Duchess Omnium

Going back to the original issue... I have been worried about a similar issue. What do you tell the insurance company if you live on the boat, but the boat has no address?

And I'm definitely really a Duchess.

There are washing machines too...

Nice moorings at Brentford. Lovely hot showers and all you need is a BW key.

I use my Tom-Tom exactly that way. It tells me speed, miles, etc. It knows about the canal and the river, but I always think I am upsetting it, poor love. It really wants t o be on a road. I searched for canal maps for it - no reason it shouldn't be possible, but there don't seem to be any. Also, because it is used to thinking in car speeds, I think it is a little bit dodgy when you are going quite so slowly. I find that a piece of kit I have for my bicycle works the best. (made by Garmin)

Well, I haven't studied the case law, but I was sure given a lot of tosh when I asked the local BW warden what constituted "living aboard". Seems to me that the rules are being made up as they go along and the inter web is as good a place as any to spout about it. At my previous mooring I lived on the boat, though it was a leisure mooring. The BW guy who replaced our local Moorings Warden occasionally dropped in for a cup of coffee and always stopped for a chat. He had no problem with any of the people living there, including me. If it came to court, I suppose It could have gone either way -- I have a house, sometimes I am gone for months at a time, but I think of my boat as my home. And that's my point, partly. I expect given what the OP said about her circumstances she could occupy a "leisure" mooring with no problem. My broader poit was t hat the distinction is fuzzy at best and that people who bend the rules on leisure moorings perform a valuable service. I'm not really sure what your point was...

Well, I guess I am the one who said it was okay to use a leisure mooring as residential, and I mostly stand by that. I don't think there is very clear guidance about what constitutes "residential" anyway, other than having no other primary address (nothing to do with where you live). Anyway, I say again, speaking as someone who sometimes is away for several months at a time, I think it is really useful to have residential boats keeping an eye on things. The distinction between residential and leisure along the canals is mostly plain silly. Liveaboards fulfill a really valuable role and BW quite rightly does not enforce the distinction in many cases.

Thank you so much for posting this reply! I have been using Outlook with both gmail and btinternet account for years, but suddenly I could receive but not send email on my Btinternet account -- I've had problems with Btinternet in the past, so I didn't think to connect it with changing over to a 3 dongle -- particularly as I made the change gradually, sometimes using my old Orange dongle, and also sometimes sending email from friends' houses, Starbucks, etc. I was blaming BT (so easy) This time they weren't guilty. Changing the port has solved the problem. You are a star.

It is a disease you should take seriously. I know a boater who got it and died a year or so ago. He thought he had the flu until it was too late. He was a nice guy -- gave me a gang plank because he had a spare. Every time I look at it I remember to be careful. Having said that, I don't think you are any more at risk washing your boat in canal water than you are handling ropes, windlasses, lock gates, lift bridges etc, not to mention living, working, playing and cruising on and near the canals, clearing the weed hatch, rescuing your cat, etc. Whenever I get someone new on board I give them a little lecture on Weil's Disease and explain my local rule that everyone washes hands after every lock and especially after handling ropes and no one eats or cooks without a thorough scrub.

I have four children. When I told them I planned to buy a narrowboat and live on it, one just giggled nervously, the next said, "But you don't know anything about boats!". The third asked scornfully, "Just how long do you intend to be homeless, Mother?". And the fourth said, "Oh, that's really cool! Can I have it when you die?" They've all got used to it, and so will your kids.

When mine was last due I sent the blue copy in and renewed my license at the same time, no problem. The next year I was not allowed to renew my license on line or by phone, because they said they had no blue copy of the BSS. I pointed out that I had renewed my license the year before so they must have had it, but they wouldn't budge until I faxed them a photocopy (which, of course, wasn't blue). I almost lost my prompt payment discount. Confirmation of receipt sounds like a good idea to me.

Although I think BW are starting to crack down on CC'ers who are mostly staying in one place, I don't think they are anywhere near worrying about who is a liveaboard on a "leisure" mooring. Most boaters are really grateful for some liveaboards who will keep an eye on things. Marinas can be stricter, but right now I think BW is keeping a blind eye. Recently several of these moorings have come up in commuting distance of Oxford (after several years when there was nothing), so keep your eyes open, especially if you have a smaller boat. Most moorings inside the ring road in Oxford will never come up, because they are allowed to sell the mooring with the boat. Basically if you want the mooring you've got to buy the boat at a crazy price and then sell it or junk it and bring yours on. Or sell your boat, and live on the one you bought with the mooring.

Hi, I have the same dongle and have been very happy with 3. But if you have their pay monthly or PAYG service with top ups you pay somewhere around £15 a month for 3 GB -- not a bad deal, but I don't usually use 3 gigs in a month. If you buy a new 3 SIM each time on eBay (exactly the same service) your 3 GB cost £13 - £15, but it lasts for 90 days. They tell you to top up after your 90 days, but top ups only last 1 month and cost the same. So I just buy a new SIM off eBay. 3 more gigs, good for 90 more days. If I run out sooner, I buy a new SIM sooner. Bob's your uncle.

