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In 2009 Val had her first experiences narrowboating, the first on a hire boat from Foxhangers to Bristol return and the second with friends on their own boat, Whio. We went from Cambridge to Littleport via Judes Ferry on the River Lark. On this trip Val declared that a boat like this, was where she was meant to be, and then was promptly told if that was the case, to get on with it! Liz and Bill were in their 70’s when they had Whio built and had her for seven years including three trips across the Trent and Mersey. Well over the next four years, one thing continually led to another, resulting in us purchasing Whio in April 2013, for an intended five year, plus or minus a year, ownership cruising to the maximum six months allowed on our UK visitors Visas . The handover was bedside in a hospital in New Zealand and we took delivery of Whio on the wrong side of an expected long term stoppage due to major lock chamber failure on the Aylesbury. We had a week onboard provisioning Whio at the Aylesbury town basin where we were made so welcome by the Canal Society. They invited us to continue the winter mooring arrangements they had with Liz and Bill. These served us really well in their new home. Our escape from Aylesbury was a major undertaking organised by the Aylesbury Canal Society and CART for a mass “truck around” of forty boats to Milton Keys. So our first trip, Whio got up to fifty miles an hour on a truck with us following in a friend’s car, and all stopped for a bacon butty at a roadside cafe. Then it was up through Milton Keynes intending to drop our chauffeur at Wolverton from where we would be alone. On this first trip on our new boat I confess, at times, forgetting to slow some of the moored boats and I justifiably upset at least one. I now must apologise to Big Coll and to everybody else when on other occasions too I did travel at an inappropriate speed.. A couple of days later we were extremely unexpectedly hailed by name, it was Matty40s who we had engaged from afar for boat spotting before Whio had suddenly became unexpectedly available. Our second tunnel was Braunston. Approaching we admired the steam tug Hasty that had just emerged and then as we entered I was alarmed by the change in engine sound, but the sound did not change when I took Whio out of gear. It was like sharing a tunnel with an approaching, but unseen loaded diesel freight train not helped because the tunnel was full of smoke. It was not until we were really close to approaching boat we saw lights, the forward light was obscured by the headboard. We bounced past, relaxed back towards the centre and then spotted the butty! Our worst ever tunnel,but last year we were grateful to escape into the same tunnel during a blizzard. Well the plan was to tour a different quadrant of the network each year, with the final year, this year, armed with a gold licence, a repeat trip on the Thames but this time joining the St Pancras Cruise for an absolutely memorable Thames Barrier cruise and then via the Oxford Canal onto the Cambridge Fens. This where our cruising on Whio had started way back in 2009. We had considered this area to be somewhat of “the left overs” We were wrong, The fens are not without interest, The water level of the navigation is at about mean sea level, that is about 10ft below mean high water. I never expected to be locked up not down into the tideway. The rivers are however stunning, similar but even more beautiful than the Thames above Oxford and just so lightly trafficked. Ely and Bedford have such beautiful waterfronts. Last weekend we made it back up to Rugby Boats and on Monday we left Whio stripped of our “stuff” and there was plenty, far too much for an airline baggage allowance. Matty40s lent us a welcome hand in cleaning and polishing her, and more importantly, staging her, ready for sale, and in return he and Kathy accepted some surplus goods and foodstuffs. Whio looks gorgeous; we had even reflagged her with the Union Jack replacing the New Zealand Ensign she has worn for the last twelve summers. We then, had a taxi direct for Heathrow and after a 24 hour flight have now arrived home tired in Auckland. Matty was the first of many forum members we have met and who have helped us as well as enjoyed their company. We managed to resolve a compatibility problem between our Victron Combi and a cheap Chinese generator here on our off grid holiday property in NZ with advice from this forum and found Tacet for our pilot and radio operator for our first Thames foray here. It is a wonderful resource, and great source of amusement and time killing. Thank you. One of the many unique things we found on your canal system is that it is an incredibly unstratified society, we have met so many wonderful people and some real characters. We had some great towpath barbeques. On the waterways and adjacent to them there are some prats, but really considering how many people we encountered, they are noticeable because there were so few of them. Mostly we thoroughly enjoyed the wildlife with the exception of just some of the humankind. It was wonderful to take our own accommodation into the very heart of so many major cities and tourist towns The system is magnificent in its diversity. Nobody here believed us, when we told them that just on our first year we spent twelve miles on a boat underground. Hill top boating, up north must be unique in the world. We would like to thank those activists and hard workers that voluntarily reversed the canal closures and restored and are continually restoring more canals and historic structures. We found fascinating the links and artefacts between our industrialisation and the waterways. It is lovely also to see so many historic boats, and engines being so lovingly maintained and restored. As well as “colour” to the countryside they are important historically, That’s the people and the boats! Treasure them. We enjoyed the challenges of the tideways, the tunnels, not so much, some of the heavy swing bridges and locks. Fortunately we never had any real problems with high river flow conditions on the rivers although the last two bridges into Bedford we had as much spare headroom as through the Standedge tunnel but a lot more gongoozelers! Our experiences with CART were all positive, many exceptionally so. We found the boatyards we dealt with friendly, competent, and fairly priced. Whio herself as been exceptionally reliable. We were never immobilised and never were without any of her auxiliary services. Only three times did we need boatyard services, once to change engine mounts, another to rectify a high resistance connection on the starter alternator evident after the six months unpowered layup this year, and once to change a worn coolant hose and full coolant change. We did however use boatyards for the bigger scheduled engine sevices. There are regrets leaving but we are now at an age that further time and good health is now becoming an increasingly precious resource and there is so much else in this big world we want to see and do. The money released will come useful too. Val tells everybody that for our canal boating adventure the reality was even better then the dream. Farewell and good boating. Don and Val

