sean neill wrote: > A lot of "getting 'em ahead" in the working boaters' parlance is down > to things like getting the boats moving while one crew member is > preparing breakfast of coffee and bacon butties to hand to the > 'working' crew when ready, similarly for lunch etc. This is how > working boats could beat trains point-to-point - they kept going like > the proverbial tortoise. Quite a number of members of this group get > pleasure in being able to travel relatively long distances in this > way.
TNC have got this down to a fine art...to the extreme of not stopping for weed hatch visits, adjusting stern gland and filling greaser underway. Washing boat, doing minor repairs, rust spots and paint touch ups while underway. Dumping crew off for shopping while going through locks, dropping departing crew off at bridge holes without stopping, picking up crew arrivals at bridge holes with out stopping, filling with water at end of day (by mooring near waterpoint and using our 200ft hose)...why in Ireland we even refuel from 20l Jerry cans while on the move and **********(censored) When we were this side of the water we also tried to plan to do bottlenecks early or late......in Ireland, well there just aren't any holdups, well not any that you can account for (just why does it always take at least half an hour to get through Athlone Lock???) -- Neil Arlidge - NB Earnest - "English Barge" Shannon Reg 7410 Read about our Irish travels at: http://www.tuesdaynightclub.co.uk/Tour_07/index.html
