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Jo Cox Member of Parliament, boat dweller, sometime liveaboard narrowboater her violent death on Thursday 16 June 2016 was a personal tragedy for her and her family, a national tragedy for all of us. May we in our minds eye go to the calm waters of the Calder and Hebble Navigation. As we leave Battyeford Cut heading upriver under a long narrow pedestian bridge and eight boat-lengths further on under another bridge, we have passed through the extent of the navigable waterways of the Parliamentary Constituency of Batley and Spen. It's just one of those things that we will not be able to show her that cartographic quirk on the edge of her constituency. On her parliamentary website it said "Surgeries. Thursday 16th June – 1pm until 2pm @ Birstall Library and Information Centre. No appointment is necessary, please just come along". May that personal commitment to openness and our democratic processes stand in her memory. Jo Cox Member of Parliament: we will remember you. May you Rest In Peace. From my brief tribute at a waterways meeting that weekend. Jo Cox was murdered at her parliamentary surgery that afternoon. Flowers at Birstall war memorial

Just a quick update on where I am with things... First off, thanks again for your responses. All very much appreciated. My mind's been pretty much consumed over the last few days with nothing other than what to do. I've been changing my mind on what feels like a minute by minute basis, and it's been causing me no end of anxiety and stress. I'm naturally a cautious person and like things planned out and to feel in control. What I'm doing at the moment is leaving me feeling the opposite. I've been really honest with my finances and circumstances, and that I'd need to take on further, manageable debt of around £7K on top of the £13K I owe in order to account for a slight bridge in funding the boat itself, but also the survey, blacking, 3 months licence and mooring, new mattress for the boat, new bed and mattress for my spare room and so on. In buying a boat I'd not be just wiping out my savings but taking on more debt, as well as no contingency if things went wrong. And that leaves me feeling deeply uncomfortable. The chain of events including finding a boat, looking for a lodger, wondering about the impact of a non-resedential address might be, taking on debt etc have made me feel like I'm just a passenger on a rollercoaster, as though I've no control over things, when the opposite is true. I feel my job's safe and at the moment there's no sign of this changing. I work in distribution/warehousing servicing a number of customers, so the eggs aren't all in one basket. But despite this the consistent message of 'this is the tip of the iceberg' in terms of things has also ground me down and my naturally cautious side has won over. I've made the decision not to go ahead with the purchase. It's not so much about not wanting to make the move and get a boat to live on any longer, it's about doing it at a point where I feel nothing other than 100% comfortable the time's right. That might be as little as six months away. Who knows. It's inspired me to continue to save hard, waste little, so I can get there soon enough and make sure everything's in place. The longer I wait, the more I save, the nicer boat I'll have too. It'll also buy me time in so much as in 6-12 months I'd have thought most of the impact of Covid and Brexit will be felt and any implications in terms of work etc known too. Lastly, I've had a few health problems recently. Blood tests have revealed nothing, so I'm waiting an MRI brain scan, heart trace and some sort of cortisone/hormone test. Hopefully it'll turn out to be something and nothing, and ironically since I visited the GP a few weeks ago, the symptoms have subsided at little. That said, today I left work early due to extreme back and neck pain - something never experienced before - having never been of work sick for years. I'm just hoping it's related to tension from the last few days. I'll no doubt be back on here in months to come scouting for opinions on another boat etc. I'm grateful for what I've got and there are literally millions out there who'd love to be in my position. Ultimately, it's a selfish first-world problem on my part given all that's going on. Thanks again.

When I lived on, it was the bloke next door selling his boat. He used to run his engine until about one in the morning...

Hi all, Sorry for going awol for a while. Moving on the boat alone (broke up with partner) while in the middle of uni deadline week was not the plan and I did just bury my head in the sand for a few days as I didn't feel I could cope. Alan, who I can't thank enough, has helped me enormously, and thanks to his advice and encouragement I have fitted a battery charger which is powered by shore power, meaning that I now have running water and interior lighting. The water pump ceased to function yesterday, and again thanks to Alan's advice we managed to get it fixed. I've only just checked the thread again and am a bit overwhelmed with the amount of new messages here and that people were concerned. Makes me feel less alone doing this. Thanks very much for your help and for checking in on me, I'm really very grateful. Here is a pic of the old girl. Thanks again guys.