OP So in order to help others to advise can you provide : How many batteries How much solar panel Which controller Which inverter How many hours TV / DVD per day What other electrical goods are drawing from your batts - in particular the fridge . Is it on . Is it 12v /240v ? Do u run your engine to charge aswell as the solar ? How many hours if so ?! There will be more questions i expect and those who can help will need this info ( & maybe more ) in order to help . If youve knackered your batts dont worry ..... everybody does . If they are dead its gonna cost to replace and once replaced you ll want them to last a bit longer . If you replace them and carry on as before they will soon pack up aswell . So dont do it . Provide answers to the above and whatever other info is asked for and you 'll get answers to what has happened and how to prevent it happening again . Without the info then folk are just guessing . Every boat is different . Set ups are different . Usage is different . If help is needed on YOUR set up , folk need to know info about YOUR set up and usage . As i say - without it then its all guesswork cheers

I expect it will be worth advising how much solar panel you have fitted & which controller you have . What else is running whilst the TV / DVD are on . Is the fridge on ? I have a Tracer solar control box . When i bought my solar set up 4 years ago i also got the little " display " unit . Its bobbins . I have a look at it during the day but i dont RELY on it as i dont trust it . Instead i use a " smartgauge " . This advises me as to my batteries state of charge - SOC . Im also careful about power usage . At the risk of sounding a little harsh - the tone of your OP seems to be ... " Ive fitted solar so im all fixed up ..." . Its never going to be that straightforward . At this time of year solar gains begin to diminish & soon enough they ll be all but non existant . I can get away with just solar looking after my batts but thats cos im very cautious and dont have lots of gizmos - no telly for instance , no fridge thru winter . If you have been using electrical stuff via your inverter " as you please " thru late summer then that may be ok ( i do the same in summer ) and expect it to continue then its not going to happen . The days are getting shorter & solar will not provide . Its effectiveness will already be much less than in June July & August . Alternative charging methods will be needed. I think that you ve not been charging the batts as much as you think & theyve slowly lost capacity from constant undercharging to the point where the inverter isnt able to function . Others can advise about how you now test your batts to see if theyre goosed but if they are then its back to the drawing board & a rethink of power management & charging routines . Looking after batteries is the key to living aboard with any degree of success and its a far from easy subject & can be an expensive one too . I get around this by being a luddite ! But if you want electrical stuff then tje batts must be maintained and that ll involve effort , learning and probably your wallet .

