Bettie Boo

I apologize if this has already been clearly explained as I have only managed to get so far on this thread. Forget about bridge holes (even though what Alan said is correct), think of it this way... You are traveling down a canal, there's another boat coming toward you, the canal is quite narrow with low hanging trees on both sides; both boats need to manouver as far as possible to their right hand sides (starboard) to ensure there is enough room to pass each other safely. One boat has their chimney on the left (port) the other has theirs on the right (starboard)...who do you think will loose their chimney & cap to the low hanging trees? Same principle applies to two boats going through a bridge hole at the same time. Chimneys on the left are a Much better design. I only wish I had had that knowledge before we bought our boat (chimney is on the starboard side!!)

Your #1 was my biggest bug bear about the K&A, after many many skinned shins and bruises, I bit the bullet and learned how to get the boat into and out of the locks myself, and left Dave to heave himself up and down off the gates using those flippin stirrups. Mike - no offence taken at all. I appreciate the K&A has a lot to offer, and loads of folks make it home and or their cruising area, it's simply not for me. I guess we all have our favorite and least favorite canals, which really is a good thing. Imagine how bloomin busy it would be if we all liked the same canal!!

We've only traveled on the K&A the once a couple of years ago, just down to the bottom of the Caen Hill flight. As Mike and others have said, as long as your not looking for VM's and are happy to moor up in the wilderness you won't have a problem finding a spot, but you will need a good sized plank. We stocked up on supplies at the Tesco's at Reading before entering the K&A, and found some good moorings at Hungerford where there is another Tesco's very close to the canal. There are also good sized shops at Devizes & Pewsey both of which you will need to walk into the towns to reach. Hope you enjoy your trip. Personally the K&A is not my cup of tea, but loads of others seem to enjoy it well enough.

This is what we have done in the past when we've encountered empty pounds, not that it's happened to us very often thankfully.

IMO the amount of different designs, sizes, lengths, and colour schemes that make up the boats on the canals, as well as the different uses people have for them, is what gives it the diversity it holds for all of us to enjoy. I for one wouldn't want to only see examples of the old working boats, I really enjoy the wide selection we have to admire / amuse us as we travel along. I enjoy seeing & listening to the coal boats as they pass us by, these IMO are really the only example left of vessels using the canals for what they were designed for. Yes there are loads of converted old working boats around, but more oftern than not they are now someone's leisure boat, show boat for taking to rally's and festivals, or someone's home. Now don't get me wrong, I have no problem with any of that, but it's not really an example of "vessels using the canals for what they were designed for" What I do find rather frustrating/annoying is the owners of modern style narrow boats who have an opinion that somehow their boat has more "right" to be on the canals then our modern widebeam. Just because they have made the choice to have their pride & joy decked out with the roses & castles, klaxon (sp?) horns and all the brass fittings know to man and not forgetting the fake plastic wood trim effect and of course the lovely traditional sign writing. Sorry, but IMO these types of boats are no more designed to be in sympathy with the canals than a modern widebeam is. If their argument is a wide boat using a narrow canal where they really do cause a obstruction then fair enough, as far as wide boats mooring to close to bridge holes or locks, I agree this is inconsiderate, just the same when a narrow boat does the same thing. It's happened to us loads of times, we just carry on as best we can. I remember our first winter on the cut, and we were moored in what we thought was a perfect spot, armcor so we could use the goat chains instead of pins, no tall trees to interfer with the solar, no houses or roads within sight. Then along came one of the coal boats who stopped and explained to us why we shouldn't moor there. On the outside of a fairly tight bend. We soon moved on, after thanking them for their kind words of advice and not assuming we knew better.

