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Barry

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Everything posted by Barry

  1. This post cannot be displayed because it is in a forum which requires at least 10 posts to view.
  2. Can I throw my two-pennorth in as angler and a (sometimes) boater so having a foot in both camps If the anglers have those extremely long poles going across the canal they are fishing under the far bank and might get a bit frustrated if the swim building they have been doing (delicately feeding small amounts of bait into the water to get the fish feeding where they can place their bait) is ruined by a boat riding over it and churning everything up. On the other hand they may be "fishing down the side" - their own side - in which case the same applies - in canals anglers rarely put their baits down the middle of the water because the fish holding places in a canal are on the edge of a "drop off" (a place where the depth changes from shallower in the side to the deeper middle) In my experience the best thing to do, if they don't make it obvious, is to call out to them and ask them which side they would like you to pass them - they generally respond to that small courtesy in a similar way. What they don't respond courteously to is a boat charging down the river as though the anglers don't exist or have no right to be there - that kind of attitude from boaters - and it happens regularly is the kind of thing that causes friction and does not help at all I'll tell you a story - A few years ago I was fishing a match on the Ancholme when a cruiser came flying down the river pushing up a huge bow-wave - as he passed each angler in turn his wash picked up the keep nets and started dragging them down the river - there were anglers all down the line hanging on to there kit to prevent it being washed away and scrambling up the bank to prevent themselves being washed away - I shouted to the guy that he could see what was happening and he might have the decency to slow down to which his reply was "unprintable" - it's that kind of arrogant (dare I say aggressive) behaviour from one water user to another that does nothing but cause almost automatic animosity Now I know that some anglers can behave just as badly but I find that if I show, first, that I care a little about their day out they generally respond in kind On the other hand if I'm fishing and I see a boater exercising a little consideration I give them a little acknowledgement in return - a nice thank you as they pass or a wave or even a nod or a compliment about their boat or a remark about the weather improves relations no end and they generally wave back I expect that some may find this explanation difficult to accept but it's MY experience and it works for me
  3. Noticed your Avatar on other posts you have made - It's a beautiful shape and very appealing - Am I right in thinking that new builds can have this shape easily - I ask because I see a lot of pictures of Dutch Barges that have a very different style, much sharper and more vertical at the stem to varying degrees and quite chunky looking
  4. Barry

    winter hols

    Until, of course, it's time to go clubbing - when, miraculously, women can stand around for hours outside the nightclub or walking from pub to pub in the depths of winter wearing the skimpiest of clothes with, apparently, no trouble what-so-ever Now that's a women thing!! I used to do a bit of taxi driving and I used to be amazed at how little clothing women can wear on bitterly cold nights
  5. Crikey - yes!! Ian's website is a mine of information - he's done a marvelous job there Actually the DBA website was one of the first I looked at when I first started seriously considering living aboard but I confess I haven't read evey section yet. I could seriously consider a Dutch Barge but I think it would have to wait until I retire in 4 years time because to afford it I would want to fit it it out myself. So it would make a fantastic retirement project - retirement at 55 with a liveable pension - I guess I'm very lucky I'm suffering from a degree of impatience here though - I don't particularly want to wait 4 years to get my boat but it may be by far the most sensible option, financially. Ah decisions decisions...................... still I don't actually have to make any decisions yet because I'm still very much in the research/feasability study stage
  6. Soooo - to return to my original post Does anyone fancy having a crack at my original questions over and above what has already been contributed. Some of which, although genuinely very entertaining and generating a kind of warm cosy feeling inside, is actually not particularly relevent I was considering subscribing to a few magazines to help in my research but it occurred to me this morning that if I just cruise the the various forums on this website there is a wealth of information here which is all hard won personal experience It's a roller coaster ride for me though - I find myself, depending on what I'm reading, changing from "wanting to go for it" to "oh my God what am I even thinking of?" Still it's an interesting (and entertaining) experience
  7. between a Dutch Barge and a Replica Dutch Barge? I'm thinking that a Dutch Barge might be the real McCoy, Cat C or B and capable of coastal travelling while a Replica Dutch Barge looks a lot like the real McCoy but is Cat D and so is limited to inland waterways Am I right?
