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I've heard they have new plans for the basin to really engage the public next year

You could have it delivered to Middlewich Wharf Chandlery. If you need it bringing up northwich way then we can Bob it up in the van (if you'd like buy from us some coal, logs, Kindling, gas etc at the same time wouldn't be a wasted journey for us and would be appreciated - virtuous circle of life and all that ?).

As it's only advice, it doesn't matter that it's not defined, because it just doesn't matter. Anyway, barristers and solicitors love woolly laws, that's how they get rich. The trick at the moment is to do one's best to stay alive and healthy until vaccinated, and that's all. Poncing about the canal in a tin box on one's own isn't going to hurt anyone, nor is staying out of everyone else's way. As I suspect most of CRT's staff are laid off, who's going to care what any of us do apart from us?

Is it just me, or do others see a large blue cartoon style ducks head, with a big round eye and an orange beak...?

You "think". Pity our lords and masters can't be bothered to define such an obvious thing. I can't decide if CRT is a victim off, or party to, the conspiracy to make the rules so opaque and ever-changing that no-one can possibly obey them, thus transfering blame from the government to the people for subsequent events. MP.

Not many canals down here in my part of the world, but we do have the Tavistock canal, built in the early 1800's to connect Tavistock to the River Tamar, to transport various metal bearing ore in both directions. Although it's not exactly the most impressive looking canal ever built (it's only 3 foot deep, generally), it is still in water, as it serves a hydro electric plant these days - it was intentionally built with a very slight "downhill run" - and it does have a 2500 yard tunnel (no access by foot unfortunately), an inclined plane and an aqueduct along the route. As it was a nice day today, we thought it was a good time for an end of lockdown walk. "Arty" type sign attached to bridge : Approaching Shillamill viaduct, the now disused double track main line which used to run from Plymouth to Tavistock and which crosses the canal. Lift bridge and sluice, which leads to someone's garden ! Culvert carrying the canal over farm track. Even in rural Devon, in the middle of nowhere we still have the obligatory "tagging" graffiti !

Absolutely, I can't criticise the authorities to be honest as they are in a no win situation,and why should the police go anywhere near these idiots, who are the type who would spit in their faces? It costs money, diverts resources, and risks the lives of police officers, and colleagues, and their families.

I've no idea Athy, but I can guess they are the same type who demonstrated bywalking en mass to demonstrate against wearing masks in shops. The answer is to put them all in a warehouse, and leave them for four weeks to fester, those that get the disease and need the NHS will be given a respirator, and a body bag. They will all have to vive their benefit payments back to the taxpayer, if they don't accept one pety rule, they are not entitled to any benefits Those that don't die will be tagged and sent home, 24 hour curfew until the rest of the Uk is vacinated.

To quibble slightly pedantically, it's not against the spirit of the law, it's against the spirit of the guidance. Bit like tax avoidance and evasion. And, to be honest, if anyone regards any of the advice given by the shower of incompetents handing it out as having any value, I'd be amazed. For a start, what the hell's your area? CRT have been trying to define that for years... Me, I'll just carry on being pragmatically antisocial. As I talk to myself most of the time as I walk along, due to too many solitary years, most people cross the road when they see me coming anyway. Either that, or they've heard about the trombone.

mystified, but please don't try to explain tx

This is the boat that we lived aboard and cruised around eastern North America for the past couple of years.. Our next boat is going to look like one of those long skinny things in everyone else’s photos.

Translated as ... Please keep moving....our T&C you signed up to says you should, and we have people who have paid good money to stay still for 4 months so dont want to pi€€ them off by letting you stay where you are any longer.

Not too late, the race is on, 'pandemics' are great for the environment, a few more to manufacture and the tide can be turned.

But is Walsall Basin deep enough?

Yes

If you are stuck, I could take delivery for you, we are 8 miles from Northwich, and fetch it to you in our car. PM me if you need help.

One for the starter, one for both leisure, one spare. It needs to be permanent. Croc clips will fail a BSS exam. There will need to be suitably sized fuses between the batteries and the charger in the positive wires. A suitably rated plug and socket can let you remove the charger in summer. No conflict. One will supply the charge in preference to the other. Which one that is depends. Jen

I often wonder when the human race will realise that if it is to survive everyday life will need to change in many many ways.

It sounds more like you haven't got a clue.

Ah, I can say otherwise. In Morrisons Blackpool, that epicentre of middle,upper class intelligence, I was taking my Mum shopping last Saturday. Entered an aisle, cant remember which, but there was a 6'6" bloke at the other end with a trolley. He started to sneeze into his mask, and did so several times. I turned Mum around and we went elsewhere. His mask saved most of the people in the aisle from his germs, some carried on past him, others retreated. If nothing else, masks create a barrier on your explosions. ....helping everyone else. Ah yes, brandnewtube...527 views.

