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  1. 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.
    26 points
  2. 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!
    24 points
  3. Welcome to the forum. I can say this without knowing you as everyone is welcome to the forum! If you are asking about a problem, the following thoughts may be useful: There are some very good technical experts on here who are usually happy to offer advice, but they do need sufficient information to work on. After you have typed in the basic details, sit back and ask yourself, "what have I assumed they know?". For example, if you are describing an engine problem, have you said what type of engine it is? Our experts not unreasonably get tired of saying please give us the whole picture not just the crisis element, over and over again to each newcomer. Pictures are usually helpful where possible. Ok, you've communicated the problem. You will get a variety of responses. Some will just be welcoming you. Some will offer simple suggestions of the obvious - they are keen to help because they feel for you, but they don't have the technical knowledge. Some will be experts and will offer precise advice. And, rarely, somebody will respond who is technically au fait but wrong. The other experts will usually help to identify these. And some will make fun of your problem, or the solutions offered, or anything really. This is likely if you accidently drop an amusing typo into your text. This is an attempt to lighten up the forum and not aimed at you personally. Don't take it to heart, just ignore it. You will probably take some action in response to the suggestions, which doesn't completely resolve the problem. Now is the important bit. The temptation is to relay lots of new information about the problem without answering the questions raised by your helpers. This hacks off the helpers who get tired of saying "tell us about the …" repeatedly to the same poster. Don't get offended, many newcomers do and then leave the forum. Just provide the information or explain why you can't. If you are working on getting the info, say so. Finally, you will solve the problem, possibly with the help provided on the forum, possibly with 3rd party help. Please come back to the forum and let us know how you did it. We do like to know the outcomes, and sometimes the forum learns from the result. The forum is not overly judgemental and will not jump on you if it was something silly you did. We have all committed that sin on our boats at one time or another. Happy boating!
    20 points
  4. 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.
    20 points
  5. There seems to be a growing number of people who contribute to this site who express the view that certain canals should be closed, and maybe are a waterways equivalent of Doctor Richard Beeching. All those people who campaigned for waterways restoration schemes are having their combined voices drowned out by those who say "why bother?" as well as "close down the expensive waterways and return them to the decaying world of the disused navigation." The latter option may suit ecologists whose primary concern is the preservation of the habitats of endangered creatures. The modern reality of keeping open navigations, where repair of the infrastructure is part of the problem. Costs for staff, materials, and maintenance have been part of these equations since the time of the navigations being built. however. It is now part of the challenge to find sufficient funds to keep. the network in order. The growing interest in getting more miles of waterway back into use has been a goal of many enthusiasts. Those that gave their time to restore waterways such as the Ashton and the Caldon were part of a generation that cared and there is now another generation of those that care giving their time to help restore the Lichfield and the Montgomery. So there a battalion of those that DO bother and hopefully will continue to do so!
    20 points
  6. 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!
    18 points
  7. 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.
    16 points
  8. Regarding the original post and accident. Myself, sister and her husband were at the scene of the accident on Wednesday. We were the three people who jumped in and pulled the man out from beneath the boat. I did not witness him actually fall in as we were in the stop lock at the time. Many passers by and the staff at the marina were there and offered assistance. The paramedics were fantastic too. His wife was lovely and coped incredible well considering the ordeal. I hope very much the gentleman is recovering well in hospital. Please all, take care out there and safe boating. Can I recomend downloading an app called "what three words" which helps give your exact location to emergency services and also looking at some youtube videos on resuscitation and basic first aid. You never know when you might need it.
    16 points
  9. 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!
    15 points
  10. 5. make it easier and cheaper for householders to dispose of their rubbish at the council "tips".
    15 points
  11. So yesterday I bought a steel Dutch cruiser, its a boaty boat rather than a corridor 🤣 I currently have a widebeam but I have lusted after this boat for a few years, it has a Sole 44 diesel engine with 146 hours on it. The previous to last owners can only be described as the artful Bodger! He didn't fix anything correctly ever!!!! The list of bodges he did are endless, as I sort them I will list them, i have fixed the water leak on the front hatch already. I only have until the end of may to do it as that's when the BSS runs out, pictures for perusal
    14 points
  12. 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.
