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I received a response today that clears up the confusion: "As this section of the Peak Forest is still unfortunately directly affected by the closure of the Marple lock flight, 14 day overstay notes remain paused. When it is possible to reopen the flight and the standard 14-day rule applies once again, we will ensure that permits for the relevant Winter Mooring(s) are available to purchase as soon as possible after the decision has been announced." So we can treat it as a free winter mooring up until full navigation resumes.

A bit like this: Braunston Stoppage 1922. Photo from CRT Archive.

I would have boated up to the locks, which is what I did when I came up Tardebigge and had to wait for the bottom lock to be unlocked. Whilst I was waiting I walked up and set the first half a dozen locks so they were empty with gates open ready for me. As soon as CRT unlocked the bottom gates I was off, none of the other boats moored below the locks were out and ready to go do good job I didn't sit at the back waiting patiently.

Southall (with HA2) is also 'sale agreed' - to me. The photos on the ad are not particularly representative of her current appearance! A little work will be needed.

about 55 years ago Dad and I made this, in carved plaster of paris

Maybe so. But I would expect that, with the reopening imminent, those who wanted to be amongst the first through would have moved up to the bottom lock, whereas those content to wait until the initial rush has subsided would stay put for a day or two.

I would leave it. That blue string is a truer historical reference to the way BW/CRT moor up their workboats than the half boat it supports.

I met boaters on the South Stratford and above Hatton who are waiting for the 'window' to open so they can get up Calcutt and beyond, but elected not to rush and join any queue. Should these paired boaters hàve been asking everyone their intentions from above Hatton ? No one chose to wait on the lock bollards until they did yesterday ... everyone had the option to do so up to that point. Your attack is misplaced in my view, and totally unnecessary. Rog ETA I don't know the boaters, I've never met them, I just think your public attack is wrong.

Wet exhaust would make that even more fun ...

Fixed and open again as of this evening.

When I first heard about the re-opening I thought I'd go back to the boat and have a few days around Braunston and Dunchurch. A couple of days later I changed my mind after re-reading CRT's email. They definitely should have been clearer about it though. We contented ourselves with a trip down as far as Nelson's Wharf for one night before coming home. If I'd realised how empty the entrance to Stockton Top was we'd have gone along to there instead. They often have loads of boats moored in the entrance but when I walked past there were none. I should have realised this as I knew the hire boats had gone to Warwick

The pleasure in boating when I started was that you could more or less do what you wanted. Certainly some people hung around the same area for years, but back then there weren't so many and so it wasn't a problem, either for BW or anyone else. Enforcement of rules only become important when a lot of people don't obey them, and it becomes cultural not to.

It seems very clear to me they are not as bothered by how far you move each 14 day period, and are more bothered by how long you are going in the same direction. I personally don't know why they don't just say "we expect you to keep going in the same direction for 20 miles" it would make it a lot clearer instead of laying out a puzzle to decode.

Knockout - job's a gud un then - but any issues shout, and we'll get back (possibly in a few hours...)

I'd expect experienced boaters to realise that since August many boaters have been waiting for the same locks to open and would hang back not push to the front. And by your logic, should I ask everyone on here who's friends with who before I make a comment that may upset someone? They openly posted that picture far and wide on social media and have received criticism for their actions.

Given that there is no through traffic I can't see boats moored on the lock mooring being a problem for anybody. If CRT want to bring a work boat there I'm sure they would be happy to tie up on the outside of one of the moored boats and step across, and I would expect the owners of the moored boats to be happy with that. This really is a non-issue! I've known occasions when boats are queuing to use a lock, one of the boaters has not moved up as the boats in front did so, meanwhile an arriving boat, not realising it was overtaking a queue, has slotted into the vacant space. But instead of people getting hot under the collar about queue jumping, a few words boater-to-boater confirmed that the boats would pass through the lock in arrival order, regardless of where they were moored. Easy!

Probably. That's why I asked.

I reckon that's it, or it would do alright. You can see the oil gallery bulge in the block casting with filter, that plug and the copper pipe take off all inline.

Yes- what you should obviously do is walk up and down that stretch finding out how long everyone has been there and when and if they intend to go through the locks or alternatively use the crystal ball. Do you know the boat behind is even occupied? Of course you could just queue in the right place so everyone can see where they stand but thats probably to easy. Those two chancers are also friends of mine and probably many on here too...

Did they push in front of a queue? I don't see anyone else waiting

Fulbourne has a separate cooling water outlet, rather than exhaust injection. In the days before the filter foam, the first sign that a pump valve had jammed was often the copious clouds of steam issuing from the outlet as the water in the block boiled!

The engine will probably accept a temperature gauge sender or overheat warning switch if you want to fit one, but if you lose the raw water for any reason the exhaust note will normally change from a burble to a bark, That will warn you long before any overheat. If you get into the habit of glancing at the exhaust outlet every so often while the engine is running, you will see the lack of raw water, often before an over heat.

Hell yeah, congratulations!!

Despite having a proper Woolwich mudbox, with a perforated screen as a crude filter, Fulbourne used to get problems with leaf debris passing through and jamming the valves in the cooling water pump. Problem was solved when we filled the mudbox with several layers of pond filter foam. Over time the cooling water flow reduces as the foam clogs, but its a fairly quick job to open it up, clean the mudbox, rinse out the foam in a bucket of canal water and reassemble.

You can see the old tunnel entrances at both ends. The original tunnel was a serious bottleneck for traffic, and the second tunnel was built to provide more capacity. For a time they worked with one used for northbound traffic and the other for southbound. Boats were legged through the old tunnel and horse drawn through the new. It was only when the old tunnel had subsided too far to be used that two way traffic in the new tunnel became the normal practice.

The HA2 has one more horsepower than Lark's Nanni 3.75, and she tows day boats just fine. Until I get to a corner, or wish to stop. Southall might be better at those parts - 3.2 tons and a 13" prop results in being pushed around a lot. (before anyone tells me: yes I know how cross-straps should work, no they won't stay crossed on No. 37's bow, yes it works much better towed backwards with a stick in the top pintle to cross the straps around)

The original Brindley tunnel is still there. It was abandoned due to mining subsidence. You can see it at the Kidsgrove end, to the right of the current portal. Can't remember if anything is visible at the other end. The current bore was built as a replacement, not an addition. It later lost its towpath, again from mining subsidence, so boats could use the centre where it is still high enough.

Not that one, although it might be. There is another in the first photo that's above and slightly to the left of that one, which I fell is the blanking plug. Below and to the right in the second photo. However, I am unsure what that 1/2"ish copper pipe is for, that might be an oil take off. Does it run to an engine oil cooler?

If it is the one at about 2.30 from the oil filter, then yes, I think so. You will soon know if you take it out, the other end should be oily. I can't think what else it would be for.

Wot? No Spam?

This happened on the Avon, last winter a widebeam cut the chains on damaged lock to use both gates, did even more damage including to the structure of the lock. Cost ANT a fortune to redo work that had only been done a few years before & should have lasted for decades and now they have stopped issuing licences to visiting widebeams.