Leaderboard

Boats pass Port-to-Port (left side to left side) so 'drive on the 'right'. The reason being that ships steering was a big rudder on the side (not at the rear) this was called the "steerboard", (steering oar) later known as 'starboard', if boat were to pass starboard to starboard their steering could be compromised (not enough room) or the steerboards could touch, fare easier to pass Port to Port and have full control. 'Port side' was so called because that is the side they came into port and moored up on, (because the steerboard was in the way on the other side). It goes back centuries :

Mission accomplished! Top half painted (that's the blue, light blue, and white). Leaving the bottom half to see what's under the flaking paint. Hopefully some nice gelcoat. Even cleaned the fenders and put new ropes on them!

Enjoy your first trip up the Trent and your visit to the Chesterfield. Haggis

But just on a general point I don’t see the benefit of silent electric propulsion if it means you (and everyone else in the vicinity) have to endure generator running when you tie up. And pay massively more for it. And increase your carbon footprint and running costs by way of the inefficiencies at each stage of burning diesel to generate electricity to charge batteries to run a motor, vs burning diesel to directly propel the boat.

Well. Silently I must add, at 0710 hrs, they were gone. I admire people who expend time and not a little cash , to fulfil their desire to cruise silently. When our boat was in the planning stage, I seriously looked at hybrid systems, even visiting Fischer Pandas UK base. The finances just did not add up. Our battery bank is now nine years old, so needs a little TLC. But I live within the constraints ageing batteries impose. What I do not do, is impose my lifestyle choice upon others. So, good on you for investing in silent propulsion. But do not expect me, living within the rules, to tolerate you charging up your propulsion system, to the detriment of my enjoyment of tranquility, because it's for your own enjoyment. That is plain rude.

And in 2006

Why not? If jo public told me to F off for requesting they comply with a regulation, it would become public. Just because forum membership is involved makes not a jot of difference.

It would be lovely to see you and put a face to the name. Thinking ahead, if you need your car and can't get here give me a shout and I can come over and pick you up. I'm back from London for the weekend if needed.

Sorry for the delay! Everything finally worked out and we're moving on asap! Here are the pictures, its a 68ft Colecraft... Jesus that was an anxious few weeks.

A relative who works for Ford, tells me that most electric cars seem to have been bought as second cars, used for short journeys, rather as replacements for the main vehicle. Certainly all the accounts of actual long distance trips that have appeared in the motoring press in the past couple of months have not been calculated to encourage changing to pure electric, quite the opposite! While there are now automotive batteries that can be charged rapidly, you can only make two consecutive rapid charges without irreversibly damaging the battery. Ford have just released a video of their electric Mustang. To facilitate rapid charge, the battery has had to be provided with a refrigeration unit to keep the temperature down, another thing that reduces the effective charging efficiency. My own understanding of battery technology, wearing my hat as a retired former professional electrical engineer, is that there is normally a trade- off between rate of charge and charging efficiency, meaning that the faster the charge, the lower the proportion of energy put in that can be taken out again. Likewise, local battery storage to top up the grid will always involve some loss of energy due to the double conversion. However, the main problem with the grid seems to be that the increasing proportion of electricity from renewable sources is affecting the frequency stability of the grid. You used to be able to rely on a synchronous-motored mains electric clock to show the correct time to within a few seconds: these days mine can vary by at least 30 seconds either way relative to the Greenwich time pips of Radio 4 FM. With the possibly sole exception of hydro-electricity, renewable sources either generate power at DC (solar), or at a non-synchronous frequency (wind). The grid has traditionally relied on the mechanical inertia of massive rotating generators to act as an electrical flywheel to keep the grid frequency stable: the electronic DC-AC and AC -DC- AC convertors used to convert solar and wind power to 50Hz, rely on the grid as the reference frequency for their final AC conversion stages. There was a massive blackout a few months ago when one large renewable source tripped, causing several other renewable generators to trip because the remaining conventional generators were unable to maintain the frequency within the specified limits. As far as I know, a solution to this problem, which has been known about for many years, is still awaited. I don't own a boat myself, but have taken canal holidays on average every other year since 1976. To me, one of the joys of canal holidays has been the ability to moor up at remote locations, enjoying the peace and quiet of the countryside, and watching the sun go down over the fields. The idea of having a network of charging stations at marinas and the like would be akin to hiring a camper van for a touring holiday and having to spend each night at a motorway service area.

We have folks in the fens that have that problem. but they are pretty good with their 12x table.

The chub is also known as a Loggerhead. You know why now!