It is on the Trent at Newark, by lock 14. They are a lot better now than they have been Is suppose that is just a Before-After shot in reverse ☺️

Gopsall Wharf Ashby canal 1975. WRG lent us one of their Smalley machines so we could dredge the loading place. Mostly coal which had missed or been shoveled off the boats. N. Hill bagged it up and sold it later on. This land and the wharf belongs to the crown estate but we were never coal by appointment.

Thanks. Fingers crossed. I'm aiming for 6-12 months, assuming the doctor doesn't write me off ?

|Hmm....

On a river, it will carry on till it gets caught in trees, runs aground on the bank, or on a weir barrier. Your immediate problem is getting to the bank without drowning and wearing a lifejacket is a much better idea. Getting to wherever the boat has got to is a problem for later. You are worrying about a miniscule risk and the solution introduces new hazards. A boat where the engine is stopped on a river is still out of control. Your chances of being able to board a narrowboat in the water is small when wearing wet clothes, even with the boarding steps that modern shells have. Jen

If you are boating single handed I guarentee you will forget to disconnect the kill switch when getting off to do locks and forget to reconnect when getting on. It will be a massive pain in the bum and after the first day it will never be used again. People falling off and dying does happen, but is very rare. Usually as has been mentioned, getting drawn in to a reversing prop in a lock.

It would be possible, on engines with a fuel solenoid powered to run, fairly easily. Few and far between now. On engines with a powered to stop solenoid, like all Beta engines, a bit more involved. On boats with a mechanical stop cable, involved. But is it really needed? The chances of getting chopped by the blade is minimal unless you are reversing or for some reason thrashing in a lock. Could you train the dog to stop or to steer? Or would the dog be even more gleeful if it could cruise alone? TD'

If what they asked made sense or indeed was always safe practice I’d agree...sadly it’s not so I will continue to rather operate my own locks...if they want to set them up on a flight that’s fine but I’d rather not have either myself, my crew or my boat at risk.

And if you need a suitable tug @NB Esk might be able to help.

There’s a life lesson for you right there

You can go in 20 shops a day, but you cant sleep in your boat, if you own a house. Nonsense. Your child can go to the zoo to those 20 shops and visit their grandparents, but cant go to school. Nonsense If you are part of the inner sanctum you can leave london with your covid ridden Spouse, go and live in a house built with no planning permission , and not paying council tax, and visit beauty spots at will. As well as driving with dodgy eyesight. Nonsense No wonder people just do what they like.

They just shouted Whooooooaaaaah and the HP slowly switched off, gliding to a gradual halt.

There is nothing on the CRT website that says the boat has to return to its home mooring. You can not stay on it overnight but that doesn't mean it has to go back to its home mooring so long as you go back to your residence at the end of the day. Whoever you spoke too at CRT is giving you out of date information, you can check their website for the current guidance.

Yes, not reversible but they do swivel outward to bring the nav lights into view. Here's a pic of the port light.

Anything like this?

I asked my dog if this was a good idea. Because, I suspect, she's already very busy with having to sleep in the well deck, sleep on the steerer's step, sleep in front of the stove, sleep on the towpath, sleep under the pub table (an historic rather than current duty), and be prepared to sleep in any number of other places and situations at little or no notice, she gave me an old fashioned look. For that reason, I think this option is only really feasible for those with 2 or more dogs.

Might it be a Hooded Crow: About the same size as a magpie. Another possibility but unlikely (not normally in the UK at this time and smaller) is one of the Shrikes:

I don't know you so I had no idea what you've been doing. I was trying to be of help. In your position, I'd be tempted to simply stop paying and put the ball firmly in their court. Then make a county court claim for the payments already made. At the risk of another spiky response - have you involved your MP or ward councillors?