    14 points
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  14. 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.
    14 points
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  16. Not just about faster trains, but to provide greater capacity to the transport network which is sorely needed, especially when personal transport options are being seriously curtailed and punitively charged.
    13 points
  17. So after saying we would not have another dog at our age......the house has been empty without a dog and this poor eight year old sweetie needed rescuing. So after donating lots of beer money to rescue centre here she is, we must be daft lol
    13 points
  18. This post cannot be displayed because it is in a forum which requires at least 10 posts to view.
  19. So, finally, a sort of Post Script. Just ended my third straight week living aboard. All seems reasonably OK. Gone through my first Elsan clean out. Engine starts on demand. Sorted the leaky chimney stack - wood burner works beautifully. Hot water in the taps after the engine's been running a while. Slowly getting the hang of things. Leisure batteries are corpses I suspect. That's next on the list. Had my petrol generator stolen out of the front porch while I was aboard last night. I didn't hear a thing. My own fault for not chaining it to the boat. Another lesson learned. It was a small, relatively cheap thing, not a four figure priced one. Happy as a pig in muck, as the saying goes.
    13 points
  20. 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.
    13 points
  21. 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
    13 points
  22. Hi all, I'd like to take a moment to formally welcome both 1st Ade and Jen-in-Wellies who joined the Moderator team as of late April this year. After a successful introductory period, I'm pleased to announce that both are happy to continue working alongside the rest of our much valued team. I'd also like to announce that Bigray, Liam, NB Lola and Wrigglefingers have stood down from the Moderator role. We also wish to extend our gratitude to them for their contribution and service over the years. Our Moderator team now consists of: 1st ade Athy Buccaneer66 Dave_P Jen-in-Wellies Magpie Patrick Our full staff list can be found on the page linked below: https://www.canalworld.net/forums/index.php?/staff/ Thank you Rich
    13 points
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  24. This post cannot be displayed because it is in a forum which requires at least 10 posts to view.
  25. Hi all another painting by my Daughter who has done it for xmass for her mum and me painting and dog
    12 points
  26. 12 points
  27. As promised, here’s a little writeup of our week long trip on a Narrowboat with a 6 week old baby! There were 4 of us (My wife and I, my sister and her husband) and when we booked the trip we were unaware there would be a fifth guest! Trip was booked through Aqua Narrowboats on the Aqua Vida- would highly recommend them for anyone who is looking- great boats, nice location and brilliant staff. We collected the boat from Barton Turns Marina and, as advised by the friendly folk on here and the chap at the marina, took a right and headed SW awards Fradley Junction. Now for some baby stuff- our primary concern was sleeping arrangements. Justin from Aqua was very helpful and took the liberty of measuring the spaces next to & between beds so we could work out what she could sleep in- she’s a little small to be on her own in the Saloon. 58cm between the smaller double bed and the bulkhead was the magic number, and after a lot of digging found an ideal bed at Smyths Toys which worked a treat- easy to fold up and could disappear during the day. Beyond that, we bought her bouncing chair along with us too. It was a bit of faff moving bits around between day and night- our bed became the cot storage location during the day… but it was honestly fine. One of the saloon benches became a changing station as needed, but again, no real hassle. Baby is breasted, so we didn’t need to faff around with any bottles, sanitising etc- but I imagine that could be a bit tedious with the limited space. At that point she wasn’t bothered about dummies either, so we had no need for any sterilisation, but a lunchbox and Milton tabs would have sufficed if needed. First night we made it to Fradley junction end enjoyed a nice dinner in the Swan pub. We bought a very compact pram with us (Joolz AER+) which is fine from newborn onwards and folds up into a very small package- that lived in one of the cupboards near the back door of the boat. It was ideal for the short journeys to pubs etc and gave her somewhere to sleep while we ate. We also had a Tuya baby carrier with us which was very useful. Day 2, we stopped at the big Tesco in Rugely to stock up, then