Big Bob W

I am sure I have seen at least one widebeam moored at Welton Haven marina. Now CRT have set a precedent with Braunston-Hillmorton, they really should do the same for the Leicester Line, Norton Junction - Watford Locks.

An old plastic ice-cream tub in our case. Wall's Soft Scoop works best I think!

CRT actually making a sensible decision. Who'd have thought it! Its been quite a while since we have had good news!!

But remember, CRT consider this the "Closed Season" for boating.

Well Boris has put the spanner in the works on that now!! I think you could well be right. If I remember right, it was works on the weir just south of Stowe Hill. Seems strange CRT have not detailed what or where the maintenance issue is.

Well that's our New Years cruise tomorrow probably out the window. Wonder where/what the essential maintenance is?

There we go! I think I could be a winner next year!!

A rigid life "ring" can also be used to provide a buffer between the boat and lock wall should someone end up in the water in a lock. Drop it over the side to prevent the casualty getting crushed.

When I first saw the image, it just did not seem right. More like a painting than a photograph. I then recognised the boats - until recently they were moored only a mile or so from me at Nether Heyford. If the contributor enjoys creating pictures by heavily manipulating other images, that's up to him. But to then enter the result into a national photo competition is simply wrong. For all we know, the individual component photos may not even be his own!

We also bought from these people. If I remember right, it wasn't cheap, but does the job.

This really annoys me. So many locks with one paddle taped off. I am sure CRT consider 2 paddles as having one as a spare. As a VLockie said to us a couple of weeks ago, nothing gets fixed now until its a stoppage.

Would have been the obvious thing to do whilst the flight was closed back then. I am surprised it’s lasted this long to be honest. This is how it looked when we came down a month or so ago.

Just realised this is for November. I thought it was next week. SpecSavers time!

Notice Alert Grand Union Canal Location: Lock 10, Long Buckby, Grand Union Canal. Starts At: Lock 10 Ends At: Lock 10 Up Stream Winding Hole: Junction with the Leicester Line (Grand Union Canal). Down Stream Winding Hole: Between Locks 12 and 13, Buckby. Monday 16 November 2020 08:00 until Monday 30 November 2020 16:00 Type: Navigation Closure Reason: Repair Original message: An urgent stoppage is required to carry out repairs to the cill and gates at Lock 10 in order to reduce leakage. Just realised this is for November. I thought it was next week! SpecSavers time.

You would like to think it was just an error by the person marking up the map. They probably haven't a clue what those wide bits of the canal are. However .......

My better half has made a sport of getting a response from anglers when passing them. I reckon she got up to about 85% success rate now!

Neither. We all know its actually "barge". ?

One day last year, we met a boat coming down the bottom lock at Buckby. He was convinced he was at the bottom of the Braunston flight. Then we worked out he turned left instead of right at the end of the Leicester Line! So he went back up the flight with us. I did ask if he thought it strange that Braunston Tunnel had disappeared! Not a hirer BTW.

Grandparents had a bungalow and a small launch on the Soar at Zouch in the 50's so I was on the water more or less from birth. Spent a lot of time in boats as a youngster, again, mainly on the Soar around Loughborough. My uncle built his own Steam launch - I remember trailering it down to a steam boat rally at Windsor with him, my Dad and Grandad in the late 1960's. Had a bit of a break then for a few years. After getting married in 1982, we started hiring regularly. Looking at prices for narrowboat hire nowadays, I really can't remember it being anywhere near as expensive as it is today. Then we bought a share in a 60ft boat. Great, but its really not your own boat. Eventually we bought Dougal 4 years or so ago.

I'm going to have a quick drive over to the boat just to check its still afloat.

Well, that's cleared up the mystery of what the radio was! I am fairly familiar with the 19 set - in fact I am sure there is one in the attic somewhere. I am guessing he was working the 40m band in that case. It would have been interesting to see what antenna he was using. I'll get looking through the photo's again.

Digging through some old photo's and came across this. My late Dad, some time in the late '50s. Probably on the Soar - my grandparents had one of the chalets at Zouch.

But there's still one working paddle on the other side - that will do. The system is falling apart in this area. Really? But theres no tea-hut up there!

Pound below lock 9 dry this morning. CRT running down water.

Could well have been! We also passed by you moored by Norton Junction around midday today. We came down Watford Locks late morning. There was a hell of a lot of water leaking through one of the cills there, 2nd lock down I think it was. The Vlockie had called for CRT assistance. I've not seen any notices, so I assume its OK / Been fixed / About to fail