Leaderboard

All I can say is that the editor and myself spent a year looking for someone to take over from me. I had deliberately kept the "trade" at arms length to avoid accusations of partiality, and I really don't think the way modern magazines are edited gave the editor any more contacts. I suggested a couple of possibilities and asked one or two of the more technical members here who also showed a degree of writing ability, but in all cases they said no. I think that in the end, RCR took up the offer. I think those with the experience, practical ability and knowledge in both mechanical and electrical systems were too busy earning money and were scared off by the thought of putting it down on paper. Actually the number of questions that came via the magazine were only one or two a month, the vast majority came direct to me via TB-Training, and they were getting less and less as those who had attended my courses got sufficient experience. In the end I was re-answering questions from over 10 years previously. I was not happy doing that, but the editor needed a selection to choose from. If anyone is interested in why I stopped, it was for several reasons. perhaps the major one is that I was of an age that relatives, friends and acquaintances were increasingly dying or getting rushed into hospital. I did not think it would be fair on the magazine if I suddenly could not produce the 4000 to 5000 words a month. As I indicated above, it was getting increasingly difficult to meet that target. Then there was the fact that my knowledge was/is getting less and less relevant for modern systems and practice, lithium battery systems being a case in point. Finally, I recognised my brain work was, and is, becoming less sharp than it was, as illustrated by the cock-ups I have made here over recent years. The message is use it or lose it, send your questions to the magazine.

I think the reason why the editor couldn’t find someone to replace you was that you would be a very hard act to follow. Your combination of decades of practical experience across a wide range of boats, theoretical knowledge, and experience of passing that on to others via training courses, was unique. A lot of people think they are irreplaceable, but in your case you were.

Not specious. Climate change doesn’t necessarily mean hotter and colder. Climate change, as the name suggests, creates a change in the climate such that the frequency of severe weather events increases. Those directly affecting the canals would be long periods of drought and violent rain storms causing flooding that overtops sections of canal and causes serious damage, eg the 3 locks on the C&H. More storm force winds causing trees to get blown over and structural damage to buildings.

Yes, built to withstand the droughts, storms and heavy rain of 200 years ago, as these events were understood at the time, and using the technology of the day. And ever since then there have been periodic failures of infrastructure and regular repairs, maintenance and upgrading as the risks, costs and consequences of failure have become more apparent. Why should it be any different now? Because of that history CRT is responsible for more older reservoirs than any other body, many of them situated where the consequences of failure would be significant (e.g. Todbrook). A combination of age, decay, original design and construction not being to today's standards, increased rainfall intensity (a consequence of climate change) and arguably, some short-sighted cuts in inspection, monitoring and maintenance, have meant that the risks which CRT has to manage today are far more significant than the canal companies of 200 years ago had to deal with.

Its a bank holiday so of course it will rain.

Climate change leads to more extreme events. Floods break the banks and infrastructure. Droughts empty the reservoirs and empty pounds dry out the clay and the ground round the structures, so leading to more collapses in both banks and lock walls. We saw the effect of drought last summer and there's a third year of drought in Europe (which, weirdly, we are still a part of). All that means a greater need for more maintenance, but what we get is better towpaths, with concomitant heavier traffic (electric bikes, scooters etc) which will lead to more collapse in the substructure.

Thank you for your kind words. No, I am not a meteorologist. You obviously are, so perhaps you'd let us all know if it will be raining over the Easter weekend.

Which just proves how little you understand about climate change.

No. It is a cost caused by people signing up to the “no home mooring” option and then feeling no compunction to abide by the associated laws.

Watercraft was run by Roger Apperley. I liked him, he was a nice bloke and rebuilt an old tug for me that I'd bought off Fred Larkham. Fred, in his usual style brought her up-river from his yard at Newnham on a flood, over the weir and round the corner into Gloucester Lock. On an outboard. She'd been used by Fred for work on the Severn Lights Board and Roger did a good job on the steelwork. We did her by eye, out of water and when we put her back in, she looked too top-heavy. I'd half modelled her on a Pedro Donky. I called her Severn, but the ladies I sold her to re-named her Severn Belle. This would have been about 1986 at a guess. I should have added that Roger's main interest were the Sprays designed by Bruce Roberts. I believe Roger went on to become Engineer on the Avon., although I think he's probably retired by now.

https://www.hemelmarina.com/ "We have a number of residential moorings, leisure moorings and hard-standings available " At a quick glance these are both good boats by quality builders. Hattie is a bit older and to my mind the fitout looks a little more dated. The main difference is that Wagtail is more middle-of-the road style with a trad stern with extended hatch giving an almost semi-trad layout, and modern engine below the deck. Hattie comes from a builder with direct links back to working boats with separate engine room, heavy nice sounding engine and traditional back cabin. (And yet Hattie has 'bus' windows and Wagtail has portholes). At the end of the day it is down to personal taste which boat appeals more.

