Dodgy Dave

hi guys & girls, signed and good luck.. we live in worrying times...what with this plus the Great Moorings Auction.. right now everyone on my mooring is praying that no-one leaves in the next 12 months as we know the minute one of the 20 berths is vacated and auctioned we can expect our £1961/annum fee to sky rocket... even though our moorings are officially BW Residential and they are'nt supposed to be including residential berths in the' experiment', we're sure they'll find a 6'10" wide loophole somewhere... regards Dodgy Dave of Ocker Hill "...we're all alone on the stage, tonight..." - Kate Bush

we at ocker hill have got to know ralph and margeret quite well and in the 3 years since i bought my boat have been so friendly and helpfull to me as a relative novice.. one of my neighbours on the mooring had a chat with ralph last week and it seems that the only real money is in the dry dock and related facilities i.e. shot-blasting, blacking.. he makes virtually nothing on calor gas or diesel... and i've always found him cheaper on diesel than say lyons or alvechurch on trips south... and way cheaper than up here on the llangollen where i'm cruising at the mo... in my eyes, ralph's a good egg who's in it for the love of working around boats and not your typical boatyard business... caggy's is more a community boatyard then a commercial one.. just the way i see it.. on the building work, it's a road diversion they're putting in, not an actual building... margerets got to sell her greenhouse and the hardstandings have to be cleared in order for owen street to be diverted under the railway... i think it will survive for now but i wonder for how long when ralph finally hangs up his welding mask... best regards Dodgy Dave of Ocker Hill "...the chances of anything coming from Mars are a million to one, he said..."

evening boys and girls, made it onto the llangollen...!! ;-) nice few days cruising up here and only prob so far was having a throttle cable break on me at lunchtime today.. fortunately i always cruise with spare everything so soon sorted and now moored up at ellesmere this lovely evening... diesel prices up here are way higher than i've seen anywhere else for a long time... 58p at swanley marina and 60p at Viking Afloat at Whitchurch.. best regards Dodgy Dave of Ocker Hill "...the chances of anything coming from Mars are a million to one, he said..."

hi stuart, it's a worry.. if things go the way we Black Country-based boaters think they are going, pretty soon there will be no boatyard services available anywhere on the BCN from the bottom of the Wolverhampton 21 to the other side of Birmingham at Kings Norton Junction... Caggy's yard at Tipton loses some of it's hardstanding later this year when work starts on diverting the main road under the railway line in order to close the level crossing completely.. the yard has been under constant threat and we're worried that it's just a matter of time once this work starts.. if worse comes to the worse we'll lose the only covered dry-dock in the area.. we reckon Sherborne Wharf in the city centre may also be on borrowed time as ever more developments spring up around it in the form of luxury apartments and prestige office blocks... the land it stands on has just got to be multiplying in value and sooner or later someone somewhere is going to cash it in... best regards Dodgy Dave of Ocker Hill "...i knew your father...he was a Jedi too..."

evening all, on the way out of Market Drayton this morning i passed Orwells Boatyard at Victoria Wharf (Bridge 65).. (it's not shown on my Nicholsons)... they were showing diesel at 42.9 and pump-out at £15... i'm safely tied up at Audlem now and off for a well earned good nights sleep.. so long as the bottom of the boat doesnt keep grinding against the bloody Shroppie Shelf every time i turn over..! ;-/ best regards Dodgy Dave of Ocker Hill "...i knew your father...he was a Jedi too..."

hi stuart Oldbury Boat Services ceased trading on the 28th Feb and vacated the site on 30th March this year.. i don't what or why they shut up shop.. that's all the info i've got... companies house website is closed at the mo so i can't check to see how the company was dissolved or wound up.. that would give a clue as to what happened eg voluntarily or by creditors best regards Dodgy Dave of Ocker Hill "...i knew your father...he was a Jedi too..."

hi guys and girls, just thought i'd post this in case it's useful info to anyone else who's out cruising at the mo.. i passed Turners Garage at Wheaton Aston Bridge 19 on the shroppie this morning and their diesel price is 41.5p per litre... they don't take credit cards but they do take debit cards eg. Switch.. unfortunately i'd already filled up yesterday at Caggy's on the BCN in Tipton.. 50p a litre..!! i'm on my way upto Llangollen so if i see anymore on the way i'll post them too... best regards Dodgy Dave of Ocker Hill "...i knew your father.. he was a Jedi too..."