continued on to Great Haywood and had another nice dinner in the Clifford Arms. We also rescued an uninhabited boat that was blocking the canal… that was a bit of excitement for us! (The mooring rope had totally disintegrated, so I was pleased to see my knot still holding tight when we passed it again a couple of days later!). Day 3 bought us to Stone. We moored right outside of the big M&S (Near the winding hole) and marked our ‘turnaround’ point. For the life of me I cannot remember the name of it, but we found the most amazing Italian restaurant. Probably some of the best Italian food I’ve eaten in the UK, would HIGHLY recommend. Day 4 turned us around and we got back to Great Haywood, then continued along the Staffs & Worcester mooring opposite Stafford Boat Club. Lovely quiet place… can’t remember where we ate! On Day 5 we span around and headed back towards Great Haywood to go back onto the Trent & Mersey canal where we stopped just outside of Rugely for the night. There was an epic rainstorm just as we were getting towards the junction itself- and for anyone that’s been there you’ll know it’s very narrow and stopping isn’t an option… so that was fun! Day 6 took us on a leisurely trip to Alrewas where we stopped early in the day and visited a nice coffee shop, then had some food from the local takeaway fish & chip shop- would recommend! They had a great variety of food. That left us the short journey back towards the marina to reluctantly return the boat. We had a lovely, relaxing trip and in the same circumstances, I would absolutely do it again. In reality, I think we were at the perfect age window for the baby- even now she’s far too interested in things to want to laze around on a boat for days..! It does still remain the only time she’s slept all the way through the night though… I believe that was the case on 3 of our 7 nights, so that was a treat for us. The other couple on the boat were incredibly excited for the bonding time with baby and were well aware that there would be sleepless nights etc… in reality I think we have lucked out as she’s still not a particularly fussy baby. Mum had a wonderful week and was able to get some well deserved rest between feeds which I know she appreciated- there were plenty of naps happening throughout the week (For all 5 of us!). Not having to work meant I got to spend a lot of valuable time with her… plenty of photos of her in her carrier being worn by Captain Dad! We ate in pubs virtually every lunch & dinnertime, so that was pretty easy. Someone had mentioned breastfeeding in a pub may be an issue… if any other pubgoers had approached that subject I’d have (not very politely) told them where to shove it As expected though, it was a complete non-issue. All in all, a 10/10 week for us and we were able to create some lovely memories and take some great photos that she can look at when she’s older. Thanks all for the advice- it was all very welcome and extremely helpful!
    12 points
  28. Well said. I wasn't going to get involved in the thread because I'm not gay and I have no idea of any such community you asked about but because some of the prehistoric responses I thought it worth saying not everyone holds such views, good luck in finding what you are after. A fairly innocent question was responded to by some posters questioning his request which then led into an argument about his culture/lifestyle/life choices, are you surprised at a slightly defensive response, which as far as I can see contained no targeted attacks just an opinion on society in general
    12 points
  29. This post cannot be displayed because it is in a forum which requires at least 10 posts to view.
  30. I heard that the British summer is now to be renamed "Muslim summer". Partly Sunni but mostly Shi'ite.
    12 points
  31. Quite. I shall keep my boats and support the waterways until the bitter end. After all, there might not BE a 'bitter end'. I bet the canals are mostly still here in fifteen years, and all the same problems persist. And in the meantime, I'll have had fifteen more years of brilliant boating.
    12 points
  32. There appears to more and more people on the cut who are not that interested in boating and don't want to follow the simple rules. The cut is a lovely relaxed place with very few rules, and even those are a bit flexible, but when "boaters" push things too far it goes wrong, and is likely to go wrong for all of us. We now have thug looking baliffs strutting the towpath and helping to remove boats. CRT do not have the staff to enforce the rules against serious objectors and have already had a fatality, so if they decide to hand enforcement over to a private parking company, or even a security company, can we really blame them?. People like George and his supporters are going to make things worse for all of us.
