___

I think that would have meant disqualification. Although they did leave us way behind below Factory locks. What I do know is they didn't have their cruising log because they took photos of mine at the start. So they may not have supplied all the information necessary to get all the weighting factors or even all the route scored. Their basic route should have scored 327 points with a two person crew. They ran out of fuel because the helmsman - who was not the captain - had the engine at full throttle against lock gates while waiting for locks to be prepared and whilst in the chamber. All we could hear was engine noise interspersed with thumps of boat against gate. JP

On encountering a purple boat with a lion rampant on the front in northern Birmingham I initially - and perhaps wrongly - associated it with something more local than that. JP

2018 CHALLENGE RESULTS NAME OF BOAT - POINTS AWARDED Indigo Dream 277.55 Tawny Owl 273.6 Rebellion 270.3 Tatty Lucy 265.65 Northstar 258 Little Un 242.87 Guelrose 239.55 Dodgey 232.42 Firefly 231.95 Goosander 228.2 Merchant of Venice 209.4 Vulpes 202.65 Seran 196.27 Odyssey 182.55 Duet 181.5 Bimble Be 176.25 Carpe Vinum 175.75 Lockhart 175 Red Wharf 167.15 Uz Boat 159.75 Our little nightmare 156.45 Jacaranda 149.95 Misbourne No 3 145.55 Ferrous 143.45 Atlas and Malus 139.1 Atlantis 119.1 Rune 108.35 Crane 92.85 Clarie 45.8 Cecillia 40.55 Dotterell 40 Felonious Mongoose (on foot) 23

Results are published. Indigo Dream was the winner and Clarrie wasn't last. I think Northstar must have been docked some points as their score for the route they did with the crew should have been a lot more than it was. Maybe because they ran out of fuel and had to be towed. JP

I only saw one kingfisher on my recent trip from Droitwich up to Birmingham via the Severn and back down the Worcs & Bham. I would usually spot more particularly on the Severn. i did see what I think was a Muscovy duck on the Droitwich Canal at Hawford. I thought it was a loose turkey on approach! Over the last year I have seen a kingfisher around the moorings and flying along the River Salwarpe in the middle of Droitwich which supports Dave P's idea they are becoming more urbanised. That's probably a result of tree growth along the side of urban canals that makes so many of them look rural from the canal perspective. JP

CRT Towers in Milton Keynes has been rebranded. There's a screen in the window with some words about mental health. They have gone for the well being angle in a big way. I wonder what the folks at MIND make of it and whether they were consulted. They have grant funding too so there could be a conflict here. JP

So it requires some enterprise and risk on behalf of the vendor. The lady who sells the Big Issue outside Waitrose in Droitwich entirely fits the description of long skirt and head scarf. She has been doing it for years for hours on end almost every day. Rained on, frozen and scorched. And that's just last month. I can't believe anyone who isn't genuinely living in poverty would put themselves in that position. They sell magazines inside the shop too. Of course that's done by people with 'proper' jobs. JP

I have never assumed they are all incarcerated and/or unemployed. They have committed minor offences. Mostly just young folk from deprived childhoods who lacked moral guidance in their upbringing. They don't need healing or to find God.

You have had plenty of time to buy a boat and move onto CRT waters. But you know what? Life isn't always so simple is it? Probably best to ask yourself if you would like to trade places with them before you criticise their actions. JP

That's a different thing. And an unfortunate description of the mentally ill.

Community Payback is about the benefit to the community not to the offender, the clue is in the name. Frankly if you ever do end up living on a boat on CRT waters it won't be an issue. JP

Must be a big worry for a non-boater in Scotland. I live opposite a churchyard that is maintained by such folk. Never had the slightest issue with it. The only impact is a well maintained graveyard for the visitors.

Mildly amusing to observe the men of the forum disagreeing over the precise measurement of a small number of inches. Nick and Jeff were in the area recently. If they are still around perhaps they could give us an independently calibrated accurate reading.