My recollection was that there was no such requirement. The Bill which became the 95 Act had a clause requiring all boats to have a home mooring - presumably because boats mooring to some random bit of towpath were becoming a problem in some areas, and also requiring a home mooring would provide another source of income for BW (and other mooring operators). It was only because of objections by the small number of boaters who did genuinely cruise more or less full time over a wide area, that the CC concept was added in. But it was a last minute fudge to get the Act passed, and (with hindsight) insufficient attention was paid to the precise wording, hence the imprecision about how far you have to move from one 'place' to another, how soon you can return to a previous 'place' or how far you might have to travel over a period of time to 'satisfy the Board'.

Hmm sarcasm is never a good argument-winner. No droughts, storms and heavy rain are not recent inventions. However droughts, storms and heavy rain are all relative terms. A drought is a period without rainfall. How long is not defined. A storm is a period of very strong winds. The maximum strength of which is not defined. Heavy rainfall is a period of prolonged heavy rain, the maximum amount of water falling out of the sky per hour and overall duration is not defined. So as you imply through sarcasm, these are not new concepts. However, the severity and frequency of these events is increasing due to climate change. The climate is a chaotic system which is why accurate weather prediction still evades us despite use of supercomputer models. Like any chaotic system, a small perturbation can have enormous repercussions. Unless of course one is a climate change denier, in which case I would lump you into the same group as those who vehemently believe in their imaginary friend (god) or even those who think Scottish Independence would be a good thing. Strong beliefs firmly and honestly held, that have a complete absence of any factual basis. Also known as irrationality. Humans are unfortunately very good at that.

Duplicate post I think - you had posted this already. I note that, despite your apparent expertise, you haven't given us the Easter forecast yet. Come on, step lively now. It took them 200 years to find out?

Soon to be a surplus from the HS2 white elephant.

Some pictures of Diglis Basin in the 60's The tug is moored outside the building used by KKE Architects not in the arm where the pumped water from the water discharges the building used to house Danks boat builders now Grist Mill Boats Richard Fairhurst moors his boat in that location the dry dock is the open building and picture of dad sanding down Vesta taken from a BW film The picture of the bow of a boat is Severn trow Spry in front of Danks before being done up during the Diglis development to add a canopy The picture of Altair and other boat are the last pair delivering to the Worcester Porcelain, the building in the back ground is Albion Mill which is now lower due to a fire and has been developed into flat.

I never understand this obsession with light inside the boat having to come from large side windows. Every boat I've ever owned has been portholes-only, with masses of light inside from the roof lights. But if you like the idea of eating breakfast inside the boat with all the towpath pedestrians staring in at you through your picture windows, go for it! I prefer a good degree of privacy in my boats

This time using the proper Craftmaster enamel paint. Muuuch better. 🙂

From the 80s onwards the number of boats being tied on the towpath was becoming problematic, and the 1995 Act brought in the requirement for all pleasure craft to have a home mooring, and the restriction that craft could tie on the towpaths for 14 days or less as determined locally. The Lords' Committee rejected the mooring Clause in the form it first appeared as some Petitioners could show that their members cruised more or less continuously around the system. This was only one small part of the Bill, and in order that it was not totally lost the BW Solicitor Jeremy Duffey introduced the concept that owners who were engaged in long-term cruising 'in good faith' were exempt from the home mooring requirement. Unfortunately 'good faith' was not defined in any way, and as we said to him at the time this has allowed people to duck and dive and wriggle to find ways to circumvent the mooring requirement. There are already different charges determined by length and for longer or shorter periods of use, and also for trade use, and I can't see any legal reason why they should not also differentiate between those with a home mooring and those without. In their position I'd probably increase the cruising fee and give a discount to owners with a home mooring, as it would be easier for people to accept if set out that way.

Freemen of the land are a loose group of individuals who adhere to pseudolegal concepts and conspiracy theories implying that they are bound by statute laws only if they consent to those laws. They believe that they can therefore declare themselves independent of the government and the rule of law, holding that the only "true" law is their own idiosyncratic interpretation of "common law".[3] The name "freeman on the land" describes a person who is literally a "free man" on the land where they live.[4] The freeman on the land movement also advocates schemes to avoid taxes which it considers to be illegitimate. Mostly focus on economic reasons, such as avoiding Council Tax, motor vehicle registration and insurance, television licence fees, mortgages, and other debts. Both terms are used

I think you need to visit the Rochdale canal after one of the not too infrequent flooding events 😀, and also look at the new infrastructure getting built to cope with the flooding, the original design was just not adequate.

Even more proof! Which just proves how little you understand about climate change.

Fishplates

Thanks for that information. Alan's posts are often a good source of waterways news, but I thought that he usually wrote them himself. Hmm. So, droughts, storms and heavy rain are recent inventions? I rather think that our canals were built to withstand such conditions.

Fixed that for you. 😀

When i started in the Arb business, over 20yrs ago you couldn't give timber away, I still remember calling at local farms asking if they wanted a transit load for free and being repeatedly turned down, finding a "log dump" was a real bonus. Now even when working in inner city locations as soon as a site is set up the log goblins turn up asking for some timber, leave a load roadside anywhere overnight and it's been taken by the morning.