Macs in Olde London Towne

[albion]

I tried to find the two reference points you mentioned on my map of Great Britain, and the scale is too large. The only Richmond I could find is a town southwest of Middlesbrough, and I have no idea where the Thames barrier is. Could you educate those of us that might be a little unclear about English geography? I assume your trip passed Greenwich and the Prime Meridian so it was a transit from one hemisphere to another, not something most of us Mac sailors get a chance to do. Any special ceremony for making that crossing? Or is it just too common a thing for you to make a fuss over? ....Sincerely, Geographically challenged in Orlando!

I also suffer from this but in reverse As far as i am aware there is no tradition for crossing the prime merridian as it happens too often

richmond is on the west side of London,the thames barrier is in the east heading out to sea,the thames barrier is ther to prevent London getting flooded should the WW2 munitions ship thats east of London,ever decide to detonate.The river estuary ends up down at kent before adding its self to the North Sea.

The canals and river systems interlink and you can loose yourself meandering around the UK

The Thames is navagable all the way up to Oxford,it goes through beautifull country side and plenty of Locks.

There are lots of historical sites and markers,theres even a Giant Buddah, close to the houses of parlament.

There are lots of small and large markers pinpointing various events like the one at Millbank where people who now call themselves Austrailians left the UK.

BASTONJOCK, That munitions ship is between Southend and Sheerness on the Isle of Sheppey about 35-40 miles from London. Ive seen it many times.The reason for the barrier is, if the high spring tides get too high London cops it.The last great flood was in 1953 when Holland and the east coast of UK got hit bad.I remember row boats going down the street next to Mums house.

[bastonjock]

Albion,if the muntiions ship ever goes bang,the barrier will be needed.I worked on the barrier as a diver and the official reason for it was "spring tides" but being a diver,some of your colleques are ex navy and they tell a different story. That wreck is in such a dangerous condition the navy no longer inspect it for fear of causing it to detonate.

BTW,London is currently under threat of flooding,nothing to do with spring tides,its all to do with the rain, so the barriers in this current situation are useless

On a more humorous note,whilst working on the Thames barrier,divers would get an extra fiver a day "wet money" when it rained.

[magnetic]

Upstream of London the River Thames is non-tidal, but at present in full spate due to exceptionally heavy rains; I normally launch from ABingdon Marina http://www.electric-boat-association.or ... marina.jpg, where last night the river was 8ft above its normal level and rising at 4 inches an hour. We had 5 inches of rain last Friday alone, and the rivers are still coming up!

[Craig LaForce]

I tied a line that attaches to the bottom hole of the 2 fenders on each side and have a loop tied on the end at the right length to go over the stern cleat when underway and it pulls both fenders up to the horizontal above / along the rail. when coming back to the slip, i just remove the loop from the stern cleat and the fenders drop back down into position. There is also a spot to hand the loop near the winch to keep it out of the way and handy for the next time. I never have to touch the fenders and it takes about 1 second per side.

[Morimaro]

To answer the question of sailing in the English Lake District, the UK Mac Owners Assoc did a holiday weekend Rally on Windermere (biggest Lake) in the Fall last year.
This year we did a rally at Falmouth in the far (for UK) Southwest, in Falmouth, Cornwall where MacGregor International hosted the rally (launch, recover and BBQ) The fleet spent a week exploring the Fal estuary and its tributaries.
Also most years we do a rally in Western Scotland on and around the River Clyde and the Islands.
In the past we have done rallies in Ireland, France (ferry to Brittany and sailing to Normandy) and Holland (ferry to inland Zee).
All down to the excellent trailability of the Mac.
Unfortunately there are no ferries over the pond, so its doubtful that you will see a rally in the home of the Mac!

Cheers
Morris

Cheers

Morris

[Herschel]

Just saw some pictures of floods in area west of London particularly one of Tewkesbury that looked pretty rough. Having enjoyed a holiday in London and the Cotswold area last autumn, it is hard to imagine all the destruction and flooding you are experiencing. Just want to let you guys in the UK know some of us are thinking about you. Stay safe. Herschel

[bastonjock]

ive just come back from looking at a mac down in Devon,we took the motorway(M5) and when you get to the Gloucester area,the Avon has burst its banks big time,there is a caravan not far from the motorway that is all mashed up and wrapped around a tree,its surrounded by water.

and thanks for the concern herchel,a lot of folks are going to be financially ruined as a result of the floods,hard working folks that have bought homes in flooded areas now have homes that have lost a huge chunk of their value,not good when your mortgage is more than the value of your house