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Tony Dunkley Cut the crap Where is your home mooring? Where do you go to every time you leave your home mooring? What is the duration that you stay at each of the mooring locations? .......... or are you taking the piss

I'm waiting for the next article in NBW regarding a head on collision involving a towing boat. My view is, especially on canals, is avoid using any sound signals as the chances of the helmsman on the receiving boat having the faintest idea what they mean is minimal. Even on the Thames I doubt that many skippers know the correct signals. I think having a big enough "towing" sign on the front is a good common sense precaution.

OK, at the risk of promoting the dark side; http://www.narrowboatworld.com/index.php/leatest/6647-fairness-for-those-on-the-waterways Now, this doesn't give huge amounts of detail, but it does tell us that Tony "chooses now not to use his home mooring", and that his home mooring "necessitates a three quarter of a mile walk to his boat". We also learn that whilst not on his home mooring, he moves no more than 3-5 miles. At the risk of leaping to a conclusion, we can suggest that Tony's home mooring is almost certainly the cheapest mooring around at the end of a Farmer's Field. Let us consider the 1995 Act; (i) the Board are satisfied that a mooring or other place where the vessel can reasonably be kept and may lawfully be left will be available for the vessel, whether on an inland waterway or elsewhere; Now, clearly Tony has a place where the vessel may lawfully be left, but is it a place where it can reasonably be kept? I would suggest that as Tony has elected NOT to moor there, and as the distance that he (in poor health we are told) must walk is a factor in that decision, it is not, in his case, such a place. There is an avenue open to Tony. He could move to (and pay for) a more suitable mooring, and all would be well. However, it appears that he has decided to pay as little as possible, and having paid for a mooring with poor access simply to moor elsewhere with better access. Let us not kid ourselves. Tony is attempting to work the system. he is trying to legitimise his bridge hopping.

Hi, I'm not sure if this is the right place for this post so if needs moving then please do so. I live in Retford about 5 minutes walk from the Chesterfield Canal. Unfortunately I have no chance of affording a boat (although i'd love one) but have hire them for holidays and a friend used to have on small cruiser on the Stainforth Canal so I do have some very limited experience. The reason for this post is two fold. Firstly I have just taken the role of fishing bailiff on the Stretch from West Retford Bridge to Clayworth. With this in mind if anyone experiences any issues with anglers in that area please send me a message. I appreciate that boaters and anglers don't always get one but as someone who enjoys both sides i've always thought that a little mutual respect and consideration is in everyone's benefit. I have had experience of very considerate boaters and some that were deliberately inconsiderate and also the same with anglers. The Second reason for the post is that if anyone is going through the area especially from Whitsunday pie lock to the West Retford lock and wants a hand or some local knowledge then please get in touch. I'll always help if I can. Sound a bit sad but I love being around the water and boats.

I've got a cigar lighter adaptor plugged into a 3 pin 5 amp 12 volt socket at present with a dual USB adaptor plugged into that to give me two 2.1 amp supplies to run my WiFi and charge phone or tablet but it doesn't look very nice and my wife doesn't like it dangling over the sofa. So I though about getting a flat blanking plate to replace the socket and flush mount a USB adaptor in it together with an on/off switch and LED indicator but it is a case of finding an existing USB socket that is shallow enough to mount in a 25 mm box. Anybody done something similar or know of an adaptor of shallow depth. I did wonder about whether one from a car might do the job but it might cost. Regards Pete

Yes nice trip down the Braunston flight all the locks in our favour, towards Hillmorton with a hire boat fast approaching, shouting to overtake. Kept at the same pace but moved off centre and waved them past, we can't overtake " can you slow down?" . Moved over after Barby Moorings but caught them up by the second lock on the Flight of 3 life's to short tied up and had a couple of beers at Badseys then decided to stay the night. Pleased to see the visitor moorings are still 14 days , Back on subject they've lost some good people whatever the cause and I hope that they remain involved in the waterways. I'm not a member so the reasons are none of my business and I see no point in speculating unless you are.

As I have said before they will be in the same position as any other organisation still in the process of setting up. It is not uncommon for steering committees to change a number of times in the early stages.

