made from before the those gentlemen banker lost the plot. I am sure that the future is now much less rosy than it was expected to be.

Wearing my Breton boat hat, I ask what's in it for me?

I have just bid on a berth in a British Waterways marina. I got if for £10 over the basic opening bid price. If I have a trawl through the on-line BW moorings up for auction. I can see that there are a significant number of berths are not getting a single bid.

This cheery smiling chap is Simon Salem, Marketing and Customer Service Director for British Waterways. He looks like he has just seen his bonus check for the year.

Join me in a simple game from our childhood called "Simon said".

Simon said in a report "The key issue for us, looking ahead, is the abrupt change in the market for BW directly managed moorings." Market speak interpretation "British Waterways have failed."

Simon said "Since November with only around 50—60% of berths selling at auction." Market speak interpretation  "Yes, British Waterways failed big time".

Simon also said "Very few of those selling doing so at above guide price."  Market speak interpretation  "British Waterways failed and British Waterways look foolish now"

Simon said "Although the number of sites coming up for auction is a small percentage of our overall berths, we are monitoring this change closely and looking for innovative ways to market sites." Market speak interpretation  "British Waterways are looking for a much better way to crash and burn".

However, what Simon omitted to say was "British Waterways Policy of offering moorings by auction has failed, the whole concept of the mooring auction is a crock of shit." Market speak interpretation "If it looks to British Waterways like shit, if it smells like shit, even if it only tastes mildly like shit, then there is a good chance it is shit. So we will go for it".

Now, this has a significant financial knock on for anyone currently on a British Waterways  mooring. Anyone who is now paying more than any new boaters to there mooring site. I spoke to a long term customer of British Waterways  at West Stockwith. There were three empty berths, he had the smallest narrow boat in his group. He was paying out several hundred pounds a year more than others moored around him. My advice, give British Waterways two months notice, take advantage of the current situation. Then bid on either his own or another of the moorings that are available. He could then save himself a significant sum of money over the next three years.

Mooring auctions have been unpopular from the time they started. British Waterways claim it is a way of finding the "Market Value" for moorings in a given area. So what value can be placed on a mooring that fails to find a single bid? Will British Waterways be letting moorings for a peppercorn rent?

British Waterways has started to respond to this by starting to create a false shortage. This is done by not offering empty moorings for auction.  If you can get £1000 for one mooring (by concentrating customers) why settle for letting two go for £500. Have a talk with some of British Waterways staff and they will inform you in confidence of the number of moorings currently awaiting auction in various locations. It is after all British Waterways  who set the guide price, It's also British Waterways who set the "economical" starting bid. It's us who pay the price.

Later.....

The sporting Life!

One more day to go and them we become a couple of paupers after the bank ram-raid our savings and pay for the boat. However, at the same time, our lives will be enriched by all the time we will spend aboard. My guess is that our collective smiles will be inversely proportional to the size of the bank balance. The insurance is done, got a good discount on price - However, I did look through the terms and conditions and several cheaper quotes were ignored - One had such a long list of exclusions, it was hard to identify what would actually be covered.

The delivery man called today and delivered a couple of new life preservers we ordered from ebay. Looks like I picked the correct sizes as each is a good fit. This is a reassurance against any risk of either me or Mag's slipping overboard, especially whilst navigating the Trent and other tidal rivers. Later our River Trent "Sissons Charts" arrived in the post. I purchased a copy of the tidal and none tidal guides. This will help with navigation as we will know more about where the mud banks are. The guides look to be straight forward to use and give a good pictorial representation of the river.

As it was such a nice evening that along with our friends John and Tracy, we had a trip over to Torksey to visit the boat and to get a look at the water levels on the Trent after last weekends rains. Tomorrow is the start of the course fishing season and there were a few anglers looking over the river in anticipation. Each to their own, I understand how they are feeling as in the past I did a bit of fishing myself. However, one day I had this feeling of disenchantment with the so called "sport" of fishing altogether. I found that my road to Damascus conversion was utter and complete and I have never been fishing again.

