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Just like anyone on here, CaRT is clearing out it's old tut (?sp.) to raise a few bob. - Somebody spotted the good stuff and had it pulled; or could it be a case of 'ow much do you want for it, Guv? Don't think it's the family silver more like some old Sheffield plate with the copper showing through. Not Elkington. I do take exception of the Trust being a "proper" charity, not that there are many of those left. To me it's a bit more like Stafford hospital. That should get you all going............

John, I wouldn't dispute that strict enforcement of VM time limits can lead to apparently ludicrous situations, and neither would I dispute that there may be ways of improving that. However, let me play devil's advocate for a moment (I know, not what I normally do). Let us consider a hypothetical 48 hour visitor mooring that can accomodate 10 boats. The canal is not too busy, and on average, every day two leisure boats arrive to stay just for one night moving on in the morning, and two boaters on an extended cruise (maybe CCers, maybe not) arrive and stay for the maximum time that they are allowed (2 nights). On any given night, there will be 6 boats moored (two staying for the night, two on the first night of a 2 night stay and two on the second night). The mooring is never actually "full", and there is always room for somebody else to moor. Because the mooring is not full, somebody arrives and decides that they will stay longer (say 4 nights), and as a result, the occupancy of the moorings actually climbs to 8 boats at one point, but the mooring is STILL never full. You may ask the question "what is the problem?" Nobody was prevented from mooring. To my mind, the problem is that the only reason that the mooring didn't fill up is that all the other boaters stuck to the 48 hour limit. Had they decided that if you were going to do it, so were they, the mooring WOULD have filled to capacity. So, the ability for some people to push beyond what is allowed relies upon everybody else NOT taking the same attitude. If a mooring is never full, CRT should change the limits (in our hypothetical example they might increase to 3 days), so as to set a level playing field as to what is allowed, rather than some people obeying the rules and others taking advantage. I wouldn't object to a formalisation of the "stay on if not busy" concept, creating moorings that were 48 hour by default, with mooring wardens able to give permission for an extended stay if asked, rather than a free for all where those who choose to flout the rules are better off. Equally, I see no issue with flexible limits based on time of year. (48 hours Easter to October, 5 days otherwise)

Yes, one where we can ask the opinions of other boaters when something highly irregular and somewhat alarming happens. Apparently said whom? I don't recall suggesting giving him a good kicking, nor reading that suggestion from a bunch of other people here. Please check dictionary definition of "no one," you appear to be confused. Pathetic why? You don't know that, that might be a million miles from the truth. No mischief, how can you tell? Again, you cannot. It turns out he lied and said something else the second time around. He could well be harmless, he could be a thief, he could be a survivalist, he could be a traveler, he could be Lord Lucan. How do you know what is in him or what he is like, positive or negative? You don't. You have a very one dimensional viewpoint. I'm not sure I'd be giving him the benefit of the doubt after finding out when he was faced a second time that he had lied the first time. I would inform the police and other boaters and keep a distance with some suspicion about it all. His second version of the story makes no more sense than his first terms of his coming aboard and inside of the boat, to me, but as long as the OP is happy enough with how he feels about it all now, that's what counts.

As I'm not the one delighting in joining in a row with absolutely no contribution to the debate, merely revelling in a chance to "laugh at my expense" I would say that this is the pot calling the kettle black. What is your contribution to this thread other than to have a go at me? Nothing! You are a hypocrite and it is you who should let go.

This, from the person who referred to others as "water gypsies" and told me that I had a chip on my shoulder and to ''take my head out of my arse" when I pointed out how objectionable this is?' At the time I found you offensive, but now I just find you funny.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hewz7i4aTew Just found this interesting little video. At first i thought it was new as i've never seen it before and it only has a handful of views, however it's obvious it was filmed pre-CRT. It's obvious that it's filmed predominantaly around London, but does anybody know what moorings the lady with Grey hair is at? They look lovely.

Do any of you have horror stories that would make us all shudder at the thought....boatie stories.....like the one where a guy believed his neighbour was filling his water tank, when in fact he had a hold through to the canal, and he was drinking canal water for months without knowing? Funny horror stories would be better, but anything thats makes us all go "cor blimey" will do. There's been far to much squabbling lately, and some good stories should swing the forum back in the right directlon.

Why ?? Left can be a meaningless term dependent on your orientation. Port/Starboard are definitive.

Now all I need is one of those fancy 3D printers.

Calm Down!

Smells bad, no fixed address, sleeps under a bridge, operates locks... that's just us boaters, isn't it?

