Another boating story. (1 Viewer)

MandM

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We happened to be moored in Thrupp on the South Oxford Canal, the sun is shining and we are being entertained by the antics of various hire boaters coming through the lift bridge. It seems like no two skippers at the tiller handle it the same way. Then a 70 footer comes through going at a good pace. Bearing the name of a nearby University College.

There is mum and dad and two children meandering along in a canoe. See the boat bearing down, they quickly decide at that point to abandon the canoe. They make haste in their retreat onto the towpath. Me and my boater mate are shouting instructions to the guy on the tiller. (put it in reverse, push the tiller over to the left - no not that left, the other one) By some miracle he manages to avoid pining the canoe between the bow and the concrete edge of the towpath. Once he is back on track - he turns round waves nonchalantly to us and shouts thanks. The family are visibly shaken by what happend or could have happened.

Nearby is Annie's tea shop which sell the most amazing of patisserie specimens. So we went into Annie's cafe for a bun and a strong cup of coffee to revive our shattered nerves. On returning back to the canal we sit and watch in chin dropping amazement. As one of the most bizarre events takes place before our very eyes. A boater who shall have to remain incognito (we now know him well) decided that his bicycle needed a wash. So he ties a rope to it and then flings it into the canal. Soon, there is a small collection of people intently watching his activities.

With the bike now hanging in the water at the rear of the boat. He goes aboard and starts the engine puts a few revs on and proceeds to power wash the bike in the wake. He was raising and lowering the bike on the rope. After a while he drops the rope and turns off the engine. He then retrieves the bike gives it a few perfunctory pokes and a rub in various places. Then throws it back into the canal.

By now the small collection of people have grown and a mini crowd settled back to watch events unfold. One of the bystanders has been filming the event on his mobile phone. He says he is going to send it to you've been framed. My friend Brian asks the boater what the next 'wash cycle' would be. However the joke seemed lost on the boater. We went back into Annie's cafe for a bun and a strong cup of coffee to revive our aching ribs.

Later we returned to the Thrupp lift bridge and continued watching the hire boats ram the bank on the turn 45 degree turn that you could easily turn the Titanic in. We were ensconced on one of the seats provided for the viewing the public. (The public are known to boaters as Gongoozelers) To watch an endless stream of hire boat entertainment. It had gone quiet and I was just observing the world go by. When a couple decide to hire a canoe. He gets in and settles down, so far so good. Before he can get a tight hold on the edge, she quickly steps in. One foot on the boat one foot on the bank. Legs ever widening until there is a big splash. Surprisingly she was not an un-happy little bunny as she was laughing albeit with some embarrassment. After she was retrieved from her predicament her demeanour suddenly changed. But it did not change until the first item was recovered from her jacket pocket - which was her mobile phone. First rule of boating - always empty your pockets of wallets, phones, keys etc. Second rule, never go boating without a change of dry clothes.

We went back to Annie's for a coffee and a bun. We come out to find a two film crews trying to film their respective celebs and boats coming through the lift bridge. One has John Sergeant at the tiller. The other has Larry Lamb lazing on the front deck. One boat is holding out while the other comes through under the lift bridge. The film crews sneakily eye each other with little if any acknowledgement of the other. Sergeant and Lamb totally blank each other as they pass. A bit later, the Sergeant film crew send a 'runner' to ask if we can operate the swing bridge and take our boat through while they film the event. Told us that it would be used in the series as background to illustrate how the bridge works.

A few months later, we start to watch the 'John Sergeant barging around' series. Our endeavours must have ended up on the cutting room floor. We were not included, but I still think I'm more photogenic than Sergeant and a better dancer. We have met a few other notables while cruising the waterways. John and Norma Major at the top of the Wigan flight of locks. Complete with their police 'minders'. Pru and Tim almost bumped into us as Sutton Stop. And I had an enjoyable chat about football with the late Graham Taylor of Watford and England management fame. While we waiting to pass through a lock near Alrewas.
 

