Ratzend

It is a few years ago but as I recall he was a non swimmer and obviously couldn't cope, the inquest findings were that if the bobbin on his jacket had activated as it was supposed to then it was almost certain he would have survived. I believe they had to recall hundreds of thousands of the jackets.

I knew a woman whose husband drowned when his automatic lifejacket failed whilst he was out fishing, they withdrew that particular type but the jackets are still made. When I last saw her the court case with the manufacturer was still ongoing after several years but there was no doubt as the cause of the failure

Interesting thread! I really liked the first boat I looked at but thought it probably sensible if I looked at a couple more before making a commitment. Which was good because the second boat I liked more than the first, and the same with the third, fourth and fifth and so on! I have only seen a few so far that didn't tick any boxes but each boat has it's pluses and minuses, I don't know if I am getting nearer the boat I really want or whether it is just my preferences are being guided by the experience of seeing more and more boats, which I suppose would make sense! I am lucky in a way in that I am on my own so I don't have to consider family space etc but at the same time I want as much space to myself as is reasonable. I had a few reasonably firm ideas of what I wanted but they have all gone out of the window and that is making the decision a lot more difficult I decided to be lazy yesterday and went to see a friend who lives in a chalet right on the bank side at Riddlesden, drew up a chair and waited for a flotilla of boats to pass and help me with the aesthetic side of things, I think we saw a total of four boats !!! And two of those were the same widebeam that had gone up and winded !!! So we retired to the Bay Horse where the staff were nice but the service and the food were appalling and only one boat came past which must have been on a hand over from Silsden. By the time I drove back to Liverpool I decided that my ideal boat hasn't been built yet, probably because it would be the size of an Olympic swimming pool So the quest continues, I will be going to Crick and am also spending a few days in London. Having so much freedom of choice is not always a bonus I really hope your arrangements work out for you, I am sure my boat is out there, it's just finding it, and I am not a 'picky' person !!!

Congratulations, and many years of happy boating Am very close behind, everything more or less in place, just the boat bit that is missing !!! Still looking.............

Could it be a rope cutter?

I am 62 and took my Maths 'O' level 5 years ago. I was amazed how much easier and more interesting it seemed than when I was at school.

Come to think of it, I did have a thermostat once, I think it was on a Wolseley 6/99, couldn't sort it until I realised that the thermostat was opening if on the bottom of the pan but only opening a fraction if it was suspended. It was a while ago

I don't know who makes Haier, the manufacturers seem to have dark arts where identity is concerned these days, but that make and model are advertised on Amazon at over £180 so it would seem a good price.

Ah right, same thing then.

Apologies if you are already doing it but if you are testing a thermostat in a pan of boiling water the stats really need to be suspended on a piece of string from a bar or wooden spoon across the pan. If the stats are resting on the base of the pan you may see incorrect readings. Just a thought.....

If it is the same type I did my offshore survival training in I am fascinated that they are being converted to leisure use!! We were dropped into quite a rough sea in it (which really hurt!!!) and it nearly turned upside down, which they are designed to do, and we spent a few very uncomfortable hours bobbing about sealed inside! I don't think the word 'leisure' came into the conversation and I recall quite a few colleagues regretting having had a cooked breakfast Very distinctive colour, you wouldn't miss it on the way back from the pub !!!

There is a lot of info on flies on the Dipterists Forum HERE including many different species in their gallery.

I hadn't seen that for a long time and was really fascinated to see it again. Then, purely by chance, I happened to look at the site at NarrowBoat World where the first article is about an incident of boat rage. Serious as the incident is I couldn't get the image of 'Keith' out of my head !!!

Thank you I think most of us are, but we are also aware that we have some 'scallies' in the same way that most cities do. I also think that most of us gave up 'defending ourselves' a long time ago, at the end of the day people will believe what they wish to believe, whether through experience or what they read in some papers. It is true that Liverpool got a bad name for itself in the past, due in no small measure to events relating to the docks and I think it is a testament to Liverpool to see the changes that have been made as you have obviously experienced. I am really glad you enjoyed it. We are still celebrating the 'festival of litter' though

I was in the middle of the Mersey at half three this afternoon. No wind, no rain and the river was like a millpond. That was nice

Plus it is worth making sure you use the long product key from the sticker on the computer, some suppliers have included discs or recovery discs with a different product number which will not work as it was not tied to your system. Obviously if you have bought a new version of Windows and installed it or had it installed then you would need the product key from that disc.

Actually just got a reasonable deal at Hillmorton Manor, so it will be 3 days now!

That is the bit that worries me!!! And I haven't even got the boat yet! Thank you to everyone for the good advice, I will be going, probably for 2 days.