Sea Dog

The Ashton was fine and the weather steadily improved after we "hurtled" past you at Portland Basin (it only dawned on me later that it was you hurling abuse! ) so we had quite a nice descent. I'm still confused about what's going on with New Islington Marina from the Ashton end, but Picadilly basin is great for a peaceful overnight. The Rochdale 9 is a bit rum of course, but the drug and alcohol related issues make Castlefields a real disappointment. Perhaps I've led a sheltered life... I'll still transit Manchester obvs, but I'll probably not stop except for Picadilly basin. It's certainly not on my "must go back" list though and I think CRT and Manchester Council ought to be ashamed. Andy Burnham obviously doesn't have a narrowboat...

Having visited in the past, I have to say it's not difficult to give this initiative my support in the future!

I would have assumed that those receiving an "income from the government" were folk employed by them. You live and learn, eh?

The Boat at the top of the locks? Having had the misfortune of some of a burger there last summer, I'd be happy to oblige and have indeed left their tables unbothered when passing since. Perhaps we were unlucky?

That was a while ago, eh? The shrewd @mrsmelly of later years would have offered them £19/7/6d and not a penny more!

In my experience, almost all boating involves starting at the bank and returning at frequent intervals, often unexpectedly. Success or failure will be based largely on the health status of the bank concerned. $$$

Still, I reckon a fair few folk could be persuaded to sit by the Ashby in a deck chair for the day, write 'zero' on a form and push off home... if the remuneration suited.

Some guys have all the luck...

Steelwork isn't my engineering specialism, but my "engineer's eye" is offended by the awful plate repair in the photo above. Was that really it finished? I agree with others above - if there's no other reason to reject the boat, I'd want a trusted boatyard's price for removing that todge up and for doing the job right to use as a basis for calculating a fair price.

Yet still a new one pops up every 10 minutes! Perhaps we're not the target audience?

And whether you do or don't, the rest of the squadron will still be circling! Only one thing to do with horseflies... get out of Dodge.

I'd say yes, but how many locks did you do on the sample day? If you were on the Ashby I'm selling my boat while the going is good, but if you did Tardebigge...

I'm not looking forward to the logo when CRT try to show us that some of their customers are identified as a$$holes...

Agree - although he should take into account the maximum current capacity of the shunt.

I see where you're coming from. In the Navy, where most such terms originate, winding ship is pronounced like winding a clock. You could wait a bloomin' long time waiting for the wind to help turn the vessel when there's a perfectly good capstan on hand I'd suggest. However, now my home mooring is in the Black Country, I'd be swimming against the tide if I stuck with the clock winding pronunciation. Surely the difference is illustrated right there - it's an accent thing. Hole being pronounced as 'ole or oil is oddly less contentious.

Ideal! As a further tip, travelling with your wife also works for bears - you can't outrun a bear, but that's ok 'cos now you only need to outrun the wife.

He won't be getting scurvy though, will he...

300w of solar does that for me... in the summer. An hour of engine about 9am gives me a tank of hot water and that bit of bulk charge with my 150a alternator extends my 'full batteries without cruising' ability into spring and autumn, though I rarely spend more than 2 days in one place anyway. My winter cruising involves moving every day.

Ah-ha! That probably explains why some of us find few issues with a mobile phone as hotspot (and fewer still that sticking it in the window doesn't solve), whereas others seem unable to cope with that solution. My FOMO level has just dropped from an 8.5 to a straight 6.

Most boats use between 1.0 and 1.5 litres per hour, my own Beta 43 habitually around the 1.2 mark. I suggest were in the area of diminishing returns here, even at well over £1 per litre, certainly in trying to cut costs further by changing the power plant. However, 3 mph cruising is probably why I see 1.2lph. With a displacement narrowboat hull, particularly in the shallow water on canals, every incremental increase in speed has a disproportionately ruinous effect on fuel consumption. Add that to the effect of the wake on the environment and the number of poorly moored boaters shouting at you to slow down, being more cognisant of cruising speed is a win-win-win situation.

Me too. Between my Voda network and the Long-haired Admiral's O2, using hotspot for streaming telly and wifi for other devices, issues are few and far between. However, although I struggle to see what I'm missing out on here, the dreaded FOMO is strong! If it wasn't for the Chinese government monitoring my every communication and checking out our IOM TT on itv4 catch up watching habits with such conspicuous interest, I think I'd already have rushed out and bought a Huawei... whether I need it or not! I guess I might have to slip on a tin foil hat and pop into PC World...

Old skills, eh? I wonder how many would have thought about it? Besides @mrsmelly obvs...