Erie Canal

Thanks guys

Anyone have words of wisdom on buying throw lines to be used from a towpath, please? I am looking at buying a number for a charity but know nothing about what is good or not. I've seen them from £3.67 from China up to £150 odd.

I like the occasional doughnut, but with jam. I once bought one form Tesco and when I got home, it was a custard one.:-( I was really upset, ;-)

I single cruise. I'm on the South Oxford having been out weeks from the river Stort. Just be sensible and moor up with other boats ( whether they are still there when you get up is a different matter), if you don't feel comfortable keep moving. Talk to lots of people at locks / when moored up, you make friends and contacts and boaters look out for each other. You will love it :-)

Response number 19?

John, I've sent you a PM, regards,

I did Oxford last year single handed. 99% of the time smile and tell the Lockie you are single handed and just needed a minute or two more. I can remember 1 or 2 a bit quick off the mark but I didn't take it to be deliberate.

You should just go. Sounds like you are procrastinating. Yes you may need spare, but you won't be far from help on the canal. Just wake up in the morning and decide whether to go right or left. You'll love it.

Really enjoyed that, thank for the reminder. Felt a bit embarrassed for CaRT when that barge could not turn around due to silting. Very informative,

My mistake, Mike, been in the car today for 5 hours visiting family. Ready to hit the sack...

Again, will see who we have in the area, and please PM any details you wish to share,

Before we all second guess ourselves into a frenzy, I have copied the details of the initial post to Sean and will also see if we have a Chaplain up there to help/ who has already helped. We are finding more and more cases like this, it is absolutely tragic, but I am sure all together, even at this late stage, between us, we can help him. Please feel free to PM me any more contacts/ details that may help,

PM'd you Marco

Update: have reached my destination for my break in Limehouse. Have not been able to recheck it with a reader. Have only starter and 1 battery hooked up at present and after a days cruising I gave some lights. Will check for enough power for a shower in morning

Borrowed a volt checker and one battery was 11.something and the other was oscillating between 5&7 I have just disconnected the 'dud' one and will see how I do tomorrow with just 1 for now. Didn't help that I had a migraine yesterday / today as well but it could be worse, am moored up safely

Fridge n cooker gas. No microwave, just 40 ft of led lights, shower n water pump. Set off from Harlow about 2 , moored up about 5.30

Grrrrrrrrrr! Batteries! Just when you think there can't possibly be anything else to make them go flat - there is. I'm so frustrated with them. Can anyone help at all please? I am at Roydon after the lock and just past the second bridge. One minute I have light the next i don't. I have 2 110 leisure batteries that have been recently checked after one of them failed and the company replaced it no quibble. I am on a trip down to Limehouse and had my batteries on charge before I left Harlow to then stop here for the night. I also have a pretty hefty solar panel helping with charge. My boat is only 12v with a water pump, few led lights, fridge n cooker gas. Is there a boat electric engineer around who might be able to help me trace the problem please? I don't know I may have a short somewhere but they are slowly driving me mad ? P.s. I've recently had a new regulator in my alternator.

Dean, have you tried phoning your local enforcement office and ask them? I'm not trying to be funny at all, but we can give you a pleatherer of answers when their advice initially is all that will put your mind at rest.

Wonderful! See if you can find some willing boaters to take you out on theirs for an 'experience', friendly chat. I'm moored on the Stort if that is any help. Happy hunting

Sorry, been travelling with Big Bertha and also been out of signal on the Oxford. Resting nicely in Braunston today

Geordie , wouldn't that be naming? However, mostly canal facebook type pages - that's the limit of my social networking, apart from on here of course