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The dominant group will always feel victimised by minorities doing things that don’t include them. Being pro gay isn’t anti straight. Just like being pro Black isn’t anti white. They feel left out. I call this a taste of their own medicine. A group of gays is seen as a slight to them in some way hence the need to say “why can’t you just do what the rest of us do” (aka conform and submit). We aren’t the rest of you. It is types like this who make us make a point of our differences. I recall once someone saying to me, as though I should take it as a compliment that “you’re not really super gay” as though being gay were a bad thing. I’d be happy never to mention who I sleep with or what I do behind closed doors ever again. I agree, I don’t think we are special. I have heterosexual friends and mix with them and never does who we sleep with come up in discussion (probably how many heterosexuals prefer it). But they understand and empathise with why I need to find others who are gay. Because guess what? Most people aren’t. I could misinterpret a situation with a man and end up in hospital or worse, dead. Attacks on gays are on the rise. I don’t attend Pride or get involved in the politics of the LGBT. But I don’t, continually, proclaim my lack of understanding of such things as though it contributes any value to the discussion which is being done in this very thread. Calls of “I don’t understand X, Y or Z” just highlights your ignorance. It is 2023. You have all the information at your finger tips. How about we drop the “I don’t understand why they congregate” façade and say what you really mean? Gays want to meet other gays and have sex, surprise surprise. Clutch your pearls elsewhere. It’s so bloody tiring. I hope OP does find other boat folk who are gay and gets a chance to connect with them. I know I’ve thought about it on my travels as a solo gay vagabond boater. Seeing a rainbow flag sticker in a boat window makes me relaxed because it signals to me they’re my sort. I know this may be novel to other people who dONt UnDeRstANd but it’s small gestures and signs like this that make me feel comfortable in a world that wants to shut me up, hide me away or, worse, blend in.

If you are travelling down to Uxbridge, I would recommend that you forget about using marinas to refuel and instead make use of the excellent fuel boats. These are operated by real enthusiasts, the majority of them on that stretch trading under the umbrella of "Jules Fuels" after Julia Cooke who started the business but is herself I gather Semi-retired, (not that that stopped Jules from refuelling our two boats at Braunston recently!) Different boats ply different stretches, but whether you encounter Ryan, Nick, Andrew or anybody else you wll get first rate service, and a decent price. Keep them trading - they can often get to you in poor conditions, when you would not ant to be venturing out yourself. They deserve our support!

That was her! Let me be absolutely clear that I will stop participating in this thread if it's going to be hijacked into yet another RCR discussion.

Hello. I'm a lurker. I'm not very old (relatively speaking; I'm not particularly young either), and I don't own a boat. I'd very much like to, one day, but in the meantime I'm busy quietly absorbing information about canal (and boat) history, and reading threads on people performing miracles rebuilding or replicating historic boats, learning different techniques for safely navigating different locks with ground paddles vs those with gates paddles, figuring out how the licensing works, how to find out whether a canal is actually likely to be navigable this week or not, where I'm most likely to get stuck on a trolley in the Rochdale, all that good stuff. A lot of this hopefully one day useful knowledge has been provided by the core group of regular posters on here, who may or may not number approximately 30, I've not counted because I don't in any way care. Precisely none of it has come from one motormouth with about the same level of canal experience as me but about 600 more posts. Just sayin'... Do carry on 😁

Welcome to the forum. I can say this without knowing you as everyone is welcome to the forum! If you are asking about a problem, the following thoughts may be useful: There are some very good technical experts on here who are usually happy to offer advice, but they do need sufficient information to work on. After you have typed in the basic details, sit back and ask yourself, "what have I assumed they know?". For example, if you are describing an engine problem, have you said what type of engine it is? Our experts not unreasonably get tired of saying please give us the whole picture not just the crisis element, over and over again to each newcomer. Pictures are usually helpful where possible. Ok, you've communicated the problem. You will get a variety of responses. Some will just be welcoming you. Some will offer simple suggestions of the obvious - they are keen to help because they feel for you, but they don't have the technical knowledge. Some will be experts and will offer precise advice. And, rarely, somebody will respond who is technically au fait but wrong. The other experts will usually help to identify these. And some will make fun of your problem, or the solutions offered, or anything really. This is likely if you accidently drop an amusing typo into your text. This is an attempt to lighten up the forum and not aimed at you personally. Don't take it to heart, just ignore it. You will probably take some action in response to the suggestions, which doesn't completely resolve the problem. Now is the important bit. The temptation is to relay lots of new information about the problem without answering the questions raised by your helpers. This hacks off the helpers who get tired of saying "tell us about the …" repeatedly to the same poster. Don't get offended, many newcomers do and then leave the forum. Just provide the information or explain why you can't. If you are working on getting the info, say so. Finally, you will solve the problem, possibly with the help provided on the forum, possibly with 3rd party help. Please come back to the forum and let us know how you did it. We do like to know the outcomes, and sometimes the forum learns from the result. The forum is not overly judgemental and will not jump on you if it was something silly you did. We have all committed that sin on our boats at one time or another. Happy boating!

Hi! I happened to be driving the boat when the gates fell off. From the other end of the boat nothing looked amiss, the collars were left in place. I don't think the gates hit the boat at all when they fell off, they were pretty damn close though. one of them might have knocked, but I didn't feel or hear anything. We were initially told we could wait on the boat while the CRT assessed the situation, so we got to spend the night in the lock! It was pretty miserable down there, we were told we had to leave the boat around 10am the next day. We had a dog on board, but luckily she wasn't too hard to get out. Pretty miserable situation, but at least no one was hurt.

