Up-Side-Down

Bet he wishes he'd sign written the unit's doors rather than the somewhat unconventional rear of the cab!

Grantham Bridge Boat Services (near Rugby) offer long term hires and are flexible in accommodating needs such as yours. Telephone 01788 578661/07812 039110.

Taking account of 1) the uncertainty of a long boat trip north at this time of the year (and the inevitable cost implications) and 2) the cost of moving your boat by road (little or no change out of £1k) have you considered staying put and using the train to get back and forth to Newcastle. There are regular through trains from Cheltenham (hourly I believe) or, with a single change, you could catch a train from Gloucester. The costs that you will incur from either 1) or 2) above will buy a lot of train fares especially if you adopt a split ticketing strategy. For this https://new.trainsplit.com is your friend! Also I expect that we both know friendly, reliable people on the Glos & Sharpness who will keep an eye on your boat for you when you are away which is quite an important consideration for peeps in your situation. PM me if you want suggestions.

Me neither. Just happened to acquire this edition and it neatly answers the OP's original question as it relates to cruising the K&A.

I'm looking at a 2017 edition of Nicholson River Thames & the Southern Waterways which includes the K&A. I believe earlier editions had a shorter intro so that the first waterway listed did indeed begin on page 11.

The Nicholson guides list all the garages in adjacent habitations and, as the FUEL heading in the intro on page 11 explains: "Where a garage is listed under a town or village's facilities petrol (and DERV) are available".

On a less ambitious note I've heard the idea of a boat exchange between owners north and south of the Scottish border mooted from time to time. There is certainly interest amongst boat owners north of the border.

Returning to the OP's original topic, here are a couple of other waterway books that make excellent Christmas presents: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Waterways-Britain-illustrated-waterways-Nicholson-ebook/dp/B01LKXFFGE/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1512216871&sr=8-1&keywords=waterways+of+britain https://www.amazon.co.uk/Our-Great-Canal-Journeys-Beautiful-ebook/dp/B075WWSD9B/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1512216871&sr=8-2&keywords=waterways+of+britain Both available as 'book' books or eBooks.

If you're boating the Kennet & Avon get in touch with the K&A Trust – https://katrust.org.uk – who are a mine of information and will guide you to all the slipways on their patch some of which may be members only. Better still join up and become a member. All depends on where you're based I guess.

Why not start off by buying yourself copies of the Nicholson guides covering the areas you intend to cruises? The detailed Ordnance Survey mapping will tell you where are and where you're going while all the facilities and services (included slipways – both boatyard and public) are listed. You can use them during those dark winter months to plan your spring and summer cruising! Shops, pubs and POIs are also shown.

01788 832600/07711 803430

Whilst a decent traction battery would be rated for 1000 – 1500 cycles and much better able to take the abuse that your average boater throws at them (like complete discharge – or at least discharge below 50%). It's always a matter of great puzzlement why the concepts 'cheap' and 'leisure' are ever considered in relation to cabin batteries.

Cat B would dramatically increase your cruising 'area' and I would expect to find many examples within your design and price range. Cat C is somewhat limiting in a craft of this nature!

As do many of the PRM 120 gearboxes we're talking about! Indeed, the PRM 120 has now been replaced by the PRM 125.

Or you could read this – 4.3 Approved Oils: http://www.dintra.com/download/PRM 120D Workshop manual.pdf

SOME gearboxes use ATF and some use engine oil and some started out using ATF and the specification changed from ATF to engine oil (the PRM 120 being a case in point – and yes, I did check direct with PRM in case a typo had slipped in at some point). Always check the specification.

No, simply a loose community (of boaters) that by their very nature care about their 'fellow man' and look out for one another: something that is becoming increasingly lacking in society in general but which is, however, alive and well and an intrinsic part of life on the waterways.

