doratheexplorer

"Theexplorer" is my surname.

Cock-up is my middle name.

That's just like mine.

Very rarely. Far more common for me is when I approach a low bridge and realise quite late that I need to remove the chimney. My chimney is in the middle of the boat, so going down the gunwales is the sensible option.

Those aren't proper handrails.

I imagine it would be quite a short book. If you're looking for information on how to navigate the Severn, that might take 2 or 3 pages. Or are you looking for someone's personal experience of navigating the Severn (which only takes about 10 hours from Stourport to Gloucester).

This is exactly what I do on the occassions I have a crew.

I always use the gunwales to get to the bow while cruising. Through the boat takes longer, has more things in the way and means you need to leave the doors open which isn't great in winter. I do have proper roof rails on my boat though, so moving quickly down the gunwales is no problem. I've never used my well-deck to sit out in because I have a nicer space at the stern and I usually sit on chairs on the towpath anyway. In common with 99% of narrowboaters, I've never deployed an anchor, and if I did I'd go via the gunwales anyway. Enclosing the well deck on my boat would make a lot of sense to me. I could enlarge my bedroom, create much better storage than my well deck offers. Possibly make a "sort of" office area with a window looking forwards.

The simple answer to your question is, no, it's not normal, but it does happen from time to time. Because it's within the licence rules (but possible against the bylaws - which aren't enforced), there's not much you can formally do. Your choices boil down to; speak to the other person about it, or move. I appreciate that moving is a problem for you at the moment, but I would avoid mooring on a river at this time of year anyway. Your experience is just one reason for avoiding rivers in winter.

Or a banana, if you're Axel Foley.

Are you new here?

The highlighted sentence above is true, but nobody is claiming otherwise. This is therefore a standard strawman argument. The point being disputed is whether any bylaws (or other relevant rules) have been broken. You say yes. I say, not until the existence of a nuisance and been independently confirmed by a suitable person, with the necessary experience to make that judgement.

Its a nuisance in the opinion of the OP. That does not mean any rules or laws have been broken.

Actually, we don't know that. The decision of whether a nuisance has been committed would typically fall to an authorised person with the professional experience needed to make that call. Factors contributing to that decision wouldn't just be limited to how long and at what time of day the generator was run. Other considerations include the volume of the noise, the actual tonality of the noise and how far away the nearest receptor is. Then the "man on the Clapham omnibus" comes in - would this noise be considered a nuisance by the average person or is this a case where the person complaining is particularly sensitive to noise? Until all that is done, we do not know whether bylaw 39 has been breached. Of course, I'm not aware of CRT investigating any noise complaints in that way, nor actively enforcing the bylaws. The Local Authority would normally have an interest in a noise complaint but the legislation they use does not work with noise sources which can move, so the most they might do is have a word with the person making the noise.

An actual vampire:

I think it's a typo and is meant to say Raving Boaters. I found another typo. Presumably: "NBTA member Gerry Coleman, a constant cruisier who moors at Middlewich" should read "NBTA member Gerry Coleman, a constant cruisier who sometimes moors at Middlewich". 😉

I liked the old one better. This looks like someone dressed up as a vampire, rather than an actual vampire.

Brilliant!

Last time I went through Gosty Tunnel, the vampire had disappeared (presumably to a watery grave). Will there be a new vampire in time for the challenge?

Why would anyone build a boat of that size, with no actual bedroom and the kitchen and lounge at opposite ends of the boat? It's not a reverse layout, it's a perverse layout!

This isn't true. But for my tuppence worth, the best advice whatever technique you use, is work the lock slowly, raise the paddles slowly and keep an eye on your boat at all times. If you go boating long enough, at some point something will go wrong unexpectedly in a lock. The outcome of that will depend on how quickly you spot it going wrong and how much time you have to put it right.

Completely agree. "Don't worry, he won't hurt you" But it's fine you him/her to jump up and wipe his/her filthy paws all over my clean clothes???