Mike Todd

In many cases, but not always, such wider boats are also deeper drafted which adds to the 'soft' limitations.

But were we not told that the initial price was 'plus extras'? In which case it does not much matter whether the base price was an estimate or quotation, it will still end up loaded, perhaps with things that cannot be checked after the event.

and when burning stuff on boats is banned on the grounds that it is more polluting than plastic . . . ?

Leaving reliability aside, the pumps have the advantage that they work just as well whatever the traffic flow. (ish!)

No you don't: some paddles will stick just open even with the pawl off. Always a good idea to do a visual check whatever the state of the pawl. And mandated at Droitwich

It was certainly the case in 1967, when we started, that there was a well embedded expectation that boaters would close gates and paddles after use. I certainly do not recall Jack Monk telling us to do otherwise.

But surely the Macdonalds is not actually on the highway? Or perhaps you're thinking that buying a Big Mac is the offence?

What you do and what is proper are not necessarily the same things.

I am not sure if folk are aware of the issues behind refuse collection. Firstly, CART (ie we) have to pay for each collection at trade rates and the locations are very much at the mercy of the collection company to accept - they have no obligation to do so (unlike domestic collections) Further, recycling is entirely separate and may even involve more than one collection company, depending on what they will recycle. If no company is available at a given site then no recycling!

Do not underestimate the effect that the existence of the BBC has on commercial channels regarding the amount of advertising. In some parts of the world, with no restraint, it can be hard to spot the program content in smalls gaps between the ads. If we had a free-for-all and laissez-faire approach here then I hate to think what it would become like. Maybe I'd just stick to books and internet browsing!

No we would not: if everyone could predict then there would be no margin to be made by the 'clever' or unscrupulous - or just plain lucky.

I've seen far worse on YouTube by people supposedly successful Tubers! In any event, I am always delighted to see people who are enthusiastic about their subject - cynicism is far too widespread (and I have a tendency that way . . . ) Better and more informed than some videos that just put up unedited and endless cam viewing with no meaningful commentary.

Best not to confuse actually having the skills to fit out a boat with the skill to design it. Any sort of canal boat, but especially those that can travel a reasonable range, is a tense process of juggling and compromise (any design task is like that but the techniques to squeeze the last drop out of the scarce boat space are quite distinctive - and the outside is just as important as the inside). It is here that experience as well as skill can make all the difference. That experience needs to bring together the experience of using the boat (both living on it as well as navigating with it) with detailed knowledge across a range of technologies. Almost any boat builder will make 'mistakes' - that is, creating something that does not work as intended. Just to give a trivial example. The tall cupboard alongside the rear steps from our semi trad stern contain much of the electrics/electronics at the top. These are readily accessible, although some of the displays are hard to read when the sun shines in at the wrong angle and some have a very narrow angle of visibility such that they can only be seen by wedging oneself part way up the steps! Our intention with the rest of the space was to use it for long handled items like Dyson, brush, pole etc. A clip was added so that the tiller arm can be kept there when not on the move along with a place to keep the tiller pin. All fine and dandy until we dropped the tiller pin to the bottom of the cupboard and found that with fixed steps such that there is no opening door to the lower part of the cupboard, our longest arm could not reach to the bottom to retrieve the fallen pin! (We now have a technique to deal with it but best not to try it when in a hurry!) As I said, a small matter in the great scheme of things but there are literally hundreds of such design decisions to be made during the fitting out. The great majority of these aspects only become obvious once you try to use them - OK a good designer can mentally and imaginatively work through the main parts but it is always surprising just what comes out to bite you. Another important area is the engine bay - there is a lot to get in. It may look neat and tidy and, from above, everything is accessible, but just try and do some simple maintenance tasks and work out where each of your limbs (and oversized body) is going to go! I've been amazed to watch some experienced engineers do contortions that I though not possible, but do you want to be doing that, especially as flexibility begins to decline? Try removing all of the water and/or soil and gunge from the bottom, even without doing something complex! It is all a process of compromise and so many design decisions involve balancing one need against another and the relative importance will differ from one crew to another.

From the figures quoted, it seems that you are really looking for somewhere free of hard standing charges - the in'out of water costs will probably absorb most of your budget. That does seem a bit much to expect, especially if you want a place with a proper hard standing (which is not necessarily cheap to provide, that has enough room to take a crane and with a good risk assessment regarding security (doe snot have to be Fort Knox but probably better not to be wide open to all comers. But don't let me destroy your dreams!

The thing about much law is that first you have to decide what it is that you want to do. Then you look at the law (s) from all angles and see how to justify what you want. Then you have to persuade a judge that your interpretation is consistent with the law. Of course, someone else might just get in first with a very different reading of the very same law - or more likely, quite a different subset of all the laws that might be quoted. Then, you have to have deep enough pockets to be able to manipulate a case so that it goes to a high enough court to establish precedent and then you can safely re-apply the outcome, not having to bother about the intermediate steps, when you want to achieve a similar outcome in the future. In this case, perhaps, someone decided that the desired outcome was to prevent multiple mooring - there are interacting issues over access when undertaking enforcement. Not a case of a jobsworth lacking common sense, more a case of someone having enough clout (usually measured in pounds) to establish the desired outcome. The most important place to start is Cui bono?

If you were on the Llangollen you'd definitely know which is which!

In the Autumn we came up from Gloucester to Harford and the time between Tewkesbury junction and Diglis was about 3.25 hours, so quite a long time without a rest for the engine. We were, however doing so with a new Beta 43 which is within its comfort zone but I give the time so you can assess for yourself. There are some stretches on the Avon which are longer than the pounds on some canals but not wholly exceptional. There are few lengths on the Avon where you would not encounter some reason for slowing down, at least a bit fairly often. One point I would add to the previous advice is, if single handing, let someone know your 'flight plan' and can check that you have arrived. That's independent of your engine! The main thing affects most boats apart from some of the super-barges on the Severn, is the flow rate - and note that it is distinct from river height. The two sort of correlate but not always. As I understand it, heavy fall in the catchment area can dump a lot of water downstream which initially increases the flow rate. After a while the amount of water coming down exceeds the capacity of the navigation to dispose of it, especially over the main weirs, and so the rive level rises. Similarly, once the rain has stopped, the flow slows down but it takes a while for the excess to run away and so the level lags the flow (unless someone has a different explanation!) However, it is a managed water course so the actions of lock keepers and EA in general will have an impact, hoping to mitigate the excess in change to either flow or level (it is level that bothers more people than rate as that is what determines when flooding occurs)

laws of Chemistry?

Our boat was designed with steps from the rear deck (actually one plus a locker) specifically to make it better for those of us with less agile limbs still to access the roof during locking - at least for longer. More of a challenge when not in a lock, at least for those of us who need the comfort of something solid to use as a prop, not that I really need it. We keep a mop handy to help stabilize in these cases.

I took the original comment to be referring to the medium term forecasts and was with a sizeable tongue in cheek!

It may disturb you less but it may disturb others more.

I thought they did. But CaRT are not a (planning) regulator but a navigation authority.

But only in some way - for the most part it does not look at the issue in enough depth to form a real judgement. For example, we do not know whether CaRT actually have the powers to introduce a width restriction as demanded. Whenever CaRT allegedly exceed their powers, plenty of boaters are all too ready to jump into the attack. That said, a booking scheme, as with the tunnels, could go a long way to alleviate the problem, especially if it imposed a good ahead-of-time notice period and confined the transits to very specific and under-used times.

And price!

My understanding at the time was that there had been substantial bank damage from otters leading to reduced capacity and increased risk of drought closure. If correct that is a good readon to mitigate.