Its the same with shooting, whilst I never participated in the sport with a gun. I was brought up in an area where it was normal to have a dog that was swift enough to catch rabbits. Furthermore, the locals were also adept at relieving the local lord of some of his Pheasants by much quieter means. I enjoyably spent much of my time of an evening, prior to the shoot weekends doing my bit. In the main, thwarting the guns by driving the birds onto adjacent land on the Thursday and Friday evenings prior to the weekend. It is amazing what can be achieved with a Pheasant feeding whistle and a few piles of feed corn whilst taking a couple of dogs for a walk. (Young Pheasants in the pens are "groomed" by being called to feed by blowing a whistle. The beaters can then use a feeding whistle later to call the birds towards the guns) Such is the sporting country way of life in the UK.

Later ....

Looking back over my shoulder

Carrying on from an earlier posting about my younger days and motorcycles. I think the post should be titled Looking back over my shoulder - or many biker years through rose tinted glasses.

I first started on the road with a motorbike in 1963. However, bikes had been in use within our family for a few years prior to that. My dad owned a single cylinder 250cc Panther in red and my brother owned a 250cc Excelsior twin in green. However, my first bike was a two stroke single. For the old time bikers amongst us it was a "1950ish ex GPO BSA Bantam 125cc D1 plunger" in two tone rust and red. This bike had been used by the post office telegram boys at the time. I remember thinking in my youth that one day I too would one day be a telegram boy zipping round town on a motorbike. However, the heyday of the telegram was coming to an end by the beginning of the sixties. The end of the telegram delivery service was due in the main from the uptake by the public of the telephone. Soon the "General Post Office" would become the "Post Office" and eventually as it is today the "Royal Mail". Each name change heralding a lessening of the "public services" due to re-organisation and eventual privatisation.

But as usual I digress.

I can't remember exactly how it came into my hands but it was probably swapped for something else. The bike was a runner, but best described as being very tatty. I started to clean and fettle the bike with some help from friendly staff at "Wilson Brothers" motorcycles who were located in Rotherham. Fettling included oiling things that had not been oiled for years as well as greasing the chain and sprockets. I cleaned off all the rust and pitted paint from the frame with a wire brush. There was not much of the original paint to be seen by the time I had done. I acquired a tin of red lead paint which was applied with a brush to any bare metal. A bit of rubbing down with some smooth sandpaper and the bike was given a new coat of Stokes red gloss door paint. The Stokes paint factory was nearby and a chat with one of the employee's paid dividends. I thought at the time that the bike looked very good.

Then I did some work on the drum brakes, cleaning and replacing the shoes. I forced grease through the control cables. The grease went in at one end and muck and filth came out at the other. I kept going until clean grease came through. I picked up a single seat from Wilson Brothers which was in much better condition than the original and even came complete with chrome springs. Apart from the nacelle round the headlamp and the exhaust which had been replaced sometime in the past. Otherwise, there was little other chrome on the bike, including the wheels which were painted as standard. I did have a few problems with the lights. After some judicious cleaning of the various connectors and switches plus the replacement of the odd piece of wire here and there the job was eventually done.

The engine, by comparison was in reasonable condition. It started every time - first time. The German born mechanic (Hans?) who worked at Wilson Brothers said the engine could do with a re-bore. As the bike was a two stroke or better known as a "two smoke" it was hard to tell. However, that was way beyond my means at the time. So taking pity, he gave me a new piston and some part worn rings to fit. I even had to borrow some of his tools to get the head and barrel off. Some decoking of the ports was required prior to fitting the new piston and rings. This also needed liberal use of red hermatite because I had to reuse the same gaskets again. The engine was put back together and with some trepidation it started first time. I started to clean off the engine and using different sized wire brushes made a reasonable job of removing years of crud. Where possible I replaced the odd rusty nut or bolts and sometimes even both. I can't remember how long it took to fettle, I would thing a couple of months or maybe a week or two more.

At the time, I thought it looked great. However, after some 48ish years of hindsight - I still think it might have looked good - but possibly only from a reasonable distance and through rose tinted glasses.

My parents had some trepidation about letting me loose on the road. The mechanic from Wilson Brothers had a ride on the bike and pronounced it roadworthy. My mother was not sure. My dad had a ride on it and agreed that it was good for the road. My mother was still not sure. My brother should have been a psychologist as he knew exactly what mother needed to hear. My brother had a ride on it - he came back and said "it's got no power and I could go quicker on a bicycle" my mother felt re-assured. So I was allowed out onto the roads. This started a whole lifetime of riding which I still enjoy very much and continues to this day.

