Kiwipeter

I have only encountered a handful of pumpout stations in the last 6000k in Belgium and France and as someone pointed out they are rarely in working order. Most boats have macerator toilets with or without holding tanks (in my case I dump 500 litres a time) Canals, rivers all the same but the water courses are slightly bigger than the UK ditches. The catfish and carp thrive on it (based on the ones I have see caught) and given all the local kids swim in the canals in Summer they must either have a high resistance or the hospitals are full of kids. Peter

Not sure how you survive with one leisure battery we have 4 X 165 and I feel we are well 'underpowered'. If your hairdryer is 12V no sweat though running your engine will help - if using an AC converter run your engine. If on shore power just carry on regardless. Peter

Legally if you are in an EU country for 6 months you become tax resident and you lose NHS rights after 3 months - but providing you retain a 'home/postal' address in the UK it doesn't seem to be enforced.

Anyone know of a 'Bugbrooke' style marina suitable for a wide beam?

You will find living on a boat changes your attitude to lots of favourite things - our books where possible are now on e-readers (2 x Kindle) but can also be read on our 2 x Nexus 7 and the Laptop and PC - our DVDs went onto iPod eand the PCs, our photo albums onto digital storage (using a scanner) and so forth - just need a larger generator now for the electrical kit

Much too complex all I want is VOIP software I can use (as a Skype replacement) to make telephone/video calls) using a PC or tablet. Peter

My Skype costs seem to be rocketing (probably due to the Season). Is anyone using an alternative good quality VOIP system that I can compare with Skype? Peter

transiting from the Midi to Dijon by way of the River Rhone - may the river current be low and the Mistral non existent

The Knowledge Base/FAQ is being updated post new website going live in Nov 12, but most parts seem to be behind the Member 'Wall'. If you search the Forum you should get answers to most things. Peter

Nothing equivalent to my knowledge though I think there is a Dutch forum - Tam would know. A high proportion of the leisure boaters certainly in France are British/Antipodean (members of DBA or Dutch.

In that case I suggest you join the Barge Assn http://www.barges.org/ for at least one year - it is not restricted to barge owners and has an excellent guide to moorings throughout Europe, a good FAQ/Knowledge base and a good (searchable) forum on all cruising/tech matters. Peter

Tam I wouldn't bother. Dog House has an opinion, based as I understand it on very limited (if any) French cruising experience. I would hope that anyone planning on cruising in France (or building/buying a boat for France) would weight that appropriately against those (like yourself) with wide experience). The danger is the good advice is drowned out by the static but it was ever thus Peter

Just to make Dog House really really happy (and convince him he is right) I have just taken this photo in Carcassonne Bassin of the first boat movement since 1 Nov.

Read the last half of this thread and you will get full range of opinion http://www.canalworld.net/forums/index.php?showtopic=51196&st=100

I was given a Nexus 7 (Android tablet) for Xmas - as I haven't yet graduated to a even smart phone I am suffering from tech overload - does anyone have a spare teenager I can borrow