Yesterday we handed over our beautiful boat to her new owners. A very sad day as I am not ready to accept that I am no longer a boater. Regretfully, busy jobs and increasingly frail, unwell and dependent parents meant that we were not going to be able to get away on the boat much (or for long periods as we have been), and we could not justify hanging on to such an expensive luxury if we weren't going to be able to make use of it. It is not an exaggeration to say that I have had the happiest times of my life on the boat and it has renewed my love and appreciation for the UK. I know the network is not perfect, and is in need of quite a bit of TLC, but I have enjoyed every single day of my boating life - have seen the most extraordinarily beautiful scenery and made some wonderful friends. Boating has enriched my soul like nothing else ever could and I am so grateful that I had the chance to experience it. Last month I celebrated the 10th anniversary of my bowel cancer diagnosis and I hope the next decade will see me back in my true home on the water. Hubby is giving the new owners a day of cruising/helming training today and if you see NB Aventine out and about with her new owners please make them feel welcome. I just wanted to say a big thank you to all on here for everything I have learnt about boats and boating.

There seems to be a growing number of people who contribute to this site who express the view that certain canals should be closed, and maybe are a waterways equivalent of Doctor Richard Beeching. All those people who campaigned for waterways restoration schemes are having their combined voices drowned out by those who say "why bother?" as well as "close down the expensive waterways and return them to the decaying world of the disused navigation." The latter option may suit ecologists whose primary concern is the preservation of the habitats of endangered creatures. The modern reality of keeping open navigations, where repair of the infrastructure is part of the problem. Costs for staff, materials, and maintenance have been part of these equations since the time of the navigations being built. however. It is now part of the challenge to find sufficient funds to keep. the network in order. The growing interest in getting more miles of waterway back into use has been a goal of many enthusiasts. Those that gave their time to restore waterways such as the Ashton and the Caldon were part of a generation that cared and there is now another generation of those that care giving their time to help restore the Lichfield and the Montgomery. So there a battalion of those that DO bother and hopefully will continue to do so!

Yes I read it - non-story the Daily Mail of the canal world. I'm also fed up with the CRT baiters in this forum. We're soon going to have a fight for the survival of the canal system and all some people want to do is pick holes whilst the whole edifice (the canals,not those running them) collapses. There you go, battle line drawn.

An app that allows simple reporting of issues makes sense - exact location provided, probably a pick list of standard options (broken paddle, jammed gate, whatever) and hopefully more people reporting problems rather than just moaning. If that's being made available, it might as well also provide up to date stoppages and restrictions. If more people can and do report issues then CRT get a better idea of which problems are having the biggest effect on boaters. Don't forget that it's obvious to us boaters but not necessarily to whoever collects the reports.

To close the important part of this topic. I have been conversing with LadyG by PM over the last few days and I think that we have a solution. It seems that she and far too many others I have come across, did not differentiate between charging voltage, rested voltage and surface charge voltage, so seeing 13V plus on the meter when charging was taking place, in their minds, meant a well charged battery. I think that she has got it now and after two longish engines charging she has found the ammeter at +2 A which I don't think she has ever seen before and 14.1V on the stern batteries, with a bit less on the bow batteries. She seems to accept that the bow batteries will always be compromised charge wise, but is happy that they are servable. I also think that she will send more time engine charging than has been her habit and understand just how long it takes to charge LA batteries. It seems like a result.

I've just been down to check and I have picked them up to stop them being nicked/thrown in the cut, I will PM you

Just to make you aware that starting in October there will be a joint IWA & CRT offside vegetation cutting programme (all volunteers) on the T&M between Fradley Junction and Great Haywood, then down the S&W as far as Gailey. There will be another operation starting in Coventry and heading north to Hawkesbury, then to Fazeley then on the B&F to Curdworth. Obviously neither will require a stoppage (although there is one at the Great Haywood end of the S&W in January for weir maintenance), nor will there be any formal navigation restrictions in place. However if any of you are moored in those sections and hear the cutting being carried out approaching your boat, it would help a great deal if you would move forward or back briefly if asked to do so. Many of the spots with encroaching vegetation are opposite popular moorings so it’s in everyone’s interest if we can pay particular attention to dealing with those. As you all know, the encroaching vegetation on many parts of the system has been neglected and is probably the worst it’s been for years. Unfortunately in order to help catch up we need to make enough progress to complete the whole of those sections if possible, before we have to stop in early March when the wildlife begins nesting. We will be working Monday to Friday. We will therefore have to just concentrate on the significant places such as on bends, sightlines, opposite popular moorings, bridge and lock approaches, narrow sections etc, and on the straighter sections we will have to leave sporadic tree encroachments on the basis that if two boats meet, one will have to hold back briefly, and on some sections just create passing places. I also ask for you patience if you come across us and we are unable to move out of your way straight away. We are usually pretty good at doing this, but occasionally it may take a few minutes for us to tuck in out of your way. Afterwards you will no doubt see some places and wonder why we haven’t addressed them, but I’m afraid that in the circumstances this will be the best we can hope for, at least in the short term anyway. And it will certainly be much better than it is at the moment!

Interesting reading all the speculation, Unfortunately the article in the Bridgwater and Taunton Mercury is very misleading and the "unnamed man" is a disgruntled boat owner who has caused nothing but trouble for himself through his own behaviour, Also not an original bw docks boat owner... Thought he could buy a boat on the B&T and freeload from the situation, 1. The reality of the situation is. CRT gave up 28 marina's the same year as the bw docks, Somerset County Council were the only council to insist on all the boats having to leave (not crt's choice) 2. CRT worked with the boaters as yes some lived there had job's and families so lifting out and causing upheaval leaving there home was something crt recognised and helped by allowing the boats to move out onto the 14 miles of waterway, 3. As some on here have stated you can't meet Cc requirements moving over 20 miles a year as it obviously isn't that long a waterway, there were also no suitable identified mooring locations for the particular size of boats in question. 4. the docks future at that point was uncertain, potential leveling up funds for refurbishment but no timescale or guarantee so crt gave the boaters an agreement to bide by and it was reviewed every 6 months. 5. The time came where the town’s fund was secured and a date set for refurbishment was place to be the summer of 2025. 6. Once crt had this information they (last year) spoke with the boaters and indicated if the boats didn't have home moorings by January of this year they would have to be removed from the b&t. 7. Three locations were identified for moorings (pretty much where the boats had found homes over the past two years and local businesses approached with offers to lease and manage the locations, 8 (here's your new paper misinformation) all the original boat owners who left the docks have identified locations there is some finalising to be done with 4 but heading in the right direction. One original boat sadly the owner passed away and the family are removing the boat to be sold. Two of the original boats but not original owners are being removed, And a third that just showed up on the system thinking they could be clever and play the system these 3 boats received eviction notices, Two of the three have done nothing but try to play the system claiming squatting rights cause fights and upsetting the local areas,ect, the 3rd was recently sold and the new owner is lifting it for a refit. So 10 people loosing there homes/boats? Not true. There has been nothing but support for the boaters from crt and the local bridgwater town council, yes some difficult pills to swallow at times loosing the facilities at the docks for example (the county council again insisting they had to be closed) and life adjustments to make but everyone is still local to there families and job's. The Bridgwater mercury didn't fact check before publication.