evenin' all don't get me started on council tax and the services we (dont) get for them.. here at Ocker Hill Residential moorings we are under the cosh of Sandwell Metropolitan Borough Council.. this council has one of the lowest collection rates for CT in the country... so those they can nail, they nail hard.. including us boaters... we all pay band A which this year is around £858... what gets me is that we don't get the full benefit that we pay for.. one example is rubbish collection: whilst the postal address for the moorings is Bankfield Road, the site is quite large and actually split in 2 (with no through towpath access) by Bayleys Lane bridge... my berth is on the Bayleys Lane side however the council will not collect rubbish from my side of the moorings, even though i pay my wack.. stupid thing is they still have to drive up to the bridge to collect from the houses on Bayleys Lane.. it's 5-10 mins walk round trip through 3 sets of security gates to put my bin bags out on Bankfield Rd.. so all my rubbish goes into the big BW skip in the work yard... another point is their attitude to refunding tax paid whilst you are away from your moorings cruising.. legally a mooring is only liable to council tax whilst a boat is moored on it... so a few years back one of the old timers on the mooring used to regularly put in for and receive refunds for time away.. when i tried it last year i got a snotty letter stating that my 'absence was considered temporary and we assume you paid nothing to the authorities through whose areas you were travelling'... don't get me wrong.. we all agree we should pay something.. if my boat was broken into, vandalised or caught fire i'd want the police or fire brigade to come out so i don't mind paying for that.. i don't mind paying for schools (even though i'm young free & single with no kids) because hopefully some of the local chavs will get just enough education to become useful taxpaying members of society.. and i don't mind paying for old folks to be looked after and taken care of because after all they fought 2 world wars for our way of life.. but some of the other PC crap they waste money on..no way..!! well that's my band 'A' tuppence worth.. best regards Dodgy Dave of Ocker Hill "I might be dead, but i'm still pretty" - Buffy the Vampire Slayer

hi richard, we very rarely have any hassle with the natives as we're mostly pretty native ourselves... of course it helps that i look like a gangster rapper or night club bouncer on a day off.. plus when we group cruise as the 'Ocker Hill Mob' we've usually got 2 large german shepherds in tow... all it really takes is 'Alright lads, how's it goin' and that's usually enough to disarm them and keep things sweet... but being at the bottom of the Ryders 8 flight does mean any trip has to be planned with military precision as one or more pounds are usually drained... but no, very rarely do we get any trouble on the move.. i've only been bricked once in my 3 years of boating, and it was a cheap shot from a bridge on the Tame Valley..i stopped the boat dead, put my hoodie up and virtually offered out the whole of Hill Top out for a rumble..!!! p.s. Auriga is currently in British Waterways Transport colours... has been for the last couple of years ;-) best regards Dodgy Dave of Ocker Hill "I might be dead, but i'm still pretty" - Buffy the Vampire Slayer

hi richard, funny you should mention 'Auriga'... she's spent an awful lot of time on our Visitor/BW Workboat moorings near the entrance to our arm.. she's been here a good few months now but did move briefly to take part in the BCN Cleanup back in March... i don't know much about the old workboats but i did notice 'Auriga' has got chains across her hold with big versions of the threaded hook link thingy's that you use on fenders.. presumably to stop her spreading more... best regards Dodgy Dave of Ocker Hill "I might be dead, but i'm still pretty" - Buffy the Vampire Slayer