1. The two objectives aren't mutually exclusive. Also bear in mind CRT is the creation of a Government that places a far greater emphasis on cost to the taxpayer than on value to society when setting it's policies and budgets. Government funds alone won't subsidise canals in the current environment. CRT has to broaden its appeal for better or worse. 2. I understood the £60k to be the design fee for the artwork, not the cost of implementation. 3. Funds can't all be put in one basket. I haven't experienced problems with lock gates - and I use plenty of them. Inspection of gates replaced during the past winter near me doesn't show those replaced to be close to failure. However the stoppages at Middelwich, Marple and now Bloxwich are a concern if it becomes a trend. 3. I didn't particularly comment on whether it was desirable or right, I suggested it fulfilled the aims of it's sponsor. The colour is more distinctive but it isn't the first time blue has been used as the corporate colour of the waterways. It doesn't look shouty to my eye either. 4. I don't feel sidelined, I don't feel the need to be constantly recognised by CRT and canals have long been a shared entity with walkers, anglers and even cyclists. I do genuinely believe that Mr Parry understands the role of boats in his wider remit. That's based upon meeting and listening to him on a few occasions. 5. I don't agree. I can't get that excited about it to be massively bothered. The design doesn't affect my ability to go boating. JP

Go back in time 70 years and you will find the most hated change of 'branding' in the history of canals when the newly nationalised long distance fleets were repainted in the ubiquitous blue and yellow livery of British Waterways. It was disliked because it was a change from the different and vibrant liveries of the previous companies and forced a corporate uniformity on the boaters. Yet 70 years later go to a historic boat festival and you will find that livery immaculately applied to any number of ex-working boats. I suspect the reason being is that it is the livery that most of those owning such boats remember the boats wearing. I have an affection for the metallic embossed BWB signs because they remind me of my earliest experiences of canals 40 odd years ago. On the other hand I don't particularly like the strap lines that come with modern branding; that's because it's a bit alien to me. It won't be to those a generation (or maybe even a half generation) younger than me. If this particular brand remains in place long enough there will one day be a middle aged boater who will fondly remember it when their memory is jogged by seeing one of the now new signs that has escaped a future rebrand (that will surely come). The reason will be is that it is symbolic of the canals as they were when that boater first formed their interest in canals and boats, possibly on a childhood hire boat holiday. In the same way I delight in seeing the one of the very few old embossed metallic BWB signs that have escaped at least two rebrands since they were current. In their day I suspect many boaters hated those too. JP

Perhaps with those who choose to vent their views on here but I am not so sure you are out of sync with the majority of boaters. Your sentiments above were pretty much those that Rob-M and myself expressed when we concluded that the new logo appeared to achieve it's aim. It is more modern in style and I suspect will have broader appeal than the previous logos that seem to want to present a bucolic view of canals; a place for those with more time on their hands than they really need. A bit like this forum... JP

I thought it seemed like a lot of water to be lost in one day but in addition to lock usage their is flow over gauging weirs, leakage through gates and evaporation. And maybe some licensed and unlicensed extraction. JP

I have sometimes wondered about the effect of drawing a paddle on a long pound. I once had to run water down through the top two locks at Rushall into the mile pound (which has a history of being kept kept low due to leakage into adjacent properties hence my original question) and after about ten minutes a bloke came to tell me that the level at Longwood moorings was 3" down and the boats were pulling their pins out. I have to say I was sceptical that it would have that effect but I did throw all the paddles up. JP

Anglesey Branch, Norton Canes, Bradley, all of Dudley Tunnel and it's spurs and caverns to Parkhead top lock, half a mile to Walsall Top Lock (which I think is technically actually part of the W&E), the arm at Longwood, Engine Arm, Hollybank Basin, Horseley Fields to Wolverhampton. I suspect Wikipedia is close. JP

The Wyrley & Essington is on the Wolverhampton level so that would mean the whole level is down. That's very surprising and I would have thought it would require some significant event to achieve that. It was fine at the weekend before the massive storms. You aren't on the Rushall flight are you? JP

You found one of them extremely difficult today

Because we have a family tradition of doing a donut in the winding hole above the lock while it is being prepared.