Barry

You may be right - there is a rule "the intensity of radiated heat is inversely proportional to the distance" meaning if you double the distance the radiated heat is reduced to a quarter

Absolutely bang on Cheshire Rose I did the same thing for hours in a car park doing smaller and smaller u-turns getting ready for my test - passed first time with 3 driving faults none of which were to do with the u-turn

As do Lincolnshire Fire and Rescue who are my employers Whichever Fire Service you contact ask for the Fire Safety Department. I guarantee they will be only too happy to help. If you are going to buy a smoke alarm make sure it has the British Standard kite mark on it

That IS a problem - smoke alarms are very sensitive and the danger is that with repeated false alarms people either become accustomed to ignoring it or else they remove the battery to stop the nuisance - the problem then arises that the smoke alarm is now completely non functional. I wouldn't put one in an engine room because any fumes at all are likely to set it off (smoke alarms are often actuated by steam from kettles, over-enthusiastic toasters or even aerosol deodorant or hair sprays). A smoke alarm outside the engine room would be better but it would need to sited where it would be out of the path of fumes or else you will have a false alarm every time the door is opened. In the daytime most people are going to be alerted to a fire by their senses especially their nose, and they are already up, dressed and mobile so they can escape quickly if necessary. It is at night, when people are at their most vulnerable, that a smoke alarm comes into it's own. I can see that in a boat, which will probably have a (relatively) large open combined cooking and living space that false alarms could be a problem. Particularly if the ventilation in the living space is limited. I haven't heard of adjustable smoke alarms but they must be worth a go.

Excellent stuff - thank you

Thanks Bones

It's very sad when this happens - and the fact that this lady was in her 20s makes it more so because she had so much of her life to live yet. I see references to boaters installing CO alarms or other gas alarms on the forum but I don't think I've seen any reference to a smoke alarm. They are designed to operate in the very early stages of a fire so will be set off by very small amounts of smoke. People are at their most vulnerable from fire when they are asleep so the best protection they can have is a smoke alarm coupled with a bedtime routine. If all doors are closed at night any fire will be confined to it's room of origin and so the smoke cannot spread right throughout the boat. Most people who die in fires are killed by the smoke long before the fire actually gets to them. If the smoke alarm is situated just outside the closed bedroom door the occupants will be woken whilst the fire is still in it's initial stages, the fire will be isolated behind the closed door, and they will have time to escape - preferably through their second exit. Even a standard cheap door from Wickes will hold a fire back for 20 minutes before it burns through - if it is left closed - and the smoke alarm will have operated long before that. Please forgive what might appear to be a lecture - I used to be a community fire safety officer and I am still a firefighter so this kind of event makes me very sad - but perhaps if you think about my advice you can stop this happening to you - and you'll sleep safer.

Oh right - I see - I was fishing just the other side of the open (flood?) gates on the side of the river away from the houses at Chapel Hill - where the dead swan is - I saw the kingfisher fly through the gates from the area between the gates and the bridge - both times it flew up the bank towards the garden of the nearest house

At the entrance to Kyme Eau by Chapel Hill

Tops - I've ordered a copy thankyou Thanks Malc I went fishing last Saturday - was looking the place over and thought "hello that looks familiar" it was Wudd e nuff didn't catch anything but I saw a kingfisher twice which was good

Thanks Daniel but the question I am asking is; is it possible to take a narrow boat through a lock single handed?

The Easy Edible Mushroom Guide by David Pegler It's easy to read with good photos and tells you how tasty they are - along with advice about similar looking but poisonous fungi It's A5 size so it would fit in a big pocket fresh puffballs sliced and cooked simply in butter are fabulous

Saw Waterworld yesterday on sky tv and there was this guy who has invented a radio control for his narrow boat so he can go through locks by himself. having never been through a lock before but contemplating canal boating alone, is it possible to take a boat through a lock without someone to help? edited for missing word

and maybe just a little plaque saying who is under the tree I'm with you Moley - well not under your tree of course - under mine - but you know what I mean