It became obvious as the weather changed towards autumn and then into winter, that my usual apparel of jeans and a duffle coat would not be the best of wet and winter riding attire. So I purchased from the local "Army Stores" a set of leather dispatch rider boots and set of long white wool seaman's socks. This was soon followed by a pair of waterproof over trousers as well as pair of leather gauntlets. The best purchase being a Barbour waxed jacket. All this was topped off with a white scarf, Everoak "pudding basin" helmet and a pair of fighter pilot goggles. I must have been a sight for sore eyes.

I worked at that time in the local steel industry and any surplus cash was diligently saved. After about a year, during which time I had passed my driving test, I had enough money to "trade up" to a more desirable bike. The Bantam which had been used daily to travel to and from work and for the occasional longer trips was traded in. I knew that I did not want another two stroke. So a four stroke it had to be. I purchased a Royal Enfield, Crusader Sports. It was a much more potent beast and at 250cc had enough power to give girls a lift on the back. This bike did a number of long UK camping trips as far as Loch Lomond to the north, Lands End to the south and even to the Isle of Man TT.

Soon the 1966 World Cup event came around and I managed to get some work doing freelance dispatch riding for various newspapers and other organisations. I did a few trips down to London but most of the work was into Manchester, Sheffield Liverpool, Birmingham and Middleborough. I did well enough to buy myself a Triumph Tiger 90 350cc twin to make the work a bit easier. By the end of the event I had had about three months of riding everyday of the week for 12 and sometimes more hours a day. Being paid by three or four different groups for the same trip. Photographic films and small documents made up the majority of the items. The longest day being Sheffield to Birmingham then to London and back to Sheffield. I can remember travelling over parts of the M1 going into and out of London and being able to do many high speed miles.

Boats -v- Garden chores!

Well I am making some plans in anticipation of moving our boat from Torksey on the Fossdyke and eventually heading onto the South Yorkshire Navigation.

Torksey Lock.

This means our first trip down the River Trent as far as Keadby. Depending on the tides we might need to make a stop-over at West Stockwith. However, I am hoping to make the trip in one run. We will call into Doncaster for a few days and then move up river at our leisure to our home mooring at Tinsley.

The anchor we bid on eBay for has finally arrived. I don't think it is going to be big enough for any serious use on tidal rivers like the Trent. But it will suffice as an emergency backup or for use on our home non tidal river. Looks like a trip to a local chandler is going to be called for.

Did a couple of bids on some life jackets for me and the Memsahib. I hope that we never need to use them in anger. However, after Mag's trip over the side on the North Oxford canal in the middle of February. We are now prepared for any more such eventualities.

The Memsahib is away for the weekend in Birmingham visiting family. So being at a loss for something to do, I started out by having a trip into Sheffield to bank a couple of cheques that we will be using to pay for the boat. Went by motorcycle as it is always quicker mainly because I can trickle past all the traffic queues as people wait to go into Meadow Hell (Meadow Hall) shopping centre. Then I made a start on some long delayed garden chores. This is all part of the get the property ready to sell campaign.

The garden needs a fair bit of work doing on it, so I started by cutting the lawn which was getting a bit long due to all the rain. Then I started pruning a well overgrown evergreen bush in the hedgerow. It took about two hours to hack it back into submission.

There is an old "Morello” sweet eating cherry tree in the hedgerow that was "over pollarded" by the previous owners some 10 years ago. It has slowly been loosing the battle to survive. It has very few leaves on it this year! But there was a few flowers in the spring, but nothing like the number of previous years. It must have been a magnificent tree in its prime. I say this because it has always had a good covering of flowers and a good crop of cherries every year even whilst in decline.

The cherries were very sweet and full of goodness so much so that the birds would devour the majority leaving few for us. I don't mind the birds helping themselves so I have a replacement "Morello" cherry tree already growing in a large pot.

On another tack.

Whilst we both love narrow boats, I was also into driving a little sporty car. But now I drive a diesel estate car - well I am at that age where mid-life crisis has been, done and gone. However, I have always had a passion for riding motorcycles. With six bikes in the garage to choose from, including my first "new" bike which is now 46 years old. Mags is also a biker but leaves all the home maintenance to me. Including washing and polishing!

