hvdb
-
Posts
138 -
Joined
-
Last visited
Content Type
Profiles
Forums
Events
Gallery
Blogs
Store
Posts posted by hvdb
-
-
Peter,
We are Dutch and live in the Netherlands, and had no problems insuring our (English) narrowboat with IRCM. The boat stays in England, we travel to England several times a year to take her out boating.
We bought the boat in 2010 and has always been insured with IRCM.
Helen
-
Thank you all for your helpful input!
We now have the information with which we can put the right questions to the new provider. If we are satisfied with his answers, we'll probably change providers.
Next time in the UK we'll see if it works out ok. If not, we can stop the plan after a month, so no harm done. And we have the backup of my phone, this stays with TMobile (Netherlands) and works very well in the UK.
Thanks again.
Helen
-
The Dutch provider said they are using both 3 and EE (Orange).
He'll call us back later this week to see what we have decided, we'll ask specifically if they use both.
john6767: Good point, I don't expect problems as tethering is widely done here, but we'll check it, just to be sure.
Helen
-
We are a Dutch couple, mainly living in the Netherlands and staying on our narrowboat in the UK for about 4 months a year.
We currently use (Dutch) Vodafone as our mobile telephone provider, this works very well both at home and in the UK.
The telephone is used for calling, texting, WhatsApp, mobile internet and as a hotspot for the iPad and a laptop.
A different Dutch provider has made us an offer that is much cheaper than what we are paying now.
Asked about using the telephone in the UK, they said that they use Hutchison, Orange and Telefonica. In the Netherlands they use TMobile's network
Is Hutchison the same as Three, and is Telefonica O2?
Does Orange still exist? In our country it merged with TMobile some years ago.
What is your opinion on these providers, especially with a view to using the phone on the boat.
Good coverage and a strong signal are important to us, not only in urban areas, but in rural areas as well.
Thank you for your thoughts,
Helen
-
We did the Nene, Middle Levels and Great Ouse to Bedford in 2015 and enjoyed it very much.
We joined GOBA, Friends of the River Nene didn't exist at that time, and that made finding a place to moor much easier.
NB No Problem has written a very useful guide to the River Nene, you will find it here: https://noproblem.org.uk/blog/nene/ (Copy and paste into your browser)
We used these Imray guides:
- The River Nene by Iain Smith, ISBN 978-1846231681
- Fenland Waterways by Andrew Hynter Blair, ISBN 978-1846234408
- The River Great Ouse and tributaries by Andrew Hunter Blair, ISBN 978-1846235252
We are now considering to go back to the Nene etc. for our long summer trip
Helen
-
Notice Alert
Leeds & Liverpool Canal
Location: Netherton Swing Bridge, Netherton, Leeds and Liverpool Canal
Starts At: Bridge 6, Netherton Swing Bridge
Ends At: Bridge 6, Netherton Swing BridgeMonday 9 December 2019 17:00 until further notice
Type: Navigation Closure
Reason: RepairOriginal message:
Please be advised navigation is currently closed at Bridge 6, Netherton Swing Bridge on the Leeds and Liverpool Canal to be able to carry out an emergency repair following a road traffic accident.
An update will be provided on the 16th December.
Whilst navigation is closed to boaters, vehicle access will be maintained.
You can view this notice and its map online here:
https://canalrivertrust.org.uk/notice/16732/netherton-swing-bridge-netherton-leeds-and-liverpool-canalYou can find all notices at the url below:
https://canalrivertrust.org.uk/notices -
Thank you for your replies.
After wel were tied up again, my husband and the man from the boat in front of us went to have a look. After a word with some lads, it stayed quiet.
Helen
-
We are moored just below Birstall Lock.
This evening we found that our back rope was thrown off the bollard and we were drifting across the rivier. We heard laughing on the other bank and when we brought the boat back in some objects were thrown to the boat.
This does not feel good
-
And we on July 22....
Helen
-
Received this restriction notice, is this another problem in the Marple flight?
Notice Alert
Peak Forest Canal
Starts At: Lock 11
Ends At: Lock 11Saturday 26 May 2018 10:00 until further notice
Type: Navigation Restriction
Reason: Structure failureOriginal message:
There appears to have been some movement in the lock wall that could restrict passage for boats over 6”10, therefore lock 11 will only be passable under staff supervision until further notice.
