NBDensie

There is an excellent Kerala Indian, the Kayal, in Granby Street near the Railway Station. You may need to book.

We have moored on the opposite side to Castle Gardens, a bit further upstream, in the past without any problems, just a longer walk to the city centre

My understanding is that BWs original intention was to insist that all boats had a home mooring. At that time however a small number of people were genuinely CCing across the system. The CC bits in the legislation arent there to impose unfair restrictions on CCers, but rather to explicitly permit CCing under controlled conditions. I think you are right that the current problems werent predicted.

Rodbaston lock now open - work finished early.

Staffordshire & Worcestershire Canal Starts At: Lock 35 Rodbaston Lock Ends At: Lock 35 Rodbaston Lock Monday 22 February 2016 08:00 until Sunday 6 March 2016 17:00 Type: Navigation Closure Reason: Maintenance

If you want to raise an issue with CRT the best route in my experience is to start off with the local Waterways Manager or enquiries.<waterway>@canalrivertrust.org.uk. They will forward your note to the relevent manager and chase them if you complain about lack of response and you can take things from there. With the centralisation of almost everything it helps to start off with getting someone inside seeing things your way.

I like to use a technique similar to this. Coast in towards the bank at angle of say 60 degrees. Just after the Mrs starts shouting and just before the bow hits the bank turn the tiller by perhaps 60 degrees and apply a quick blip from the engine. WIth a bit of luck the boat turns to end up alongside the landing where only a little bit of reverse brings it to a halt. If it's timed right it feels great and looks impressive. However get it wrong and you hit the bank or you turn early and end up stopped three feet into the canal.

When the rubber seal on my Isuzu 35 radiator cap split I took the cap round to a specialist car parts guy who thought he had one similar. After a bit of searching he came back with one which has worked fine for the past few years- apparently it was specified for a 1970's Vauxhall Royale!

I wouldnt be too paranoid about diesel bug or about diesel quality in general. We have never had diesel bug in some 10 years boating, no-one I know has ever mentioned having it. One boatyard mechanic I talked to said he had only seen it once in perhaps 30 years. Our diesel comes from mainstream marinas and boatyards we happen to be passing. There has never been any evidence that it wasnt of the appropriate quality. The fuel filters have always been found to be clean when changed and the agglomerator separates virtually no water. We have never added anything to our fuel tank. So just take sensible precautions. Make sure your fuel cap has a decent seal and the tank appears to be in good condition. Fill up with fuel if you arent going to use the boat for a few months.. Avoid filling up anywhere that looks run down or amateurish.

I would highly recommend the Cumin Indian restaurant on Maid Marion Way. Its seriously good, not your normal Vindaloo/korma establishment. You will probably need to book. Something completely different - the caves accessible from Broadmarsh shopping centre are well worth a visit. The Trip To Jerusalem shouldnt be missed - with excellent beer and food. I had expected it to be a touristy rip-off place, it's not. It does get busy though.

I agree with you - taking an unpowered boat into a tunnel is insanely stupid. That is why the issue was raised. As far as I know no-one is saying that joint use is possible. The point is that until recently it seems no-one was aware that the problem existed and had existed for a long time. Did you know that unpowered boats were allowed in medium length tunnels? I certainly didnt.

What are you on about??? At present canoeists etc do have the right to enter certain tunnels whenever they want and as far as I know always have had that right. This is not well known to the general boating community and there are no warnings. Boaters are unlikely to be able to see a canoeist in a tunnel. Dont you think some changes should be made? Or are you proposing that boaters should only be allowed in tunnels once a CRT official has declared the tunnel empty?

The right of canoeists to travel through some tunnels and the obvious danger particularly with crooked tunnels is a known issue - our local IWA raised it a few months ago with CRT who are reviewing the matter. I believe neither CRT staff nor the canoeist's organisation were aware of the situation and I understand the latter expressed no wish to preserve this right. I also think that changes to the signs to warn boaters that canoes could be present is a short term measure until a decision is made.