On this day in 2001 Moira Lock Ashby Canal and the nearby construction

When we were liveaboards 20 years ago, the thing that improved life for us was spending the winter in a motorhome in Spain and Portugal.

I'm sorry if people found some of my remarks offensive. I fully appreciate the difficulties experienced by authorities during the present circumstances but I cannot and will never condone any authority acting outside of its legal remit. They knew right back in April when they first set a date for commencement of registration that they did not yet have the legal authority. They also knew a few weeks ago when they amended the date to 1st September. A little bit of transparency would not have come amiss. The Middle Level Commissioners will, quite rightly, expect their registered boaters to fully abide by the law and to expect sanctions and penalties if they do not. Is it not perfectly reasonable to expect the MLC to demonstrate the same respect and compliance? I did ask the MLC directly about these matters but, and quite understandably in the present circumstances, have yet to receive a response. They will have my full support to introduce charges to benefit the navigation as soon as they are legally entitled to do so.

Possible? Yes. Practical? No. You need to get on and off the boat at locks etc. If you just leave the kill switch key in place without the lanyard attached to your wrist you might as well not bother. There are a few MAIB accident reports where boaters have been criticised for doing just this, and people have died as a result. If you fall off the back of a narrow boat, let it carry on. You may well be able to stand up and wade to the bank, but if it is too deep it is a pretty short swim, even on rivers (and if you are not confident of your swimming ability, wear a life jacket on deeper waters). The boat will come into the bank on its own at some point. Then you have time to consider how you are going to reboard.

You just unhook the clip off your lifejacket, leaving the C-Clip in the stop-switch

Please reread your comment again, and put yourself of someone working (in somewhat difficult circumstances) in the MLC. Would you feel well disposed to help, on reading those words? I (just an ordinary boater, trying to improve communication channels) had a similar reaction on reading your note.

She would indeed be gleeful until it came time to have her dinner...

It contains a number of errors of fact and law. What I wonder with these schemes is what happens if most, but not all, the money is collected such that the JR can’t go ahead. Who gets to keep it? A fool and his money... Anyway you need a lot more than £6k for a JR even if it wasn’t doomed to failure from the outset.

6 years on a label I saw on one this weekend. I don't recall having ever read one before, but it was well timed to help answer your query.

We are fully obeying the rules and feel like we are in a minority group.

Thanks for the comments on this, it's highlighted that the wife was right . Think we'll look at below 60' and only 10 wide, all above makes good sense.

https://www.kinvercanopies.co.uk/ seem to get good reviews and I've used them also.

I’ve always felt comfortable at Cambrian Wharf. Gets the sun all day, and it’s less windy than other places. Will be quite there with the Flapper closed. Too quite. There’d always be someone drinking on the balcony watching what’s going on. I’ve tied to the railings under the balcony when the pontoons have been full. You have a shower, toilet, Elsan and bins close by too.

Cambrian wharf very convenient for brum centre, two fingers are visitor and need BW key to access, not well marked though.

Don't forget, over 98% of people recover from this. That matters, as does the fact that half those who died have been in care homes, and a lot more with other life threatening problems. It's not that scary, unless you're over 75, and it by no means kills all those either. That being said, I'm quite glad I'm an asocial old fart with only two friends plus the wife!

Either that or some of the Conservative Ministers are getting stick off their mistresses and asked Boris to sort them out....

They will be absolutely no use to you as a liveaboard, they are designed to keep the battery 'topped' up over winter, they are not big enough (enough watts) to recharge your batteries. As you are staying in the marina for the next X months, don't worry about them. Get plugged in to the mains and check if there is a battery charger, if not get out and buy one ASAP (but ask first as you don't just want a 'Halfords' car charger.) Tomorrow, get to B&Q or somewhere and get a multimeter similar to the one in the link I sent you. Longer term you will need a 'better' one but you are going to have a lot of expense in the next few weeks and I reckon a 'few' new batteries and help to install them will be needed. I sent you battery details and prices by message. It'll all look better after a celebratory bottle of Prosecco.