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Oh that's curious. When attempting a seriously tight turn, I like to completely halt the boat and get it going slightly backwards if anything, then with tiller over at about 70 degrees give it a few seconds of power which gets the boat turning with almost no forward motion. Then give periodic doses of power to keep the boat turning with minimum forward speed developing.

I did think of putting this in March of the Widebeams but managed to find this even more relevant topic. This morning I cruised from Braunston to Dunchurch Pools. Got to the moorings just before Navigation Bridge no. 85 at Willoughby Wharf hoping, as always, not to meet a boat coming the other way as it's a bit narrow for trying to avoid scraping a moored boat if you have to pass someone going the other way. I was in luck BUT... Couldn't help but notice a moored blue and green widebeam fatboat (no name visible but the number was 529641). It looked to be little more than a shell being fitted out, a lady inside and a bloke on the roof. Shouldn't be moored/stopped between Braunston and Barby at all but this stretch of Armco is one of the worst for it, plenty of others on wide bits of canal elsewhere. But here it's close to a road bridge with convenient parking which makes me think it's moored here for as long as they can get away with while they work on it. It needed reporting. So I did. If you're heading this way be ready for it if someone's coming the other way.

For me there are 4 rules of getting a survey. 1) If you know nothing about boats get a survey. 2) Commission your own survey - a seller's or broker's previous survey is only beneficial in terms of deciding whether it's worth commissioning your own survey. In other words it may be fabricated. Yes I've seen that myself. 3) Don't be tempted to allow a broker or seller to organise the surveyor for you. Do that yourself. 4) Be there on the day of the survey and follow the surveyor around at a respectful distance learning about the boat. Don't allow the surveyor and the seller time alone together. I made that mistake when I bought my first boat 28 years ago and I'm pretty certain they colluded.

The men are looking at/repairing Apperley Bridge Locks. The lower level is certainly down, and the feed running along the lower chamber wall suggests that work was also taking place above. The long ladder used to be used regularly, and in the L&LC accident reports I have copied, non featured falls from ladders. Used carefully by skilled workers, and overlooked by senior staff who had previously been skilled workers, accidents should be unlikely to happen. Today, those in charge often have little practical skill, and then don't listen to their skilled workers. Removing the safety onus from those undertaking the work to a tick-boxer in an office is what causes accidents. Time-related bonus payments can also be a cause. How about another one?

This is the ideal situation to complain about the wind. When it all goes tits-up comment loudly and clearly "Its surprising just how windy it is out here" and watch a few of the assembled audience start nodding in agreement (as if they could possibly know!)

The summit is a good walk from Todmorden! Take your own refreshments though, the pub is crap.

I bet that wasn't easy !

And back on topic 10/4/25 The Stena Immaculate will be towed to the Port of Great Yarmouth later this week, a month after it was struck while at anchor in the North Sea by the container ship Solong. The US tanker has been undergoing salvage operations since the incident on March 10, about 12 miles off the coast of East Yorkshire. In a statement, chief coastguard Paddy O’Callaghan said: “The transfer of cargo from the STENA IMMACULATE to the FURE VYL has been successfully completed. “Preparations are now ongoing to prepare the vessel to enter the Port of Great Yarmouth safely under tow, later this week.” The Portuguese-owned Solong was towed to Aberdeen late last month. The collision caused jet fuel being carried by the tanker to ignite, resulting in large fires on both vessels. A total of 36 people were rescued from the ships with Filipino national Mark Pernia missing, presumed dead. Following the collision, thousands of plastic pellets used in plastics production, known as nurdles, were released from ruptured containers on Solong and began washing up on beaches on the Norfolk coast. According to conservationists, the nurdles are not toxic but can harm animals if ingested. Mr O’Callaghan said the clean-up operation had moved to a “reactive” phase. “HM Coastguard continues to support local authorities in their response to onshore pollution from the SOLONG as a result of the collision, including plastic nurdles, in both Norfolk and Lincolnshire,” he said. “The clean-up operation has now moved from a proactive to reactive response. HM Coastguard will continue to keep the overall situation under close review.” Crowley, the maritime company managing Stena Immaculate, said in a statement “cargo lightering” of the tanker had been completed, adding: “All remaining jet fuel was safely transferred to the tanker Fure Vyl. The cargo fuel is being delivered to its original destination of Killingholme, U.K.” The statement continued: “After a final assessment by salvage experts, the Stena Immaculate will be towed to a lay berth at the Port of Great Yarmouth, U.K., with arrival expected later this week. “The vessel will then be inspected, undergo temporary repairs and is expected to remain there pending its final repair destination, which has yet to be determined. “The tow and lay berth destination was updated after further planning and analysis from Newcastle upon Tyne, U.K., to best accommodate the vessel’s draft specifications. “We appreciate the Secretary of State’s Representative for Maritime Salvage and Intervention (SOSREP), our U.K. port and maritime partners’ support in this process.