Being a random untrained individual myself, this is one of the major reasons I have a boat. So I can play with locks without being told off. MtB

Without wishing to undermine your erudite offerings, I telephoned Sydney, in Australia. He is an authority on Barbies and also energy saving techniques. In order to fully qualify his outpourings, he enlisted the help of his friend Alan Fresco. Al is a renowned author on all things outdoor, including BBQ's. His tip for energy savings was to ensure that he remained comfortably perched upon his chair, whilst his wife Sheila walked to the supermarket for his tinnies and when she returned, set up the barbie for their evening meal and cooked all of their food. He assured me that this technique saves him loads of energy and I must admit, if it weren't for that blasted spatula, I'd try this out at home too! Sydney concurred with Al's theory and confirmed that he also employed this system with his wife (also called Sheila). Before hanging up, I asked both of them about when the barbie is finished with, what to do about the ashes. "Don't be such a smart arsed pommie barstard" came the sharp reply, "We'll win them next time!"

No, they do not decide when bona fide navigation is. They tell us what they think it means in their guidance. This does not make their guidance law. It remains guidance in interpreting the law Why do you think they changed their guidance after the Davies case to remove the bit about "significant proportion of the network"? Because it was attempting to stretch the law which makes no such demands on the boater with no home mooring

I disagree. It would be the thin end of the wedge and must be resisted, because supports the concept that there is a 'cruising season' and a cruising 'off-season'. If this thinking gains currency, we will start hearing stuff like "It's not the cruising season now". Then, stuff like "It's not the cruising season now, you shouldn't be out". Then before we know it, CRT will be saying things like no hurry to fix the busted lock, it's not the cruising season. Eventually, in extremis, we could end up with CRT and insurance companies only permitting boating in the cruising season, and then were would we be...? Ok the last bit is a bit silly... MtB

In addition to what Lady M has said, don't rule out getting a mooring - it's likely that a mooring would cost less than the rent on a flat. Although they're not common, it's not impossible to find residential moorings. I know of some that are on auction (Willow Wren) and Packet Boat, Apsley and Moorhen Marina seem to have vacancies from time to time. Engineers Wharf pops up every so often. If you commute further, you can moor for less. We've always chosen to live on residential moorings (in London - we're just about to move to our third) and it costs less than a flat would (including the loan to buy the boat). As someone who has lived aboard for many years, and therefore knows how my boat works etc, I wouldn't move off a mooring to CC around London at the moment. Too difficult now. I would, however, consider doing what some people do and keep my boat on a leisure mooring, and just cruise loads. Some marinas are very clear that you can stay onboard in the marina for X nights per month. If you take the boat out of the marina for the remaining nights, you're clear. You might find, as a new boater, that having access to certain onshore facilities might be useful. For example, if you get a boat that needs some work doing, it's a lot easier to do at a mooring than on the towpath. Worth considering. I hope that you can see that most people have replied in a way that is ultimately in your interest, even if some are sterner than others. Fair play to you for doing your research, and if you go ahead with your plan, best of luck with it, but the concensus here is that you'd be better off finding a mooring. Lucy

Personally I find that Mrs Doorman is by far the most efficient and economical way of cooking, full stop. I'm ashamed to say that I'm absolutely useless at cooking, other than when it's BBQ time of course where I suddenly become a gourmet chef capable of cooking culinary delights and fight for the right to burn everthing within minutes, even the salad!

I'm sorry G&F but no The search function on the forum is rubbish. Even accepting that a newbie (even one of some weeks standing) may find it acceptable to ask an polite question without being derided. I asked whether trad sterns were better than cruiser sterns when I'd been a member for "some weeks". It didn't occur to me to use the search function - why should I? As a complete newbie I had no idea that the subject had been "done to death". A couple of members, instead of telling me off, posted links to previous topics, which is how it should be done rather than deriding the OP. As Carl pointed out earlier if we outlaw all the contentious topics the forum will die - for those of us that have been around a while there's a lot of yawn topics, but to someone new to the forum they're still a valid topic for debate - and we do have new members all the time that add new dimensions and new experiences to that debate. Let's not just put the forum on freeze and say "use the search function". And bear in mind a number of weeks since registering membership doesn't necessarily mean they've perused the forum every day like us sad gits

Digger is home! The Internet went mad, literally hundreds of tweets, forums, Facebook etc, then we coated the local area in posters and less than hour later (14 hours after went missing) he showed up o the tow oath, a couple saw him and ran but couldn't keep up, then a call came, someone had grabbed him and called. We're pretty convinced someone had him and with all the attention throw him back where they took him from. Either way, all good now! Thanks for the support

Larry....it's a forum....with boaters......not badmington players.......people just express themselves ....sometimes without caring how it's interpreted. Let it go, the forum needs folk like you , to balance things out. I demand Mr Pink apologises!

So you see my point - NO other forum I've ever spoken on has seen fit to speak to other members like this. If Mr Pink is allowed to speak like this it is not a forum I want to be any part of. Thank god all the real people I've met on the canal aren't like you.