  8. S'ok Janet - I know how obsessive fishing can get If you start a new thread on the other forum let me know and I'll join you Lesd look away now Matey Waitrose were selling Carp over Christmas - I bought one and had it New Year's day - just out of curiosity - it was quite nice Tell you what though, when I get my boat I'm sorely tempted to get a licence to trap American Signal Crayfish - apparently they are a problem in a lot of waterways and are very very tasty - got to have a licence though to stop you inadvertantly trapping the indiginous species - if they are around you can't trap at all
  9. hehehehehehehehehe Janet you are a one
  10. Ok I'll think on that one watch this space
  11. Janet 2lb 14oz Perch was your second fish ever - that's fantastic - that'll be one of those fish that you will remember every detail of for the rest of your days. They reckon that a fish that is more than half of the current record is classed as a "specimin fish" if that sort of stuff bothers you - I wish I could SEE a Perch as big as that let alone catch one. You wait till you get so hooked on worm fishing that you build your own wormery - that's very therapeutic - have you got a compost heap? - if it's an old one look in there and you might some of those lovely little red worms that fish love. I once caught a 6lb 8oz tench from a local drain on one of those Thanks for not commenting about the ugly creature in the photo - I thought the fish was gorgeous and I don't like being told it's ugly Going back to my dream - I read somewhere that there's a world of difference between boating on canals and being on a river system which has started me thinking. I've already decided that a narrow boat won't suit me if I am to live on it and I was happy about a wide beam limiting the canals I can travel on - but I'm beginning to wonder what I would be missing by not being able to go through the 7ft bridges and locks. I need other peoples experience here. I have to admit that the only cruising experience I have is from lots of holidays on the Broads and the Thames. I had made that assumption that working locks was going to be straightforward especially to someone from an engineering background but from what I read that may be a dangerous assumption to make. I reckon I'm going to have to have at least one holiday on a narrowboat this year just to check things out and put my mind at rest
  12. Crikey - look what I've started I ask a reasonable question after just having introduced myself, go to work, and when I get back the pub goers are squabbling - ON MY THREAD!!! Actually I've been in the pub as Janet suggested and I'm trying to stop laughing as I type - some of you have got talent I have to say - although I didn't read all 69 pages of the Fridaaays thread to be truthful I'm amazed at how active this forum is it's lovely Anyway to reply to all your replies (well the ones that concern me) Janet - I'll sort the pic one way or another in a minute it's not my biggest though - that was twenty two and a half pounds - all right I can detect the itchy fingers twitching already - don't you dare - it's too obvious A perch of 2lb 14oz is superb excellent well done SuperMalc - thanks mate that's lovely - I'll keep an eye out for you Blackrose - erm .............. I seem to have misunderstood something - sorry Mike - thought you was a girl ....all right all right don't take THAT wrong either Allan - yes I'm a Libran - easy wasn't it John thanks for the welcome mate - I know Kieth Bellairs at Stilton - is that the same firm or are they neighbours - I saw a widebeam being built by Kieth just before Christmas and I liked it a lot To the rest of you - take it easy ladies - I have to work again tomorrow Cheers all Bazza
  13. Ah BlackRose - a girl after my own heart obviously - I'm kind of worried about insuring my bike though with potentially no post code - my car insurance company have already told me that they won't re-insure my old car Janet - Sagitarius!!! - think about needing balance and being a dreadful prevaricator Did I turn you down? just playing hard to get - I've just got back into fishing after a long break of several years - happy to help in any way I can - Are you close to my neck of the woods? can't help bragging about this but last November I had a week on the broads by myself on a hire boat - fished all week and on the last night caught my first pike in 14 years - it weighed 18 pounds 12 ounces and was a stunning fight - lifetime memory for me - got a photo if you want to see it and I can do the technical stuff
