Jim Riley

No, it's one of an old stone terrace, built straight onto and above the cut, with a small balcony for shouting at boats from.

While pootling through Luddenden Foot on the C&H, a lady leaned out of an upper window of a 3storey canalside house and accused me of going too fast, I was "making a wash". I was going under 4mph, it's a 35 ft NB with .5m draught, outboard powered. Without stopping , I tried to educate her in the difference between a wash , a breaking wash and a wake. I didn't slow down, the house didn't move!

The answer is Dawncraft/Highbridge, the grp narrowboat. There was a dc42 on flea bay for £1000 recently. Sold my 22 because it was getting too high to climb up to the gunnels with dodgy hips. Got a 32 ft steel NB, with an outboard on the back. That keeps it highly manoeuvrable. As for locks, last in first out, set next lock for sharing boat. be wary about who you share with.

I have a home mooring, moved about 10 miles and 20 locks at Christmas, couldn't get back due to lock repairs. Was then due in the dry dock in May, so moved a couple of Km every 14 days. Boat still not back at the mooring, just been further , about 30 miles, and am slowly on my way back, coming home between short trips. Over this period I have had 2 emails raising concerns about my being in a "general area" too long. One was from Debbyfiggy herself, I am honoured. I replied saying which "general areas" had been in over the time, telling them I am well aware of their "guidelines" and afaik am compliant. They then say OK. But not "sorry for troubling you with unnecessary nagmails." . The second nagmail arrived on the 14th day of one of my stops! I just want to be able to go boating in my local area without having to slog back up the hill every time I go out, to reset the clock, or feeling like I am on the radar.

So you were treated badly, and some people are chancers. That doesn't invalidate my statement. Two wrongs don't make a right.

I know that and am capable and prepared, some may not be aware of the dangers. Of course they should be, do research etc before they go, etc etc. I was commenting on Alan's post but forgot to quote it, forgetting the pedants would descend en masse. "If you stay - just make sure that you inform the Lockies (either as you leave Torksey, or by VHF) of your intention. The Lockies pass on details of 'departing boats' to the other lockies, and, if one doesn't arrive within a reasonable time of being expected then the 'alarms go off' I had a right old 'bollocking' from one lockie for arriving 2 hours 'late' after having stopped to help someone 'stuck on the bottom'- he said I should have called to inform them - you just don't think about it until its pointed out to you"

When we did keadby to torksey we arrived at dusk, lockie had gone home, there was no emergency rescue callout. We did wonder at the time what would have happened if...........?

I went from Castlefield to Leigh and returned after a while last year. There was no signage at the ends of the Bridgewater informing me, no one took my boat number or requested payment. I'm not on the internet so don't know of any changes, sonny. ;o)

I came across keel black on here. Talked to the maker. Used it 2 months ago, easy peasy to apply. Used fertan first as advised by maker. The one thing that didn't work, I was told to use the large open pore foam rollers, they very quickly stopped rolling, bitumen build up in the plastic "bearings". So I reverted to paint pads, they worked a treat. I am happy with it, it's a harder surface than traditional bitumen.

Earlier this year bought a 100m bobbin of 16mm Synthemp, floats, nice to hold, easy to splice. Cheap enough too at £1.14 a metre.

Another reason why Dawncraft have keels is so they can sit down flat on the bottom, rather than leaning over on the chines. I used to moor it in a short pound, levels went up and down for fun, one night the mooring faerie put 4 Paving flags on the bed of the cut so the boat was flat and level when there was no water in the pound.

Wherever you moor, moor with slack lines, at right angles to the bank or , preferably just a centre line. This gives maximum opportunity to whinge, rant and grumble. Develop a tourettes tic, raise fist shout slow down, at the slightest whisper of a boat going by.

Not knowing any better I used screws and polyurethane squidge* and screwed them on from the outside. After filling all the old screw holes with chemical metal. This hadn't been done before, hence nearly sinking! Now I know it would have been possible to bolt them through accessing the bolts through backs of cupboards etc. But mine were still on solid when I sold her. * Polyurethane squidge is far superior to silicone for this, it sticks like baby effluent to a blanket and is over paintable. You may already know this, or not.

To add to the melee, boaters who live in a marina, but where they don't have a defined mooring, ie marina operator can move boats around at any time, don't have to pay CT.

I was thinking, but didn't say, that the nickel rods may work on wrought iron too.

Cast iron can be welded with nickel rods. I did a welding course years ago, half a box of the rods fell in my lunch box. Useful for mending stoves etc, still have a few around.

I've read that the 2 locks on the c&h at salterhebble are best done backwards going down. All the rest with the boat on a diagonal. The Rochdale is stunning, east of Littleborough. 1 day of grot coming out of Manchester to the Rose of Lancaster, nice moorings at the aqueduct just past. Next mooring Slattocks, or go straight thru Rochdale to Littleborough.

I had a dc22, bought as a project. Rubbing strakes had been put on with decorators caulk! Nearly sank! I fitted new bilge keels to mine, used the recycled plastic wood planks , about 6 x 1.5 inch. For longevity. The keels allow the boat to sit down flat on the bottom or hard standing. Probably improve handling a little, make it less twitchy to steer. A bit of ballast in the bow etc can help, though in the end I took it out and learned to steer! Always fancied a Highbridge, but got a small Narrow Boat instead because it was getting harder to climb on and off the DC with the high gunnels. Great boats.

I was talking to someone who had cruised through the area I moor, they had come to any empty pound. They rang CRT to come and fill it. The pound in question is maybe 200 yds long. Between that and the summit pound is another small pound, maybe 100yds long. CRT came out and ran water down from the top pound. I think it was a waste of CRT staff time, fuel and resources. I would fill it myself, even in an area I'm not familiar with, it's obvious where the water would have to come from. Would you do it yourself or ring CRT.

PhilAtterley gets you everywhere.

Yes. They oft have lots of water coming over the top, check the bywashes, clear the detritus, makes the gates easier to open. And it's 10 locks cos there is one between Piccadilly Basin and new islington. You'll be expert at locks then.

There are good visitor moorings at new islington marina , just up from Piccadilly Basin on the Rochdale. Good facilities block .

Hire boaters get maybe 1/2 hour training then learn on the way. Single handing isn't hard, just takes a little longer. Wear a self inflating life jacket if worried, or as a mate says, if you fall in , stand up! Most canals aren't deep. Coming out of Manchester on the Rochdale , you can book volunteer help via CART. Same on the Wigan flight. Don't know about peak forest. A day or two bumbling along and you will be fine.

But until someone with either a vast excess or no assets challenges them in court to issue the licence, having refused to accept the contract, then we can carry on wittering on, on here, for years.

If there are leaky top gates the lock could fill enough to keep the gates shut?