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Hi everyone. I have just dropped on this thread having not been on the forum since December. Thanks to you all for your well wishes, even you with strange politics, I am sure you are ok really 🤪 It was a combination of events. I did take my bat and ball home and not acknowledge a warning and a couple of days later at 0230 got the call for an immediate kidney transplant as some poor sod had died and I was recipient. The brilliant NHS sent taxi and whizzed me off to Cardiff. Anyway that was ten days in hospital. I don't count the tablets anymore I weigh them by the kilo 🤣 Started slow recovery then Bang, kidney rejection, back I hospital massive steroids IV got another week and out again. I was out a week and became in agony. Blue lighted all the way back to Cardiff, CT and blood tests and diagnosed immediately with a perforated bowel, a previous problem unrelated to the kidney. This was the closest yet to the grim reaper getting the better of me lol. So another ten days in hospital. I am on the mend but weak as a kitten now at home and getting out and about. Things to note, you don't bounce back as easily when you are knocking on a bit!! Thanks again to well wishes 👍

CAT IS HOME tx to all concerned. He had made his way back to the place where the idiot let him out of his basket, I don't know where has been all day. Hungry, so not indoors.

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.

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.

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!

I never got that far! For quite a while, three of us handled moddy duties - self, Magpie Patrick and the former Buccaneer. The arrival of two new ones, Jen and Ade, was succour indeed [as in, only a succour would do this job]/ Midway through last year I was, as Nicj Noeman says, beset by a truly exciting cocktail of eye conditions which made long spells of reading irksome. These are mow controlled by medicayion, and my eyes are not deteria...er, daterior...er, getting worse. I'm still taking part in moddy duties, but more in behind the scenes discussions than dront of house. Thanks!

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 😁

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.

It is sad that a thread about one of our elder statesmen' members health is being derailed in such an insensitive way. For common decency the culprit should delete his posts . Those of us who have " known ™ Tim for many years are saddened by the news that he is not well and we have our collective fingers crossed for his recovery.

I am thrilled to say that as of today I am the very proud owner (next custodian really) of Tycho! A boat that I have very fond memories of from the late 80s and 90s. The first boatman's cabin i ever stayed in aged 10 and then lucky enough to do bits of towing wirh her as a teenager. More to come... but so as to allay any fears or rumours, the ram stays, as do the blue tops, certainly for now. And of course the reinstatement of the back cabin. Bear with me, I've not had a boat with rivets for 16 years! Thank you @Derek R. for your recent help in filling in the gaps of the last 20 years.

Apologies to everyone for the delay in responding: I haven't had access to the internet for the past couple of days. Thanks also to everyone for the support and showing that newbie boaters are welcome: it is much appreciated.

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.

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.

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!

As an retired employee of both BW and CRT with 40 years plus service, I can now say how I feel about the moaners and boaters. I for one found Richard Parry one of the best CEO that the company has ever had, he was open and honest and had the time to talk and listen to everyone. He has bought the Waterways to front in every thing that they do. I only hope that his replacement is as good as he was.

I now own a boat 🙃 Big thank you to everyone that gave me advice, thoughts, assurance (and occasionally instilled fear 😂) during this journey. It wasn't as plain sailing as I'd hoped for, and though some lingering things remain (to join the never-ending list) it'll be nice to get on board and be able to finally enjoy the boat. …and I cannot wait to give the inside a deep clean, change the curtains, remove some of the previous (hah, weird saying that) owners decor additions, and make the boat look and feel less like a brochure pic I've stared at since October and more like a boat I own.

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

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.

A chance to lighten the mood and report on any good moving the boat experience 😃 where you been and what you done? I just had a lovely ramble from the Black Country Museum to Hawne Basin and then into Brum, the last hour or so in the dark, old line to Brades locks, through Netherton and a slog to the basin, is it because that bit of canal’s been out of use over the winter? then back through the tunnels and onto mainline and then Town, 8.30amish start and 10pmish finish, 3hrs at Hawne Basin, the washing machine takes awhile, Canadian Geese are nesting in their usual places on the toll islands and the coots (or moor hens, always get them mixed up) have built their floating nest from twigs and litter, noticed the new towpath mainline has nice little lights to stop the cyclists from riding into the cut, great to enter the town in the dark, quite a different world and experience in the dark BCN’s ace! Top day boating 👍

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!