If it helps one person embarking on a sailaway project to avoid one bad decision then it will have been worth my while doing this "rant". I agree its not light reading, I'm no writer. If reading it was compulsory I would not write it but its not. And its not as bad as the personal invective in the Political section. I'm a little disappointed that it is Blackrose of all people choosing to cast solid round objects.

Our boat has been at Glascote Basin since last November where it is being repainted to a very high standard by the team at Norton Canes Boatbuilders with experienced supervision provided by Sarah Edgson. There is more information on our website here. We did start repainting 'Alnwick' in 2005 but for many reasons, progress slowed when we had completed the outside of the back cabin. By 2016, we decided that the paint we had purchased more than ten years earlier was by then too old to use!

It’s worth pointing out that not even 60 years ago—in my parents’ lifetime, in my lesbian aunts’ lifetime, maybe even in some of your lifetimes—heterosexuals put laws in place that would make me illegal. I could be punished, beaten and imprisoned. That isn’t ancient history. This still happens in some parts of the world. The reverberation of this regressive practice is still felt by people like me. It was your heterosexual police force who would entrap us like we were wild savages, they would raid our gathering spots, unable to leave us alone, veritably foaming at the mouth to oppress and subjugate. They would pretend to be like us so they could hurt us. Alan Turing helped Britain to win the Second World War and his reward from the heterosexual majority was castration. Truly and utterly shameful. It was this society where even popular homosexuals feared being themselves. Kenneth Williams, who the British public adored for his role in the Carry On films and Just a Minute, could never feel truly comfortable with himself because of the society he was born in, despite the deep public adoration for him and his talent. I posit his profound self-loathing was created by a society that hated who he really was and loved his created persona on stage and film. When we are told to just integrate, I dare say why don’t you lot make a society that is welcoming and caring for people like me so that this so-called integration is possible? Why is it incumbent upon me to do that? You create laws to criminalise me, you castrate me, you threaten and hurt me. What are you doing to help me integrate? Damned if you do, damned if you don’t.

Regarding the original post and accident. Myself, sister and her husband were at the scene of the accident on Wednesday. We were the three people who jumped in and pulled the man out from beneath the boat. I did not witness him actually fall in as we were in the stop lock at the time. Many passers by and the staff at the marina were there and offered assistance. The paramedics were fantastic too. His wife was lovely and coped incredible well considering the ordeal. I hope very much the gentleman is recovering well in hospital. Please all, take care out there and safe boating. Can I recomend downloading an app called "what three words" which helps give your exact location to emergency services and also looking at some youtube videos on resuscitation and basic first aid. You never know when you might need it.

It's a breath of fresh air being somewhere online with no advertising. Long may it continue.

Please put your dogs on a damn lead. As everyone is I'm sure aware a specific breed in in the news at the moment for attacking people. I don't think it's just a breed thing. My small boy (corgi) has been attacked 4 times in the past few months on the towpath or in a marina. He was just picked up and shaken by the back of the neck by a much larger dog, like a rabbit. Owner not in sight. If your dog is not extremely well trained, has poor recall or shows ANY aggression ever. Keep them on a damn lead when there is a chance to meet other dogs. Keep them in line of sight at all times. I keep mine on a lead because he does not always like other dogs. I can't do much if yours comes running over out of your control. I do not want to have to harm your dog to save mine. I have already had to kick several dogs in the head. These were not the stereotypical "aggressive" breeds. "He's usually friendly!" is not an excuse. I can't bear the thought on my lovely boy being seriously hurt by another dog: Edit: sorry if the wrong place to post this. Move it if needed!

5. make it easier and cheaper for householders to dispose of their rubbish at the council "tips".