    12 points
  33. Its a term often used now, and there are quite a few rich buggers on the cut including a fair few millionaires, but also a lot of working class boaters and an increasing amount of "lowlife". Anybody who things its a rich mans playground should visit a few boat clubs, these are an important part of the cut and not much talked about here but often the home of many working class boaters. Unlike salty sailing the canal is one of the few places where a working class bloke (or woman) can be the captain of his own ship, and this is yet another reason why the government should fund the canals.
    12 points
  34. So you can honestly say that you have been through Harecastle with a butty. N
    12 points
  35. This post cannot be displayed because it is in a forum which requires at least 10 posts to view.
  36. Tunnel bands is a modern term for them. Since the 60s, I’ve always known them as counter bands. I don’t think the waterways press help in this respect, I’ve seen what I know as a stop beam referred to as a “ boatman’s beam” , likewise a cabin stool called a “ boatman’s stool”. Side doors called swan or duck hatches make me wince….
    11 points
  37. With the caviat that I know nothing about your situation, nor is it my business, I am with Dave on this one. My wife was fine one minute and then, over a weekend, she went down with a brain infection. By the Tuesday after she was hospitalised. This was followed by a rapid issuing of a Section 28 order due to her increasing irrationality and paranoia and her incarceration in a secure hospital for her own safety. In her mind she was having hallucinations, hearing voices and was generally terrified of everything. At one point, after weeks of this, she asked me to euthanise her as she felt she could not go on. Eventually the trick cyclists fixed her and eight years on she is fine, albeit a very changed person. She is on lots of meds and has the occasional relapse but instantly picks up on it and refers herself to the quacks. Only once have we had to return to the secure hospital. We binned the boat buying fund which meant I could stop work to care for her. The point is none of this matters. We still love each other and will continue to do so whatever life bungs at us. We have a very up front relationship and talk regularly about the current problem whatever that is. It may be my turn to wobble next. Who cares. We continue to putter along as a couple making the best of life. Our revenge is to be happy and content with whatever hand we are dealt. We hire a boat when we can and do short trips. When she gets tired we stop. We still enjoy our boating when possible. Team X may not be the most dynamic any more but we are determined to be the most happy.
    11 points
  38. This post cannot be displayed because it is in a forum which requires at least 10 posts to view.
  39. 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.
    11 points
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  41. This post cannot be displayed because it is in a forum which requires at least 10 posts to view.
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  44. The inland waterways network is a fabulous asset. It is integral to the very landscape, history, and indeed to the function, of its surrounding lands. It has ongoing functions that are purely utilitarian, such as drainage, micromobility corridors, and increasingly importantly, global warming mitigation. To this can be added the originally unintended function as a place to locate moveable housing. But the navigable waterways also provides the space and enabling for a very wide range of recreational and educational opportunities, as well as significant wildlife refuges. And then there are the aesthetics. Working waterways are true eye candy, as much in busy city centres, as in remote Yorkshire Moors and Lincolnshire fens. They are a defining elemment of so many of Great Britain's landscapes, and a very important link to it's past. They are internationally significant. It would be a national tragedy, and extremly irresponsible to restart the decline of the waterways experienced at the mid of last century. The physical assets were still very largely functional when we sold our boat five years ago. The frontline staff that we encountered from EA and CART were generally good. Unfortunately though, I could not say that about the either the very structure of their administration, or the legislation that they operate under. CART's structure, as a charity is very largely dependant on ad hoc and annual donations, I rate the government grant's, as really just donations. As such it's income is highly dependant on the financial health of it's donors which has little relationship with the waterways maintenance needs. Structural degradation does not slow down to match budget reductions. The Waterways Acts are somewhat archaic reflective of bygone uses, primarily facilitating commercial boating, and have inadequate provision for coping with current largely unsanctioned demands to provide spaces for floating houses. There also seems to inadequate provision for integration of some functions with the surrounding local authorities. Unfortunately all this suggests that the solutions are ultimately very largely political. But, take heart there is a precedence for this. The waterways renaissance last century was initiated at grass roots level. A huge amount of volunteer hard work, a lot not officially sanctioned, coupled with old fashioned political activism. This pushed it upwards, and kept it there until it did indeed become a political issue. If it was done before, why not again? Currenntly there is a huge amount of volunteer engagement, in both keeping the existing system functioning, and working towards restoring further waterways to navigable status. It would be a massive shame if this effort goes to waste, for the lack of will to elevate the matter back into the political arena, and keep it there until something gets done. Good luck
    11 points
  45. I feel that supporting organisations that are trying to stop our waterways closing down is enough
    11 points
  46. It costs about the same to live in a house as on a boat, boating is not a cheap option. The reason to live on a boat is that you truly want the lifestyle, not to save money. Your initial post to me seems to mean that moving every 14 days is a pain, whereas I always loved moving about ( boating ) thats why we lived for many years aboard. If you think " Having " to move on is a pain then boating isnt for you.
