Leaderboard

So they've turned up with a potential water rescue required based on the info they were given, boater on ledge and boat stuck. Before committing someone into the water they require the following resources just to put 1 person in : Bankside safety Upstream spotters (to identify any debris coming downstream that might injure the water rescue tech) Downstream spotter Downstream protection (deployed with throwlines in case rescue tech gets washed clear or needs to disconnect from his line) Water rescue tech to do the in water bit. Belayer (holding tech's shoreline tether) Then add an officer in charge to direct the rescue, and they're not allowed to be involved in anything practical. Then as he's stuck on a ledge, not in water when they arrive they require a rope rescue team. Minimum of 8 people, rope rescue tech, main line belayer, safety line belayer, edge safety, 2 additional line tenders for hauling, officer in charge and safety officer. Plus the 'crowd management' team because the dense general public will put themselves in stupid places to film the rescue on their phones. Sounds to me they were under resourced from a safety point of view. As someone on the pointy end of this stuff we get these comments about numbers all the time, but the general public really have no idea of what is required to do this sort of rescue. I'd love to stick one in fast water as a rescue tech and tell them to get on with it without any of the safety backup and see if they still thought the same way as they swept downstream with no way of being recovered....

I built a crane to get my gas bottles out as it was cheaper than employing my physiotherapist. It consists of a standard scaffolding jib, a pole, a winch and some clamps to clamp it to the front deck, there is also a socket in the front seats. Downside, assembly is a bore, the pole itself is a bit on the heavy side and the winch strictly speaking is not cleared for lifting. The picture shows the first winch which was actually a puller, I replaced it with the sort of thing you use to winch a dingy onto a trailer. It works and I have saved a fortune. Cheers Graham

Is it a coincidence that the only folk espousing induction hobs in boats are @magnetman and @rusty69 ? Surely this is a "cast iron case" of promoting self interest!

In this cold weather be careful your tongue doesn't stick to it.

Mix some uncooked white rice with it. Any variety is OK. N

I'm probably not one of them. Not due to malice or anything, but sheer laziness and a tendency to forget things, and I doubt I'd be the only one. Having to fill out a form on a weekly basis for where you are, and update your license would be forgotten/not gotten round to by so many people unless CRT *also* drastically stepped up their enforcement - which I doubt they have the resources or people to do effectively.

The boat chooses you and you learn to live with it

dried peas work too

Rhymer city

There is a reason there is a flashing red light at either end of the river there

There isnt a right or wrong layout. Ive had eight liveaboard boats over 32 years including one brand new shell fitted all new as we wanted, and including a widebeam. All differing layouts, sterns etc etc etc. All were great, some suited us better than others, non were wrong. All were better than my latest downgrade to a detached house I thought being detached would mean it would move about but its still stuck in one place!!

Put it in a sealed container when not in use. The only way that makes sense, if you can't keep the cupboard at normal lived in domestic temperatures and humidity most of the time. Silica gel will only last a certain length of time before it is saturated and ceases to take out more moisture. If you are not on a shore line, an electrical heated cupboard will trash your batteries.

I would agree with both points -- the second one in particular should be obvious, but that doesn't stop some people saying "My layout (or stern, or heating, or toilet, or...) is best, yours is rubbish because..." while ignoring the fact that (for example) a retired solo full-time liveaboard has very different needs and preferences (and possibly budget...) to a working second-home/holiday boater. Every single thing in a constrained narrowboat is a compromise with advantages and disadvantages, there's no single "right" or "best" solution for everybody -- but there can certainly be for one particular boater... 🙂

CRT don't own water. They manage it. But, if it's on your land, it is notionally yours. Until it strays onto someone else's land. Let your hole fill up with rainwater, then make it as an offering to CRT, or let the bank erode, and there will be a natural mixing of notions of ownership.

Maybe the rat has been fiddling with your BMS.. Rodents which find themselves in cold boats have been known to attempt to cause battery fires as a way of warming the place up a bit.