Anthea M

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Having hired a nsrrowboat on the Oxford canal over 20 years ago we could easily have been some of those people you may have watched! ( no bike washing !) we did see one come under a huge tree and knock his bike he had on the roof into the water!!! Much shouting ensued! But bike was lost forever in the mud!!:LOL:
 

Tootles

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Later we returned to the Thrupp lift bridge and continued watching the hire boats ram the bank on the turn 45 degree turn that you could easily turn the Titanic in.
We often found that a short but pleasant walk through the water meadows to the now abandoned village and burnt out manor house of Hampton Gay, was a refreshing change from the antics of the mostly non hire-boaters, and the ever increasing canoe fraternity. (y)

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MandM

MandM

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Many years ago, as a young man, I used to stand on the flying bridge to watch the master and pilot do their thing. It was a consummate skill honed over many years and a thing of beauty to behold. Have you ever noticed that when you do a slick manoeuvre into a tight spot. There is no one watching. Yet the slightest cock-up occurs seems accompanied by a loud cheer from a group of drunken observers outside the local hostility!

regards
 
Sep 22, 2014
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@airwave We kept our boat moored on the Deben, and often sat watching various antics, one was two canoes both going in opposite direction, neither checking behind them, then an enormous crash, words I wont repeat, and us enjoying the problem, laughing and drinking wine.
 
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MandM

MandM

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Having hired a nsrrowboat on the Oxford canal over 20 years ago we could easily have been some of those people you may have watched! ( no bike washing !) we did see one come under a huge tree and knock his bike he had on the roof into the water!!! Much shouting ensued! But bike was lost forever in the mud!!:LOL:

I will let you into a secret - many hire boaters prove to be good crews and skippers. Its some of the 'Faux Boaters' aping the old Number Ones, from the long gone days of commercial carrying. With their cravats and waistcoats and a Breton cap worn at a jaunty angle. They are the ones that you need to be wary of.

regards

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MandM

MandM

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@airwave We kept our boat moored on the Deben, and often sat watching various antics, one was two canoes both going in opposite direction, neither checking behind them, then an enormous crash, words I wont repeat, and us enjoying the problem, laughing and drinking wine.

If you are ever in North Yorkshire, hire boat change over day at Skipton always provides a good spectacle.

regards.
 

mike mcglynn

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I watched a small dinghy with a youth in it painting the hull of a small German coaster wth a large roller and and carried on with my job on board the ship some time later I heard a big splash and a lot of swearing in German when I looked over the side the youth was swimming and the dock was covered in grey paint the dinghy was swinging from the davit by one end lying next to the davit was another German youth laughing his head off . That made me smile .
 

chrisgreen

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We often found that a short but pleasant walk through the water meadows to the now abandoned village and burnt out manor house of Hampton Gay, was a refreshing change from the antics of the mostly non hire-boaters, and the ever increasing canoe fraternity. (y)

View attachment 147597
a bit of history that might intrest you toots.https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shipton-on-Cherwell_train_crash
i live in the area and thrupp and hamden gay are about a mile away from my house,when we had a dog we would offten use annies tea room for a cuppa and a large slice of carrot cake.
and before thrup yard became a tea shop it was a working yard for the oxford section of the canal and annies was the carpenters shop,i worked there for british waterways as an appretice bricklayer,repairing bridges and locks and any brickwork that needed doing(y)

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Son lived on a narrowboat for a while, wouldn't be first time he had to jump onto a hire boat to avert an accident. glad I am better (a lot) at driving than I was at steering the boat.
 

Tootles

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a bit of history that might intrest you toots.https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shipton-on-Cherwell_train_crash
i live in the area and thrupp and hamden gay are about a mile away from my house,when we had a dog we would offten use annies tea room for a cuppa and a large slice of carrot cake.
and before thrup yard became a tea shop it was a working yard for the oxford section of the canal and annies was the carpenters shop,i worked there for british waterways as an appretice bricklayer,repairing bridges and locks and any brickwork that needed doing(y)
Yes, I knew about the Christmas train accident already mate, but thanks for the link. Not sure if it mentions it on Wiki, but it seems that the Lord of the Manor refused the injured people help, and exactly one year to the day of the crash, the hose burnt down.

A bit of poetic licence with the engraving. The line in question, and the modern line, are at least three times higher above the canal then the one shown.
 