I attended the new style IWA festival at Saul Junction by car and have not attended any others, but I would say that I think the people organising them today are very down to earth people, not as you describe as the upper echelons of the IWA. I think that ended at Watford. I would like to attend next years down the Gt Ouse but just wont have time to fit it in with other things I want to do.

Is because of Pukers effect?

Yes it’s 2. If we’re going to get into chemistry, then riddle me this, which I’ve been meaning to post for months and months... During discharge............ The positive plate (which is actually a cathode for the purposes of the internal reaction) reduces from lead dioxide to lead sulphate. In doing so it gains two electrons from the external circuit (thus reduction) and the voltage of the reaction is 1.685 volts. This is an atomic/chemical reaction. There are no iffs or buts about it. The voltage is not negotiable. The negative plate oxidises from lead to lead sulphate. In doing so it releases two electrons (thus oxidation) to the external circuit. The voltage of this reaction is 0.356 volts. Again, this is an atomic/chemical reaction. It’s a fixed voltage. Add the two voltages (for each reaction) together and we get 2.041 volts. That is the natural voltage of that cell. 6 cells gives us 12.246V. Now there either are available ions at the interface between the acid and the plates or there aren't available ions. There is no in between. So either the plates react (thus producing those voltages) or they don't. Again, there is no in between. So how can the voltage ever be higher than this? 12.7 volts is about fully charged and rested. Where does the extra 0.65 volts come from? And... why does the voltage fall as the battery discharges? There are no good answers out there in Google-Land that I can find.

If you drank it more slowly you’d have more to drink

We visited Ilkeston this year. As we run the Boatyard closest to the site it was a good opportunity to get out and talk to people. The stalls were good and the boats looked great. But. With the exception of Primrose Engineering who have a good stall, and the stove supplier, there was no other stands for boaters supplies. Not everyone who visited was obviously a boater but they were a large demographic who were. I feel for a waterways festival there should have been more stalls for "bits and bobs" and basic chandlery. Dan

The first thing to say is that I think the Bingley Five and Three Rise Locks are normally on winter opening hours till mid-March. These haven't been published for 2017/18 as far as I can see, but it might be that last passage commences at 2.00ish rather than 5.00ish, so depending on the dates of your trip you might not get through on the Friday. That's OK though, you can just moor at the top (no need to book, just find a space) and come down in the morning, getting to Saltaire around lunchtime Saturday. If you're travelling later in March and hit the locks in time to come down on the Friday, I'd guess it'll still be a question of meeting the birthday boy in Bingley, perhaps having moored at the bottom of the locks rather than the top. Just to confuse matters, I'll just say that I think you'd have a much more scenic trip if you headed the other way, say to Gargrave or even Barnoldswick. That way you could meet in Skipton, which has plenty of visitor moorings, on the Friday evening and enjoy a very scenic cruise together on the Saturday. Silsden to Barnoldswick is an exceptionally scenic stretch, Silsden to Saltaire isn't - although of course the Bingley locks and Saltaire itself are well worth seeing. I guess it all depends whether you see cruising as the focus of your break, or just want to visit Saltaire and fancy doing it by boat.

I rest my case.

is it appropriate to wear a moderator's hat whilst point scoring?

As I found when I joined, you are the king of insults here. If you weren't apparently 'friends' with Daniel you would have been banned from this forum long ago. Other than your input, a very interesting thread and thanks to Gigoguy and others for the constructive input.

As I said before I think you should be applauded.

