Grebe

The biomass power station near the Sheffield and Tinsley Canal has had a 10MW battery facility for a couple of years. They look like overgrown frieght containers when seen from the nearby road

Interesting stuff, thanks for that. Supplementary Question - If you have a louvre type cover on each side of the opening are you down to 25% area?

Have you any scope for a redesign of he clamping arrangement? I was thinking in terms of a pair of uprights from the sides, or front and back, of the hatch, with holes in them for the clamp-bar. It of course depends on how wide the flange area is, plus the top plate would need notching to accomodate the uprights. p.s. only the lucky ones tell you it is safe to weld diesel tanks. We sent them away to specialists.

We used to hire wide-beam narrowboat style boats from Westview Marina in Earith. They had dual tiller/wheel sterring. On sea-going boats I have used with dual steering, there was a priority system installed so only one position could control the steering. On the Earith boats however, both sytems were permanantly linked so as you moved the rudder the wheel at the front steering position turned. It was always surprising to see how much wheel movement was caused by a small push on the tiller.

Grebe at The Royal Norfolk and Suffolk Yacht Club in Lowestoft. Grebe tackling Geldeston Lock on the Waveney.

String to replace a link or a shackle?

Thanks for this Howard. Just one point to clarify, do you mean MAXIMUM of 75%? If so they could fit 1% per cent lifeboats and 99% life rafts.

Our Vetus 2.06 had a 'timed' relay set up that stopped the engine when the key was turned to off. On turning off it operated the stop-solenoid on the pump for 15 seconds and then switched off. It worked fine for about 5 years and then it started self operating when under way. Only short term cure was to wait and restart. The 'relay' was in the engine mounted black box and obviously deteriorated through vibration. A replacement cost about £100 yes £100. This was fitted and lasted3 years before embarrasing and possibly dangerous engine cut outs started again. So I then fitted a push button stop control and was and still is well. Vetus did publish a wiring modification which removed the relay from the circuit and used the turn the key back position to operate the stop solenoid directly. Their ignition switch (a generic I think) had the back position for use on two engine set ups which was a spareposition on a single engine panel. Would a switch like that answer your issue?

A blog I used to visit needed capcha to post comments. I always found the first offered image difficult to read, but if I asked it to reset the net offered image/tedt was easier to see and use.

I've just been listening to the travel reports on the radio - slip roads etc closed on the M6 in the Crewe/Staffordshire areas due to flooding. Yhr brunt of the rainfall has been on the west side of the Pennines so the Dove and trent will be filling up and sending its gift to the Nottingham area pretty soon. Never mind the Soar and Tame adding their bit.

I used to be a Principal Technical Officer (best grade on BR) working in road transport, based on my distant work here goes: Grebe was a Sea Otter. Must be similar in height to a Wilderness or Viking. We measured the air draught at 5ft 7ins and the water draught at 1ft 6ins, so 7ft 1in of boat. Add 2ft 6ins for a big trailer and you're up to 9ft 7ins, say 3 metres. You then need to ad some wriggle room plus if ther is a slope involved a further allowance for the tapering.

We used a kitchen and bathroom white emulsion for this job. I think it was Dulux brand. You may have to go to a 'proper' paint merchant rather than a DIY 'shed' to find it.

I've heard that Cheshire-Rose is entering the Challenge this year.

Thanks for the update. There were other articles about this before Christmas. They included the similar situation with the Danube. One thing they featured was cruise ship issues - shallow levels preventing sailings - one cruise ship aground at Cologne - cruise companies swapping 'static' accomodation and bussing passengers to each others ships - booking local trip boats to do the Budapest illuminations cruise etc

Just a different angle to consider. We hadhot and cold water flow problems on our domestic bathroom sink. After invesigation of the mixer tap, cartridge etc we discovered that when the tap-unit was removed there was 'rubber' crud sitting on top of the isolator valves. The internal linings of the flxible connectors had deteriorated and the crud was blocking the flow. New flexible connectors fixed it. Time for a new shower flex?

Coltishall Lock was a regular trip for us when we moored at Hoveton. After moving Grebe to Stalham we had a nostalgic trip there in September 2009. the lock is now a sluice (remote controlled) and you can see the canoe portage point below the lock.

For Rotherham read, Manvers, Wath-Upon-Dearne, Rotherham

We used buckets in our lockers. Some round ones and some 'square' (mop) ones. Engine, engineers/electrical in one locker. Deck and dock gear in the other side. as we are abit OCD we also mde sure we had red buckets for the port side and green for starboard.

Hi both, I seem to recall that Peel Holdings, the owners of the Bridgewater Canal are against/do not allow residential mooring on the canal. The same goes for continuous cruising. There are threads on here about the Bridgewater. Enter bridgewater in the search box and trawl through a few of them.