Janet S

Tom, can I suggest that you remove your phone number from public view? Once you've made a few more posts you'll be able to send it via PM. Janet

Take extra strong cooking foil and use it to line the grill pan and oven shelves. Saves a lot of time cleaning on the last night. We tend to do a lot of complete meals in the oven as it means we can cruise for longer. We like to leave the boat spotless so we always do the majority of the cleaning on the last evening then treat ourselves to a nice meal out. It means that both of us get to enjoy the final cruise back to the hire base rather than one being stuck inside cleaning! Our cruises can be anything from two weeks to a full month so we try and plan menus in advance to help with buying supplies. We use the plastic containers from the Chinese chippy to freeze ahead things like Bolognese sauce, chilli con carne, curry etc. Once frozen we take them out of the tubs and wrap them in clingfilm. You'd be surprised how many meals you can get in the freezer compartment in the fridge! Take a good, LOUD whistle with you to attract attention if needed. When working locks its not always possible to hear the boat horn above the noise of the water to alert the person working the lock that there's a problem. It shouldn't be needed if they are paying attention and watching the boat but people do get distracted. Particularly if there's only two of you, work out a series of hand signals so you can communicate when one's working the locks or swing bridges. We have signals for dropping the paddles or slowing down the rate of fill, a very air stewardess type one for the lock wheeler to indicate which side to pick them up on and a walking finger type one to indicate that they're going to walk to the next lock. Sounds daft, but it works! As I'm usually steering the boat my OCM can tell me that there's a boat waiting to come in, there's a vicious bywash to avoid on the left and that he's going to walk to the next bridge hole to be picked up. Janet

From the other thread... One of our tricks is to use a large recycling box to pack most of our canned/dried foodstuff and supplies. These are packed in the box in carrier bags. On arrival at the boat the first thing we do is pull the bags out and dump them in the kitchen. We then fill the box with the stuff on the boat that we know we won't use - cafetiere, tea cups/saucers, egg cups, teapot, milk jug, egg poacher, rolling pin (yes really, there was one one board on of the boats we hired!) etc and we put this in the boot of the car ready to replace when we get back. We had one boat that had no less than three sieves, all taking up valuable storage space in the kitchen cupboard! On arrival, we usually empty our bags of clothes straight onto our beds and all bags are then put back in the boot of the car to save storage space on board. It's a two minute job to pack them when we're leaving. We also pack small things, toiletries etc in a plastic biscuit tin which is very useful to keep on the boat roof or the back deck to hold anti-vandal keys, mobiles, BW keys, glasses, sun cream, cigarettes, lighters, hand sanitiser etc - it usually sits inside the life ring on the top of the boat so no danger of it going overboard and it's a simple matter to put the lid on if it rains! This way we always know where everything is and there's no hunting around in pockets to find out who has the BW key!

Yes. One of the boats we hired from Shire Cruisers didn't have a centre line. We still take ours with us because it's handy to have two and you never know when a spare rope will come in handy.

I'll second that! We take our own centre line with us as they aren't always provided and we find it invaluable when there's only two of us on board. A centre line really is an essential bit of kit for us. We've also found a spare bit of line/rope to be useful when we've come across boats that have become untied. We never pass one without trying to help. Janet

Sounds delicious! Will try it soon Janet

I think I'll start a new thread for hirers with our ideas for space saving and things to bring! One of our tricks is to use a large recycling box to pack most of our canned/dried foodstuff and supplies. These are packed in the box in carrier bags. On arrival at the boat the first thing we do is pull the bags out and dump them in the kitchen. We then fill the box with the stuff on the boat that we know we won't use - cafetiere, tea cups/saucers, egg cups, teapot, milk jug, egg poacher, rolling pin (yes really, there was one one board on of the boats we hired!) etc and we put this in the boot of the car ready to replace when we get back. We had one boat that had no less than three sieves, all taking up valuable storage space in the kitchen cupboard! On arrival, we usually empty our bags of clothes straight onto our beds and all bags are then put back in the boot of the car to save storage space on board. It's a two minute job to pack them when we're leaving. We also pack small things, toiletries etc in a plastic biscuit tin which is very useful to keep on the boat roof or the back deck to hold anti-vandal keys, mobiles, BW keys, glasses, sun cream, cigarettes, lighters, hand sanitiser etc - it usually sits inside the life ring on the top of the boat so no danger of it going overboard and it's a simple matter to put the lid on if it rains! This way we always know where everything is and there's no hunting around in pockets to find out who has the BW key! I have to admit that I thoroughly enjoy packing for our hire boat trips and finding ingenious ways to save space and yet bring along all the little bits and pieces that make life easier! My OCM laughs at the random stuff I pack into the gaps in that little set of drawers but it all proves useful! Janet