    11 points
  47. I agree. It’s not about rushing, rather working efficiently and making decent progress. Many of the old timers, myself included, prefer to boat in this way while still observing old time courtesies which seem to be sadly lacking today.
    11 points
  48. Been watching this and not being from the UK I have just been reading and not commenting. But the way I see it is he refused to help himself. He had what, 10 years to do something and he has done nothing. Hard to feel sorry for someone that knew this was coming all this time and refused to do anything. Looks to me like he has no one to blame but himself. So while I hate he is homeless I don't feel sorry for him. He made the choice and now he has to pay for those choices. No one forced him to make bad choices. And I think there was no reason to let it go on for this long and the CRT should have moved much faster.
    11 points
  49. I will carry on, then. This is the last bit. My father's idea was that we would return each autumn to the Stroudwater, so that we could carry out maintenance during the winter months. Every other weekend was the plan. But that did not go to plan either. It was a long way, the car had no working heater and its windscreen wipers didn't always work. We children had to reach forward and turn a lovely walnut knob to work each wiper. There were two knobs, so two children. Also the electrics generally weren't that good. It was a pre War machine with a massive engine, lovely leather seats and an uncertain temperament. But we did what we could and I personally liked the Stroudwater because it was so close to the Ship Canal and all its traffic. And we kept a small sailing dinghy which we could sail on the fields when the river flooded. And explore the Stroudwater beyond Walk Bridge. For children it was magic. The Ship Canal had its own charm in those days. There were still steam tugs. All sorts of different barges, lighters and tugs. And for pure wonder, we would spend the day among the hulks at Purton, then quite secret, quite wild, quite remote, as yet untouched by vandals. But the aim was to reach the narrow canals, and the following year, 1958, we set off, confident in our new engine, that the Severn would not be so challenging, and so it was. We got no better speed or thrust but the engine kept going and clearly always meant to. In the spring of 1958 we locked up from the Severn into the Worcester and Birmingham and got jammed in Kings Lock. Absolutely stuck. The lock keeper tried everything to help us but we could not get in. The boat had spread. We dropped back into the Severn and went on up to Stourport, still then a bustling inland port. We could not enter York Street Lock either. So, not only a troublesome propulsion system, an unreliable engine, since cured but now a boat which was too fat. The worry this caused passed, for the most part, over the heads of us children but we still got the message. We turned tail and returned to the Avon. Which was pleasant enough. There was 'Pisgah' the grain barge to keep us on our toes when on the river, and Healings Mills was busy with its three barges painted green, and the occasional odd visitor to the embankment by the mill. But it was not a through way then. We were stuck to the Ship Canal, the Severn above Gloucester, and the Avon as far as navigation went. This was not at all according to the plan. In the autumn we returned again to Saul, and my father discussed our dilemma with Mr Davies at the junction boatyard. Mr Davies said to dock 'Somerset' when he could and he would shave the hull and put chains across inside to pull the sides in. This he did over the winter but the chains had to come off. And we did not know what would happen when they did. Mr Davies felt that the problem stemmed from the conversion - there was too much weight from the coachhouse pushing the gunwales outwards, without adequate internal bracing. No doubt he was right. There wasn't much he didn't know about wooden boats and barges. So once again we tried to get onto the Worcester and Birmingham and once again we could not. It was not until 1960, after further work, that we tried again. On the 20th June 1960 ' Somerset', after rocking and heaving, entered Kings Lock. Now the canal world was ours. But there was disaster ahead. The winter of 1960 was the last we spent in the Stroudwater. In the spring of 1961 we again went up the Severn to Worcester. But we had a problem. We noticed discolouration on the paneling in the toilet compartment and in the bedroom next to it. We were in Worcester and we called at the boatyard there, which as I remember it, was in the old 'Spry', the former trow. Behind the paneling there was horror. There was dry rot. Wherever we looked it was there, hidden. The bows had got it. How far it had spread we did not know. We left the boat in the hands of the boatyard and returned home. 