Leaderboard

Edit: I've done around 350 miles this year so far, single handing, with a full time job. That's not showing off (I'm sure many have done far more), but it illustrates just how pathetic 17.7 miles is.

Good people, in a good boat, who imagine that the rules shouldn't apply to them because it would cost a lot more money to play by the rules. They might complain about gentrification. Others can complain about an overbearing sense of entitlement that says they should be allowed whatever they want, and if they can't afford it, they should be exempted from paying for things.

It does come back to the fact that people like to stay in places they know and have connections. Work isn't as easy to come by these days either as it wss fifty or even twenty years ago, so they tend to want to hang on to it if they've got it. Lack of reasonably priced housing is a political choice made by our political masters for their own reasons. It's bound to spill over onto our wet bits - every time I go past the unlicensed scruffy boat that some poor sod is living on on my local bit of pond, I do try to temper my initial harrumph about blasted freeloaders by remembering that everyone has to be somewhere and should have some kind of roof. And that I've served a bit of time sleeping in bus stations and park shelters myself. As well as on a leisure mooring in the boat.

Reported to CRT. I have nothing against broad craft, on suitable navigation... But they are spreading onto narrow canals and as in this instance , impeding navigation.

Do not power the immersion from the batteries - it will be drawing 100 amps. I have a 1300Ah battery bank and mistakenly left the immersion switched on when we left the land line - within 'hours' the low battery alarm was sounding. In theory your solar should cope with it, but when the sun goes to bed you must immediately remember to go and switch the immersion off. Don't risk it. Plug it into your land line / travelpower powered socket (the washing machine one). Keep it simple.

The boat owner has chosen to go public, inviting us all to sympathise. It is, I would suggest, open to us to sympathise with either the Boater or CRT, as we see the rights and wrongs of it. In my view, it is entirely proper for a boater to hold an opinion on how CRT conducts enforcement. The extent to which people get away with breaking the rules directly affects CRT income, which affects what CRT want from the rest of us, and a lack of enforcement can only lead to ever more people ignoring the rules.

Oh, grow up! What MTB says is true, not all landlords are arses and not all tenants are perfect.

Well we made it round safe and sound. Quick (ish) summary for those that asked... Saturday: pick up boat at Autherley, travel to Penkridge. Stopped at the first mooring available (it was busy) and ate in the Cross Keys (nice food and cheap). (approx 10 miles, 5 locks). Sunday: Penkridge to Stone. Again very busy so stopped at first available spot which was before planned (i.e. before Stone bottom lock/Star lock). nearest pub was some distance and wasn't doing food so ate on board, (approx 19 miles and 10 locks) Monday: Early start so we would make the tunnel - Stone to Red Bull. Be aware we left around 08:30 and made it to the tunnel with 5 minutes to spare (last northbound passage was 16:00). Ate at Red Bull - plenty of mooring space in the vicinity. Lovely home made pies and cheap. Best to phone ahead though as they were turning people away who hadn't booked (possibly they wanted to finish food early cos of bank holiday) Approx 15 miles and 16 locks. Tuesday: Red Bull to Middlewich. Moored above Maureen's lock having done the tricky turn onto the Middlewich Branch (70-footer took a few goes at getting round). Plenty of moorings. Ate in town at the Narrowboat gastropub good curries and slightly more expensive but not too bad. Approx 11 miles and 27 locks Wednesday: Middlewich to Audlem. Moored right outside the Shroppie Fly but (on advice of others we'd met) ate at the Lord Combermere. Very good food, slightly pricey but well worth it. 20Approx 20 miles and 11 locks Thursday: Audlem to Norbury junction. Moored in last available spot before the junction but appeared to be more after it. Ate in the Junction Inn, again good pub food and average pricing. Approx 17 miles and 21 locks Friday: Norbury Junction to Compton (having passed the starting point). Went down the first two Compton locks then turned and went back up them, mooring just above the top lock - plenty of space. Chippy for dinner as advised, very good but be prepared for a long queue as it's v popular (Peps Place). Approx 19 miles and 5 locks Saturday: a quick 45-60 minute trip back to the base with no locks (apart from the 6 inch stop lock at the base itself). All in all a fantastic (but rather energetic) week again with no disasters and only one grumpy person met all week. A few 8.5 hour days but nothing outrageous. Now planning next year (possibly the Avon Ring!) ?

Sorry can't see that making life "harder" though I can see how some folk are more easily irritated than others.

A few shots of a convoy trip from Limehouse to Brentford, via the Thames Barrier. The river was very busy! https://nbsg.wordpress.com/iwa-trip-to-margaretness/

I have also mentioned this one in my email to CRT.

Oh yes it is for sale online https://www.greathaywoodboatsales.co.uk/shop/the-beech/

I wired my immersion heater of 1.1kw from the consumer unit using a 10amp MCB and using 2.5mm arctic blue to an digital immersion heater timer located in wardrobe, then used white 2.5mm heat proof cable to the immersion heater. I used the older LAP timer from screwfix. Works well as liveaboard at Marina. Just don't run 2 power hungry items together. My bollard is rated 16amp. Around 3.5kw? James.

Not just me that thinks the 20 miles you are supposed to do in a year is only really a decent days travel then...

Completely agree. Everything in life has rules and regulations, if you cannot or more likely will not comply then sod off. Pratts like this will be the end of ccing one day and they will be long gone after helping spoil it for others. That boat is worth more than my daughters flat she sold last week so why not move off and live in a static building and comply if you dont want to move, why live on a boat without a mooring.

Maybe they are hoping that when they explain the reason for leaving crt waters the nice man will let them stay for free.

She is the officeal supplier of toupee's (Wigs) to Donald Trump

Woolwich ferries used to be, perhaps still are powered by a pair of Paxman Valenta diesel engines, same units that powered the older Intercity HST 125 trains. In the summer there used to be what seemed a resident ice cream van parked cross wise just in front of below the bridge. I remember the old steam ferries, they were side loading. There is also a foot tunnel entrance to walk under the Thames near the ferry.

I did it single handed without a crew to send ahead. My thinking was: if I saw someone else’s crew heading my way I could inform them to report back there’s another boat coming. If I’d have met another single hander one of us would reverse. ?

Bought ours 2nd hand 20 years ago with 'thin' plate cos we was young, carefree.... And CWDF didn't exist. The current plan is to wait another 50 years, just as its about to sink, and use it as a viking burial vessel. We will get it towed out into the North Sea and set adrift. (just hope we are both dead at the time)

Mr Holder said he had travelled 17.7 miles, moving every two weeks, and had pictures to prove it. Then he is an idiot. Half an hour's further cruising over the last 6 months would have let him comply with CRT's minimum acceptable range. And let him keep his family home roughly where he wanted it. 20 miles is a day's cruise for me. A short day.

Paul I think you are out of order posting your interpretation / hearsay about Tony on here when you know he is banned from this forum and so can’t put his side of the story.

Well if its the Que Sera Sera I'm not surprised it is covered in security stuff!

Tautology alert!