After seven years off the cut since leaving Halsall and moving on to pastures new, I've finally got a new (to me) old boat. Thanks to Sarah Edgson at Norton Canes (Glascote) for an easy purchase of Ballinger, a 1890's mk.1 Bantock boat, cut in half in the 60's by Max Sinclair and others, and a steel cabin added. It's got a lovely fit out, which the sales particulars suggest was by Ken Brenchley at Brinklow, but it has also been suggested to me that Brinklow Boat Services might not have been about then, so who knows. Propulsion is by a Dorman 2LB which was originally in a back-up generator at Stansted Airport. I picked the boat up Saturday morning, and after much faffing about finally got going at lunchtime. Everything worked fine first time, despite the boat having sat at the brokers for some time. I filled the water tank from the water point at the top of Glascote Locks, and was caught out by the water pressure. The hose popped straight out of the filler and then sprayed water around (and all over me) as the hose did it's angry snake impression. I finally managed to tame it, and learnt my first thing about the boat - always hold the hose in the filler! I descended those first 2 locks tentatively, having not done any locks for 7 years, and wanting to see how the boat behaves in a lock. Once on the move I was surprised to see so many boats moving, but the weather was great for boating, and maybe the last sunny and mild weekend of the year. Nevertheless the stove was going by my feet, offering warth. I've never had a boat that doesn't have a range by the back doors, so god knows how those of you without manage. First thought was that the boat was moving quite slowly. Then I realised it's leaf soup season, and having originally thought the draught would be about 2' 6", I got a glimpse at a previous survey which states it is actually 2' 9", so I'm going to have to get used to cruising sedately. I'd originally hoped to get to Rugeley Saturday evening, and Stone on Sunday evening, but the slow going and my late start put pay to this. I forgot to dip the tank before I left the yard, so when I did so in my first lock, I found it was nearly empty. With the next fuel opportunity all the way at Streethay, I was watching the clock, and worrying if I was going to start picking up any crud or water that might be in the bottom of the tank. Google told me the wharf shut at 5pm, but thankfully I rang to confirm, as it's actually 4.3ppm on a Saturday. When I told the guy on the phone I would wind it on a bit and do my best, he said he'd hang around and wait for me. I finally rocked up about 4.45pm, and took on fuel, as well as getting a pint of milk for the morning and a tin of emergency soup. Thanks to Steve at Streethay for staying open for me. I thought he looked familiar, and turns out he'd previously been on the Shroppie and a customer of mine on the fuel boat. I cracked on a bit further, and whilst it would have been nice to get to Fradley Junction, I had a memory of my one and only visit there around 10 years ago, when I'd arrived at dusk on Halsall and not been able to find any space before the swing bridge, and then 'no mooring' signs galore around the corner, forcing me up the locks in darkness. Looking at the clock, I could see history repeating itself, so when I spotted room for one boat on some piling in what my map suggested was Fradley Village, I took it just as day turned to night. Craving some proper food, I thought I'd check Google for a shop, and discovered there was a Co-op a few minutes walk away. Imagine my suprise when I found a chippy, cafe, subway etc... Having bought some fresh food from the co-op, I treated myself to a fish and chips supper. I could have stayed here longer, with such good facilities close-by. 5G inside the boat as well!!! I had my best nights sleep in several years. The boat is hydraulic drive, so the back cabin has extra head height, as well as the drop down bed being a third bigger than the norm, something that Mrs Junior will be very happy with as we used to sleep with our knees bent on Halsall 😂. The range went out overnight, so that'll take a bit of practice. An early start after a bacon roll and coffee, and the tree next to the boat had dumped all it's leaves on the roof. Perhaps why that one spot was free. I arrived at Fradley just as the volunteer lock keepers arrived for the day. I welcomed their assistance. I explained I'd only just got the boat and these were my first uphill locks. Did they mind taking it easy so I could see how the boat behaved, as I wanted the boat to come forward the ride up the gate. It did as I expected. What didn't look far on the map seemed to take a lot longer than expected, again because of leaves and depth. I rolled into Rugeley at lunchtime, and realised I wasn't going to make Stone, so reassessed. Less boats moving than yesterday, but of course having not seen anyone for hours, I met someone at Armatige, and had a good practice at going astern. Another glorious day, and so many people out enjoying the canal. I timed Colwich Lock right, as there was one coming out and another waiting to come down. So I slotted in as their respective crews kindly worked me through. The ground paddle here is broken, with a sign saying it is under repair. Not much evidence of any repairing going on. The downside to getting assistance at the locks is that I was hungry, thirsty and desperate for the toilet, as these are all tasks better carried out in a lock when single handed. Roll on winter when I can sit in a lock and make my lunch! As Mrs Junior was coming to pick me up by road, and the options for leaving the boat a couple of days quite minimal after Great Haywood, I decided to call it a day on the visitor moorings just before the junction mid-afternoon, and took the opportunity to sort a few bits out and start deciding what would live where on the boat. I nipped to the Spar and after a bit of daylight robbery on their part, got some provisions I could turn into a hot meal. I decided to clean out the well deck/catch area and set up the table, and Mrs Junior and mini Junior joined me for dinner at dusk, before we all set of back home in the car. Note the paper plates...£3.69 for 20! Must buy some proper ones today to take back to the boat. I'll be back to the boat in a couple of days to move a bit more. The aim is to get the boat back to Dutton where I hope CRT are going to let me have an End of Garden mooring as there's been one here previously, and it exists as a drop down on the mooring location section on the licensing page. I've took a few photos, which I'll try too add. Being single handed, they're mostly from the same perspective!

Speaking to a few people during a tour of Bradley Workshops at the festival earlier this year, I think the situation may not be so bleak as it at first appears. The main issue as it was told is that locks have an average lifespan of 25yrs and the total number of locks on the system exceeds 1/25th of their annual production capability. They are currently hitting the peak of the problem as the locks on the millenium restoration projects are now reaching end of life. The issue is that lock gate manufacturing is still highly manual. For example, the curve on the heel post is made by multiple passes through a planer on a rotating jig, turning a few degrees at a time which takes about 3hrs. The finish is then hand sanded to create the curve. With a finite space for manufacturing in there is not much that can be done to accelerate throughput with the existing method of manufacture. The solution they are proposing is to go to CNC manufacturing to replace a lot of the manual front end processes. The heel post for example could then be made in 10mins. These numbers aren't quite right, but if you look back through threads a few months ago at the time of the festival I posted more accurate numbers. It was something like current production enables 180 leaves a year, they need to manufacture 220 leaves per year to keep up with the renewal programme and the revised method of manufacture should enable 260 leaves per year. The plan for the remaining capacity is to address some current latent demand for gates outside of CRT, both in the UK and overseas (there is a canal in Canada which wants gates). Selling these additional gates should cover the depreciation cost of the investment in the CNC equipment. Another change is a redesign of gates to facilitate in-situ replacement of balance beams and heel post tops. This has already been implemented on some newer gates and as well as reducing stoppage times when gates fail before design life, it also allows re-use of beams which may only have been in service a year or two before the rest of the gate is renewed, reducing material use. There is also consideration being given to reverting to the original plank and frame gate design on some locks where a vertical beam design was adopted at a point when material was cheap and labour expensive (WW1 I think). This allows material savings, reducing overall cost without any loss of performance. The current situation is undeniably bad. It probably won't get better for a couple of years, but after that if the above goes ahead I am hopeful that a sustainable and cost-effective solution is possible. No, I do not work for CRT, but I was suitably impressed at the thought processes and dedication being put in by the team to modernise lock gate manufacturing and I wish them all the best with it - it is in all our interests for it to work. Alec

