Fu Manchu

Really? Two narrowboats normally share the locks. I have known occasions where two old boats have not been able to get in side by side, but those boats were almost certainly more than 7ft wide.

We know that you used it in that sense, but one of the definitions of "false" in the dictionary is "deceptive". Better to say "incorrect" and nobody can misunderstand that!

It's over 30 years since I last cruised on the Trent below Nottingham so I don't claim to know the situation there. But more recently I had no trouble geting a boat alongside the towpath in the lock cut above Sawley Lock, for example.

A bit late, sorry, but a couple of thoughts In section 63 of the judgement "If Mr Moore were right it would be necessary to conduct frequent surveys of all inland waterways for which CRT is responsible in order to obtain up to date details of the position of the deepest channel and to record the same ..." They should be doing this anyway in order to know where to carry out dredging, so it is not a problem. In section 65 "it seems to me that it is not normal to assume that a pleasure boat will be "kept" in such a thorough fare at all" I'm guessing, but in artificial channels such as lock cuts the main navigable channel will be the whole width, and it is quite possible to "keep" a boat there.

Sorry to be coming in very late, and it's perhaps not important. But CaRT are saying NOW that they did not seize the boat to recoup the debt, but you have a video of what was actually said at the time. That may or may not be relevant?

The first time we hired a narrow boat (in 1972) was from "Boats Warwick", now Kate Boats. I steered into the first of the Cape Locks and my wife found that she was not strong enough to open and close the gates. So she was told that she would have to steer and the next day she steered the boat up the 21 locks of the Hatton flight (on a Sunday with a couple of low pounds). By the time we got to the top she was quite good at it, and has steered into locks ever since.

Anyone thinking of visiting the Basingstoke in early July may be affected by this extract from a recent Navigation Update. "Farnborough International have asked that a small portion of the Canal between Eelmoor and Norris Bridges be closed during flying hours at this year’s Farnborough Airshow. This is as a result of new safety regulations introduced following the Shoreham Airshow crash last year restricting low level flying. Where will the Canal be closed? The Canal and towpath from a point just east of Eelmoor Bridge to a point just west of Norris Bridge will be closed as part of the Airshow perimeter during the hours of flying on 4 - 9 July (noon to approx. 4.30pm) and 11 - 17 July (noon to approx. 5.30pm)." Don't let it put you off coming - it's not a major problem, but you may have to adjust your timing to allow for it.

It's not so much what they take. It's the damage that they do to your boat. Even after it has been repaired you can always tell that something is different from what it was. So it is hard to forget what has happened.

Not any more I'm afraid. A few years ago they decided to increase the mooring charges to roughly the same as on the Wey. So now it costs us just over £2000 for mooring plus licence of a 42 ft boat. And additional payment for use of locks.

Because you have to book to go through the locks, the canal authority have a fairly good idea of where all boats are (and you can't just sneak onto the canal without them knowing). Last year one boat stopped paying for their mooring and tried to C.C. They got away with it for a few months but were soon "escorted" off the canal.

There are three very low bridges and Reading Road Bridge is the last of these that you come to. It is the lowest - guess how I found out! "Normally" there is a water shortage which means that the clearance is better, but at present there is plenty of water, so it is likely to be 5'10". Once you get beyond Fleet the canal is exceptionally attractive.

And no one has pointed out yet that when the new owner licences the boat in the middle of the month they can't get the "prompt payment" discount (or whatever it is called)

I've never had a problem getting a short term mooring at Pyrford Marina. They have always been very helpful, but not cheap. Another possibility might be the "Bridge Barn" in Woking. They have mooring for customers and they might let you stay there. Could be worth a try?

I think, though I admit I am not 100% sure, that before everything went metric (i.e. in the good old days) the incremental steps for the cost of a licence were every 5 feet. So a 56 ft or 57 ft boat would cost more to licence than 55 ft.

O.K. So what I should have disagreed with was this part of the post No Martin. Section 17 of the 1966 TC Act abolishes all lock tolls for pleasure craft.