noddyboater

I was enjoying a bit of breakfast one sunny morning on the Cromwell moorings, top side of the lock. I'd had an early trip up from Torksey and all was well until a rather rotund, bald chap who was fishing opposite decided to shout to his mates upstream. He apparently had been there since F-ing 6am, had tried F-ing worms, F-ing maggots, F-ing bread and hadn't had an F-ing bite. He was well F-ing F-effed off with the F-ing sun, wind etc etc. I shouted across that we boaters didn't want to listen to his language anymore, to which he replied that I should mind my own F-ing business or he'd come across and give me a slap. I said to be careful if he was planning swimming over as due to his immense F-ing size a passing boat might harpoon him. His mates were quite amused by this but he wasn't. He did thankfully shut up though.

Don't worry, the resident vollocky will have closed the lock until further notice anyway.

Look under History and Heritage at the recent thread, Canal Ghosts.

Great film, thanks for posting. Doesn't anyone think it looks bland without all the wonderful, expressive graffiti that we have today?

Makes this look cheap on the Chesterfield..

Unfortunately the company gave up moving freight by water some time ago. Something about lack of dredging and maintenance..

I had a strange experience one night when I lived aboard in Sheffield that I still haven't really got an explanation for. I used to moor on the towpath behind the high wall, with the now dead end Blast Lane behind. One evening I noticed an old chap wandering around next to my boat, I was about to go for a pint but I said hello and asked if he was looking for anyone in particular. He said he'd got a work boat on his wagon behind the wall which was being craned in early next day, so was parked up for the night. I said that was unlikely as it would be Tinsley rather than the basin, but he said that was his orders. As often happens talk turned to boats and old engines etc, he lived on a boat on the GU with a Gardner, etc etc. He asked to look at the Gardner in my boat which I didn't mind, ( it wasn't anywhere near last orders yet) but weirdly he knew the engine number without looking! "I can remember running that with the covers off squirting oil on the rockers when I was in the Navy" he told me without prompting. Which is strange as it is an ex Navy engine. He was soon off to get his head down, but as I locked up I wondered if he'd fancy a quick pint before retiring so I popped through the gate onto the lane. No truck, no boat and no sign of himself either. Nothing turned up in the morning, but a week later I asked the lockies at Tinsley if they'd had something delivered there. No, and no work boats had been moved to the area by road for months either.

There's little hope for the next generation with parents that couldn't care less. I was brought up not to leave litter, from an early age. We regularly get a family groups fishing who leave all sorts of crap on the bank from lager cans to disposable bbq's and of course numerous fag packets. If you're really lucky they'll have had a dog there all day too.. The kids see the mess left behind when they leave so it's hardly a good example.

Did a spot of Kayak cleaning up after the good folk of Retford this evening, every little helps.. Mostly crisp packets left by the little darlings fishing/smoking weed upstream at Whitsunday lock. It would be good to think they'll grow out of it and learn to appreciate their surroundings but unfortunately as the saying goes, you can't educate pork. Or shit. The crap was caught in huge blooms of gently fizzing blanket weed, even the kayak was a struggle!

That's an interesting question. How it can be my attitude or demeanor is beyond me though. The "problem" I was referring to was people making the otherwise green and pleasant land into a shit tip, and then eventually moving on. I've lived aboard and moored on the towpath, but at no point felt the need to turn my surroundings into a dump. It draws attention to the culprit more than anything, which you'd think is the last thing they'd want. It doesn't cost anything to keep your chosen spot clean, most of us manage it. If you want to live aboard some kind of overflowing floating skip that's your choice, but don't inflict your scruffy ways onto other canal users and wildlife.

Really? Most of us do. Crap on the towpath, hanging in the hedge, oily scum in the water, rusty motorbike, half rabid dog on a blue rope, and the latest one- some sort of home made tarpaulin shelter with ropes stretched to the nearest trees at head height.

Our rural stretch of the canal near Retford has had noticeably more litter since lockdown. As most of the crap consists of lager cans I presume it's because the local lowlife who used to sit in pubs all day have taken to walking the towpath.

Maybe so, but the majority of crap left on the towpath and in the canal is from dosser boats.

That's good news, parts of the cabin appear to be held together with gaffer tape and paint.

Dane (with forecabin and Bolinder) is moored at Alvecote on the towpath but I hadn't heard she was for sale again. She's looking pretty tired at the moment, seems to get left for long periods but is staying afloat.