I have always been a practical sort of person, I try and do basic maintenance on my bikes - leaving any skilled work to a more technically competent person. I noticed the other day that one of my main beam's on the Honda ST1300 Pan European had failed. So I bought a pair of H4 bulbs intending to replace the pair. After reading the manual it seemed to be a -straight forward - easy job for a savvy practical sort of person to do.

After fiddling around for half an hour, up the front of the fairing, a quick look down the forks from the top seemed to give far more accessibility. After a further fifteen mins and the removal of some additional knuckle skin I had another bright idea. It's time to re-group my thoughts and have a cup of coffee.

Standing on the right hand side of the bike facing the rear, I was able to get a grip of the three pin plug. I squeezed the retaining clips, and gave a little tug - nothing happened. After about a further 10 mins of practising my command of Anglo-Saxon swear words and with numb fingers because the blood supply was cut off with the pressure on my wrist - the plug just slid off. I was not even squeezing the clips at the time. It was time to have a cup of coffee and relax my nerves.

I had been looking forward to putting my feet up and having a relaxing evening watching television. Now all that’s left is just a little rubber boot to remove. The boot has a couple of small tags attached to help with removal - the tags are helpfully about the same size as a mouse's ear - So after removing my hand from the fairing and restoring the feeling by letting the blood flow once more into my hands, I eventually managed to leaver off the rubber boot.

I could now dimly see deep down in the black hole, the back of the bulb. The manual helpfully says squeeze the small retaining clip and release the bulb. After a few mins poking my finger into the bulb orifice I found a spring clip retainer. I touched it lightly and it sprang out, my heart sank I had visions of stripping the fairing off to search for the spring clip. However the clip had just moved out of place and was still attached to the headlamp. So after removing my hand from the fairing and restoring the feeling by letting the blood flow into my hands, I had a welcome cup of relaxing coffee.

After restoring the feeling to my hand yet again - and consuming the cup of coffee, I was able to get my hand back inside and extract the bulb. A quick visual check of the original and new bulb to make sure the fittings were the same, they were, it was time to reverse the process. The bulb slid into the holder, and could be positioned at any angle but the correct one. After extracting my hand and the bulb - I could see there was some marks on the bulb. Oh dear! The manual says keep the bulb clean otherwise the bulb can be damaged when operating. Rummage in the garage I find the Isopropyl Alcohol spray and clean the bulb. Another quick rummage and I find a clean latex glove to wear. I also had a cup of welcoming coffee.

After a little effort, sliding my swollen fingers into the latex glove. Hand and wrist are plunged once more back into the fairing. The bulb is twiddled into pace - then twiddled some more to get is aligned correctly. A five minuet tussle with the spring clip and voila! A quick look at the headlamp from the front shows that the bulb is cocked up at a funny angle. Feeling ever more cheerful - I have yet another idea - grease my wrist. Well gosh and golly now it is much easier to slide my hand into the fairing. Ten mins of twiddling sees the spring clip released, and with joy in my heart the bulb almost falls into the correct position. Being somewhat adept by now, I have the spring clip back in position about the same time as I start to loose the feeling in my fingers again. So after removing my hand from the fairing and restoring the feeling by letting the blood flow into my hands, I had another cup of much needed coffee.

Replacing the rubber boot was going to be easy-peasy. The boot was quite slippery from the grease on my wrist. After a further fifteen mins of struggle, removing my hand from the fairing and restoring the feeling by letting the blood flow, I have another idea. I wash the grease off my hand and the rubber boot and have a quick cup of coffee.

I rummage around and find another latex glove. I even manage to force my sausages (that were previously my fingers) into the glove. After a while I manage to get my hand back inside the "black hole of pain" the rubber boot slides on in less than fifteen minuets. This also coincided with starting to loose the feeling in my fingers once again. So after removing my hand from the fairing and restoring the feeling by letting the blood flow into my hands, I had another cup of coffee.

All that was left was to fit the plug on the back of the bulb.The pressure of the latex glove had forced the swelling down in my fingers. So I was able to slide my hand back down into the fairing. Five mins and I had the plug in place and it was time to test the lights. It was at this point that I realised that the latex glove was hung up on something under the fairing. I was unable to extract my hand. The glove had bunched up and it had my wrist in a Vulcan-ised Death Grip. The feeling quickly went from my sausages again. It took about 10 mins for my hand to come free from the fairing. After removing the tatters of the latex glove and restoring the feeling by letting the blood flow into my hands, I had another cup of coffee.