So yesterday I bought a steel Dutch cruiser, its a boaty boat rather than a corridor 🤣 I currently have a widebeam but I have lusted after this boat for a few years, it has a Sole 44 diesel engine with 146 hours on it. The previous to last owners can only be described as the artful Bodger! He didn't fix anything correctly ever!!!! The list of bodges he did are endless, as I sort them I will list them, i have fixed the water leak on the front hatch already. I only have until the end of may to do it as that's when the BSS runs out, pictures for perusal

Much like some of the posters in the original thread, which I have just read, I find this type of thread rather saddening. I have a longstanding interest in the history of canals, going back over 40yrs. I had Richard Dean's map of the BCN on the wall of my room at University, rather than the standard student posters, and still really enjoy poking around the backwaters of the BCN, have worked on restoration projects and I particularly like the quirky smaller boats - the tugs and the iceboats. I was therefore absolutely delighted when Oates came up for sale at a time and a price when we could take it on. Oates is a family boat. My wife, daughters and I all enjoy boating. We have a historic licence discount and as part of that I feel an obligation to take Oates to places where it helps form part of an attraction and allows other people to enjoy seeing it. We take it to Ellesmere Port, we went to the tug gathering and after the BCN Challenge we left it on the BCN for an extra couple of weeks so that we could take it to the Bradley festival, which had asked for historic boats which were available to attend (we were one of four). For reasons of travel logistics and mooring fees, going to Bradley actually cost more than the historic boat discount, but I don't mind that, it was good to take it to a worthwhile event. I don't deny enjoying being at these gatherings, but that isn't the only reason we go. We have set up an information board and usually spend quite a few hours standing by the boat, chatting to visitors about the boat and the engine, and if it ties in I am always happy to let people see it running, show the start-up procedure etc. At Ellesmere Port we have been up to the water point and it always gets a lot of extra interest from visitors to see a boat moving through the locks. Rather like some other short boats including Sickle, many people appear to assume that because the boat is short it is easy to manoeuvre and must be shallow drafted, but it isn't on either count. Being very deep, we do tend to create movement as we pass boats, but I take it slowly, although I don't always guess how long it will take to slow down correctly as it is dependent on channel depth. Mostly I get smiles, waves, nods and thumbs up from boats we are passing so people generally seem happy to see and hear us pass (they also talk to me but it is much louder on the stern than people realise and I can't usually hear what they are saying). As anyone who read my recent comment regarding previous experience with some historic boat owners would be aware, I have also experienced unpleasant behaviour. It is definitely not universal by a very long way, but it does exist, just as it does with all types of boat owner. We sometimes need to get on but that's not about being historic - for us, boating is restricted to outside school times so if we are on the boat for the weekend then we need to get somewhere specific to pick up a car and get the children home at a reasonable hour to get ready for school on Monday. The mindset which some people without time constraints have does not quite apply to us, but that has nothing to do with being historic. We are also pretty efficient with locks and swing bridges and we often catch someone else up on a flight and give them a hand. I have done the Wolverhampton 21 in 1hr 20mins in the past, with a crew of three, so when we came down a couple of weekends ago and the queue built up to four boats with us at the back, that was not ideal and it took nearly 3hrs, but we still got home at a fairly reasonable hour so no issues, but I will admit that I wasn't hanging about on the clear bits of the Shroppie. I can empathise with @beerbeerbeerbeerbeer's observations on comments about continuous cruisers. Just because you happen to have a particular type of boat or use it in a particular way does not automatically mean you conform to someone else's stereotype. Alec

There are countless incidents and issues reported upon regarding cycling on the towpaths, most of which are (often rightly) berating inconsiderate cyclists. Just now I'm on a water point with my hose crossing the towpath. I've just watch a cyclist travelling at pace see my hose, dismount and lift his bike over my hose before hopping back on and disappearing into the distance. I was unable to thank him for his actions as I was inboard so he was also unaware that his actions were witnessed, and he won't read this here, but credit where credit is due. I'm sure there are many cyclists like him who are sadly, like us boatists, let down by the few who stand out for the wrong reasons. It would be nice if consideration was the norm, but we shouldn't lose sight of the fact that perhaps it still is.

Latest update: This weekend, with the help of a few friends I took the boat from Banbury to Napton to try reversing down the flight. It was dark when we arrived at lock 10, the lock where it got stuck. With the engine off and a bit of jiggling, a light flush from the top paddles, the boat passed through! So now I've made it through Napton! Hat tip to @magnetman, thanks for the tip sir... To everyone else that came with advice and positive words, thank you for your time and thoughts. Happy New Year to you all.