We didn't have to do it...it's just something that we've found useful. You're going to have to pack the stuff anyway, so why not pack it in something that's going to be useful once you get there? The drawers we use are only 12" high by 7.5" wide and 10" deep...they only need a small amount of workspace or shelf room and we've always found somewhere to put them. They are only the same size as a couple of large cereal packets! They are incredibly useful when there are three of you on the boat, all with your individual bits and pieces...no more wondering where you've left your watch or your ciggies or your spare camera batteries and no stuff cluttering up the work surfaces or getting lost. Wine glasses are wrapped in teatowels & napkins (to be used on the trip) in one drawer and the others are filled with bits and bobs...salt/pepper, herbs, spices, OXO cubes, e-Liquid, - all the little fiddly stuff. All gaps in all drawers are then stuffed until completely full with useful stuff like scouring pads, plasters, string, pens, batteries, phone chargers, memory cards - you name it, we pack it! It's absolutely amazing the amount of stuff you can get in there! We've also found a lack of hooks on some boats, so we take along some suction hooks that we can use if needed (stuffed into one of the gaps in the drawers!) They can be used virtually anywhere and don't cause any damage. Bungee cords are great too for making an impromptu washing line across the boat! (we use them wrapped tightly round our bags to keep the size down when packing). We have a good one with pegs already attached that has come in very useful! (Pound Shop bargain!) We have always been keen campers and have learned how to pack a LOT of very useful stuff into a very small space! We are also usually on a mission, so we can't afford to mess around with stuff lying all over the place and never knowing where anything is. We are so used to doing it that we can have everything unpacked and in its correct place within an hour of leaving the base, leaving us free to enjoy the trip. Hire boat companies can't cater for every eventuality and every hirer has different requirements. I believe that most of them do the best they can. We had one a couple of years ago which had so many shelves and storage options that some were still left empty at the end of the trip! (Canal Boat Escapes) We've had 58' boats with virtually no usable storage and a 43' boat which was like a bloody Tardis! Janet

We always take a selection of these plastic caddies with us - they are available in a huge variety of sizes in the local pound shop and they are surprisingly good - I've currently got one in my kitchen holding washing up liquid and spray cleaner and it hasn't fallen off the wall since I put it up two years ago. On holidays we use them in the bathroom/shower and kitchen They take up next to no room when packing as you simply fill them with socks/undies. We also take a set of these small plastic drawers - two or three high depending on how many of us are on the trip. Great for packing wine glasses safely and it's absolutely amazing how much you can cram into them! Salt, pepper, herbs & spices, torches, batteries etc. We stuff them absolutely full and then tape the drawers shut with duck tape. Once on board and everything's unpacked, each of us has a drawer to keep all our bits and bobs in instead of having things lying all over the boat. (and you can guarantee that we'll find a use for the duck tape during the trip!) Lessons all learned from camping trips but very useful for hiring boats! Janet

I loved it and will probably watch it again on iPlayer. Janet

What horribly tragic news. My thoughts are with his family.

Hope he's found safe. His family must be distraught.

Does anyone know the owner? Janet

No matter...the main thing is that people are seeing it! I hope someone can contact the owner so they can ensure it's moored up safely. My friend would normally stop and secure it (we've done it on several occasions before) but on this occasion he has a long drive and a place to be... Janet

I really wish we could help. We love the Wolverhampton flight! Posted to bump the topic and hope you get some assistance. Janet

I posted a topic tonight regarding a boat adrift on the Ashby Canal. However, it doesn't show up in "View new content" but I can still see it if I look at my content or go to the General Boating section. Usually a new topic shows virtually instantly. Any ideas? Janet

My friend, who is currently travelling down south by car has just sent me a text message. "Caspian of Tewkesbury, mooored on Ashby Canal at Hinckley has slipped its stern mooring and is blocking the canal. Too dark to try and do anything myself..." If anyone knows the owner, can you please let them know? Thanks, Janet

Yes, from what I could see, they filled it in and left all the crap there. I work within a couple of hundred yards of this stretch and try to go up to eat my lunch canalside every day. Nothing was done to clear it before it was rewatered.

They filled it up without removing the cones and rubbish. We were appalled!

Isn't heating the gel up just putting the water back into the air, or am I missing something? Janet

If you're going to use "nappy pins", make sure you attach the rope to the pin before you attempt tying up. Don't ask me how I know this... Janet

I'm trying to search a very old and closed thread for a certain few posts from well known members, including myself, but can't find a way to jump ahead more than a couple of pages at a time...I can find the thread, but I can't seem to search it for the pages I'd like to see. ...this topic ran for 380 pages before it was closed following a request from the OP and was the funniest thing I've read or been involved in for ages...I well remember being reduced to tears of laughter at a couple of points, and I'd like to read parts of it again, but preferably not all 380 pages! The Robin Hood section was just the funniest ever! This is going back several years when the forum was a much more friendly place than it appears to be now. Fun seems to be off the menu at the moment...why is everyone so bloody argumentative? Is there anyone around who remembers the Fridaaaay thread? Sheesh...we had boating holidays and foreign holidays but always managed to post a pic of a pirate flag every Fridaaay ready for the virtual beeeeer delivery. I well remember clambering over the boat to pin the flag down and take a photo to prove I was eligible for a beeeer delivery and finding somewhere to post the flag whilst in Lanzarote (just south of Birmingham?) Happy days... Janet