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Personally, I go boating to go boating. I don't do it as an antidote to the modern pace of life, although that is a bonus. I like the challenge of doing it efficiently, safely and without damaging the canal, its structures or any other vessel. I don't do it to gaze around admiring the landscape at the slowest pace possible, that's for when I go for a walk,those that do it are rarely in full control of their boat. So don't tell me I've chosen the wrong form of transport because it's more likely to be you. Keith

Absolutely yes. I have never, in all my life, tried to sell anything to someone who doesn't really need one. There are many posters on here will confirm this. Some posters have even commented about how difficult I used to make it to buy one by asking lots of questions and making sure they actually needed one before taking their money. I might not have an Aston Martin but I sleep soundly at night.

And there, as they say, is the rub. There are some people who stroll merrily through life not giving a flying £^€% what effect their behaviour has on others. Whether this manifests itself in obstructing other people's passage, overstaying, providing false information or whatever, the sentiment remains the same: it is a wilful disregard for the basic requests society makes of all people in exchange for the benefits they enjoy. At best, it is antisocial. At worst, sociopathic. If you're enjoying the waterways, that is wonderful. If, in your enjoyment, you cause stress and distress to others, that is bad. And if you can't evaluate objectively whether your own conduct is at fault, then there is a good chance you are more sociopathic than antisocial.

[#CSTART-6] The IP.Chat room limit has been reached. You will not be able to join the chat room until some users first leave. # Woss all that about? There was only 4 people in the chatroom. I'm trying to recruit single people to my diabolical scheme, but when clicking on the Chat button I got the above message. Is that a temporary glitch or is the website sulking with my laptop? Is there owt I can do to fix it?

I'd take it back to Wickes, tell them you were misinformed by their staff and go elsewhere to buy the proper stuff.

So, what stops you disclosing isn't data protection issues, it is more a matter that your contract isn't properly worded. Oh, and if you give details to the Broads Authority, knowing that they will disclose them to people that you couldn't disclose them to, how does that sit with your data protection issues?

Sadly you will always find ignorant, miserable people where ever you go in life. What I tend to do when I unfortunately bump into one of these folks is to smile and when I receive a horrid or abusive reply, to my request for them to 'slow down please' I reply ' that is not a nice thing to say, how would YOU feel if some one said that to you or one of your family? this usually results in a red face on their part and an apology ( well 8 times out of 10). What we should all remember is that we are all boaters and it doesnt matter if you have a 70ft trad with a beautiful stonky engine or a fibre glass boat because we are all BOATERS and are helping to keep our heritage and traditions alive by keeping our beautiful waterways OPEN I have had a 70ft trad and now I have a 38ft cruiser-style n/b, but it doesnt matter as long as Ime on the cut , so always remember 'you reap what you sow and if you treat everyone that you meet the same way that you would like to be treated you wont go far wrong. Happy cruising fellow Boaters and if you see me adn 'treespirit ' on the cut say hi and smile as I am basically a newbie oh plus yer carnt miss my beautiful lickle shiny green boat with flowers on board and of course my 'L' Plates :)

What really annoys me is that passengers on day boats think it is hilarious when their (frequently) drunken steerers collide with moored boats. It seems to be more commonplace since *The Boat that Guy Built* was on TV. I always thought that program did nothing for the inland waterways. Hit and run now seems to be an accepted sport when hiring a day boat for a party outing.

Nothing personal, but WHAT BUSINESS IS IT OF YOURS? If somebody wishes to travel at a speed that is not damaging the banks or other boats, and is below the speed limit, what is it that gives you the right to criticise them for wishing to do so? You choose to boat as you wish, and allow others to do the same. For reference, I don't like to travel permanently at tickover. It is harder work than it is at a slightly higher speed, it doesn't charge the batteries efficiently, and it limits the amount of the system that we can visit from our base. Presuming to tell people that they should adopt the same attitude to boating as yourself is just arrogant in the extreme.

THATS MEEEE!!!! THATS MEEE!!!! THATS MEEE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Having used the double glazing film successfully last winter, I ordered some cut to size acrylic sheet last week. It arrived today, which was fortunate, as it was very cold here last night and the windows were covered with condensation this morning. I had also ordered self adhesive magnetic seal, to attach the acrylic to the frames and started fitting at 5.30 this evening,. The windows are all aproximately 1200x600mm, with flat wooden surrounds, typical of most modern fitouts. I removed the hoppers, although the opening glasses would be self supporting on the frame if I needed to open any. My wife and I cleaned the windows thoroughly, and sealed the drainage holes with sealastic, then sprinkled some silica gel crystals from Wilkinsons into the channels, to absorb any moisture between the frames. We then stuck one half of the self adhesive magnetic seal tape to the outer edges of one of the sheets, making sure there were no gaps. The other half of the tape was then magnetically attached to the stuck tape, again allowing no gaps. We then peeled off the backing from the adhesive side and, after lining the sheet up carefully, pushed the sheet against the wooden frame, pressing it down hard all the way round. We had the whole job, seven windows, finished by 8.30. Because the acrylic is glass clear and 3mm thick, it looks just like glass. We also used brown magnetic seal, which is far less obvious than white. The acrylic should also be a better thermal insulator than the film was, can be cleaned very easily and can be lifted off in seconds if required. Because it is attached to the wooden window surrounds, it also stops condensation on the aluminium window frames and the air gap is a good sound insulator. We may trim arround the edge with a wood strip, but it does look pretty neat already and is a vast improvement over the film. As all the sheets are the same size and only 4.5mm thick including the seal, they will all stack only 30mm deep behind the sofa for summer storage and of course are infinitely reuseable, taking only seconds to refit. The whole lot was only £222.97 including delivery, which I think is peanuts for years of repeated use. If anyone wants a picture of a finished window or any info on an acrylic supplier, I'd be glad to post. Roger