On the subject of whether a county court judgement is then relevant to the whole country, I thought I would try and clarify this (My father is a barrister) When the law is unclear, and says something like 'reasonable' they then look to previous cases to work out what 'reasonable' means. If for instance the judge rules that you must move every X number of days and have to move X number of miles, then in the future if C&RT were to try and take you to court, you would be able to quote the judges ruling on nicks case, and would win on that basis. So although it doesn't become the law, C&RT would change their own internal rules, and would not take anyone to court. You would be quoting 'Brown V C&RT' rather than the legal verse. Don't know if that makes any sense, but thought I should add my 2p worth. (And I agree with those who say they just want the law to be clarified not changed)

Couldn't agree more but that is an entirely separate argument. In the UK we pay far too much tax for too little and I see no evidence of government (bureaucracy) austerity, it seems very much to be spend (waste) as usual, Any campaign that reduces the bureaucratic burden of taxation has me as a supporter. But doing it by picking at one tax amongst many, a tax which in the main is paid by wealthier people indulging in a leisure activity is hypocritical and wrong. I see access to transport as a basic enabling freedom that is slowly but inexorably being denied to all but the wealthier. How about massively reducing tax on basic transport costs? Making mobility affordable again. But for the comfortably off to whinge about a few pence extra leaves a foul taste. And to suggest that their range rovers will be transporting tesco diesel to save a few pence per litre and causing pollution as a fundamental argument is simply risable. Why not gladly pay that tax and campaign for further reduction in fuel duty for living costs? That might be seen as progressive.

This post is called 'Empty visitors moorings - overstaying' I merely raised the case that this weekend one of the 4 VMs at Aynho was blocked by a boat that had been there 14 days - according to people who live there. In terms of verifiable facts I know he was there for over 48 hours at least, as we stayed that long and he was there when we arrived and there when we left and the boat was locked up and empty. Why shouldn't it be my concern? Especially if it makes me have to go way past where I want to be? Why do you Mr Pink always have to take such a rude and offensive tone?

Apparently because of this thread manufacturers and suppliers have all run out of composting bogs. They are known to be so popular that is why nearly all boats on the system have them fitted. The days of the cassette bog and pumpout are numbered. All 7 of the boat owners in the uk with composting toilets are guilty as charged for promoting the device and bankrupting other bog manufacturers. !! Shame on you all. Tim

Having been on a marina mooring since 1995 and my boat being my principal home since around 1998, it has long been my dream to get away and cruise around the system, becoming classed as a CC for the purpose of abiding by the rules and paying for a licence. It has never been my intention to move from a marina only to remain static in a chosen location. Whilst still having a marina mooring, this year my wife and I have had a taste of CCing, having cruised around 350 miles and worked about 320 locks in eleven weeks. We have loved every minute and for us it is the long awaited dream come true. Having recently joined the forum, I find that I am likely to become part of a group (CCers) against whom there is a good deal of hostility. Many posters seem to confuse CCing with CMing but tar all with the same brush. I am sure that we are not alone and that there are many bona fide CCers who have not been motivated by getting something for nothing, not having to pay marina fees etc. but simply to enjoy, whilst we are still able, the wonderful inland waterways that we have been helping to support for 30 years. Give it a rest guys, by all means vent your spleen on those who are rightly in your sights but as for the rest of us (and I'm not yet a CCer) CCing means precisely that. I'm sure all this has been expressed before but I have neither the time or energy to sift through the myriad of postings about it, I have better things to do, like continuing to cruise!

[sigh] No they haven't. They have made their view known to Parliament, it doesn't mean that view carries any weight. Heaven help us when the day comes that simply providing evidence to Parliament means parliamentary judgement is fettered.

He'd be OK, he's known to be distasteful Richard

didnt want to get sucked in, but just thought of something. When you live on land....you dont pay "to live on land". When you live on water....you do pay "to live on water". So in my book, landpayers can pay land tax (council tax), and boaters can pay water tax ( CRT licence). Sure you can say that boaters have to support the council, but my arguement is that land livers should pay equally towards the upkeep of the canals. Why should a boater have to pay to be on the water, and land people dont have to pay to be on the land ? (ps...I pay council tax, and a marina fee and a licence fee).

I don't think that any of us use the canals for "what they are intended for". They were built as a transport system with purely commercial objectives. I doubt that the builders envisaged any of the uses that they are currently put to.

Yes we have a dog - he's scared of his own shadow - wouldn't walk passed my wifes riding boots the other day to get his ball. So unless the would be tea leaf has an allergy to Scooter then he would be welcomed with open paws. On an aside re dogs I was head butted in my shin by a wimpy staffy two weeks ago (he was running away from a puppy!) still can't walk properly so maybe I can teach Scooter to head butt low life.

Might be better to have it welded onto the boat in the welldeck outside, so anyone taking a grinder to it has to do it in full view of the world. Far more likely to attract attention that way. Either that, or take your valuables with you when you break down. Or keep them in the poo tank. MtB