Hi Tony, I appreciate everything you’ve said and will work towards making it a more streamlined business. Whether it’s a non residential address, or a PO Box. At the end of the day, no one books my services by post or by visiting my home address. 99% contact myself via Telephone, Email or by viewing my social media channels and making an enquiry. People are absolutely entitled to do their own research, and if the address issue puts them off, it puts them off. That’s entirely their right and choice. However as a Sole Trader (Which is still a company btw) who focuses on delivering boats and giving tuition/advice my focus is on delivering a service that doesn’t involve my own postal address, and rather that of visiting the client. This year I’ve got a team working with me, which consists of myself, a fellow Boatmover, a professional merchant seaman and also a Web designer. Everything is 100% legitimate, it’s not a scam or a legal loophole. It’s simply following my career delivering boats which is my passion and skill. That’s all 😊

Dear New Member. This is a subject that comes up regularly on this forum. For living on a narrowboat/widebeam on the English canals, there are many things to take into account, not least the cost. True, for the most part you will not pay full Council tax, but against that there will be higher fuel costs, both for moving and heating. The purchase price of a boat can be attractive, compared to a small house, 2nd hand boats are similar to 2nd hand cars, too cheap and you are buying someone elses troubles. Like cars they go down in value the longer you keep them. Unlike house, that go up! (selling a house to buy a boat, may mean you will never be able to afford a house again.) All canals and rivers are controlled by Navigation Authority's who have their rules and regulations to abide by. These you need to be aware of , for the area you wish to boat in. Living on a boat, on a permanent mooring needs Planning Permission from the local council, so true residential moorings are both rare and expensive, especially in towns. Living on a boat has to be a life-style choice, that all members of the household are happy with. Everything that comes into a house, gas, water, electricity, post, all has to be taken to the boat or generated on-board, likewise all that leaves the house, rubbish, sewage, has to be carried away. In both cases by the boater. Not generally a problem in the summer, but very very different in the winter. There are many more details that you as a "new to boating" person need to be aware of, but for now I'll stop. Bod. P.s. This forum has a fantastic range of knowledge, that most members willingly share, if you are asked a question, it will be to clarify what they need to know, in order to give correct advice. Also please come back regularly, some members are very quick to join a topic, less tham 5 minutes is not unknown.

He was still steering this Summer when we saw him out with his family at Kingston on Thames. Damn good life and much joy was given to others. Sail on in Peace Tim

It's all very well wanting a thread that flags up experts, what we really need is a flag for posters who know absolutely nothing about narrowboats, don't own one, appear to have never been close to one, and offer stupid advice from a position of total ignorance.

Indeed. Most YouTubers are far more knowledgeable about making good videos than they are about boating. Mike Askin is a notable exception, I'd suggest. Even so, I'd suggest engaging astern under every bridge 'ole is a dopey idea. Knocking it out of gear and coasting through does much the same thing if you're worried, and slows the boat down less.

Sent last week on the Caldon. Met some egregious people. The people who helped my wife (and me!) with a stiff paddle on the staircase. Horrible. The people who found us a table in their pub despite it being clearly rammed to the gills with prebooked tables. Awful. The people who warned us of a hidden underwater obstacle at Cheddleton Flint mill. Vile. The dozen or so CRT volunteers doing a fabulous job clearing the towpath. Terrible people. Dreadful canal as well. All the locks working (bar the one stiff paddle), everything well maintained. I trust that fits in with the style of posting people like to read on here. I'd hate anyone to imagine we had a good time on a nice canal with some lovely people.

Oddly enough, I saw Captain Birdseye, and Mrs Birdseye out and about on the Macc today, and he said that there was recent speculation that I might have sold up. As Mac has mentioned, my wife died (7 years ago now), and that reduced my boating a bit and my posting. My boating from there on in was more focussed around going out at the same time as my daughter, Elizabeth, on her boat, but the end of her marriage in 2021 curtailed her boating too, whilst she got back on her feet. She has now sold her boat, and we are ALL getting back out on the canal on Mr Jinks in various combinations of me, daugher, her new husband, her children and stepchildren. The crew that frakhn saw would have been me on the tiller, and the teenage grandchildren working the lock whilst daughter had a nap below. Actually, probably just Nick (tall lad, 17 years old with long blond hair), because Tim who is 13 would have had some excuse for not helping! As I am back out there boating, and its lost none of its appeal, I will probably be back on the forum. Now, I've been out for a fortnight, so there is a plethora of things that I might want to comment on!!

Not just about faster trains, but to provide greater capacity to the transport network which is sorely needed, especially when personal transport options are being seriously curtailed and punitively charged.

So after saying we would not have another dog at our age......the house has been empty without a dog and this poor eight year old sweetie needed rescuing. So after donating lots of beer money to rescue centre here she is, we must be daft lol

So, finally, a sort of Post Script. Just ended my third straight week living aboard. All seems reasonably OK. Gone through my first Elsan clean out. Engine starts on demand. Sorted the leaky chimney stack - wood burner works beautifully. Hot water in the taps after the engine's been running a while. Slowly getting the hang of things. Leisure batteries are corpses I suspect. That's next on the list. Had my petrol generator stolen out of the front porch while I was aboard last night. I didn't hear a thing. My own fault for not chaining it to the boat. Another lesson learned. It was a small, relatively cheap thing, not a four figure priced one. Happy as a pig in muck, as the saying goes.

Welcome to the forum chris69, as you can see, canal/lock infrastructure isn't the only thing which is largely unchanged since the 18th century around here.

Dad recorded nearly all his voyages (mostly with mum, @1st ade and me) on a canal map mounted on pin board in his office ("den" would have been a better term) - each night afloat recorded with a pin - the map is still up, given interest in the history of holiday boating I thought some of you might enjoy it! After dad died, I realised his last holiday hadn't been recorded - We took him on a Bruce Trust boat on the K&A. So I added that one in white pins Edited add - drawing pins (except those at the corners of the plan!) who some of the places we took our car top dinghy - those were day trips

Hi all, I'd like to take a moment to formally welcome both 1st Ade and Jen-in-Wellies who joined the Moderator team as of late April this year. After a successful introductory period, I'm pleased to announce that both are happy to continue working alongside the rest of our much valued team. I'd also like to announce that Bigray, Liam, NB Lola and Wrigglefingers have stood down from the Moderator role. We also wish to extend our gratitude to them for their contribution and service over the years. Our Moderator team now consists of: 1st ade Athy Buccaneer66 Dave_P Jen-in-Wellies Magpie Patrick Our full staff list can be found on the page linked below: https://www.canalworld.net/forums/index.php?/staff/ Thank you Rich