hi gillie, i'm moored at Ocker Hill in Tipton.. its off the Walsall Canal which is part of the Northern BCN.. i might be wrong (i hope i'm not) but to my knowledge, none of the BCN locks are less than 70ft.. if it's been done recently as a result of a stoppage, BW haven't told us.. while my own boat is only 45ft, i've steered, locked or followed my neighbour's 70 footer through virtually all of the main BCN locks including the Wolverhampton 21, Factory 3, Ryders Green 8, Blowers Green (deepest on the BCN), Perry Barr 13, Minworth 3 & Curdworth 11, Garrison 5 and Camp Hill 6.. and while i've only had my boat 3 years, they've been boating for 7 and 8 and i've never heard them mention any locks on the local network they couldn't get through... there's one lock on the Stratford that was rebuilt tight, but 70 footers can still squeeze through with care.. it's lock 15 on the Lapworth flight and the wording in the Nicholsons says: "Due to rebuilding, the chamber of lock 15 on the Lapworth flight is now over 2ft shorter than the other locks. Those in full-length boats should take extra care when descending" it's over 2ft shorter than the other locks.. it doesn't mean that it's 2ft shorter than 70ft... i'm just wondering if this chap or someone he knows has mis-read this and taken it literally.. either that or someone is having a laugh at this poor chap's expense.. it would be one hell of an April Fool's wind-up to trick someone into having their boat built 3ft short.. at the same time it would also be one hell of a wind up if BW were to suddenly create a 'Berlin Wall for 70 footers' across the BCN by shaving 3ft off a lock smack bang in the heart of the network.. hope this helps anyway ;-) best regards Dodgy Dave of Ocker Hill 'i might be dead, but i'm still pretty' - Buffy the Vampire Slayer

thanks daniel, i'll throw this into the mix and see what we can come up with.. the 'original' alternator had a pulley the size of 5 pence piece to keep its revs up.. but i think we're going to have to engineer (read: bodge) something different this time as it's a liveaboard boat and now has 4 service batteries, 3kW inverter and the usual 240V appliances.. thanks once again p.s. sorry folks for being slightly best regards Dodgy Dave of Ocker Hill 'Make Mine A Magners'

hi guys & girls great news that Holly has been found.. well done to everyone involved... but i guess life sure will be a little less exciting now the chase is over... i suppose i'd better sand and paint that well deck this weekend after all.. and a neighbour wants me to help him bodge an alternator installation on his Lister CE2 so that it still charges at it's rediculous 150rpm tickover..!! oh well, at least i've got a stack of firelighters for the wood stove over the next few weeks.. Holly posters i'd printed to hand out on the Coventry and the Ashby this weekend.. but i'll save one as a souveneir..!! p.s. if anyone fancies another mystery, ITV Evening News right now is following a story of a seagoing catamaran sailing yacht found abandoned.. no sign of crew.. and with dinner waiting on the table... well done again.. best regards Dodgy Dave of Ocker Hill 'Make Mine A Magners'

hi albatross, the published photos of Blue Holly were taken Malc on the cruiser on the Hatton flight on the 28th or 29th March..they were both heading down the flight towards Warwick.. the post i mentioned by Tullz says he/they spotted Blue Holly heading in the opposite direction (Rugby bound) somewhere between Hillmorton and Braunston.. Tullz didn't get a photo as they weren't aware the boat was stolen at the time.. my moneys still on the Ashby... best regards Dodgy Dave 'Make Mine A Magners'

hi malc, maybe Mr King has converted it into a U-Boat and is only coming upto periscope depth at night to snorkel and recharge his batteries? perhaps his part is being played by an Arran-sweater wearing Jurgens Prochnow in the style of the Kapitain in Das Boot? i wonder does he have German subtitles following him around? or will i need a Collins Gem German Dictionary should i spot him this weekend? LOL dODgY dAVe oF OcKer hILL 'MAKE MINE A MAGNERS'

evening guys & girls, i've got a spare weekend (where i should really be sanding and painting Ghostrider's slightly rusty well deck..!!) so i might take a ride out to Coventry and Nuneaton, maybe have a nose round Hawkesbury Junction and down towards Rugby... come to think of it, the Ashby would be nice long remote lock-free stretch to hide in.. 22 miles of it to be exact...i wonder if he's down there? reason being (if i've read it right), Tullz posted that they were going towards Foxton from Hillmorton, and that Blue Holly was facing the other way.. that would mean Holly was heading towards Rugby and Coventry.. or possibly the Ashby.. what do you guys think? best regards Dodgy Dave of Ocker Hill 'Make Mine A Magners'

