pearley

I had to drill a succession of holes down through the cement until the bit hit the rope then join the holes up. Certainly got through a few drill bits.

My recollection too.

First time we visited was just after they opened with flags flying from the poles. The last time covered in weed and unloved. But convenient for a team to Meadowhall.

There is a mooring basin with pontoons (or was) about a mile above the top lock. Moorings in Sheffield are just before the basin and administered by CV Marine

Put the heating on for an hour ready for our shower.

Originally we had a ZWC 1300 and early Multiplus, all worked no problems except for a short period when I had switched Inverter to power saving mode. Inverter failed at 5 years and was replaced with later model with digital control. Still worked fine but washer failed at 8 years old (drum bearing which seems to be the weak point in these machines) Replaced with new ZWC 1301. Would not work from day one. At each change of program it would stop and the drum would just twitch. Tried resistive loads, 3 X 100 watt halogen lamps. Didn't really make much difference but if you switched to Rinse it would Rinse but not spin, if you selected spin then it would spin. But not always. Did try with a 1000w fan heater and seemed ok ish but the isolator switch didn't like the continuous load. That machine failed just before it's 5th birthday (drum bearing again) and under the terms of our extended warranty John Lewis refunded the full purchase price. We bought another ZWC1301 and that one worked perfectly until we sold the boat 2 years later. Now have a widebeam with full size Ebac washer and Victron Multiplus which works fine.

I suspect it's to do with the motor's lack of back EMF on startup shifting the power factor so low that the inverter's 2kva rating isn't enough to maintain voltage, so the machine cuts out. Switching on a resistive load somehow smooths this enough to shift the power factor. Dout it's because 2kva not enough as dud the same on our 3kva Multiplus. Adding resistive load didn't do much either.

My wife never disappoints !

As a student sharing a flat in Ilford in the mid 60s we had Fray Bentos pies often. Every time I saw them in the shop I mentioned it to my wife so she bought one last year. What a disappointment.

Actually got into Mild a few years ago so always go for that if available.

As a teenager in the South I was put off beer by Red Barrel and such. Then on holiday in Yorkshire by Bradford born father in law introduced me to Tetley's and I was hooked

A few in our marina like that and the Great Ouse is a doddle compared with the Trent.

There is a Facebook group about traveling on the Trent. Lots of good info.