The exciter current is via the warning lamp, no bulb, no excitement just boring. Bulb needs to be a filament not an LED unless a resistor is also fitted. How did the lack of charge first show up? Was the lamp lit all the time? Did it come on with the ignition switch? TD'

Beware of using names to identify colours, names my be "house" colours that are specific to the paint manufacturer. Far better long term to learn to use the RAL and BS colour codes so you can get a very close match from any paint supplier (once cut back to remove faded old paint). link to online colour charts but on no account go by screen colours because they will be wrong, use colour cards instead

If I've read that correctly new boats will have to be designed to be capable of using zero emissions technology by 2025. I'm no expert but I'd have thought it would not be beyond the wit of man(kind) to sort something out in 5 years. Maybe batteries in the bilge. Maybe some other cunning ruse.

Oops, busted!

A very good point. We had a number of forward control boats with transverse engines at the back that also had long cables and they were no more likely to break than the more typical short ons. It is important to ensure any bends in the cables are large. I would have thought that a cable snapping in reverse would put a narrow boat in an uncontrollable state where as if it fails in ahead there is a small chance of choosing what to hit and at what angle. if by chance it snapped in mid stream failing in ahead gives some choice as t which bank to go to. The bow of a narrow boat normally has much less draft than the stern so if it comes to a choice you can normally get the front closer to the bank than the stern so another reason for hoping it fails in ahead. If you do not run a spare cable as per @mrsmelly it would be better to work out a system and train the family to work out a system of manual control at the front with spoken/shouted command chain from the stern.

It would perhaps be wise to wait until you have the chart before setting off. There are several sections where the channel isn't immediately obvious as to where it should be and the chart gives you the correct bridge spans to use and reference points of the channel at areas where it is't immediately obvious. The lockies used to sell them. Not sure if they still do. I'm sure you will enjoy the Chesterfield Canal. Depending on how long you are planning on being on there for we might bump into you at West Stockwith on your way back out.

But not as rude as telling you to FO.

I'm not that interested in the genny running after hours. It happens. They turned it off when asked. The problem to me is their attitude. Swearing at another boater who's made a request just isn't on. Of course we only have one side of the story so far. Maybe there was provocation on both sides?

Confused, I thought her name was Jo?

4 side hatches 2 with eyebrow tops and this big boy plenty of light.

Portholes and 7 side hatches, best of both worlds. ...............Dave

Buy a boat with portholes, thats what I did. I then realised it was a mistake and the next two boats have nice big windows so not like living in a cave.

Surely a convenient rock would be quicker and cheaper ?

In 40 years of boating (on both the canals and the sea) the only time I have had a blocked raw water inlet was half-way between Holyhead and Douglas (IoM) where a plastic bag got caught up, the overheat alarm went off, switched off the engine, the bag dropped off and away we went again. Even with the water inlets full of mussels, sufficient water got thru to get us from Hull to Plymouth. I think you may be 'over thinking' & 'over worrying' about this and have been put off by some bad-press. Remember if the worse happens you can get off and walk, most of the canals are only waist (3 feet) deep

Welcome to the forum. Personally I'd "do" the Stourport Ring in a clockwise direction. Mainly because you will be heading against the flow of the Severn heading out of Worcester, easier to steer and maneuver a boat against the current rather than with it. Coming out of the lock onto the river make a left turn then when opposite the landing stage down river make a U turn towards the stage if you have crew to pick up. Picture of Black Prince boat doing this in the distance. All this of course if the river is on "green boards." Do not attempt to navigate the river on red boards. The boards, at waterline level, indicate the depth of the river at that time and there will be an increase in the rate of flow if on amber or red. Example indicating the meaning on a bridge on the Calder & Hebble. Also: https://flood-warning-information.service.gov.uk/station/2092 https://flood-warning-information.service.gov.uk/warnings?stationid=2092 I'm sure others will be along with mooring spots and other ideas.

The cambembert is just going to say to the camera "You'll forget what you saw here if you know what's good for you." Only soft in texture. Well 'ard otherwise.

No, we shouldn't count them - because they're lazy, sneaky little monkeys. They sit there shining away whilst you look for the butter, looking the very model of the lighting world, but the moment you shut the door, they can't be bothered anymore. If you open the door, they quickly light up - you are almost certain that they've just done that to fool you, but it's so difficult to catch them in the act, so they know you can't prove they were slacking when your back was turned. They're laughing at us when we're on the sofa or in our beds, that's what they're doing. Well, I've fixed mine, oh yes sir-ee Bob, have I fixed mine! I now wedge the fridge door open! I leave the galley lights off too, so it's really obvious if it tries to shirk on me. I've also rigged up a webcam so I can check on it when I'm not aboard. To be fair, it's responded well and sits there happily glowing away, but it's not going to fool me easily this time, so if it thinks it can lull me into a false sense of security, it's got another think coming!!