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I was in New Plymouth, on the MV Manapouri, some called her the Green Greyhound of the Pacific, (she was green and did 23knots)
We were painting the Bow, doing it from rope stages.
The fella I was patrtnered with on the stage, called a Paddy on the next stage an "Irish Bog trotter"
Paddy as mad as a cut snake., got back on deck, we thought he'd gone for a wee. He came back with an axe, and chopped through the rope holding one side of the stage, we went straight down into the sea, me, me mate, paint trays full of paint, brushes and rollers. I went into and under the sea, the paint hit the surface, and spread out , I surfaced through the paint!I managed to reach the ladder attatched to the wharf and made my way back on board. Had to strip on deck and bathe in Kerosene, then slop of to the showers.

The first person that called me the "Jolly Green Giant" nearly got punched !

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chrisgreen

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Yes, I knew about the Christmas train accident already mate, but thanks for the link. Not sure if it mentions it on Wiki, but it seems that the Lord of the Manor refused the injured people help, and exactly one year to the day of the crash, the hose burnt down.

A bit of poetic licence with the engraving. The line in question, and the modern line, are at least three times higher above the canal then the one shown.
the manor house burned down in 1887 the rail accident was in 1874 so not sure why you think it burned down a year later? they housed all the dead at the paper mill in hampton gay.https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hampton_Gay
when you go over the canal bridge at shipton that leads to hamton gay,behind shipton on cherwell church is the manor which used to be the manor recording studio where tubular bells was recorded,belonged to richard branson who then sold it to EMI,now in private hands.iv been to a few party's there when branson owned it(y)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tubular_Bells
 

Tootles

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the manor house burned down in 1887 the rail accident was in 1874 so not sure why you think it burned down a year later?
Probably because some damned no good local Thrupp Boating Club member told me so..........I first read about the place in Rolt's 'Narrow Boat', in which he paints an idyllic picture of the place.

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chrisgreen

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Probably because some damned no good local Thrupp Boating Club member told me so..........I first read about the place in Rolt's 'Narrow Boat', in which he paints an idyllic picture of the place.
thrupp boating club think they own the place,iv had a few ruck's with them in the past when i had my boat
before they were there it was one of the best carp fishing spots on the canal.huge reed beds right from the water point up towards shipton bridge,all now gone:(
 

chrisgreen

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anyone intrested in the canals should talk to my 82 year old father in law,all his family were working boatmen/women as was the mother in laws,my wife spent the first years of her life on a working boat,untill the family got the canal side cottage at dukes lock on the oxford canal,it was not all lovly and romantic in those days it was crual hard work and poorly paid,my father in law would tell stories about working the horses to exaustion often traveling for 24/36 hours without stopping,and when they got the motor boats they were expected to keep going 24/7 untill they compleated their journey,any one into canal working people,look for boswells and dixons,and skinners all related to my wife(y)

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chrisgreen

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just done a search of my wifes family and found these fran's mum was rose boswell and her dad is tom.
all these pics are of frans family her uncles,grand parants,aunties(y)
http://collections.canalrivertrust.org.uk/results
link does not direct to boswell so type in the search box boswell and it should take you to frans family.
 
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chrisgreen

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Blimey Chris you married into this Itinerant/Scouse lot..... :wink:

bread.jpg
no comparision griff.
my inlaws are the salt of the earth,never pretentsios, happy with what life throwed at them never unemployed my now dead mother in law was a fantastic lady and we miss her daily,worth ten of any woman iv ever met.
 

Tootles

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anyone intrested in the canals should talk to my 82 year old father in law,all his family were working boatmen/women as was the mother in laws,my wife spent the first years of her life on a working boat,untill the family got the canal side cottage at dukes lock on the oxford canal,it was not all lovly and romantic in those days it was crual hard work and poorly paid,my father in law would tell stories about working the horses to exaustion often traveling for 24/36 hours without stopping,and when they got the motor boats they were expected to keep going 24/7 untill they compleated their journey,any one into canal working people,look for boswells and dixons,and skinners all related to my wife(y)
I had the great good fortune to meet Joe Skinner many years ago. He was on the bank at Sutton Stop. I worked our boat round and through the stop lock, and brewed him a mug of tea. I was working single handed to Hillmorton, from Macclesfield, to meet up with Ali at the BW yard.
Had a great half hour with Joe, then pushed on. Someone has said that Friendships cabin is now in the museum at Stoke Bruin. (y)

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