I have been looking into solar panels. Basically there are three kinds: monochrystalline, polychristalline and amorphous. The newest technology is amorphous. They work better in low light levels than either the mono or poly so ought to be better in a UK winter. The downside is they haven't yet got the technology perfected, so you need a lot more surface area for the same power output (at least in full sun). That's why your panels are very looooonnnnngggg and thin. The advantage is that you stick them down (so they don't get stolen) and you can (theoretically) walk on them without ruining them (though I wouldn't do it every day), and, theoretically, though you get worse peak performance, you get better year round performance. There are also chrystalline solar panels that you stick down, and they are much smaller, more like standard panels. They are usually pretty expensive. In any case you need a sound surface, so ideally you stick them down right after stripping any old paint. Chrystalline panels cannot be removed without breaking them. I am not sure about the amorphous ones. I am thinking about getting these long skinny things when I strip the roof, though I was looking at getting them from MidSummerEnergy. They seem pretty friendly folk, have had good reviews here, and know what they are talking about.

Craftinsure were v fair and helpful when I had to make a claim because of theft. The rate did go up, but they say it will go down again once I am 3 years no claim. I have asked others and I think Craftinsure premiums are very competitive.

I'd wish for a composting toilet in all weathers.

Pangolin is 62 ft and I have been in that lock with 2 (smaller) boats. In fact it is better with another boat, because it is a devil to keep straight in there. There ought to be a sign though, because I did it for a couple of years without waiting for another boat because I never thought you could get two (or more) in there.

I think I remember there was talk a fee years ago of making CCers pay more for their license than those with home moorings, on the grounds that CCers presumably use the canals more. I haven't heard anything more about that though, so I guess they abandoned the idea.

Sorry, couldn't add anything last night because the site seemed to be down. The sign on the lock says navigation suspended between Baker's Lock and Roundham Lock until furter notice due to police investigation. BW man guarding the lock says this probably means until between 2 and 3pm today. According to him it has moved from an investigation scene to a crime scene and police divers from Southampton are looking for a weapon.

BW man said "at least until midday tomorrow" but added that as it is a police matter it could change any time. He said that, sadly, the body of a young woman was found in the canal near the railway bridge / lift bridge between Shipton Weir Lock and Thrupp -- so I assume the canal will be closed going north too, presumably at Thrupp lift bridge or Roundham Lock. I understand that they won't open the canal until divers have had a chance to gather information.

Our mooring warden is BW.

Sub-letting is not allowed. Berth sitting is. It's all in a name.

Because that's the rule. Berth sitting is allowed. And yes, it is nice for me. I am not really in a position to be a CCer (though I was initially forced into this position by the the rules). Now I am taking advantage of the rules. Of course, at any moment I can be evicted, as soon as the legit owner wants to come back. That's a big downside. Not that she would throw me out at a moment's notice, but everyone is clear who "owns" the mooring. The irony is that there is plenty of room behind this mooring for another boat or two, even allowing lock moorings and a visitor spot or two before or after the lock. I have never known it to be full even in mid summer. BW could collect extra mooring fees. That is what I am saying. License more spots, collect more fees. We are all better off, really. My boat is going to take up space somewhere...

Oh, yes, I forgot, there have also been two at Duke's Lock recently and I hear there are more, as you say. So I guess you have missed a few moorings up for auction -- my boat is 62 ft so most spots that would fit me would fit you. Maybe some Agenda 21 moorings are sold with the boat; I don't know. But I have definitely bid on Agenda 21 moorings twice and a couple more have been up for auction since that I haven't bid on. Thanks for the info, but I am not currently bidding because my "berth sitting" position suits me just fine for the moment. But I do not think it is fair. I don't want to ruin my comfortable position, but let's just say I have been here rather a long time. The official moorer doesn't want to give up her rights to it.

I know you don't want a mooring, but what you say is not correct. Moorings south of Oxford don't come up a lot, and they do go for a lot of money, but since the auction system was introduced there has been 1 mooring at Heyford, 2 at Enslow (for relatively small boats), 1 at Shipton (again for smallish -- 45 feet I think), 1 at Gunpowder Wharf and 3 or 4 Agenda 21 moorings in Oxford. I know this because I very much DO want a permanent mooring and bid on every one that could fit my boat, until I got a "berth sitting" spot (with BW's permission) on someone else's mooring. Now that is a system I really think is dodgy, though I have benefitted... I think BW should license more mooring spots and collect the revenue. I know this is not popular with people who grumble about slowing down past moored boats, but my boat wouldn't take up any less space wherever it was on the system.