All that was left now was to test the lights. I manage to turn on the ignition using my left hand as my right hand resembled five chipolatas attached to a raw piece of scored pork skin. The low beams came on, and pressing the rocker switch brought on both main beams. It was at this time that I remembered that I had bought two bulbs intending to replace the pair. It was also at this time that I realised that I needed to go to the bathroom. The capacity of the human bladder must be enormous. After taking a prolonged physical needs break, I put the second bulb on the shelf in the garage, maybe the replacement could wait until another day. I had a cup of tea.

I am finally sat watching television, the program of interest had finished hours before. It was at this moment when the beloved arrives home from an evening out with the girls, line dancing. She asks what I have been doing and I say replacing a broken headlamp bulb on the Pan and watching TV. She gives a knowing nod and says "put the kettle on love, I'm knackered". I find it's much easier to just smile and put the kettle on.

Later....

Our boat's sisters.

Our boat shell was built by Price Fallows in 2006 using single piece base, side, cabin and roof plates. Price Fallows also produces narrow boat shells in three styles. Traditional, Semi- Traditional and Cruiser Stern in lengths of up to 70 feet. Also available are wide beam shells with widths up to12 feet and up to 70 feet in length.

The boat was then fitted out to a high standard by Richards Narrowboats.

 

Here is a list of some other Price Fallows boats I have found a bit of information about. If you have any pictures of PF boats in the list or information on any omissions from the list, please drop me an email.

Nb A TAD ADRIFT 17.7 Mts, 58 Ft, BW number 518246

Nb ABBI 13.72 Mts, 45 Ft, BW number 510498
Nb ALL DAY BREAKFAST II 16.76 Mts, 55 Ft, BW number 514975
Nb ANDIAMO 13.97 Mts, 45 Ft, BW number 511872
Nb BAKA BEYOND 17.37 Mts, 57 Ft, BW number 510267
Nb BARRAGE 14.02 Mts, 46 Ft, BW number 511322

Nb BEST MATE (2004) 17.53 Mts, 58 Ft,  BW number ?

 

Nb BETTY'S BEAM (2005) 21.65 Mts, 71 Ft, BW number 512258

 

Nb BROCK 17.98 Mts, 59 Ft, BW number 508472
Nb CAESAR 17.07 Mts, 56 Ft, BW number 510234
Nb CARTREF 17.45 Mts, 57 Ft, BW number 512802
Nb CELESTINE 17.37 Mts, 57 Ft, BW number 512809
Nb CHIMERA 17.38 Mts, 57 Ft, BW number 511500
Nb CLYDESDALE 17.38 Mts, 57 Ft, BW number ????????

Nb COBWEBS 15.24 Mts, 50 Ft, BW number 507556

 

Nb DESPERADO 15.49 Mts, 50, BW number 515594

 

Nb DOLLY BLUE 15.2 Mts, 49 Ft, BW number 513416
Nb DOWN TO EARTH 13.72 Mts, 45 Ft, BW number 509979
Nb ELWOOD II 17.3 Mts, 56 Ft EA number F003768
Nb ENCHARNTED 17.37 Mts, 57 Ft, BW number 510852
Nb FALSTAFF 17.07 Mts, 56 Ft, BW number 513007
Nb HAPPY DAYS 16.76 Mts, 55 Ft, BW number 515724

