Arthur Marshall

Basic Boat say they have paid out in the past to refloat boats. They don't specify why they sank though. I may ask at next renewal time - my assumption has been that if it got caught in a lock it would qualify but not if it just rusted through for lack of attention. Be nice to know properly.

I think the Leicester ring is still feasible, though probably not for long if the south bit of the T&M shuts, as it did last time this happened.

I think I've been at my current farm for twenty years. A few before that at another above Bosley, and ten at Croughton on the Shroppie before that where I lived on for a few years. It's less than two hours to the T&M, though the Shroppie mooring was great for an hour's run to Chester with no locks. Congleton and Stoke are slightly less exciting for days out.

It's closing for three days from Tuesday, theoretically for repairs to both top and bottom gates. Can't remember what they said they were going to do. With the number of boats going through they may well have to close it again tomorrow though. The pound was pretty low as I came through.

I think that was true of my first plating which I suspect was a bit of a con job by the boatyard (I was younger and more innocent then, and thought you could trust boatyard advice). The second one though was only done when I saw the water coming in where it didn't oughter. In effect, I got a new hull for nine grand and a boat that should last me a year or two yet. I'm not bothered about the price I'll get when I eventually sell up, everything sells if the price is right. I did have to take virtually all the ballast out apart from a bit for the trim. Oddly it seemed to sit much lower at the stern, which didn't expect.

As of Sunday 9am, Aston lock is open.

CRT have done this several times now. The water level seems to recover overnight and it reopens the next day. I hope it does as I want to get through before it shuts for 3 days from Tuesday for proper repairs. I've just been through Weston lock which is pouring water through the side of the top gates.

Which is why I strongly suspect that his about to be launched boat is as mythical as his original fit out nonsense and his sailing experience.

Doesn't seem hard.

No I'm not. Just despairing a bit as the collapse of the system speeds up. I'd be amazed if the forum is dominated by left-wingers. It's always seemed the opposite to me, which probably means that, like the BBC, it's reasonably well balanced. It is, of course, only those who disagree with you that rant and rave, those of one's own persuasion only ever use reasoned argument. And, having been modded on occasion, I have always found it done humourously and with good sense. I rarely see Mr Ho's nonsense as he's the only one I now have on ignore. Perhaps he'll grow up if he ever gets a boat apart from in fantasy. I do notice that, as far as I'm aware, he has never posted a photo of the boat he has supposedly bought? I do wonder if this has any more reality than the invisible shell he was going to fit out. In the meantime, I'm on my way home early (in my real boat) to avoid lock and canal closures.

Well it was a big one... thank god it wasn't the trombone.

To add to the joy on the T&M, Aston lock at Stone is closing for 3 days next Tuesday.

"Starting Friday 25 July 2025, navigation will be closed from Lock 71, Middlewich to Lock 41, Hardingswood to help prolong the supply of water to the south of the canal." I really can't see the point of having a boat any more.

Any change of rules, or the definition of them, will be useless without enforcement. Without that, which is more or less where we are now, rules don't really exist. They're just guidelines, which nice people follow most of the time and a fair number don't bother at all. A six month purge on unlicenced boats involving immediate removal and destruction would be expensive but cost effective in the long run. No court cases - not much point if the relevant boat is in bits, and the way the courts are anyway, any case and its cost would be deferred for years. Then a scrapping of the difference between leisure and residential moorings solves that problem. If Council tax is an issue, let the councils sort it if they want to, it's nothing to do with CRT how people use their boat; their only licences are "home mooring" or CC. And enforce the latter.

What I find interesting is that CRT appear to only consider their own online moorings when working out their rates. On the Macc there are plenty of privately owned farm moorings which appear to be about a quarter of the price of CRT ones. However, when CRT calculate their EOG rates, they only use their mooring rates (as above, generally unpublished) as a guide - which, in effect, means they can charge what they like. The EOG is supposedly half the local rate. Extrapolating from the mooring I had on the Shroppie and the two I've had on the Macc, it's actually twice, assuming that a private landlord will charge the maximum he thinks the market will bear.