MrsM

Welcome to the OP. If you are very new to boating I suspect a Helmsman course might help build your confidence. We didn't do one when we bought because we had both a bit of experience before (me a little, husband a lot). Otherwise I definitely would have. Keep in mind that all boats handle differently and can be affected by conditions in different ways - water depth, wind etc. I'm going to be very honest (and open myself up to a fair bit of banter) and say that it is only this year (3rd season, 1000 hours in) that I have felt properly confident handling my boat. Previously I've had to concentrate really hard - a bit like when you are learning to drive a car. Now it feels much more second nature. Don't worry about having to be an expert overnight. People are generally very helpful and forgiving. Go for it - and hopefully you will love it as much as we do.

If his house adjoins the towpath then how can it be private mooring (aka an end of garden mooring)? Think he's trying it on.

And the open bin with the missing lid which I was moored right next to (pretty much opposite my sidehatch).

But then you are getting into the ethical minefield of censorship and placing an onerous responsibility on the mods. Worst cases of potential unpleasantness often get ironed out as the threads develop :- OP realises that the contributor is trying to help and learns not to take matters too personally. A good example of possible meaness is some of the posts directed at LadyG (as mentioned in another thread). She more than many has the right to go off in a great big huff but instead she takes on board the help she is offered and is an active contributor herself - being quick to acknowledge when her advice might not be entirely accurate. I so admire that attitude - you can try knock someone down but they bounce back with grace and humour. I value the forum for all its characters, teachers and pupils.

Absolutely! Same with WhatsApp - just a steam of verbal diarrhoea!

I am in my 3rd summer as a boater (so still very new) and I agree that the nature of exchanges on the forum can be a bit off-putting at first. However I also agree that the quality of advice is second to none and the tone generally quickly becomes more amusing than unpleasant. I always recommend the forum to new boaters I meet, with a caveat not to be put off by the bickering. The opportunity to learn from experienced and knowledgeable individuals more than makes up for it in my opinion. People can be just as nasty to each other , if not more so, on the one FB narrowboat group I sometimes check in to.

I fear you may well be right.

What does it mean (to save the rest of us having to Google it too)? 🤔

I completely understand and accept that we are never going to be far from rats on the waterways and that leptospirosis is a risk associated with that. What has made me cross, however, is the state of the bins on the pontoon - 1 with a rat-sized hole in it and 1 without a lid. These provide for easy pickings for the resident rat population and should be maintained better. I have heard back from CRT that the issue will be looked into. Please can anyone mooring there for the rest of the season report back? I'm quite happy to badger CRT until something is done to improve the situation.

Good idea. Think I will drop them a line.

We overnighted here again last week as I needed to get the dog out of the heat and under the shade of a tree asap. Like last time we visited, the park and mooring were crawling with rats - bold as brass strolling round in daylight. I was woken by 2 of them thrashing around trying to get out of a lidless wheelie bin next to the boat. I reported this to CRT with accompanying photos as evidence. They seemed somewhat surprised. This mooring is notorious for rats and I can't believe it hasn't been reported numerous times. One of the other bins had a rat-sized hole towards the bottom. I don't mind rats if they keep their distance but not right next to my boat. Had visions of them coming on board in the night (had to keep windows open due to the heat). Is it unreasonable to suggest that CRT should be managing this visitor mooring better?

I have just tried a new app called Litphoto. It seems to work.

We passed with absolutely no trouble in our NB 2 days ago (heading towards Trent Lock). A WB had also just got through though I expect it had more difficulty. I took some photos but can't remember how to minimise them for posting.

Is that a flood level app you are using? It looks very helpful.

I expect the carbon footprint of your boat, even using coal, will be so much lower than most houses. Wonder if anyone has done the sums? Horrid to think of winter already (using my first hot water bottle of the season). X

Exactly the same with us. I'm rather dreading a cold winter in our Victorian house - much harder to stay cosy than in our boat with 3 radiators and a cracking little logburner.

Thank goodness you came along and identified him as a soul in need. A woman walked past our boat on the Soar 2 days ago and she lingered. In the course of a short conversation she divulged that she was widowed last December and that life was a daily torture that she could see no clear path through. It was very difficult and my heart absolutely went out to her. Depression is a terrible illness that I expect has touched most families in some way. I wasn't able to help in the same way that you helped the young man but maybe sharing words with a stranger is a small comfort. Makes you feel rather helpless.

Not to mention stepping off onto wet and slippy lock landings and tow paths. At least you can lean on a steel boat for support but I expect a GRP wouldn't be much help.

Last week we passed a winding point that was only marked in metres! I think it was on the GU Leicester section. I didn't know off the top of my head how long my 58' boat is in metres and so wouldn't have known if I could use it. Thought it was v odd to have the sign in metres only.

I do and so will many other sewists.