It looks like someone presumably CRT has been busy with grease recently Rob. Every paddle from Atherstone to Wolverhampton (Minworth Curdworth Garrison Ashstead F Bridge) we have used has been shiny with and properly greased. Ones we have found difficult before have been straightforward. Not tried the Ham Bakers this year. As we know they were difficult last year. Hopefully it’s grease that will stay decent for a while. Credit to CRT or whoever did this

I haven't often seen that term used in the context of reproduction. 🙃

I assume that just means Ankorsol wont work by itself as a replacement for antifreeze, but I think we already knew that. Ankorsol is just a corrosion inhibitor and it has no antifreeze properties. But if there's already some antifreeze in your engine it will be fine to top up with water and Ankorsol as long as temperatures don't plummet. I've been using Ankorsol for years instead of the hassle of changing the antifreeze. It's compatible with just about everything you'd put in a heating or cooling system.

Coastal boats are not required to have BSSC and they do not kill people on a regular basis.

I'm an experienced sailor and motor cruiser helmsman but never been on a narrowboat. What puzzles me watching nb steerers maneuvering in tight spaces is that when turning they often seem to put the helm right over at 90 degrees. It just seems to throw a lot of water up and provide little in the way of turning force. In my experience 45 to 60 degrees is much more effective. Am I missing something?

People have mentioned the price of materials. There was a time when Birch Ply came by the boat load from Russia. For some reason that isn't happening any more.

Tonight’s boards, no more £19 pints🤔 Sign of the times.

It does help if the prop bias in stern gear starts the boat swinging in the direction you want - if you are trying to swing through 180* it makes it easier in one direction than the other.

Surprised you agreed to an hourly rate for such a large job. Price for the job would have been a far better way to go then agree costs for any emerging work should it happen.

Just the usual sewage scraps from the purification process. It would probably kill anything you tried to grow, unlike night soil which was just unpretentious sh*t. I have copies of some L&LC papers looking at the decline in quality of night soil by the 1920s.

It may take two, but some industrial actions adopt extreme measures. The cause was through changing grades for a few bin workers by Birmingham Council, presently Labour controlled. And being Labour there is a favourable attitude to unions, but this decision was brought on through another action "equal pay for women" and the union UNITE interpretation of what equal pay meant. That included parity with a certain group of bin workers. The bin workers affected have claimed that they would loose a considerable amount of money, if their particular grade was abolished. Today it has emerged that UNITE have a case to answer as two of the three bin depots concerned decided to agree to the pay deal some time ago. UNITE used to be a caring union, but in recent times have become predatory choosing where to have their actions and ignoring the needs of their members elsewhere. At the heart of their bin workers actions are the beliefs and opinions of senior Unite staff and it is perhaps time to highlight their involvement as up to now they have hidden in the shadows expecting the media to crucify Birmingham Council and brand them totally as the guilty party.

People as individuals need to make personal decisions to consume and produce less. That is what needs to happen.

You might be there for a few days or even longer. If weather is dry and warm then the wharf can get lively at weekends with Golden Lion overspill. This can go on all night. Its mostly at the pub end but people might visit your end for a wee, a smoke, or even sex on the bench (thats right outside your boat)😀. There is little trouble but if all night noise bothers you then it might be better to move to the other side. If you are still lighting a fire then go to either end rather than the middle so that you are not right below the house. There have been complaints in the past though I think the owners might have changed now.

An unpopular opinion maybe but if you mix up sloe or any other prunus and laurel wellllllll maybe you shouldn't be outside unsupervised. Yes I know laurel is a prunus but come on.

https://abcnews.go.com/Business/wireStory/worlds-largest-deforestation-project-fells-forests-bioethanol-fuel-120551201 It just keeps getting worse. We need forests more than we need HVO This happened in the UK years ago when our forest was cleared for farming.

For the sake of balance, it is also like times when employers sought to impose reductions in remuneration at will and use any tactics possible to ensure that the strikers take all the blame. I do not have much of a view on the merits of either case in this matter but it is well to remember that it takes two . . .

Slightly off topic, but I'm currently rebuilding the landing stage at my mooring and the price of timber has boggled what's left of my mind. I built my first one out of stuff I picked up floating down the canal. Current prices probably explain why I haven't managed to do that this time!

All antifreezes comprise of two components, antifreeze (usually glycol) to prevent it freezing and corrosion inhibitors. The antifreeze component lasts indefinitely (although it will be weakened by dilution if you continually make up losses with water. The corrosion inhibitors get used up as they combat corrosion. In my experience a 50% mix of Ford 10 year antifreeze does what it says on the tin, but after 10 years the corrosion inhibitor will be all but used up. The Morris Ankorsol simply replaces the lost corrosion inhibitors, but unlike the Ford corrosion inhibitors only lasts 2 years, so must be replaced at that interval if you want to prevent corrosion. It is a lot easier to add Ankorsol (at a rate of 2% of system volume) than it is to drain and replace all of the antifreeze in the system, 45 litres in the case of my boat.