Dr Bob here with the duck Well things haven't changed much here in the 2 year since my last comments on composting toilet waste. Still the same un-informed bullies, loudmouths and Crocodiles (big mouths and no ears) beating down any attempt at a reasoned argument why composting may be good on a boat. The aggression shown to Squid's 'first time' question on the topic in a recent thread shows just what a toxic place this can be. I write this note – and it is a long one – to give some hope to those who seek some real input to their decision on whether to attempt to compost their toilet waste on a boat – but it is a long read. I expect the crocodiles will give up pretty quickly. If you get bored easily then dont bother reading any further. Let's be clear, after having a separating toilet on our boat and composting our waste for 2 years now, I can honestly say it has been the best purchase ever for a boat. This is on a boat that was brand new in 2020. After 6 months we ditched the state of the art pump out macerator toilet for a Compoost loo (anyone want to buy the toilet and holding tank?). I'm not going into detail of why it has been the best purchase. The list is too long. But believe me, it has been our best purchase. So why am I posting such a long and rambling post on here? Well, there are a couple of big points that I think are never discussed but provide all the ammunition for the naysayers and Crocodiles to beat all who stick their heads above the parapet into submission and silence the large number of people (inc on here) who have these toilets. Maybe it will help those trying to understand if composting human waste on a boat is a viable route. The Crocodiles can now go and spout their un-informed rubbish on other threads. For the interested, please read on. The first big issue is when the Crocodiles use the phrase ' it's disgusting' when referring to separating toilets and composting of the waste solids. If you see anyone saying “it's disgusting” then you know they dont know what they are talking about. They've probably never seen a separating loo. So many of them dont even have canal boat – so how can their words be believed? Let's look at how conventional toilets work. You sit on the bowl and deposit a load of wee and poo in the bowl (not necessarily in that order). The instant these two streams meet, enzymes in the streams start a chemical reaction which turns urea in the urine into ammonia and some other very smelly molecules. The evolution of ammonia is significant and as the volume builds you start smelling a very unpleasant smell coming from between your legs. That is disgusting. Can you remember exiting the bathroom and closing the door, saying to the next person “I'd give that 5 mins if I were you”? Yes that is disgusting. Separating toilets – if they are working properly and used properly – do not mix the wee and poo so you dont get the ammonia evolution and there is almost zero smell. In the 2 years of operation, I have never smelt the disgusting smell made by previous user (or by me). Handling the waste after (the poo box and wee bottle) is not at all smelly or unpleasant. We were up in Jockland for 4 weeks in December and using the loo in the house was an experience. Very smelly. You just dont get that on the boat. Everyone I know who has moved to a separating toilet has said the same. I note one person on here who moved back to a conventional toilet after trying a separating toilet but I wonder if he had a well designed separating toilet or even used it right. If he had smell then something was very wrong. Separating toilets are not disgusting. What is disgusting is asking your visitors not to use the toilet after eating sweetcorn or apple cores. Well its not the asking that's disgusting, its the job needed to clean the remnants out of the duck valves in a vacuuflush system. Similarly replacing the seals in a leaking cassette and dont get me started on the state of the elsan points on the network. Disgusting is the word to describe it. No, if someone says to you that separating toilets and composting of the solids is disgusting, then it is clear that they have no experience of the issue which then questions anything else they may utter. The second big issue is can you compost human poo? This is a real issue and in defence of the Crocodiles, I can see why they may say its impossible, so how do you dispose of you untreated poo? I really can see why you are so passionate about our inability to compost. Let me try and tackle this thorny subject and bring some clarity to the debate. I am going to digress here and declare a professional interest. I am a director of a test laboratory up in Jockland. In 20 years we have grown to be one of the countries best respected UCAS accredited test labs in the UK for testing of plastics. At the start of 2020 we expanded our expertise to cover biodegradation testing of initially plastic packaging materials and that has now grown to the point we are one of the leading test labs for biodegradation and composting in the UK. We test a range of packaging products to see if they biodegrade or can be composted (either for home or industrial composting) using a range of Eu defined test standards and methods. We test to BS EN13432, ISO 16929, PAS 9017, ISO 17556, ISO 14855 and ISO 20200 amongst others. Have a read of the BS EN 13432 standard to see what is involved. We know what composting is all about. I personally have been the technical gatekeeper for this activity so now see myself as an expert in the field. Unfortunately however, the majority of people in the UK do not know how to compost – and that was also me 5 years ago. I've lived in a house with a garden for 40 odd years and being a keen gardener, always had a compost heap. Various heaps, boxes, machines. None worked. Filled them up in spring and summer and by next spring – nothing had happened. In 40 years I likely only ever made a few shovelfuls of good compost. Composting doesnt work, does it? Maybe that is too sweeping a statement but there is some supporting info out there. Three months ago, University College London (UCL) wrote a paper summarising a trial they ran over 24 months, asking the public to compost in their home heaps, bins, custom designs etc, items you can buy which claimed to be 'home compostable'. The output of this was picked up by the Guardian and ran as a story claiming that over 60% of items claimed to be home compostable were not. Now, these were not just items claiming to be compostable, they were items deemed to be compostable by the accreditation organisation TUV, a very very well known Austrian company. TUV run a scheme where clients get their products tested and TUV accredit that it is all done right. The UCL study concluded over 50% of their accredited products did not home compost, things like plastic cups, wet wipes etc. We as a company do not work with TUV but the labs TUV use are bone fide labs and do things right. We know the limitations of the test methods but the huge discrepancy here is because the average Jo public doesnt know how to compost. To compost properly you need food, water and oxygen. It's really is very simple but the majority of peeps do not know that -so dont understand what composting is, how to do it or what it can achieve. Let's then look in a bit more detail at composting. The words 'industrial