'Somerset' was docked in the drydock, and more and more of the timber in the bows was investigated, condemned, removed and rebuilt. Some thirty feet. It cost a fortune - I never learned how much and my father had to call a stop to it. Max Sinclair photographed the boat in the dock and, via Waterways World, sent me a copy. He said the boat looked 'tired'. When at last the work stopped we took the boat up the Worcester and Birmingham and spent the winter in the British Waterways yard at Tardebigge. In 1962 we moved on through the canals eventually to the Oxford. But all was far from well. The electric system developed faults and the taps stopped working. The lights no longer worked. 'Somerset' was making increasing amounts of water and we spent hours at the rotary pump in the back cabin engine room, sitting on one of the Cones and pumping away, listening to the regular splosh splosh splosh outside. I liked doing that. It became obvious that the rot was till there, and the ever increasing distance we had to travel from Devon added to our problems. We managed to get to Cropredy and there we stayed, above the lock, moored against a farmer's field. He it was who offered to keep an eye on 'Somerset'. He would go in once a week and pump her out. Then it was twice a week. And then one day, in that hard winter of 1962/63, he rang my father and told him that he was so sorry but his back was not what it was, he was having to pump every day and he could not keep going much longer. We hung on during the spring and early summer. We took the boat to Mr Tooley in Banbury to ask his advice. But the hull was leaking so badly by then, that the only solution was to take the engine out to reduce weight, and to cut the boat down so that perhaps the rebuilt bow portion which was - we hoped - sound might allow half of the boat to survive. For us this was absolute and final disaster. One morning in September 1963, my father and I drove from Devon to Cropredy. We were to take the boat to Tooleys Yard and leave it with him. My father took the car to Banbury and I took 'Somerset' to Tooleys Yard. It wasn't far. It was the first and only time I worked the boat on my own. There we left 'Somerset'. Mr Tooley took the engine out, cut the boat in half and on our behalf sold the bow half to an old age pensioner. The stern half was scrapped. Save for the tiller, which I have still. What became of the bow half we never knew. When I asked Mr Tooley in the early 1970s what became of it he said he did not know, but that it had 'gone down Oxford way'. The engine was still in his yard, under a sheet of tin. So there we are. The end of the story. Sounds like a pretty average disaster from beginning to end doesn't it? Why didn't we get a survey? did we need to replace the engine? Should we have allowed the rebuilding? Should we have done all sort of things to avoid the pitfalls into which we fell quite regularly? I don't know. Was it worth it? Well it was for me. I got to like the waterways. I used the copper-sleeved windlass for fifty years until the casting began to crack and I set it aside for a bronze Dunton one. Which I have now put aside as well. But every minute we spent on 'Somerset' was an adventure.
    11 points
  50. I am getting extremely fed up with what seem to be constant digs at members who do not now have boats. By all means have a go at those who seem to like being argumentative or disruptive, but having a boat is not a prerequisite for giving a valid reply. One day you will not have a boat because of infirmity, but are still likely to be interested in the inland waterways and boats. How will you react when you are told there is no value in your opinions because yo don't have a boat?
    11 points
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