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I feel this comment actually highlights the problem beautifully, a nothing event happened today where a boat had a minor cock up ( I presume, I wasn’t there they could equally have picked up a blade full and lost steerage) just like probably hundreds of other boats all over the system will have had minor cock ups today. Nothing was damaged, no one was hurt and the day carried on happily, lessons will have been learnt (which is the exact purpose of this training run) but it gets commented about on here, why, purely because historic boats were involved. Rich

I'm very happy that some people wish to own and maintain old working boats, and that they occasionally gather with like-minded owners as effectively, a private members club, to chat and discuss their hobby ... same as vintage car and bike owners do. Rather like thatched cottages, I love to see them but wouldn't want one. It gives us mildly interested observers the chance to admire and take photos of their boats as they move around to such gatherings. But it is clear their ownership of such boats is for their personal pleasure, exactly as ownership of mine is for my selfish reasons. Neither of us should pretend we are doing anyone else a favour. We're all capable of demonstrating varying levels of skill at boat handling at any given moment and I'm sure that errors and misjudgement are not confined only to historic craft. Many hire boats are instantly 'labelled' and incorrect assumptions made and I'm confident the same is done with ex working boats ... the boat may be old but the crew may be novice. However selfish or poor behaviour is not absolved simply by the type of boat involved. Rog

Fortunately more like

Some larger boats steed better because They are less affected by the wind. Built with longer swims and a better rudder

Sorry, but my computer didn't like the last quote and wouldn't let me alter or finish it. I meant to say that the L&LCS members who look after Kennet, although they get some pleasure from the work, do it more for the general public and to promote the history of the canal. Kennet and Mersey are the only unconverted short boats on the canal, and Kennet is the only one to which the public have access. Last Sunday we had over 450 visitors on board over the day at Skipton, and though it can be a pleasure chatting to them, it is also time consuming. Heritage is one of the many factors which ensure that our canals stay open, and educating the public is an important aspect of encouraging government to keep funding the system. A few more volunteers would be a help in achieving this aim by educating the public to the benefits and heritage of our canals.

I never tired of hearing some of the tales from David Blagrove. In the pub with the narrowboat crew at Braunston one year where linked to my family like the time he broke down on the Thames at Brentford & Mark Harrison broke the rules by going onto the Thames to tow him out of danger .Mark was called up before the company who had their office in a pub the next morning. David turned up with 4 bottles of good whisky plonked them on the table & said fine paid .

It’s not unusual 😂🤩😂 ha someone had to start!

Can't It's a Nokia 3220.

No boat steers in neutral if it is not moving through the water. All boats steer to some extent if they are moving, depending on the design of the boat and how fast it is moving. But many modern boats have rather small rudders that are barely effective in neutral and certainly can’t create a significant change in direction. So yes boats do steer in neutral to some extent if they are moving forwards. But all narrowboats steer much more responsively if they are in fwd gear and preferable with a bit of revs on. Surely everyone (who knows how to steer a boat) knows this? So I’m not sure what point you are trying to make apart from stating the obvious.

Just converted the document above to a PDF, let's see if the forum accepts it. The Jointless Cratch Board.pdf

Ah, but has Laurenen sold her soul to the Devil as the Flying Dutchman did? Might be worth a try.😰

Letting off a Sex Bomb

So what does he do in meantime?

Every things berserk. Just turned telly on for BBC1 news, wretched football on instead, Romford playing Ned whoever they are. Blasted football seems more important than international news!!!!!

I've been experimenting with strimmers and my battery strimmer is hopelessly inadequate. So I tried with my main powered Bosch strimmer (described as a brute of a strimmer in the reviews on Amazon) plugged into my 2.5kW inverter. Still struggles with elbow-high towpath vegetation. I think a petrol strimmer will be necessary to actually clear any decent area of towpath to make a mooring space.

Isn't that down to the council as the stoppage stated North Lincolnshire Council have informed us that Electricians are attending site on the morning of Wednesday the 3rd of July to confirm how much re-cabling is needed to get the bridge operational again.

They are trying to get volunteers to do the towpath vegetation cutting. The problem is the same as with most other organisations these days in that the amount of potential volunteers is decreasing year on year because many are either getting too old or passing away, and much of the next generation aren't interested in volunteering or have other activities to pursue. Add to that the fact that many volunteers are away on holidays or out boating for the summer, and it's no surprise the towpaths are getting out of hand. I appreciate the financial difficulties CRT have, but relying on volunteers for this just isn't going to work. It needs a regular time structured programme of cutting not the adhoc gathering together of a few volunteers whenever they happen to be available.

This surely is the key point. It is accepted that some steerers of historic boats (this is the correct term IMO, not working, work or ex working boats) may be novices and consequently incompetent. As said, we all have to learn! Although it also has to be said that putting an incompetent steerer in charge of a very large and heavy boat if they have never steered a boat before, might not be the best idea. One generally doesn’t learn to drive an articulated lorry before learning to drive a car. But back to the key point which is that it is less the competence of the steerer that offends, more the entitled attitude displayed by some. But not all, of course. It is thus demonstrably not necessary to be an a***hole in order to own or steer a historic boat, so those that are do so out of their own choice. And probably it is the other way round, an a***hole is attracted to a great big monster-bowed f-off boat so they can shove it in the face of the plebs and make everyone get out of the way, in order to make themselves feel better.

Are you sure? That looks very much like half an inch of water at the bottom of that container to me.

I've just watched this video and what is very noticeable is that there were a lot more historic boats at Braunston on Saturday than there were when I got there at 11am today. That's very disappointing. When I go next time I will make sure I go on the Saturday.