Against my better judgement, I will post this to simply clarify a few inaccuracies of the below which are based, I believe, on my last post in cwdf on the 9th of Oct in the "A wee flounce" Thread ... (sorry I don't know how to put a link to that thread, so I used a copy & paste method); as well as my thoughts and beliefs Posted 09 October 2016 - 06:16 PM Hi All, Just a quick and short thank you for the past 3+ years of advice, ideas, support, help & laughs. I have taken the decision to no longer post in threads, I will check in every now and than and have a read; and will use the PM facility to ask questions when I need to of the relevant members. The forum has changed, and I no longer feel it has the same appeal it did for me, 3 years ago when I joined. All the very best to you and happy cruising 0 To each their own, live and let live This (in the Blue ) was theonly reason I chose to no longer post here. Although there is some weight in the bold bit above, the communication I had with a MOD was 'the proverbial straw that broke the camel's back' - as a grown woman I really resent being spoken at, as if I was a knotty child. I had actually been unhappy for some time before that and had lost pretty much all of the allure the forum once held for me. The locking of the 2 legal threads was pretty much the end for me. The initial MOD communication I received regarding me starting the "At the risk of being sanctioned....." thread, where I asked 2 questions, "When" could we expect to hear back a final decision from the Admin team & and "Why" were the threads locked. Now it's obvious, by the title I chose, I knew I was running some level of 'risk' but was happy to risk it as I knew I wasn't trying to start a thread to continue on with the topic's content, but there was a small chance that someone may take it as such, which is what indeed did happen and it was quickly locked & removed - fair enough, and that's how I felt about it at the time & still do. It was the PM'd comments I received afterward & the knotty child tone they contained that was the nail in the coffin for me. In hindsight & fairness I could/should have asked in a PM to DHutch those two questions and I believe I would have got a response, not necessarily the crystal clear answer's that I was hoping to receive but a response never the less. And yes, although I still pop in here most days it is for usually less and less time each day. I've found another boating forum, which I must say isn't anything at all like the 'den of heathens & vagabonds & carpet beggers' that it is professed to be when discussed on this site. Isn't it great there are two to choose from or be a complete free spirit and be a member of each For clarity, I also asked "when" we could expect to hear the outcome of the 'admins discussion & pending review" about the future state of those two threads, I was most interested in the one that had been running for 15 months. I figured, obviously wrongly, that a day and 1/2 would be suffice to have that discussion and get back to us; as one had been such a long running thread and both had important (IMO) boater related content, and we had heard nothing. Never in a million years, did I think it would take 18 days to get answer to the when portion of the question, Although I haven't had a chance to read them yet I've heard that one of them has been re-instated, although locked; people at least have access to read the information that was posted up to the 8th of Oct. Any info after that date relating to that case is available on another boating discussion forum. And since I'm here Mr. MtB....it wasn't a "flounce in a strop" it was simply "a wee flounce", which I tried to do with as much grace as possible Just sayin like... This ^^^ is completely True. It was my decision and my decision alone to take a break from openly posting on this site. And nor will I be posting again, unless it changes to something I find alluring enough to actively participate in. Some may say that is a very selfish view to take, any and all my thoughts have already been posted by many other members over the past couple of weeks, so really I look at it as one less poster banging on about the same changes I would like to see and feel are needed for the forum to flourish. hmmmm, Just to be clear.... much more consistency in the moderation is needed IF a thread "needs" to be locked, the rule it breeches should be posted then and there by the MOD who locked the thread, even if it is pending further investigation/review. That should be the only time threads need to be locked - when they are breaking a rule which is laid out in the rules & regs of the site, IMO IF a MOD needs to edit a post, again the reason should always be stated; at present some do and some don't Along with the obvious rules of no swearing, abusive posts, libel or slander (sorry I forget which is written and which is verbal), etc in large part I believe the site could be run on self modification and the report button - put in a rule that along the lines of "challenge the content / context of the post, not the poster" will soon get rid of the clique's that have formed, along with getting the forum to a place where adult conversation/discussions can take place which would also include some light hearted humor being injected. I really like Carlt's idea of the re-instatment of the CA section; although I missed it completely when it was here before as I was offline for a few months, I get the general gist of it. Those who are not interested in the topics discussed need not enter and for those of us who are interested in both general politics and boating related politics would have a place to hold discussions or observe them. Finally I feel there needs to be much more consistency when banning is done. The member who is banned really should be able to access the information of why they were banned as in what rule did they break. As well I believe it really should be a last resort after progression of warnings or sanctions. I appreciate this isn't a place of work and so not quite the same thing, but I have never worked in a repeatable company that doesn't have a policy of the very least 3 strikes and your out, more often than not it's a 1st verbal warning, 2nd written warning, 3rd written warning next occurrence your out. Mind you the verbal warning is only kept on your file for 6 months, 2nd & 3rd for 1 year. Obviously Gross Misconduct, which included stealing, fighting and falsification of company records etc., didn't fall with-in that frame & resulted in immediate termination after an investigation than taken place. I would suggest that the vast majoriety of active posting members are of a working or retired age and most would be familiar with such practices, (unless self employed) and would be fairly easy to introduce and implement once the rules of the forum have been finalized as I understand they are being looked at currently as well as loads of other work going on. See, pretty much all of my imput has already been covered by others - no sense me adding fuel to the fire.....Whoops...actually the stove needs some more coal, gotta run. Till then, take care everyone, and thanks for all the kind words and well wishes posted in A wee flounce.... Active - as in pop in most days for a look/read, some days I log in, to check my PM's other days I don't bother logging in since I'm not currently posting on the open threads. My last post on the threads was the 9th of Oct. on the A bit of a flounce... thread Right, I'm back off to my wee (but wide) hermitage now to continue my learning about Battery Charging & Management, & viewing the Autumn pic's threads on the "Lite Side" forum Till later, take care everyone, and thanks for all the kind words and well wishes posted in the A wee flounce....Thread; and including me in your thoughts today on this thread. B~ ETA - missing word (believe it or not)