I want this posting to be a positive one so please no comments about how useless the Canal and River Trust are, wasting your money etc. Any posts like this then I may ask a mod to delete it and that would not be Paul Weller. Thank you. Apologies for this being a little long. I have been a continuous cruiser on my narrowboat for three years and during that time I have said things like look at all that rubbish along the towpath, I wish CRT would grease that lock paddle mechanism, look at the poor painting on that water tap post, I wish they would fix that leaking tap, why doesn't somebody trim/cut down that small bush on the wash wall and many more. So I decided to do something about it. I contacted CRT to see how I can help with these kind of things as I cruise along. Their response was that they would love to have me as a volunteer but their current processes do not allow for 'roaming volunteers' - only volunteers who work in a fixed area and thus report into a person in charge for it. Short storey even shorter, I am now part of the CRT National Volunteer Team looking (along with another CC'er) looking at how roaming volunteers can assist CRT in tasks. It is early days but I am on a fact finding mission with you guys 'n gals to get ideas of what can be done, skills that we have out there (plumbing, painting, tree surgeons etc.), whether you would be willing to help with the work and anything else you can think of. I'm not asking for people to sign up as volunteers yet as this point in time is way off. Initially, things like litter picking and small vegetation clearance you may be able to do yourselves without have to become a volunteer (I know some people do this anyway off their own back) but other things CRT would need to be made aware of (so they do not send somebody else out to do the same thing) meaning you would have to be a volunteer and have access to a website/app in order to record what you have done - this would probably be for things like greasing mechanisms, leaking tap fix/replacement, painting. Depending on the task, you may need to complete a quick online risk assessment before you start the work. CRT would have a duty of care and there are guides and videos being produced to aid you with this and you may need to sign these off as having read/viewed before you commence any work for the first time. Again, this is all in discussion. Health & Safety does come into it but that really just means using common sense. So, to cut to the chase. Can you think of any small tasks that could be completed as people cruise along? Is this something that you may be interested in volunteering for? What sort of canals/areas do you normally cruise around? What skills do you have? Would you prefer CRT to supply parts and equipment or would you rather you purchased and claimed back? This would require you to sign up as a volunteer and would be done online and require receipts. Any other suggestions? I thank you for reading this far and look forward to your responses. Thank you Joe

The above is a good reason why reporting it is the correct course of action. The boat is on a canal where passage of wide beam craft is only allowed for transit to or from marinas and online mooring is not permitted. All movements are subject to advice notices from CRT so it’s pretty easy to surmise that something is amiss, be it a wanton or unintended action. It’s also not really the point that the poster was able to pass. What about another wide beam making a legitimate booked passage or the loaded coal boat? Passing on the Oxford can be problematic if you are pushed toward the offside of the deep channel.

It's amazing what a bit of sunshine can do, the late winter / early spring sunny warm days are good for the mind and soul, and help to get out of the winter doldrums.... with this in mind we thought we'd have a break from welding for a bit and very much in earnest slap a bit of paint on. Psychologically this has massively helped, it very much spurs us on to push towards the October launch date........

First of all my apologies for the delay in responding: I don't always have access to the internet. When I was young I had a memory that was fantastic and I could remember word for word every conversation I had, even years old conversations, and every poem that I read, articles I read, etc.. I was intolerant of others that didn't have the same fantastic memory as me. Then I was involved in a road traffic accident and took a bang on the head. My fantastic memory disappeared. When Gybe Ho was mentioning facts I didn't for one minute assume stalking, I just assumed that they had a memory like the one that I used to have. I appreciate the help that everyone gives but I do think that there are better ways of communicating than going into slanging matches. Perhaps a more appropriate and less antagonistic way of responding would be along the lines of 'I see this issue different to 'insert name' and feel that this is the correct way that 'it' should be done'. The forum would then be a much more peaceful and welcoming place where people wouldn't be afraid of asking a question in case the said question started a full scale argument. Thanks everyone for your help.

I hope any replacement will turn up to boat gatherings and events just as Richard did….cant fault him for actually going places and chatting to people. I personally found him quite approachable and willing to listen….not always the case with CEO’s.