composting' describes the process that the big compost makers use to make their compost. We are dealing here with aerobic composting (ie with air) and not anaerobic digestion which is a totally different process (which is where all food waste in the UK goes). Industrial composters use a 12 week cycle to complete the composting process – to turn for example garden waste into a fully composted product. Yes, only 12 weeks. The temperatures used are of the order 65°C for a couple of weeks then 55/60°C for another 6 weeks followed by <45°C for the final month. In the lab we use kit that simulates large scale Windrow composting – kit that is not a million miles away from the mini-hot bins you see used on boats for hot composting. For the ISO 16929 test, we run these bins at the temps above to monitor biodegradation and fragmentation to show what composts and what doesnt. What is absolutely clear is the things like food waste or horse manure, that we use to create the composting medium, degrade totally in the 12 weeks to a soil like, compost. It looks like soil, its smells like soil and it probably tastes like soil. The biodegradation is the action of bugs (ie bacteria etc) eating the food (the waste you put in). You can clearly measure how fast the bugs eat by I) the temperature rise and ii) the amount of CO2 evolved as they eat the long carbon chains. To multiply and eat, the bugs need food, oxygen and water. Get any of those 3 wrong and the biodegradation will not happen properly. In performing these tests we have learnt what food the bugs like. Firstly you have to have a balanced Carbon/Nitrogen ratio but then some food is better than others. An example is sawdust vs coconut choir. Sawdust is a pig for the bugs to eat. You really need the whole 12 weeks to get that to degrade. The coconut Choir disappears in half the time. Newspaper is a pig. Too much lignin. Good quality office paper goes in half the time (far less lignin). Food waste and horse manure is a delicacy for the bugs and half way through our 12 week cycle the food waste is fully decomposed. There is a test for the maturity of a compost ie the Rottegrad test, which is used to determine the final quality of the compost. So, where does that get us? We know we can fully biodegrade food waste and horse manure in 6 weeks at 'industrial' temperatures. The product is not food waste or horse manure. It is a fully degraded compost. It is therefore interesting to see these mini hot bins being used on boats. Yes, they really do work, and work very well. In that cold spell before Christmas at the lab, we had night time lows of -9°C and day time highs of -5°C in Livingston yet we were maintaining 60°C in a couple of hot bins we were testing to see the limits of the low temp performance. Quite a few peeps have these on their boat (they fit in an open cratch quite well), but the drawback for me is that you need to feed them with things other than poo – otherwise there is not enough food. This then doubles the amount of compost you make so disposing of it is more tricky. What's then best way to do it on a boat? Human manure degrades exactly the same way and at the same speed as food waste/horse manure - chemically it is almost the same. I talked about food, oxygen and water but the other key input is temperature. Typically chemical reactions half in speed if you drop the temperature by 10°C. This means composting speeds reduce as the composting temperature goes down. If then you can aim to drop temperatures from the 60's/50's to 40/30's you will basically quadruple the times seen in the industrial composting work. This is what we do on the boat. We have 3 * 40L boxes. Our poo bin is emptied into box 1 (on the crusier stern every 5 to 6 days). It takes circa 12 weeks to fill the box. It is then transferred to a similar volume box(es) on the roof and box 1, now empty is ready to take the next 12 weeks of poo. 3 months later box 1 is emptied into the 3rd 40L box. We are not full time liveaboards (but on the boat all summer) – but extrapolating we make circa 160L of solid waste a year which decays down to around 120L. With a decent size boat (ie 65ft) we have loads of roof space so storing this amount of solids in not a chore. In the summer the dark blue roof gets to 65 to 70°C more days than it doesn't so allows you to get a lot of heat into the roof boxes. Our poo mix is fully composted down to compost only in 6 months max in the summer (ie a couple of months on the roof) and the the stuff produced in the Oct- Feb time is fully composted after starting the first part of the summer on the roof. From my experience of knowing what compost looks like at various stages of decomposition, I can see how well ours is composted. At the end of the 6 months (summer waste) or 9 month (winter waste), I can see that we have perfect compost which is no longer poo. We use that 120L direcct for our plant pots, half for the summer pots and half for the winter pots. No soil. Just compost. Last summer we had the best tomatoes in the marina. As the compost has seen temps of 50-60°C and spent 6 months well aerated, all the pathogens are dead. It is absolutely fascinating to see a box containing a mix of human poo and coconut choir change before your eyes in 6 months to be a non toxic valuable resource. A long way back up this thread, I said that it was impossible to home compost. For most it is. For most they will look in disbelief that you can turn turds into compost. It is totally a surprise that you can do it with very little effort if you do it properly. Once you get over that hurdle then it suddenly dawns on you that you can compost human waste on a boat – and all of a sudden a separating toilet becomes an option. Yes guys, it works. It's not disgusting. Using the heat of the roof of the boat gets you to the point where you can compost in a short space of time. The wee bottle ….you ask? Down the elsan (that's how I know what a crap state they are left in!) or down a toilet. Siiimple. Obviously the Crocodiles who are on my blocked list will not get any replies from me on this thread but if anyone needs more info then the best thing is to go over to the farcebook site on boat composting as there are some very knowledgable people over there with a wealth of information. You wont get a sensible discussion over here. Definitely the best thing we ever bought for the boat...but make sure you get a properly designed one that works. See you all in another 2 years to see if you've all lightened up.

The man clearly needs support but that should be by health and/or social services which his 'supporters' should be finding for him rather than using him in their fight against CRT. Deeply cynical and frankly repugnant.

My boats bathroom is based on an underground train. Don’t think I’d want the exterior look but all the grab handles make it easy to use in the strongest wind.

Moored boaters objecting to boats passing through a bit of ice are the same people who generally object to any boats moving, unless they are in neutral doing 0.1mph. As far as they are concerned, the canals are for cheap housing with a nice view, not for transport. Doesn’t make them right though! If you don’t like boats moving (whatever the weather or state of daylight), buy a caravan.

Hi all another painting by my Daughter who has done it for xmass for her mum and me painting and dog