Nb HOWD YA DO 17.67 Mts, 58 Ft, BW number 517645

Nb IVY MAY 16.76 Mts, 55 Ft, BW number 511878

Nb JASPER (2003) 17.67 Mts, 58 Ft, BW number

Nb JAY-MEE 17.38 Mts, 57 Ft, BW number 512052

Nb JOAMARJAYNE 17.68 Mts, 58 FtBW number 514821
Nb JUKE'S MEMORY 17.37 Mts, 57 Ft, BW number 514128
Nb JUST SUPERB 12.48 Mts, 40 Ft, BW number 511106
Nb KING LEAR 17.07 Mts, 56 Ft, BW number 511337
Nb LADY A 17.38 Mts, 57 Ft, BW number 513448
Nb LAKATOI 17.32 Mts, 56 Ft, BW number 513537
Nb LEAF 17.68 Mts, 58 Ft, BW number 510020
Nb LOVES LABOUR 17.07 Mts, 56 Ft, BW number 510714
Nb MAKING WAVES 17.3 Mts,  57 Ft,  BW number ???????
Nb MALEX 17.37 Mts, 57 Ft, BW number 517199
Nb MALVOLIO 17.07 Mts, 56 Ft, BW number 510791
Nb MARCO POLO 17.37 Mts, 57 Ft, BW number 515991
Nb MARCUS 17.07 Mts, 56 Ft, BW number 512057
Nb MONARCH OF THE GLEN 18.29 Mts, 60 Ft, BW number 511149
Nb MORGAN LE FAY 17.3 Mts, 56 Ft EA number F001440
Nb MORIALTA II (2006) 17.07 Mts, 55 Ft, BW number ??????
Nb MUCH ADO 17.07 Mts, 56 Ft, BW number 512312
Nb NAMASTE 17.8 Mts, 58 Ft, BW number 517462
Nb NARROW MINDED 18.29 Mts, 60 Ft, BW number 512425
Nb NO 7 17.38 Mts, 57, BW number 511863
Nb OUT THE BLUE. 12.19 Mts, 40 Ft, BW number 509297
Nb PAWS 4 THOUGHT 17.38 Mts, 57 Ft, BW number 514128
Nb PORTIA 19.51 Mts, 64 Ft, BW number 511450
Nb PRESTIGE 17.37 Mts, 57 Ft, BW number 517468
Nb PRINCE HAL 19.51 Mts, 64 Ft, BW number 511120
Nb R FLEET 17.37 Mts, 57 Ft, BW number 511536
Nb RENATE 13.72 Mts, 45 Ft, BW number 509866
Nb RIVER PRINCESS 17.54 Mts, 57 Ft EA number G17822

Nb ROSE OF ARDEN (2006) 15.49 Mts, 50 Ft, BW number 510910

 

Nb SAM 14.63 Mts, 48 Ft, BW number 512061

Nb SERIOUS MOONLIGHT 17.53 Mts, 57 Ft, BW number 510995
Nb SHYLOCK 17.06 Mts, 56 Ft, BW number 509790.
Nb SIGA SIGA 17.9 Mts, 58 Ft, BW number 518153
Nb SNOWMANE 18.29 Mts, 60 Ft, BW number 515776
Nb SOGGIES PRIDE 17.4 Mts, 57 Ft, BW number 512340
Nb STAR TERN 14.63 Mts, 48 Ft, BW number 510630
Nb SULTAN 16.7 Mts, 54 Ft, BW number 513128
Nb THE CALLA LILY 13.71 Mts, 45 Ft, BW number 511858
Nb THE DUCHESS 17.37 Mts, 57 Ft, BW number 511347
Nb THE GREAT ESCAPE 15.24 Mts, 50 Ft, BW number 510208
Nb THE GREEN MAN 17.68 Mts, 58 Ft, BW number 517684
Nb THORIN 12.19 Mts, 40 Ft, BW number 511796

Nb THURSDAY'S CHILD 9.14 Mts, 30 Ft, BW number 518166
Nb THURSDAYS CHILD 9.27 Mts, 30 Ft EA number G17728






Nb TILLY 17.83 Mts, 58 Ft, BW number 513907
Nb TILLY FOX 17.37 Mts, 57 Ft, BW number 518254
Nb TITANIA 17.07 Mts, 56 Ft, BW number 516181
Nb TRANQUILITY 15.24 Mts, 50 Ft, BW number 514417
Nb TUKSUMGETIN 16.8 Mts, 55 Ft, BW number 516810
Nb VICKY 18.27 Mts, 59 Ft, BW number 514890
Nb WATER UNDER THE BRIDGE 13.72 Mts, 45 Ft, BW number 511954
Nb WESTWINDS 13.72 Mts, 45 Ft, BW number 507696
Nb WINNIEPEG 15.2 Mts, 49 Ft EA number G17397
Nb WOT NO WHEELS 13.71 Mts, 45 Ft, BW number 515248
Nb YOU BET 21.65 Mts, 71 Ft, BW number 512258