Yes. Scaffold boards hung over the side. Or another option is loads of half full 20 litre plastic containers roped around at the waterline. The ice breaking is I think one thing where attitudes have changed over the years. My first winter 94/95 was spent partly near Wolfhampcote. It froze over properly. Ernie Kendall used to take the restaurant Boat 'Bracken' out with people eating their lunch while crashing through the ice. It was brilliant. Everyone was enjoying it all including me in my little narrow Boat. These days people are moaning about it. The attitudes on the canal have changed enormously in the last 30 years and not for the better. If the Boat can't deal with ice then don't keep it on a canal in winter.

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.

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".

It’s a fascinating job to do as well, you can learn so much about the way they are put together by taking them apart! I have owned Bingley since early 1977, when I was still in my teens (just), first as a camping boat, eventually as a houseboat with a full conversion. Now I have retired the plan now is to deconvert and restore, starting at the fore end. I am intending to do a blog about it, I’ll keep you posted

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

Yeah that was my boat Badger, 24hrs of complete stress. So I entered the lock yesterday (6th September) at 3 pm and was freed today around 3:30 pm. First of all I have to say a massive thanks to Nick, Dan and the rest of the lads in blue, by their accounts it was the worst hang up in that lock. They worked tirelessly to free Badger. The moment I realised I was stuck was the most terrifying moment of my boating life. I was on the back of the boat as my friend opened the paddles, looking behind me to how close to the gates I was I heard the dreaded grating noise of metal against brick. As I turned back and realised I was stuck in a pinch point at the rear of the boat. Looking towards the bow I could see the front rising into the air at speed. I just managed to shout to my friend to drop the paddles which he did at great speed just as water started to come over the footplate and poured into the engine room. I jumped on to the door with windless handle in hand, luckily I was able to climb out and open the bottom paddle. The boat settled with an engine room half full of water, which I managed to pump out immediately. My whole life flashed In front of eyes in those seconds.Not something I ever wish to repeat again. Anyways, that’s the story

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.

@KezzerN I'm so sorry you are feeling like this 😔. Please hang on in there as, by and large, this is a wonderful place with so many kind and helpful people. We all have bad days and people that, in the real world, we might not necessarily get on with and I guess it's the same here. I hope you have already had lots of help that shows you just how supportive it can be. The vast majority of us make no claim to be experts (unless we are talking about sewing, in which case I'm your gal!). Some of us (not me, I hasten to add) have an immense store of knowledge and know-how about all things boat. Hang on on there. From the reading of your threads it sounds like you've already achieved so much since you got your boat. Best, Marianne

Ok, so having read all the posts, feel the need to respond. As the wife of the now gone OP, I can categorically confirm that : 1. The boat was NOT loaned out, nobody else has keys, nor has anyone been paying rent OR was anyone asked to do work on it 2. The boat was left at Plank Lane by us. 3. The overstay was noted by CRT in March, at which point, I emailed them and advised of the valid reasons. 4. The boat has a valid license. On the online portal, the last sighting was on April 26th. There have been no other sightings logged by CRT enforcement. 5. The boat was in an area, overseen by many. 'Someone' was in contact with us. It was this person, who told us it was no longer there. That person has since not responded to any questions as to when they noticed it had gone. 6. The assumption by us that CRT had removed it was dismissed by them which led to me reporting to the police on 02/12 and subsequently the insurers 7. We genuinely no idea when it was moved and have given as much detail as we thought necessary knowing that this is a Public forum and can be viewed by anyone, including the person/s who took it. Please, this has been incredibly stressful for both of us. Law abiding citizen's who have owned the boat, licensed and insured it since 2016, who unfortunately, weren't able to visit it on a regular basis. We aren't in the habit of sharing personal information online, we like our privacy and are fully aware of the consequences of misinterpreted information. Opinions can be varied, and sadly, when the first response is 'and you've only just noticed', followed up by a comment about the Crime reference no, set the tone for a fair bit of conspiracy theories and unnecessary comments. Having never been in the position of having a boat stolen, I can only apologise to all. Finally, thank you all for responding to my husbands posts regarding our definitely stolen boat, they are, in general appreciated.

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!!

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