hi mark, from brum i'd figure he'd have made a fast early morning lock-free run down the Worcs & Bham to Kings Norton, then left onto the North Stratford and straight out into the countryside before 10.30am, down the Lapworth flight, then across onto the GUC at Kingswood and then on down the Hatton flight into Warwick to do his laundry... it's what i'd do and could easily be done in the time frame.. if he wanted to get onto the GUC at brum, he would have had to do the Farmers Bridge 13 down from the BCN mainline, plus the Ashted and Camp Hill locks before lunch, leaving him in potentially unsafe 'bandit' country all afternoon until reaching Catherine de Barnes.. no i reckon he'd opt for the easy life down the Stratford then across the Lapworth Link at Kingswood... as i said i'm still green at single-handing, having enjoyed a having a liveaboard female crew for my first 2 and half years afloat.. so any pointers or hints would be greatly appreciated.. perhaps you could PM or email me your tricks for those pesky lift bridges when you've got a spare moment..? many thanks Dodgy Dave of Ocker Hill 'Make Mine A Magners'

evening all, the same thought crossed my mind yesterday.. even more so as i suddenly became a member of the single-handed cruising club a few weeks ago just before the Easter hols and thus has limited my cruising plans and made me a lot more conscious of route planning: Holly was seen heading up the Wolvo 21 and into Brum.. then a few days later at Hockley Heath then photo'd at Hatton.. this means he would have had to head down the Lapworth flight and across the Link onto the GU.. it also means that on the North Stratford he would have had to pass through 3 lift bridges, 2 of which (Br.26 & Br.28) are (to my knowledge) impassable single handed as they are windlass operated with the gear on the offside same as the bridge.. he would either have had to wait for another boat.. or he's got crew onboard... unless there's some Single Handed Lift Bridge Technique that this green rookie single-hander isn't aware of yet? apologies if this is so... food for thought...? best regards Dodgy Dave of Ocker Hill 'Make Mine A Magners'

morning guys, just to let you know in case you haven't seen it.. grannybuttons.com has this morning posted a reported sighting of Holly now heading towards Lincolnshire.. and the North Sea..!! don't know how concrete this one is.. but as far away from the BCN as you can get.. perhaps any eagle-eyed members moored at Brayford Pool could keep a look out? best regards Dodgy Dave of Ocker Hill 'Make Mine A Magners'

hi janet yep..that would be me.. the short dark bald one on 'Ghostrider' the tall bearded one was neil..and barking mad one was 'Nuala' ...both on 'Tiki Tour' having said that, we're pretty much all barking mad at Ocker Hill yes i remember you cos i think your hire boat was built by Hancock & Lane, same as mine.. and i was going to nick your back steps cos mine had rusted through in places.. but you'll be pleased to know i've since had em rebuilt.. nice treadplate back on topic.. and just a thought.. if Holly did indeed pass through Brum after climbing the Wolverhampton 21, then she would no doubt be caught on one of the numerous CCTV cameras that cover the canal area behind the NIA, Sealife Centre, Broad St, Gas St Basin and The Mailbox at Salvage Turn? perhaps Middlewhich Police could ask their collegues at West Mids Police for a look-see at the tapes? just to confirm which way she was heading? best regards Dodgy Dave of Ocker Hill 'make mine a magners'

hi guys, newbie here.. only just got internet on board so thought it would be a good time to join.. i'm moored at Ocker Hill on the Walsall Canal (Northern BCN) and though we've had a few overnight visitors on the moorings over the last few weeks, Holly wasn't one of them.. hire boats very rarely venture into Northern BCN territories so they tend to stand out when they do.. i also did Anglesey Basin over the Easter break and there was no sign of her up there, on the Anglesey Branch or anywhere in between.. but things may have changed since Tuesday.. if you speak to a PC Freeman at Chasetown Police, i'm sure he'll be pleased to swing by the basin and have a look for you.. we fished a safe out of the basin (un-opened!) and he was the friendly local copper who came to pick it up.. unfortunately, i took a dip overboard into Rushall Bottom Lock on the way back, phone in pocket.. so i no longer have the number.. another lesson learned.. in the meantime, me and my boaters in crime will keep a lookout when we can on our part of the BCN.. best regards Dodgy Dave of Ocker Hill 'make mine a magners'