odet

Hi everybody, not exactly British canals, but canals none the less. So some might enjoy the report of our trip on the waterways of Brittany: http://nbargo.wordpress.com/2014/08/25/summer-in-brittany-day-1/ Enjoy odet

Hi everybody, Sunday, murky weather, no boat in the water, boored. So does anybody know of any good boating music videos, or music videos with boats ? I start with this one: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sowybhBXgdU

You can yield 3 to 4 cubic meters of firewood per acre per year of a good coppice on a 10 year rotation. But if you really are confident that you can heat even an extremely energy efficient house on 100 sqm of forest, please let as all know how and we get rich together. And indeed trees grow in the summer and are usually harvested in winter. But the way you phrase make it sound that they only need 1 year to grow. If your 5 friends you describe would start growing trees now, they would have their first meaningful harvest somewhere between 20 and 40 years in the future, so you have to find them an income in the meantime. And then they wont be so much canal boat people rather then woodmen. Good Luck odet

Just a comment on the journeymen, as I think as being a German carpenter I could contribute a few facts. First of all it might seem romantic it is only to a certain degree. But its far away from being too idealistic. In the olden times when there weren't many books, let alone internet, was the idea of knowledge transfer. So you would travel to learn technologies that weren't available in your hometown. And off course you were allowed, and still are to earn money. In fact you are not allowed to work for free. And at least in Germany the more traditional crafts men are (at least mentally) prepared to take on a journeyman. The traditional proceedings are that a journeyman calls at a craftsman's work shop. Even if the craftsman has no work, he has to offer the journeyman a bed for the night and a meal. As to traveling: The tradition really is to walk, but times have changed the last 500 years. And if you want to work in say the US you are not expected to swim there. So all in all you don't live outside society, you just deal differently with live in society. odet

Lots of information can be found here: http://www.ybw.com/forums/showthread.php?388524-Bavaria-capsizes-in-Zumaya-%28-Country-Vasque-Spain-%29

Hi Mibosa, only saw your post just now. Don't know where you are hiring from, but with cruisers from the usual hire companies you are only allowed to navigate the Grand Canal from Shannonharbour to Tullamore. Everything else is off limits. The Lockies on the Grand are extremely helpful and they pass you on from one lock-keeper to the next. Locking single handed without the help of a keeper as most locks have a substantial bridge over the lock tail. You can find a good guide here: http://shop.iwai.ie/catalog/index.php?cPath=22 Otherwise the Shannon is a lovely Navigation and you will sure not get bored there. odet

Just in case you are scared over there: here in Co. Clare in Ireland I experienced to worst storm of my live. And I had plenty of them. Unfortunately I had not much time to worry as I had to help a friend securing his roof. So be aware of more shit weather.

Thx Alan, I am only planning to travel later this year. Problem is, that my French is rather nonexisting. So im just trying to get my head round how things work. Greetings odet

The plan is to go for 3 weeks. The beaver can carry 2 5kg bottles, which provide hot water (hopefully no heating, which is the main reason for going to France) and also run the fridge. So I doubt that a total of 10 Liter will do me. So please can somebody clarify: They have got different bottles in France. I can get bottles there, but need an adaptor + maybe different regulator etc. UK bottles are useless once they are empty. Is that right so far ? Thanks again odet

@ditchrawler: Its a Wilderness Beaver. Just to get a bit more specific: The Sanitairs shown on the maps have not Elsan Facilities ? Therefore i basiclly dump the Theford's contents over board every now and then, ideally without using chemicals. The gasbottles are different, therefor I ned adaptors. So it seems to make sense to leave the UK bottles at home and get some new ones in France. Do the have 5 kg bottles ? Thanks again odet

Hi everybody, my better half wants us to take the trailboat to Brittany. I got the relevant carts and all semms to be not much of a problem. Only two questions would bother me: What about emptying the elsan ? Have they got the same gas bottles, and what to do if not ? Thanks for your help odet

Hi everybody, does anyone know where I can download that app? Just got my tab yesterday, so im still a bit new to it. odet

Hi, being German myself, although not living there anymore since 10 years, I have toyed with the idea of spending a boating holiday in Mecklenburg. After doing some research I scrapped the idea fairly quick. While you are fairly free what to do on English canals or on Irish waters ( as long as you use your brain and dont annoy peolpe that is ), everything seems to be regulated in Germany. Just a few examples: There are designated moorings only, where you are charges between 10 to 30 € / night. There are regualr controll by the Wasserschutzpolizei (river police) which might well turn your boat upside down. I was just recently shown a video where they searched a holiday boat for 45 minutes. When the couldnt find anything they fined the steerer 10 € for not having tied his glasses to his head.............. Even so it is an extremly busy with potentially very long waiting times at looks. In case you dont have a licence, you are very restricted where to go. See: [url=]http://www.cruisegermany.com/boat-holidays.htm[/url] This puts the most interesting destinations like Berlin and the Spreewald out of bounds. Ability wise I wouldnt worry too much. Also there are hardly any canals in Mecklenburg. Its basiclly a network of smaller and medium rivers connected by rather short lock cuts. The Müritz is the only bigger lake, which without a licence you are only allowed to cross in a marked channel. All the locks are manned. Regards odet

They seem to be reasonably priced. Do they also supply the extension leads ?

Thanks for the advice, guess I will stay away from diesel then. Does anybody know how much Petrol I am allowed to have on board in suitable cans at any one time ? Regards odet