Why would it exclude a mifi device? Will your service provider have the capacity for catch-up TV to work without excessive buffering?

mmm... Odiham/Greywell Godstone Lechlade Wendover Arm Llangollen Wicken Fen Cambridge Great Northern Basin Bugsworth Whaley Bridge Ashby though not the latest "end". Liverpool Docks Caldon (before the tunnel was opened) Montgomery before the end was moved Market Harborough Does Black Country Museum count? Paddington Welford Ellesmere Port Weaver/Runcorn Stourbridge sorry forgot Sharpness ... and Ellesmere Port and Tewitfield by car!

My non scientific observation is that there has been a significant change in the market for new boats. In the old days they were largely built for people with money and an interest in traditional boats and boating. Now many boats are bought as floating homes often for a downsizing life in a marina. So very non traditional widebeams seem to have been selling well rather than boats designed with a nod to history. Has the bespoke boat building industry kept up with this change?

Since moving to LED lights perhaps 3 years ago we have had some problems with flickering lights and switches not working. I have found by replacing the switches and examining the bad ones with a resistance meter that this is due bad contacts in the light switches. I guess its due to the low current as suggested and a damp atmosphere. Rather than replacing switches, it is possible to dismantle them and clean the contacts.

You are not helping your case by your wild attacks on CRT and all its works. Is hiring a boat any more expensive now than it was with BW? Wouldnt it be better to put down some actual numbers and discuss the issues rationally?

I suspect most boaters havent "got it". Boaters dont pay a huge portion of C&RT's income, not huge as a % of C&RTs needs. Boaters would simply not be prepared to pay a "fair" rate for what they get. That is why C&RT must get major income from elsewhere. That can only come from the general public either pay directly or, with their support, on their behalf. For example by government grants, lottery funding , corporate donations, legacies etc etc. Boaters are already convinced that the canals are worth saving and are prepared to pay some of the costs. But for C&RT to succeed it must get a strong body of support from the general public, and it wont get it if boating is seen as a subsidised privilege for the few. That is why to my mind C&RT must focus its message on those areas most likely to get mass support. Boaters already get what they want simply from the fact that C&RT is ensuring that the canals are staying open.

Ha ha. Sorry - meant Atherstone!!!

Tamworth - mooring near Bonehill bridge with a wlk to a large shopping complex with a Sainsburys if that's what you want. Also good moorings at Fazeley Junction though they are in a rather uninteresting part of town. Atherton is a good place to stop. Lots of moorings, pubs, useful shops and a pleasant little town. Hopwas - I prefer the Red lion on the non-towpath side to the Tame Otter opposite. No shops. Good moorings at Polesworth Avoid Nuneaton though there is a rather attractive mooring opportunity near bridge 16 between the end of Nuneaton and Marston Junction. Nothing there except a few trees and a lot of songbirds. On the Ashby itself there are some pleasant villages with pubs a short walk from the canal but none have any shops. There is shopping at Hinkley and Market Bosworth but both involve a mile walk.

We use distilled vinegar. Empty the toilet bowl as far as your system allows it and put in a cupfull of vinegar. Leave to stand for say 15-30mins. Give the bowl a good scrub and then flush once. Bleach must not be used as it could destroy the seals in the system.

On policy issues the problem is that each rank and file member will want something different. It is only by discussing, testing and consolidating views through organisations that a coherent proposal with some measure of widespread support will emerge. If you represent an organisation and wish to work jointly with C&RT my experience has been the local Region, and in particular its manager, will be more than happy to talk to you. Under the latest reorganisation the Regions have been specifically charged with this type of activity. On more mundane matters such as a particular stretch of canal needing dredging or vegetation obstructing sight-lines a simple email to the local Region manager should work. My local Region has an email address for the purpose.

I agree that this is a possible future. But it wont be averted just by boaters shouting that they dont want it to happen. It can only be avoided if a much larger community of people see that the preservation of the connected waterway is in their interests as well.

The Trustees are a legal body required by C&RT being recognised as a charity. They have an ongoing management and oversight role as described on the goverment website here. I dont know what specifically they have discussed in the past year as I havent studied the minutes - they are available on the C&RT website. As I understand it the Partnership is the means by which C&RT major activities and plans in each region are reviewed by people outside C&RT. Again minutes are available if you are interested. All these bodies are relatively new and will take some time for them and the C&RT processes involving them to get fully established. Suggest that people put a little effort into reading the documentation put out by C&RT and even get involved. The annual report should be required reading by all active boaters. There is no point in standing on the outside moaning and thowing bricks into the middle.