One of the more useful articles that has turned up on the 'Dark Side': Registering with a doctor as a continuous cruiser PUBLISHED: WEDNESDAY, 04 OCTOBER 2017 THERE should be no problem with registering with a doctor as a continuous cruiser. But often there is, as I found out some time ago, writes Keith Gudgin. I found there is no valid legal reason why a doctors surgery can refuse to register you just because you do not have a permanent address or, more annoyingly, one of those stupid postcodes. All in the document The details are all in an NHS document called: 'Who pays? Determining responsibility for payments to providers: Rules and guidance for clinical commissioning groups’ published by NHS England. A pdf copy of this document can be found here: https://www.england.nhs.uk/wp-content/uploads/2014/05/who-pays.pdf When I was trying to register with a doctor I was given all types of excuses why I could not from not being resident in their area to being too old or requiring too much treatment. Refused a registration This is the letter I received from a Mr Peter Hawkins at the Department of Health when I complained to the parliamentary office after I was refused a registration: The text of his reply is copied at the end of this article which in it states ‘the absence of a permanent address is not a barrier for a person with ‘no fixed abode’ to registering with a GP practice. I also complained to NHS England highlighting the points made in this letter. I am now registered with a doctors' surgery and my registered address is the surgery address and has been since 2013. Don't be fobbed-off Don't let the surgery fob you off. They have no right to refuse you. If you encounter problems registering with a GP or obtaining treatment, contact the clinical commissioning group (CCG) responsible for commissioning health services in that local area. Contact details can be obtained from the GP surgery or on the NHS Choices website at: http://www.nhs.uk/Service-Search/Clinical%20Commissioning%20Group/LocationSearch/1 If you don't get satisfaction then complain to NHS England here: https://www.england.nhs.uk/contact-us/complaint/complaining-to-nhse/ And also complain to your MP here: http://www.parliament.uk/get-involved/contact-your-mp/ after all you are entitled to a doctor. Complaining worked Complaining worked for me, in less than 24 hours after I sent an email complaint to NHS England I had an email from the doctors surgery stating I was being registered with them and my registered address would be the surgery address. They now send all correspondence to me via email. You don't even need to keep going back to them for prescriptions if you are on regular repeat medication. You can get your repeat prescriptions anywhere in England by using the electronic prescription service (EPS). A chemist near you All you need to do is go into a chemist near where you are moored and get them to register you on the system. Get their details i.e. address and EPS code and send it, I use email, to your doctors surgery asking them to put your repeat prescription on the EPS using the details you have sent them. Leave it a couple of days to be done then you can collect your medication from the chemist. Don't worry about moving to a new area and needing a new prescription as you can re-register at another chemist at any time, just make sure your surgery knows the new chemists details when you ask for your repeat prescription. I've been doing this for some time and it works fine. It's also best if you get your doctor to issue you with three months worth of medication at a time then you don't have to re-register too often. The letter from the Department of Heath Here is the text of the letter I recieved in 2013 from Peter Hawkins at the Department of Health: Thank you for your email of 4 October about registering with a GP. I have been asked to reply. The document ‘Who pays? Determining responsibility for payments to providers: Rules and guidance for clinical commissioning groups’ published by NHS England states that ‘the absence of a permanent address is not a barrier for a person with ‘no fixed abode’ to registering with a GP practice. In many instances, practices have used the practice address in order to register a homeless person’. While the guidance does not specifically mention people who cruise on the canals in the UK, it does cover the general term of people with ‘no fixed abode’. In addition, if a person wants to see a GP and is visiting an area for more than 24 hours but less than three months, they can apply to register with a GP surgery as a temporary resident. The application can be made using form GMS3, which can be requested from the GP surgery. A person can register temporarily with a practice near where they are currently staying and still remain a patient of their registered practice. Furthermore, if a person is ill while away from home or if they are not registered with a GP practice but they need to see one, they can still contact their nearest practice to ask for treatment. People are entitled to receive emergency treatment for 14 days. After that they will be required to register as a temporary resident or permanent patient. Finally, people can also visit a NHS walk-in centre or minor injuries unit. If people encounter problems registering with a GP or obtaining treatment, concerns should be directed to the clinical commissioning group (CCG) responsible for commissioning health services in that local area. Contact details for CCGs can be obtained from the GP surgery or on the NHS Choices website at: http://www.nhs.uk/Service-Search/Clinical Commissioning Group/LocationSearch/1 (enter the postcode of the GP practice, or temporary residence in the search field and follow the links). I hope this reply is helpful. Yours sincerely, Peter Hawkins Ministerial Correspondence and Public Enquiries Department of Health

It's worth bearing in mind that Superheat contains a fair proportion of Petcoke. This product is produced from environmentally disastrous tar sands extraction and it also burns hotter than a straight 'coal derived' equivalent. Because of the latter people have in the past reported damage to stoves when Petcoke products have been used over several seasons.

Can't speaker for Billy Bunter's postal order, but January 2018 is looking likely for the first sand-carrying barge running from Hull to Fleet.

There's some really great information for you in this thread Nick and it has certainly added considerably to my knowledge. With regard to your specific question re establishing navigational depth of the Trent from Apex (or Trent Falls) to Top Gunness Wharf (Keadby) – this being the stretch dredged for ocean-going shipping – and the stretch of the Ouse, Apex to Goole – ditto – I recall that ships with a four metre draft are able to navigate at the top of a decent spring tide. You can check this by phoning Associated British Ports (ABP) at either Goole or Hull. Shipping does go further upstream of Goole, to a wharf at Howden just downstream of the M62 flyover, but the deepest water that you are likely to encounter on a passage of, say Nottingham to York, is between Keadby and Goole. The point made about river bed holes is a good one: deeper water, but only over a limited stretch of the bottom. However, for the swimmer, it is precisely these 'holes' that cause drownings as they set up a series of localised, powerful, rotating currents that suck debris (and the human body) downwards with unremitting force. NB Whilst navigating ABP water (Gainsborough to Hook Railway Swing Bridge, above Goole) you are required to carry a minimum crew of two and a VHF radio – which of course requires a licensed operator (can be gained with a one-day course and is invaluable for boating this type of water).

I'll second all that. Similar expenditure and much happiness and general contentment as you say!

Sand bags for the bywashes?

Look up the maximum depth of the rivers you intend to navigate and then go for a combined length of warp and chain that is 5x that depth. Taking the River Clyde as an example, this has a maximum navigable depth of a tad over 8m so 5x that depth is 41m which can be made up of 5m of 10mm chain and 35m of 20mm (diameter) warp (of a non-floating variety). Increasing the chain to 10m would mean adding 30m warp and so on. Bear in mind that the chain component is heavy to handle (without a winch) but is essential to ensure that the anchor lies horizontally on the bottom and 'bites' so that 5m minimum is something of a compromise. I use one of these https://www.amazon.co.uk/Faithfull-FLEX15Y-Polyethylene-Flex-Black/dp/B001OXFHKU/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1504943674&sr=8-2&keywords=plasters+bucket placing the chain in the bottom centre and the warp coiled above and around the outside. Just ensure that the end of the chain shackled to the anchor runs between the bucket side and the rope so that it does not prevent the rope being paid out! And that the rope is attached to the boat from the get go!! (ideally shackled to it's own dedicated eye rather than the T stud where it can get in the way of your mooring rope).

Diameter!