  14. What a lovely welcome thanks to you all Rose - you're lovely Alec - you are correct sir very perceptive - been single for 11 years - can't seem to find my one special girl so I've given up for now and am concentrating on a dream I CAN achieve Janet - nice offer and thank you but after 11 years I'm pretty well domesticated - well to my standard anyway perhaps not yours - I live just south of Lincoln which is why I recognise where Malc used to moor his boat Bottle - Thanks mate - I'm reading the next item below this one which, as it happens, is a discussion on the wisdom of selling up to live the dream - there are some wise words on one side and some exciting ones on the other - it's just what I need because it'll help me to get a sense of perspective and balance so hopefully I'll make a good decision - I may even come up with a middle way would anyone like to guess from the last paragraph what star sign I am? come on it's easy Cheers Bazza
  15. Hi I'm a complete newcomer to this forum and I joined because I like the style - nice and friendly and helpful without bad language and table thumping and I need your advice I've posted this on another forum because I reckon the more people I ask the more answers I'll get - hope you don't mind Let me tell you about me - I'm in my early 50s and retire in about 4 years (emergency services you see - they have a policy of casting our abused and broken bodies out to pasture 10 years before everybody else). I'm planning to sell up, pay off the mortgage and live on my own boat. My reasons; 1) I'm a rebel, a non conformist and I find the idea of sitting in my house waiting to die appalling 2) I'm a traveler - always have been - joined the merchant navy when I was 17 although I gave it up when I got married 3) I love anything to do with water - sailing, fishing, the wildlife, just being on it or by it 4) I want the rest of my life to be an adventure 5) I find the idea of not giving a large part of my last few years salary to the mortgage people very attractive 6) I WANT TO BE FREEEEEEEEE My ultimate ambition is to have a Cat B dutch barge so I can cruise the British waterways, nip out of one estuary, round the coast to the next river system and then across the Channel and on up the northern European coast - Holland Belgium etc and up into the Baltic, maybe go through the French canals to the Med and up into the Aegean and the Adriatic - how about into the Black Sea. That's going to take time and money though, which won't be available right now plus I also need time to take the relevant qualifications I think I need (RYA Coastal Skipper perhaps). So for now I'm looking at having a wide beam narrow boat built which I'm pretty certain I can afford with the equity from the house. My plan is to have the best that is available so that when I am in a position to trade up I'll get maximum value from what I have. Plus of course I might decide that staying with a wide beam suits me. I've visited several boatyards so far so I'm beginning to get an idea of what I want (and what I don't want) but I've only got the beginnings of a picture in my head as yet. My boat won't be traditional - it'll be laid out exactly as I want it - galley at the back with big doors leading to a great big cruiser style stern so that the stern becomes an integral part of the living space. My 05 Triumph Bonneville will be carried on the stern as well and there'll be a small sailable boat or Canadian type canoe carried on davits or on the roof. The foredeck will be big so I can step out of my bed and sit outside with my breakfast on a comfortable chair at my table - it's going to be like a breakfast patio. Both the bow and stern areas will have covers so that in the winter I can live in the full length of the boat as I choose but most of all I want light and space. And curves - I don't want a bath with a rabbit hutch perched on top! I'm still researching as well as dreaming so I need to ask a few questions which I'm hoping that you can help me with. I want to know what the disadvantages and problems are (got to take the rose tinted specs off). For instance what do you do about post (I'm not particularly interested in permanent moorings)?. Would I be effectively homeless with no fixed abode so what about voting in elections and stuff like that? What about links to the internet which I use regularly? What do you do when you feel poorly and need a doctor or a dentist? What are the hidden costs? How do you go about naming a registering a boat? - are their any conventions which are traditionally followed when naming a boat? Are there any other questions I should be asking? If there aren't any conventions I plan to call the boat AYLA - which is a name some people may recognise (she is a heroine of mine) - I hope to have this happen before Christmas 07 so look out for the boat with the Bonnie on it. Cheers people - I'm looking forward to some long and fruitful discussions Bazza PS Eyup Malc I fish at Bardney from time to time - I'll wave the next time I see your boat
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