Well for me (us) we like the comforts of life, yes I have a fridge & freezer and a large tv and washing machine and even the luxury of a coffee machine (which has been used about 2 dozen times in 3+ years. We have a variety of lights ranging from oil lamps, 12v top lights (only used in the kitchen & bathroom, as Dave hates top lights) and 240v lamps. We use the oil lamps when we watch tv, and the 240 lamps when reading, crocheting or other activities that require more powerful light than the oil lights can produce. I don't like laundry-mats, never have never will. Hence the washing machine - and I love the smell of the washing when it comes in off the line, dried by nature. The freezer means I only need to find a good butcher every 3 or 4 weeks, and it doesn't limit me to what I can get at the big grocery stores, I can also freeze the blackberries I pick from the tow path along with other bits & pieces We look at our current life style as one big holiday, we have not had one night away from the boat in 3+ years even though Dave has gone out and done helmsman work for some of the Hotel Boats, I have been on our boat. No need or desire to travel for a "holiday". I just don't get why anyone would want or need to take a break from a stress free life style. We live a much healthier lifestyle now, when we were working and in bricks & mortar we would either eat out or have takeaway at least twice a week. We've had about 10 take aways in the past 3+ years and 2 dinners out. I do the majority of all the baking and if I say so myself have become pretty inventive in using up left overs I know I have mentioned the flora & fauna that surrounds us on the canals, but I consider it part of our new life and thoroughly enjoy it. Although we've brought a fair few comforts of home with us, I feel we live a much simpler, healthier and happier life than what we were living on land. To each their own really

Happy Birthday Alan Hope you've had a great day

That little gizmo would be quite useful for me, but I fear it would get in Dave's way. He normally either stands in the back hatch or sits on top (off to the port side) of the back hatch. Either of which gives him a central view whilst in control of the tiller. Me however, being a bit of a short arse compared to his 6ft 3, stand off to the port side of the back hatch on my little box so I can see (kinda) over the roof of the boat. When I'm lining up for either a lock or bridge entrance I'm off my box looking down the port side of the boat, I am comfortable in knowing that if I keep the port side to within a couple of inches of the lock entrance there will be more than enough room on the other side. Bridges I keep an eye on the roof line as well, but always keep closer to the port side than the other But with ours being a Trad stern the tiller arm doesn't swing over far enough to port for me to always keep ahold of it, which means taking a quick peek, then grabbing the tiller again (this really is only a couple of seconds), and repeating the process till I'm either under the bridge or in the lock. Ours is one of the smaller WB's at just under 11ft. The way Dave does it, is much better, more efficient and way less flaffing about. I'm just not comfortable doing it his way

Done ^^^ applies to me as well

Dave's just lit our for the first time (well except those couple of days in July/Aug when it was way too chilly)

Not yet, but we're ready...20 bags of coal on the roof and the wood chopped & split & drying nicely in the front well and beside the stove We did have the central heating on for 1 hour one evening last week just to take the chill off

Not sure which of the above would best apply to us when we first joined, but from my point of view, I was asking relevant questions to our situation and at best was receiving more than a fair amount of ridicule in responses I received. Apart from Starcoaster and a couple of others who tried to steer me in the right direction & provided very useful links so I could educate myself. 3 years on and I've stuck with the forum as I appreciate how much you can learn just by reading the different threads - I try to only offer advice to novices if I have personal experience on the topic / question they are seeking answers to. Sometimes novices do come across the "wrong" way, but in most cases I give them the benefit of doubt as I clearly remember how I was made to feel when I first joined.

As someone else has already mentioned - a small bowl of bicarb of soda will absorb the musty smell quite effectively I've found soda works a lot better then bicarb of powder

Exactly So true - both worth a greenie