Jump to content

BrumBargee

Member
  • Posts

    40
  • Joined

  • Last visited

  • Days Won

    2

Everything posted by BrumBargee

  1. I wonder if people complained as much about this era of blue and white signs? 😄
  2. This post cannot be displayed because it is in a forum which requires at least 10 posts to view.
  3. If it was reasonably evident that they were committing (or attempting to commit) a crime, it's always been my understanding that you can use reasonable force to detain them until police arrive. As you suggested the 'knocking out' is the grey area. Hitting someone hard enough in the head to render them unconscious is not an insignificant amount of force and could result in much worse. For example, if you hit someone over the head who then tumbles unconscious into the cut and drowns because you can't lift them out, you're almost certainly going to be tried for manslaughter. It's then very difficult to prove that you acted entirely in self-defence, especially if this happened on a dark towpath with no CCTV or witnesses to back you up.
  4. There's a very fine line between that and killing someone (genuinely). I personally wouldn't take that risk unless my life was in immediate danger.
  5. The thing to consider with escalating a confrontation (which is what pulling out a weapon does) is what comes next? A boat is relatively immobile. It's not like a van where you can be 20 miles away within a matter of minutes. If you pull out a weapon to scare someone off, who's to say they won't come back in half an hour with 5 others? It's all situational but as much as it might feel counterintuitive, the best option is almost always to deter and de-escalate. In reference to OPs point, I have a locker just inside the stern door where I keep all my mooring pins, chains etc. and a machete for clearing vegetation. I would assume this would provide a good source of scary pieces of metal if it ever came to it.
  6. Fair enough, but I can recall at least 2 times recently where I have been really stuck. Once getting iced in on the K&A and all the water points being turned off at the stop cock (we fought through 2 hours worth of ice only to have to turn round and go back with no water) and once on the River Nene where conditions meant we were stuck on a pontoon for weeks on end.
  7. Has anyone had any experience with these setups? I've been following https://waterfreedom.co.uk/ online for about a year now and they seem to be doing good business amongst the liveaboard community. Not sure exactly what the installation cost is but the filters are cheap and it seems like it could be worth it, especially when cruising waterways with sparse facilities.
  8. I read the TNC account of doing it in 2004 and was very impressed! I wonder if anyone has managed it in the last 5 years or so? Was there much of a window for the tide?
  9. Having walked the Dee Branch today and taken a stroll over to the weir to look at the state of the water gate, it seems things aren't looking up in Chester for the link between the SUC and the river. The water gate is now completely obstructed by a boom (installed by United Utilities?) and full of debris. The branch is equally full of debris, currently obstructed by a (temporary?) CRT barrier to stem water loss from the stretch above. Even worse is the exit on to the River Dee from the lock, as the trees have taken hold to such a degree that it looks like even a narrowboat would struggle to squeeze through the gap. I know in recent times the River Dee has seen very few craft navigating between the river and the SUC, but it seems such a shame to see it going downhill again. Looking at the navigation notes, it looks possible to safely (albeit with the right precautions) navigate out of the SUC and go as far as Connah's Quay going downstream or if you want to brave the weir, explore the non-tidal Dee going upstream (which, incidentally, is a fantastic stretch of water). Does anyone have any local knowledge of this stretch or any up to date information? Last I heard was a feasibility study for a boat lock in the weir had been proposed/conducted but nothing more had come of it since. It would be really interesting to know if any progress is being made because it looks like this is another navigation link that could disappear in the next year or so.
  10. This post cannot be displayed because it is in a forum which requires at least 10 posts to view.
  11. This post cannot be displayed because it is in a forum which requires at least 10 posts to view.
  12. This post cannot be displayed because it is in a forum which requires at least 10 posts to view.
  13. This post cannot be displayed because it is in a forum which requires at least 10 posts to view.
  14. This post cannot be displayed because it is in a forum which requires at least 10 posts to view.
  15. I'm not sure about Webasto specifically as I've always had an Eber, but if it shuts down within 1-3 minutes of starting it's most likely either failing to light or overheating due to lack of circulation. Obviously there are a few different potential causes for both of those issues but a good starting point is checking for any blockages/air locks in the plumbing and ensuring a good supply of fuel.
  16. I think I've finally spotted one of these new-fangled blue and white signs everyone has been talking about 😀
  17. This post cannot be displayed because it is in a forum which requires at least 10 posts to view.
  18. This post cannot be displayed because it is in a forum which requires at least 10 posts to view.
  19. This post cannot be displayed because it is in a forum which requires at least 10 posts to view.
  20. This post cannot be displayed because it is in a forum which requires at least 10 posts to view.
  21. This post cannot be displayed because it is in a forum which requires at least 10 posts to view.
  22. This post cannot be displayed because it is in a forum which requires at least 10 posts to view.
  23. Liverpool has some amazing independent pubs, bars and restaurants but you won't find any of them around the waterfront unfortunately (those spots seem to be reserved for the big chains). If it's the kind of thing you're after, the area between Bold St and Duke St is not a bad starting place. There is also a growing scene along Jamaica St. starting where the Cains Brewery used to be.
  24. I've lived aboard full time for nearly 5 years now. For the first few years, I had to stay in one place for work and so paid for permanent moorings. I've since changed jobs primarily to enable me to work remotely and enable CC'ing. I've already gone as far North as Liverpool, East to Peterborough and South to Devizes all while working from the boat. If I have to travel to an office, I jump on the train. I know it's easy for me to say but this is what I consider 'Continuous Cruising', ie bona fide cruising the system and moving around the country, not endlessly circling the same town. If you need to stay in one area then by definition you can't cruise continuously. Really, you need to decide whether the elements of your lifestyle that are keeping you in one place are more important than your desire to live on a boat without a home mooring. My previous job was tying me to one area, so I left it and found a different one. I support most of what the NBTA do because they're one of the few organisations that genuinely recognise the value of having people living on the waterways. What I don't agree with is people who really need a permanent mooring abusing the system, but they are a very small minority compared to the 10,000s boats on the system.
  25. Like most voluntary codes, the people that read it will be the ones that already follow it. The people that need to read it won't bother.
×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

We have placed cookies on your device to help make this website better. You can adjust your cookie settings, otherwise we'll assume you're okay to continue.