KenK

However if you don't have VHF they do require that you contact the PLA Duty Officer at Woolwich 020 8855 0315 both at the start and end of the transit. Ken

Don't know much about the GU and how far you could get depends on how hard you want to work. I did Great Hayward to Banbury in five days on my own but I would not call it a holiday. The North Oxford is straightforward, the south meanders a bit and has lots of swing / lift bridges not so many locks. The non tidal Thames is easy, all the locks are manned during the day, it's wide compared to a canal and when we did it at Easter it was very quiet. Finding moorings can be a pain, they are not clearly signed in many cases and you often have to pay. We found boatyards full of cabin cruisers, not much space for Narrowboats, so getting rid of rubbish etc. was sometimes a problem. You should have an anchor and life-jackets are recommended especially for kids. Tidal section you need a VHF radio, mooring and navigation lights and I would suggest some experience. EA have a useful booklet on their Thames website which you can download. Enjoy the trip, hope you get good weather. Ken

Sorry badly written I meant the licence fee and the tax on fuel are paid by everyone however they moor. Ken

Travelling around the system there seem to be two versions of End of Garden moorings. Either the boat is on the non towpath side moored to some form of landing stage or the bank has been removed and the boat is moored off the line in a, for the wont of a better description, mini marina. In the second case the boat would then be moored on the landowners property. I assume and am prepared to be shown to be wrong, that the former requires a yearly fee to BW and the latter, provided the boat is owned by the landowner, requires a one of connection fee. If I'm right what's all the fuss about? The EOG mooring costs less than an equivalent on line towpath mooring and a lot less than mooring in a marina. The licence is the same as is the fuel tax. The connection fee is not unreasonable as again I assume it requires some work on the part of BW. Retires puts on tin hat and waits to be shot at. Ken

Actually Carl you pay Road Tax to park your car, ie keep it on the public road. You pay tax on the fuel you use to move the car. So in a sense your paying twice. If you keep your car on your property and never move it you don't have to pay any tax. If I suspect you dug a big hole in your garden, filled it full of water and floated your boat(s) but were not connected to the system you would not I suspect, Eugene can confirm, have to pay BW anything. Ken

Hi Steve & Wendy. Welcome. There is a new marina being built at Hungerford, it started a few weeks ago. It's early days but keep an eye on the waterways press for their advert. Otherwise try contacting Janey Lawrence British Waterways Harbour House The Dock Gloucester GL1 2LG 01452 318000 enquiries.gloucester@britishwaterways.co.uk She's the very helpful lady in charge of mooring for the K&A, she may be able to point you in the right direction. Good luck Ken

Hi Gary, I'm not sure if these strictly qualify but some people may find them useful http://www.newapproach.org http://www.consumerdirect.gov.uk http://www.whittleflooringcompany.com http://www.leesan.co.uk http://boatsafteyscheme.com Ken

Oh and as we seem to spend lots of time "discussing" batteries and the charging thereof. http://www.batteryfaq.org There's enough here to keep Gibbo and Chris going for weeks. Ken

Hi Gary I suppose these are two obvious ones http://www.tb-training.co.uk http://www.smartgauge.co.uk Lots of useful information on both sites. Ken

Hi Anthony I don't know if this will be any help but you could have a look at Dave Clarke Boatbuilders. He built my hull and whilst I'm no expert I think he did a good job and at a sensible price. In fact I saw an advert in one of the magazines recently for a sailaway from him at less than Liverpool boat prices. I had the boat surveyed after it was finished and the surveyor was very happy with the general condition of the hull and the quality of the welding. Ken

Try moving down south our non-residential mooring on the K&A costs over £2000 a year for a sixty foot boat. Mind you it is a great site. It's all about supply and demand. We have a couple of liveaboards and they would love to pay your prices. Ken

OK I'll cough I was given one as a present after last years Crick. My father in law thought it would be just the thing. It arrived when I was away from home. I had to send it back, first my policeman freind told me that carrying it in public would be an offense, and not just for common sense, but also because the only way into my weedhatch is to grovel under the rear deck. Semi-trad no access at the back. They were very good about it, even told me they were designing a version for boats like mine, can't wait Ken

@ kenk ""Don't worry too much about the moored boat it's hung with old tyres so you won't do any damage""...actually you are wrong..!!! Is this a confession? Ken

If this question is in relation to your K&A trip, you may not always be able to moor facing up-stream on your return. In which case go in gently stern first, step off with the stern line and secure it, the current will keep the bow into the bank. If you don't have a plank you may have a problem getting on and off as some parts of the K&A are very shallow near the bank. Ken

We came up two weeks ago and although it's a little better than at Easter it is still flowing strongly, the recent rain has probably added to the flow. Make sure you set the lock then open the swing bridge and follow Gillies advice. Don't worry too much about the moored boat it's hung with old tyres so you won't do any damage. Another one to watch out for is Fobney Lock, there is a Mill stream from the right and a byewash from the left as you approach, then just as you reach the lock another flow from the right at the lock entrance. Trick is to aim for the end of the landing stage to let the crew off Enjoy the trip. Ken

Hi James If you don't want to go the satellite route you could try using a Tony Brooks method. B&Q do an extending aluminium pole, it's designed to allow you to wash outside second floor windows in a house, cost about £15.00. Attach a normal aerial to it extend and clamp to roof, connect to TV and rotate to obtain signal. Tried this at Easter and it worked a treat. We have the same aerial and amplifier set-up that you have and I've never been able to obtain a good signal. Found the same thing when hiring, a lot of hire boats have that set-up and they didn't seem to work either. I'm going to try adding a freeview box when I have a spare minute. Hope you find a method which works for you. Ken

Check Tesco out they do a range of small, cheap cleaners. We bought one for £15.00 1200Watts, has brush and attachments stowed inside. Works well. Ken

I understand from Olive that getting her into Ham basin is fun too. Ken

Yes the signwriting makes her look finally finished. Well apart from all the changes we need to do now we have used her a little.

Hi All, Finally managed, now the good weather is here, to get the signwriting done on the boat. I used a gentleman named Peter Legg whose family have been doing this since his Great Granfather started in 1847. Watching him work was fascinating and the result, well judge for yourselves I posted some pictures in the Gallery. Ken