To everyone that keeps asking for proof and to see the legislation. There is far far far too much of both to post on here on TB. For anyone who is genuinely interested I can email them a link to all the relevant legislation if they want to go through it and interpret it for themselves. As I and a few with much more knowledge than I have done. I’m not looking on here for any legal advice, or for a judgement one way or the other from anyone. As Nigel has said it looks difficult to prove either way without a courts decision. I believe, as I’ve stated here and on TB, that they won’t take me to court because they know the possible financial consequences to them of a loss. Not what they’d have to pay to me, they’d not have to pay me anything apart from my 35 quid or whatever it is to dispute their claim. But they would have to pay back their own boaters thousands. In the license renewal David posted yesterday it looks to me very much like the ‘reciprocal agreement’. Not legally binding but accepted as being in force. The new form they send out DEMANDS payment under 61 Act. It threatens a fine of £150 if you pay late and it further threatens CC action if you continue not to pay. From what I can see, and anyone who has seen the demand, can also see. The authority does not exist under the 61 Act to DEMAND anything from pleasure boats. Only from working and house boats. I’m fighting this not for the 20 quid. I’m fighting it for the principle. And not the principle that they shouldn’t charge but the principal that they can’t do what the f they like to who they like when they like and no one will do anything about it. Sorry to the grammar and riting plice but I’m proper mad. Cheers Midnight I know you know what I mean. I have no objection what so ever to anyone charging what they have a legitimate right to charge. But you tend to find that people with a legitimate right to charge can provide that legitimacy when asked for it. And further DON’T threaten you with libel for asking for it in the first place. I asked Peel 15 FIFTEEN times for their authority to charge and they have still sent me nothing that in any way remotely resembles authority to charge for a return trip within 28 days. I know what I’ve got and they know what they’ve got and neither of us are prepared to share it on here. I still say my hand beats theirs. And they know what it’s going to cost to see me

I think what niggles all of us who have in the past used the Bridgewater regularly is that CRT don't appear to enforce any action against BW boats on CRT waters (at least not that I've ever heard of), wherever they roam or for how long, and that they don't seem to be applying any pressure on Peel over this return trip charge. I'd still be interested to know how many people have actually been charged it and how they paid - I certainly wouldn't hand over 40 quid to someone with no ID or without an invoice. The fact that no-one's been taken to court for it is a bit irrelevant, it wouldn't be cost-effective unless someone ran up a fair backlog of charges. All these legal arguments are interesting - same as the ones about CRT's legal authority to charge mooring fees or for short term stays on the towpath. But they still do, and they still get paid, and no-one yet has managed to prove in court that they aren't legitimate. I suspect the same will be true of the BW stuff.

it might appear that you are the one who is out of touch and out of step regarding this issue. if you are not prepared to explain yourself, whilst knocking others when they use the word 'troll', then you will also appear to be quite unreasonable.

Actually yes you can, slugging from a hip flask filled with good scotch when boating on one of those crisp, bright, clear and dead calm and freezing cold days we get around New Year is one of those sublime boating pleasures the rush-hour fair-weather-boaters never experience.

Hang about!! What about coal? Beer - Yes. Wine - yes......but you cant drink in the cold.....can you? Beer, Wine and Coal - luvely. Silly stove fans are dependent on coal as well!

I take you to be a TROLL and certainly a crap waster of my time and expertise answering your repetitious questions on your other thread.

From what I have seen the IWA are briefing a great deal against live aboard boaters, at least where it relates to the South East and particularly the London area. In doing this they purport to be speaking for other boaters who are not live aboard, of course. I'm not a full time live aboard, nor ever likely to be close to being one, but I do not find any stance that seeks to divide boaters into different camps, and hence divide them to be in any way helpful. There is plenty all boaters need to be concerned about in terms of our canals, how CRT manage them, and particularity how important CRT actually choose to make boating as part of their total remit. What is needed, in my view, is for us all to try and understand each others position, and to try wherever possible to be putting as united a front as we can to CRT, (although I realise this is often far from straightforward!). Overall I think people like the IWA leadership, (at one extreme), and the NBTA leadership, (at the other extreme), tend to be doing more harm for boaters as a whole than the good they think they are doing for the rather small percentage of all boaters that they believe they represent. I suggest the vast majority of us boat owners do not hold such extreme views, of see quite as many of our fellow boat owners as "the enemy". A lot of the unhelpful and divisive comment actually comes from a very small percentage of all boat owners.

When using Butane[blue], in cold weather we had to shake the bottle as it seemed to solidify on the bottom, I assume this is why propane [orange] is better.