debbifiggy

Bottle's advice is sound. If you are continuously cruising on BW waters on a long term basis (i.e. more than a month) you cannot buy repeated short term licences as they will not be valid. I would suggest going for a full 12 month licence from the beginning of the month of your launch date and then converting it into a Gold licence from 1st January. Its's a simple enough process. D Edited for accuracy and grammer.

That's it, the London cruise is off then! No, seriously though, a good post for anyone moored in the area, cheers. Do not abandon the London cruise. It's a great cruise and very interesting. Yes it's busy and has a few problems from duckweed to gongoozlers and rubbish, the occasional scrote etc but cruising in any city or built up area can be the same. On the whole Little Venice, Paddington, Greenford, Limehouse, the upper Lee & Stort, Brentford and lots of other bits of canal including the Regents Canal are fantastic and well worth a visit with loads to see. Just take sensible precautions about security and make enquiries locally with other boaters before mooring for more than a couple of hours. I had a great cruise today from Limehouse to Paddington with no problems at all, even going through Camden late afternoon. D

Update from me having spent the day cruising from Limehouse to Paddington and receiving quite a lot of phone calls and having a walkabout at Little Venice (LV). 4 boats in Islington broken into over the weekend. They were the Kings Cross side of the Islington tunnel. That area has been designated a no drinking, no drug taking area by the the police but there still seems to be a lot of drug fuelled crime about and boats had windows broken and doors forced. Stone throwing and anti-social behaviour on the Paddington Arm including Kensal and LIttle Venice (more anti-social boater than locals at LV but that's another story for my retirement fund book). Loads of boats all the way from Mile End to west beyond Broadway Market so can't be too bad there at the moment. Loads of boats too below City Road Lock. I could hardly see the lock or get onto the lock landing despite being in a nimble little 30 footer (hopefully will all be clear by tomorrow morning). If you are unfortunately enough to be a victim of crime on the water please pester the police about it and do let BW know as well as crime mapping and high level talks with facts does help the police to justify their time. It worked at Kensal last year when everyone was reporting every incident and the police were able to step up patrols and the thefts stopped for some time. Hope some of the above is useful to London boaters. D

Would love to see what it looks like today ..... D

Hope you all had a good afternoon/evening. Sorry I was shy and that the pub doesn't do food except a Ploughmans'. If you come back for Bonfire night there might be sausage in a bun as well as fireworks I'm told. Hope Ermintrude got home safely. D

I would also caution boaters using the 24 hr moorings at Bulls Bridge on the Grand Union Canal in London in the Hayes/Southall area immediately opposite the entrance to the Paddington Arm and those using the 14 day moorings on the opposite bank close to the old Toll House. Do not leave your boat unattended if possible. We currently have a big problem with rough sleepers and drug addicts who have a colony under the nearby A312 similar to the problems at Tottenham on the River Lee. If you are going shopping if possible leave one person on the boat and/or do your shopping promptly. The police are aware and are making regular visits but I am aware that there have been some not so nice experiences. When I'm back in the area I will try and get a better understanding of the current situation and will make a post regarding this. D

"refined to be more easily understood and to reflect the Judgment in the case of British Waterways v Davies, in which the Court found that moving up and down within a 10 mile stretch of the Kennet & Avon Canal with no home mooring did not amount to bona fide navigation." D Edited so that I can go and get my tin hat and some popcorn. Nah, it wasn't the POSH flats, it was the council flats on the Amberley Estate! D

Updated including the mooring guidance for continuous cruisers. It's a bit like insurance and banks and stuff. How many times when we renew or there's an announcement from the banks about terms and conditions etc do we actually read what the changes are. We sort of take it for granted that it was the same as when we first signed up but the reality is often different and you usually don't find out until something goes wrong like me thinking I'd got insurance cover on a credit card when it wasn't quite the same insurance as I thought I originally signed up for. As ever the banks had changed it in their favour. Never mind it wasn't a big deal in the end for what I needed at the time. http://www.britishwaterways.co.uk/license-it/boating-essentials/mooring-information#note2 has the small print on the updated continuous cruising guidelines. D

Suggest you have a look at http://www.britishwaterways.co.uk/media/documents/GENERAL-TERMS-AND-CONDITIONS-FOR-BOAT-LICENCES-E&W-from-Aug-2011.pdf Have a close look at schedule 2 which has been updated. Also, London bound/based boaters ... http://www.britishwaterways.co.uk/media/documents/Addendum-to-Licence-Terms-Olympics-2012-June-2011.pdf BTW, both the length inspectors and Data Checkers/Enforcement Officers use the hand held computer but are going different things with them namely the former checking the actual structure of the canal and the latter checking boat licenses. HTH D

RIP Windfola, over the Rainbow Bridge. So sorry to hear this news. It certainly makes you think, she was the same age as me. D

Mr. Town's tug Constance is one sweet little tug and could do it, not sure where they are at present. Don't know how much he charges either. Then there's Mick the tug Hillier but he's normally West London based but reasonably priced. Or Wood Hall & Heward on 01895 820203. They've got lots of tugs. Or on the river Lee itself try Alan Wallace and Nato 2. Think Alan's company is called Smartbarge so should be in the phone book. Or try talking to one of the coal boats. They might strap you alongside for a fee. Not sure who is trading on the Stort at present. HTH D

