Mike on the Wey

In broad terms I believe that the concessions for disabled boaters are about being able to access mooring locations with appropriate/safe towpath access, maybe having a smaller cruising range or not having to cruise in very poor weather etc. They are examples of "reasonable adjustments" that CRT can make. Never having to move would unreasonable.

In terms of personal effort and faff, I am a minimalist. In a flight I would look forward one or two locks to see what is happening, and in the circumstances you describe I would have left the lock ready for the ascending boat. Time for a quick drink and a breather. It is difficult to judge what happened from a distance, and I am certainly not saying that my approach is the only way.

Broadly speaking, there are three types. 1. Those who cruise extensively for pleasure - typically but not exclusively the comfortably well-off retired. 2. Liveaboards who do the minimum required to be close to a school or place of work. 3. Towpath dumpers who are essentially leisure and holiday boaters. They don't use marinas, instead moving their boat at least every 14 days to a new bit of towpath.

You were lucky to spot such convoys on the move ... since that fortnight's journey could have been just one mile.

And even then many shoreline installations wouldn't cope. Some are as low as 5A.

There is much useful information in this thread. https://www.canalworld.net/forums/index.php?/topic/101033-airbnb-boat/

We did the GU from the junction with the Trent to Brentford last August. We always found somewhere nice to moor for the night, but note that we avoid pubs and busy places. Plenty of room right down to Bulls Bridge, then we reached Brentford in one hop. Space at Brentford too.

I thought of that, but I suspect the bit that fits within the banjo itself is not threaded - so it would run out of thread without making a seal. I will update when I fit a plug. Same on Amazon ... I am tempted by the magnetic version. I will definitely update with the outcome, but not until the next oil change (probably August).

Thank you both for your very helpful responses. The current fitting is original and never removed, so the thread is fine. I will buy an M14x1.5 with copper washer and all should be good.

Last trip we had a major oil loss, caused by the extended dipstick tube fracturing just above the banjo joint. Some metal epoxy putty from RCR and new oil/filter sent us on our way, but I need a permanent fix. Does anyone know the thread size of a normal sump plug for a Vetus 3.28? A plug from a motor factor (I'm thinking Mitsubishi?) will be much cheaper and easier to obtain than a yellow one. And I can't remove the banjo joint plug to measure it, as the next oil change is 75 hours away. I have a second dipstick, so no issues about losing one.

In your position I would rent a much smaller property for 6 months. That would give you time to get used to a degree of space restriction and identify what you really need to keep, and time to sort the boat purchase. Have you lived on a boat for a few weeks as a family? If not, is everybody truly on board (pardon the pun) with your plans? Will you be cruising or in a marina/other mooring?

We have just passed the narrowboat which is driven from a comfy seat inside at the front. Note the "wing mirror".

We have seen such a boat on the Thames; it is steered from the very front with a nice comfy chair. Its mooring is at Bourne End on the south bank; it is dark red and cream.

We went to Reading and back from Pyrford at Easter, so we saw a few TVM sites. All TVM signs have been removed. Sadly, I could not see any obvious monitoring or encouragement to move on by the EA. The boats on the Marlow Park moorings had not moved by the time we went back downstream. Dorney was full going upstream, but only one of those boats was still there on our return journey. Apart from the usual squatters, Reading Tesco was almost devoid of boats. Christchurch Meadow used to have a healthy throughput of varied boats staying for a night or two; it was sad to see none there at all.

Nicholson's, Oxford Canal, page 153. I knew I'd seen that witty name somewhere. ?

Not a useful response to your question, but there was (maybe still is) a London business operating from the towpath. He used to have up to 9 or 10 boats being renovated or for sale at any one time, and he "continuously cruised" them all every 14 days to the next km section of canal. No wonder there are issues in London.

We have the AVTEX L168DR 16" TV/DVD CARAVAN MOTORHOME 12V/24V FULL HD LED which cost £269 from Capital Outdoors in March 2017. The current equivalent is the L168DRS for £299 (which includes a satellite decoder). They are certainly not cheap, but they are good. https://www.capitaloutdoors.co.uk/pages/caravan-motorhome-tv

We have an Avtex 12V TV with built-in DVD player. When we researched TVs we reviewed the Cello range but were put off by the reports of poor speaker quality. The Avtex is very good, although not cheap. A nice crisp picture, moderate sound and - most importantly for us - incredibly low power consumption. It also gives us access to digital radio channels. https://www.avtex.co.uk/

What, near your place of work or your children's school, with a sign in the window claiming "broken down awaiting parts"? Nah, there's yet another meaning! Sorry for the ambiguity.

There is also a huge difference in terms of boat risk between (a) "Continuously cruising" mooring your boat for 14 days, staying on it each night and spending the days working, sightseeing or relaxing. (b) "Continuously cruising" mooring your boat for 14 days and going home/away/whatever and leaving the boat unattended. And then there's the other meaning of "continuously cruising". So confusing!

It wouldn't be a data protection breach because the council would have "just cause" to obtain your details. And how would fastening a notice to a boat be trespass? The Environment Agency use self-adhesive pouches to fix a notice to a boat's window. CRT has in the past cable-tied notices to mooring ropes. Errant owners have to be given legal notice in some logical way.

That's good, but can you stop your boat within a safe distance, cruise against a moderate current and control it in a strong crossword?

This is, I believe, a photograph of the subject land. Thanks, Wiki.

Ah, so it's just about the sluice on the edge of Rye Harbour. I'm not being pedantic for the sake of it, but the location is better described as Rye. It is around 15 miles from Dungeness.

The Brede rises south of Netherfield and flows into the Rother at Rye. Both are quite a way from Dungeness. So I don't really understand this.