The lock will be closed outside the hours of 10am & 4pm.
We apologise for any inconvenience.
You can view this notice and its map online here:
https://canalrivertrust.org.uk/notice/13158/lock-11-peak-forest-canal-marpleHelen
-
2 hours ago, PeterCr said:
No it's not impossible. To get a UK account from here I need to pay a significant fee and travel about 4 hours to the closest HSBC branch to me so that someone there can confirm that I am the same person as in my passport. If they want another document I have to go back again.
I then need to guarantee that at least 500 pounds every month goes through my account. Every month, or they will close the account for inactivity. I have tried to explain that some months there will be more than that, and some months none as I won't be in the country, but they insist that they must see 500 pounds of transactions every month or they will close the account.
After much research online I have read that I might - might, be able to get an HSBC account in a branch in the UK when I get there, though most say I still need to show that I live in the UK. The suggestion that I have seen is that if I change my home address on my Australian HSBC account to a UK address (ie my inlaws) and get an HSBC bank statement showing the UK address then that might be sufficient to prove a UK address. But it's a bit unknown. Last night I tried ringing HSBC customer service in the UK but just got stuck in a queu. Am aiming to try again tonight.
If I happen to have $1.5 million dollars in annual income and $2.5 million of assets I can get a Barclays account, similar with Natwest. And whilst I can buy a boat I'm not that flush! Lloyds - forget it.
When we were buying our boat in 2010 we ran into the same problem with the bank.
We are Dutch and live in the Netherlands. We tried to open a bank account with HSBC, at the local branch in Rugby. They wanted proof of address, it did not have to be an address in the UK, a Dutch one was fine. We had nothing with our addres on it at that time (our driving licenses do not state our address). So the next time we came over, we took a recent bank statement (with our address on it) from our Dutch bank, a letter of recommendation from our Dutch bank, a recent energy bill and our passports to HSBC, and that was all it took. to get an account with them.
Every month we transfer 500 pounds from the Dutch account to the HSBC one, so that even when we are not in the UK, and don't spend money there, we keep the account active. Yes, in the end there is quite a sum of money in the account, but we pay the boat license and mooring fee from this account, so we see it as a form of saving for the bigger expenses. And we use the debit card that comes with the account for our daily expenses. We could use the Dutch one of course, but then we would have to pay a fee for each transaction.
The bank statements and other correspondence are sent to our Dutch home address.
Perhaps you could contact a local English HSBC branch by email and ask if they will accept an Australian address if you can proof that it is yours. They were very relaxed about the paperwork we provided.
As for a test drive: ABNB was very good, they had even put the central heating on in the boat, we came over in January. They won't let you go on your own, which is fair enough as they only do accompanied viewings of the boats, but you can do all the steering you like. An other broker surprised us when we made an appointmen to have a second look at a boat and to do a test drive. When we showed up at his office, he said that, although he had agreed on the telephone that we coud have a test drive, he had changed his mind and we could not take the boat out. He didn't want 'all these people to have an afternoon on a boat, free of charge'.
Good luck with finding the right boat and bank .
Helen
-
1
-
-
The number for the harbour master is: 07 921 677 888.
Either Eric or Adrian will answer.
Helen
-
1 hour ago, Robbo said:
If your in the UK a lot and use the phone it may be worth getting a cheap PAYG phone for calling UK numbers. Although that may not be worth while now as EU put a stop to high calls?
Note that most/all “smartphones” will convert the emergency number to the local emergency number of the country and will still work even with no sim or reception (it uses other carriers if you have no reception on yours). So if you dial 911 you will still get the emergency service even tho that is not officially recognised.
We are in the UK about four months a year, two months in summer, the remaining time spread out in two to three weeks trips over the other seasons. I already had 120 minutes per month to use in the UK, but now the rules have changed, as you correctly stated, and I can use a limitless nummer of minutes in the EU and pay no extra money at all. We do have an UK SIM card for the iPAD.
16 minutes ago, mross said:Thanks for clarifying, I wondered how real emergency numbers can be reached.
Thank you all for the friendly words and good wishes in response to me finding the keys. Peter, (bargemast): dank je wel en jullie ook een goede vaart.