Add to that combination fantastic weather and relaxing with a few beers, larking about with your mates and there is a potential for disaster. Hope all gets sorted out and the boat put right. Hope the insurance people pay out. D

We have a 24 year Squirrel. Through practice over the last 12 years we have found that by burning Taybright with the top vent closed and the fire built up and then the bottom vent closed to just a quarter open we can keep the fire in up to 36 hours with no problem. Normally during the winter season we keep the fire in 24/7. The downside is that you will need a new grate every 2 years. Simple and reliable once you get the hang of it. You should be nice and cosy. D

I would hazard a guess that the location is somewhere between Packet Boat Lane Bridge and Benbow Waye bridge where the offside houseboats are now located. Just a thought ... D

I don't know but somewhere in the office I have copies of the annual licence fees going back to 1999, the year the other half moved on board. Could be interesting reading. When I'm finally mobile again and I have time I will dig it out and scan if possible. Obviously it will need to be read in the context of inflation, construction inflation (which influences BW prices along with RPI and CPI) and loads of other things including the basic economics of demand and supply and the problems of keeping one of our last bits of industrial heritage in some kind of working order given all the financial constraints. D

I think you'll find that the prices are based on the short term mooring fee rate. Instead of dividing the annual fee by 12 months per metre per year (prorata) try dividing by 10 (as in the BW mooring terms and conditions available on the website) and I think you'll find the reason for the difference in price. HTH Debbi

I really don't know. I haven't seen a lot of the old crowd for a very long while. If I see Penny I can ask her as she's bound to know. So many people have moved away. Little Jim is still driving buses around Berko though. Not sure if the photo of the horse barge/party boat he used to operate is still up in the pub somewhere. Will have to have a look. BTW the Riser have a new website http://www.theriser.net/ And if you check out the photo gallery there's a picture of nb Fulbourne in the lock. D Edited for new website

I haven't seen or tasted it but try asking the Jannocks ..... D

A friend of mine experimented with recreating the "Boatman's Pail". Think she had to use a very large Kilner type jar as well as bucket of water on top of stove. Not sure the end combination of veg suet and meat savoury pud bit cooked below (or was it above) apple and suet stodge dessert was that tasty but it was probably very filling which is what you would want after a hard days slog along the canal. D

You should also include bike racks off the back end of a cruiser stern, motorbike racks (i've seen on that extends the boat length by over 70 cm) bow sprites (pulpit rails too) and other bits and pieces. With most boats it's the hull that's 50, 55 57 60 or whatever foot but the overall boat length is longer especially when you start including rudders, fenders, buttons and stuff. To be honest, don't get stressed about it. Probably the only time someone is going to get a tape measure out is the original boat builder (you would hope wouldn't you?) and the BW mooring manager when you've bid on the BW auction system for a slot that should fit your boat but strangely you can't get into it Obvious boat length differences are quickly spotted on the bank. I do remember someone who tried to licence a 65ft boat as 45 or so foot .... The BW licence terms and conditions do say that you should declare your boat overall length including all the gubbins but ..... I know a lot of people don't, don't know or don't care, whether or not it is factually or morally correct. That's down to the individual and not for me to judge unless it's glaringly obvious that someone is pulling a fast one by 10 foot or more. D

No, there is no hope. Just enjoy the boat and distractions and may you continue to be happy. D

Ok, so what am I doing wrong. I've been asking the man for the last 7 years or more at least for at least a new washbasin in the" bathroom" cubby hole shower thingy and I've wanted a new kitchen for 6 years but apparently I'm not allowed to complain as I've had a new fridge in the last 7 years and a new cooker in the last 4 years. I'm coming up for my 12th winter on board and he's been aboard longer than me. Before you tell me that I am being totally unreasonable our boat is 24 years old and still the original fit out. Both the fridge and the cooker were original. Am I barmy or should I just go cruising again and forget it. Guess the moral of the story is do not get involved with a professional tradesman LOL. They are far too busy fixing other peoples problems to be fixing theirs at home. Oh, and don't get me started on the subject of housework (sorry boat interior cleaning stuff). Think I might start having to sort stuff out myself including booking into drydock for a blacking and pinching his multimaster to start prepping for a complete topside repaint before winter hits us. D

Has anyone seen this and the rest of their facebook page. I don't do facebook but was tipped off by a regular to have a look as there are a lot of heritage pics including one from the 20's when it was a Benskin's place. Any more history would be interesting. I catered for the wake of a previous (previous previous) landlord who died in the noughty's. The rest of the family seem to have left Berko. Kath as well is long cold in her grave may she rest in peace. What do others think of these photos? http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=95460288066&v=photos I have been captivated tonight and the broken foot has also led me to scour Youtube for canal views from Marsworth to Apsley. All good stuff especially seeing stuff from 10 years ago. The canal seemed to be so much quieter. Fewer boats about except at official moorings. OK, I'll get me coat and tin hat. D x