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The captain tried as hard as he could to evade the magnetic pull of the UFO in the harbour.....

Like the K&A for instance? Where CaRT have said what they would like to see and the resident boater community simply declare it unlawful. There is only one thing that changes attitudes and that is pressure from enforcement. In order to stop being selfish it is necessary to first recognise that one has been selfish. Far better for one's self image to claim a proprietorial relationship with the canal as it's guardian and steward who does everyone a favour by staying put.

Can we have a section devoted to politics please where like minded individuals can discuss racism, the EU, migration, devolution and so on Then the rest of us can ignore the pub bores who saw something on telly and want to get cross about it Richard

Lots of choices, but I use Elsil Fresh Water Tank Clean as an annual treatment. The litre bottle does about a 200 litres iirc, but I doubt a bit either way is an issue. Based on peroxide I believe, so oxygen is the active ingredient hence non-toxic, no nasties, no taste issues, won't bother the fishes - Google it for the full details. You can save some, maybe most, of the eight quid I splashed out last year by using bleach, milton fluid or something similar as someone will be along to say shortly.

I would suggest you get confirmation in writing that the boat is owned by the seller and comes unencumbered by debt. When was the boat built, is there confirmation of this (there should be). The broker should have or be able to get paperwork to back this up. Has it the appropriate certicates, has it got a current BSS, is it licenced and insured? They should check the boat number (Jim Shead) and see if it has had a name change and then should search using it's name(s) on the net for any mention of it, blogs, news articles, comments on forums such as this etc.and match this with what the broker/seller is saying. ANY discrepancy found is a warning signal. Who built the hull and who fitted it out, investigate their reputation and if there are any endemic faults, asking a question on here should get a response. On inspection of the boat make a list and do not allow yourself to be hurried by the broker. eg water in the bilges, funny smells, new paint work, excessive smoke from engine, spaghetti wiring, damp/mold, obvious modifications etc.and ask for explanations. This can be used as a list of specifics you want checked out on survey if you are not altogether happy with the answers from the broker. Is the boat tidy, does it look as if the owner cares for it. It might be old and a bit care worn but you can usually feel if it is and has been loved. Take a deep breathe. Is this the boat you want? Does it press your button? Do you have somewhere to moor it when you have bought it? No - walk away there are plenty more fish in the sea. Yes - into battle on price. Remember always it is your money and you control the situation until you part with it. HTH - and the best of luck. I hope you come back here and tell us how you got on. ed - typing errors only seem to show after posting

I think there is another hexagon head between that raised one we can see and the fuel pipe. i can just see its raised boss. This should be dead in the centre of the filter head. Its a centre bolt that holds the bowl on and squashes the element. Fuel off. Undo centre bolts while holding an ice cream tub under the filter to catch the leaks. The bowl may need holding and it is likely to simply drop off one the bolt is out. Twist and pull filter down while still holding the tub. Drop eh filter into the tub. Carefully inspect the contents of the tub for signs of water, bug, etc. You should have four O rings in the pack with the filter and these are normally changed but as this is your first time it is probably better to leave the old ones in place and reuse them. The main difficulty is one of the large ones that fits in a groove around the filter head. It is all too easy to put it in twisted. For completeness follow this procedure. Get the two large rings,they are different sizes. find and fit the one that sits on the ledge in the bowl. The other one (normally slightly thinner in section) fits into the filter head. The larger of the two remaining fits onto the "nose" in the filter head that pokes inside the middle of the filter. There should then be one very small one. If the centre bolt hole has a taper at the top this little ring goes around the centre bolt but if the hole is parallel then just use a new soft washer around the bolt. Even if the filter head does require the small O ring I would fit a new soft washer on the bolts above it. Make NO attempt to fill he filter with diesel, if you do it will all leak out. Push the filter onto the "nose" in the filter head and hold the bowl in place below it. Fit the bolt but when it start to tighten a little twist the filter and listen of sound of metal rubbing on metal. If there is you have not aligned the filer in the filter head so try again. Ditto for the bowl. Turn fuel on. If the filter is below the fuel level in the tank then removing loosening that hexagon you can see may well allow the filter to bleed by gravity, even if you do have to give the tank breather a good blow to start the fuel flowing.

For those of you who want the electronic (pdf) version it's here https://canalrivertrust.org.uk/media/library/141.pdf Just click on the 'floppy disc' symbol (which should appear towards the bottom of the screen when you hover your mouse there) and 'save a copy' To read it (and any other pdf files) you will need Adobe Reader which can be downloaded free here http://www.adobe.com/uk/products/reader.html Sorry if this is obvious to most of you but if patty-ann is struggling she may not be the only one

I rather suspect that 'the rest' you refer to are the majority of boaters, and that only an unrepresentative minority attend such meetings. Such is the way with most large common interest groups. I'm not convinced that these meetings are in any way representative and perhaps CART have come to a similar conclusion.

Nothing wrong with being a bit bent... My ASH25E by nick.norman, on Flickr

I was listening to Radio 4 recently and there was debate amongst various people including English Heritage about Newcastle Railway station and a potential refurb of this historic building to make it useful today. It was pointed out that the station is on the site of the castle that gives Newcastle it's name and if English Heritage was around in the 19th century the station wouldn't have been built in the first place. History is important but it has little if anything to do with buildings or boats or cars. Cutting up these boats is taking something neglected and unwanted and turning them into something useful and wanted. To my mind it doesn't make any sense to do anything else with them.

London doesn't need 20,000 extra homes, it needs less people. The idea that London needs to keep absorbing more people as somehow necessary to economic success is ridiculous. It is time for some compulsory business relocation.

It could still be in the Virtual Pub, just a back room, Blackroses Black Hole or something. ...