Helen
-
Good news: I've found the keys!!!
They were in the pocket of my dressing gown. Yesterday I checked the pockets twice and was convinced they were empty. This morning the keys were in one of them.
As I never put my keys there, it must have been the cat who has done it, she did have a funny look on her face.
So It all ends well, and we now know how to contact the police. Thank you kind people of this Forum for all your advice. It is nice to know that in times of distress there are people around who will help at short notice. Many thanks!
Helen
-
Yes,mr mross, that is what we thought and are still hoping. But we will report the loss, as after tracking down what we did yesterday and doing a thorough search in the boat we have not found them. They are not in my handbag, and the cat says that of course she hasn't hidden them.
Thanks again for your help
Helen
-
-
Thank you so much, I will give that a try.
And we will save the numbers and the link to the website for the future.
I'm so glad I joined this Forum, you are amazing!
Helen
-
Help,
I tried phoning the police but could not reach them.
Does anyone know how to get contact with 101 from a phone with a Dutch provider? I tried 101 - wrong number and 00 44 101 - no response at all.
Thanks for any help.
Helen
-
Sorry, did not read zenataomm's and philjw's post before posting myself.
We do have a spare set of keys, so now my husband and I both carry a set, so we are able to secure the boat and we have moved on. We'll take care not to leave the boat deserted for the time being.
We will report the loss to the police, insurance matters did come to mind.
Thanks all for your suggestions.
If we find the keys or get them back, I will post here.
Helen
-
Thank for these suggestions, think we'll phone, as we have moved on and have no other means of transport than the boat.
The only identification is the key ring which has the name of our boat owners club on it. No boat name or index nummer.
We'll keep or fingers crossed and hope for the best.
Helen
-
How do I report the löss to the police?
We are Dutch and living in the Netherlands. We have no idea at all how these things work in England.
Helen
-
Last night we were moored on the visitor moorings near Easenhall Lane Bridge No. 34 om the Oxford Canal. We were close to the signpost that tells how long one can stay there.
We had dinner on the towpath, after that we went inside. I had to use my keys to open the front door as we had closet it to keep the cat in.
This morning the keys were nowhere to be seen. We searched the boat and had a good look on the towpath, but got no result. The salvage magnet couldn't find any thing either.
So, if anyone finds a set of boat keys in that arena, could you please be so kind to PM me? Thank you in advance.
Helen
-
Notice Alert
Leeds & Liverpool Canal
Starts At: Lock 87
Ends At: Lock 89Wednesday 16 November 2016 until further notice
Type: Navigation Closure
Reason: Vandalism
Original message:Following an act of vandalism, all water between locks 87 and 89 on the Leeds & Liverpool Canal in Wigan has been drained, resulting in a navigation closure.
Our teams are working hard to feed water to the area. Stoppages are currently taking place on the Wigan Flight which may limit how much water can be fed to the site. We anticipate that the area may take a few days to replenish to a navigable level.
An update will be issued on Friday 18 November 2016.
You can view this notice and its map online here:
https://canalrivertrust.org.uk/notice/9715/locks-87-to-89-in-wigan-on-the-leeds-and-liverpool-canalYou can find all notices at the url below:
https://canalrivertrust.org.uk/notices -
Yes that's how I understood is as well.
I PM-ed my number to Liam, who will give it to Ian.
It was never the intention that I would get Ian's number from Liam, as he made clear: 'send me your number and I'll pass it on'
Liam is, as I expected him to be, very discrete about this.
Helen
Insurance issue
in General Boating
Posted
Try Haven Knox Johnston (HKJ).
We are Dutch, live in the Netherlands and own a narrowboat in England. Last year I read on this forum that some insurers will not take on non-UK residents, I then asked a quote from HJK and GJW, both were happy to take us on. In the end we stayed with another company, who has been insuring our boat for the last 13 years. Last week they sent us a renewal for this year. When I asked online for a quote, HJK's computer system recognised my user-id as non-UK, and transferred me to the international section of their system, I got a message that they were doing so.
The issue of refusing non-UK residents was brought up on this forum by an Australian , iirc last autumn, and later in Waterways World. They had a smalle article about this somewhere in the autumn. WW had contacted HJK, whom said they will insure boats of non-UK residents.
Good luck with your search
Helen