Can you please elaborate? I find it extremely irksome when people say things like this, it just reads as if your trying to sound knowledgeable without actually saying anything at all. This kind of statement can cause a seller a lot of grief. Keith

Well! As I said earlier I've just singlehanded the HNC (again) and I simply don't recognise most of these problems. The canal is generally much better than it was when I first traversed it 8 years ago. Many of the gates have been replaced in the last two years, and leakage is much reduced in these cases. As for Lock 2E, well there is indeed no pedestrian access, but why do you need to get to the bank? The crew gets on at Lock 1E or 3E, and off above or below 2E, both with enough depth (below is at the exit from a tunnel anyway, with even a proper landing stage!) Most of the HNC locks have steps down at the lock tail, so no need to come in to the bank; if going down, just nose gently into the top gate to let crew off. The HNC is worth the effort and sometimes ingenuity - don't be put off by these exagerrated horror stories put about by people who do it once and "Never again!"

Generally batten is fixed to steel ribbing without insulation in between. We used Tek screws and glue. However this does actually create thermal bridging so some heat loss will occur this way. The problem is, what to you put in between steel and batten that would improve the situation? any decent insulation is generally a soft material that contains air, you're not going to fit battens securely with something like that in between. What I would suggest though is filling the ribbing with can spray foam, this might not necessarily aid in reducing thermal bridging but it will stop condensation forming inside the tube. I drilled 10mm holes every 18 inches and injected a squirt of foam. Spraying foam between the steel and wood will act as a glue but squeezed like it would be it would have little to no insulation value at all. I recall regular pine batten has the highest insulation value. We actually made our cavities 60mm in stead of the usual 50mm or 2 inch. So our timber batten is thicker anyway. We have 50mm Rockwool batts and a 10mm Cellotex vapour barrier on top. ETA I should have mentioned also that you can reduce thermal bridging by battening horizontally top and bottom, the thermal bridge then only occurs where the batten crosses the steel. You can then scribe in uprights affixed to the top and bottom battens where ever you want rather than having to stick to the ribbing. So your uprights can be set exactly to accept an exact 8 f/t length of ply for instance.

"Writes Allan Richards" = CTRL-C CRTL-V

Do they still have that mandate to negotiate with CRT anymore, following the upset in the founding group? Who do they represent and on what basis? BTW - I don't know and am asking? (just in case EmmaB is stalking me)

I have fitted one of those to a JP4 Richard

Ah! Those were the days when a virgin wearing gold bangles could walk naked through the countryside unmolested. I don't have your faith Patty Ann, but will pay them a visit this AM. Thank you. As it happens my side hatch on the wet side was open and I was able to access a spare key, but the other 11 keys are still important to my daily routine

Wow. I think we are having bacon rolls and Pringles on Albion.

I have no idea what all of that stuff is, but I am delighted to be on Team Cobbett.

I'm pleased to announce that Team Cobbett will be assembling tomorrow evening to start as we mean to go on... Pea and asparagus capellini with lime and mint dressing Steak Anglais with Charlotte potatoes and thyme and orange salad Poire Helene with jus rouge Cheese Accompanied by red wine and random bottles of gin and the like ... Then we're going to sleep ....

Last time I read any of his twaddle he didn't have a case worthy of rejection. He is just posting to be perverse. MtB

Given that CRT are aware of a potentially dangerous situtation they, under currrent H&S culture, have to do something. On the basis that funds do not permit an immediate repair then one solution is total closure until funds are available. In its place a reasonable warning is better. It permits continuing navigation but reduces CRT exposure in the event that someone again experiences a repeat of the previous problems. A claim might hinge on whether the notice is sufficient warning but I am much more content to allow us to make reasonable and personal decisions rather than limit navigation in the presence of every possible hazard. On that basis - given that all locks are of a design that would probably not be allowed today - this is the preferred action.

Do you write for the Dark Side - just asking? A controversial 1st post.

George... don't do that! And Rhythm, George. And cheer up - you're a happy flower, George. Yes, you are. Because I say so.

I don't think eBay allow the sale of body parts.