Craig, its all good information but all this stuff on internal resistance seems over the top except for the very few peeps who understand electrickerty to the nth degree. I worry that this may put off the average 'Joe' who may come across this thread and think he needs to understand it. I see internal resistance of batteries very much like the heat capacity of the steel used to make a kettle to put on the hob. You fill the kettle full of water, put it on the stove and turn on the gas. It heats up. When its boiling you pour you cup of tea. You get used to the inputs of if its cold – you can touch it – if its getting over 80°C – it starts to make a noise – when it boils – it sings. No need to understand the heat transmission data of the steel! Lifepo4s are similar. You charge and discharge looking at voltage. The effect of the internal resistance is not important in the grand scheme of things. Maybe if you want to estimate when you get to 79% charged at 14.6°C, but if you just want to know if you are 60-70% full then just looking at the volt meter and a glance at how much power is going out is good enough. If I'm down to 12.8V on discharge, I need to charge (as long as Mrs Bob isnt running the Nesspresso machine). If I'm up to 13.8V on charge, I stop charging. Simple. Not unlike managing a kettle. The graphs are interesting but if I was after more information, I am not sure what they tell me. How much capacity have you got? Quite important! What type of batteries? You only seem to be charging to 13.55V normally via the alternator with one charge going to 13.7V and then a load of 'lesser' charge voltage peaks which I assume are the solar. I dont understand why you are tripping your system at 13.55V which seems very low – although there is a peak at 13.7V – and a few 'alternator' peaks at less than 13.55V. Similarly you never drop the voltage below 13.1V. On my system I charge to 13.7V or occasionally 13.8V if the 2 BtoB's are having an argument which gives me 70-85% SoC dependent on how much current is going in on charge. If you are charging to 13.55V with 80A, on my system that would suggest only 70% charged! I know each system is different and my Lifepo4s are at the end of 5M of 50mm cabling which causes a voltage drop – but mine go down to 12.8V before starting to see the low voltage knee. Are you cycling between 40% and 70% charged? I am sure everyones voltages will be different. The temperature information is interesting but I knew that with my Tesla. In summer above 25°C, I get 10% more range than at 15°C despite the air con running flat out and to charge most efficiently the batteries need to be heated up – they call it preconditioning. It seems like you are showing the batteries are at a higher SoC for a given cut off voltage at higher temps. My batteries vary between about 14°C in the winter (in a cupboard inside at the back of the boat) and 28°C in the summer and to be honest, that spread is fine. Ok I could set my voltage cut off at 0.1V higher in the winter to get more charge in but is it worth the hassle? I've never had my batteries down at 5°C and charged them but I wouldn't worry about that. Heating obviously helps but not that much. I would however be interested to see some 'short duration' graphs ie voltage vs current flow during charging over the time you were running the engine and the few hours either side. Interested to see if the voltage profiles are similar to mine. That interests me as 3 or 4 times a year I manually take the batteries up to 14.0V to reset the BMV and to get rid of memory effects (or restricted capacity as Nick identified) and I dont have much info on the current performance in the constant voltage phase at a range of high currents. That's just the 'nerd' in me though. You can run a set of Lifepo4s without looking at graphs etc. I do very much appreciate your data though.

no, that stripey monstrosity in the garden. i know you could easily remove it (preferably with nukes from orbit) but as i'm in no position to spaff £500k on a house i may as well find silly reasons to justify not buying it, like that gravel being the wrong colour

I disagree. I read the area as being the tier area you are in, not a CRT defined area. What they are saying is if you are near Chorley in Lancashire (a tier 3 area) do not travel into Wigan (also a tier 3 area) or Blackburn with Darwen (also a tier 3 area) but keep cruising in the Lancashire area. I think they are asking us to stay in the same area the tiers are defined as, which varies around the country, and not move into other areas even if they are in the same tier.

NB 'Arrested' does not necessarily imply 'charged' or 'fined'. Esp if helping a celeb or pop star to celebrate a birthday . . . Nice to see such liberal, thoughtful views being expressed on a boating forum where no-one necessarily has to depend on anyone else!

Great, very pleased with it though we rarely use the extender, just a 10 min maintenance run once a month, ideal for local journy lockdown but gives security if we do a longish trip and battery isn't fully charged, only ever had to use it a couple of times but that was to keep SoC above 30% (I spoil them rotten)

Alan Pease has been supplying these for many years and there are quite a few lived on on such as the A nd C and the northern rivers, a bloke lived on one next to my widebeam at Woodlesford that was shortened to about 100 feet. Loads of room for him and the missus and a bedroom each for each of his three kids. It was the first boat he had ever driven or owned and they loved it. A good idea if you have the skills and money available to sort it out. ?

On that basis you could forget most of the canals that have been abandoned over the years. K&A, Huddersfield etc.

This is a link to the IWA Vision Document for Sustainable Boating and the Future Narrowboat: https://www.waterways.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/IWA-Sustainable-Propulsion-Vision-September-2020.pdf This iteration is for submission to Government and takes the form of a series of 'Asks'. At the last meeting of the All Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) earlier this month, the entire meeting was based around Sustainable Boating and its ramifications. On Friday, its Chairman Michael Fabricant MP sent a letter to the Chancellor outlining the APPG meeting's conclusions and detailing the key requirements (and the funding required) for the inland waterways to be able to enjoy a carbon neutral future in line with Government policy for transport, domestic heating and the like. We await his response with interest.