magpie patrick

Saul charge £3 for elsan. you'd be nuts to go in just for water given, if you've come from Gloucester you have to pass the marina, U turn, make a sharp right into the Stroudwater Canal, then a sharp right into the marina and either "borrow" someone's pier or sharp left to the quay. I suspect, if you've parted with £60 on diesel then they wouldn't worry about Elsan and Water

I don't know but Elsan poinst have been around a long time, the origonal Nicholsons in 1971 list their locations. I recall early hire boats where the loo was basically a bucket with a loo seat, but blue was still used. Dad usually found an elsan point although on one holiday we were off the beaten track on the air and calder and couldn't. I think it was part of the move to get rid of sea toilets from canals

I agree too, and as money gets tighter I think we'll increasingly find these things closed when they fail, and not reopening.

In which case, that's removed another allegation. You may recall that I commented that I wish you had to get it through a committee and and AGM, as I have to when saying anything of substance about the Coal Canal I can see where your coming from, I hope new boaters at least take on the spirit of it. I find myself continuously in two camps (especially on this website) between those who know an awful lot and thus really can form a judgement on every situation as they arise, and the need for generic guidance for those who do not have the skills and experience to make such judgements (the closing gates at locks one is an obvious candidate, you can't expect a newbie to judge whether the gates at the other end leak badly enough to justify closing the exit gates, so the rule has to be always close them). The problem is experienced boaters, those who are considerate will find such advice patronising, those who aren't won't read it, but as you say it's not aimed at experienced boaters

If it is not true then the statements made against you regarding this incident are withdrawn. However what I won't withdraw is that many of us (yes, including me) who regard ourselves as considerate boaters and also pretty competent ones think your considerate boater website is self important clap-trap

I'm a bit at a loss as to why anyone from a third party would have knowledge of a lease between Canalchef and BW, or at least, have enough knowledge to be so sure of their ground. He didn't, he thought he knew and was big headed enough to assume he was right.

I would echo that sentiment. "Considerate Boater" is one person acting as self appointed "this is how all you oiks should behave" officer. When "considerate boater" has to get everything past a committee and an AGM (as I do as chairman of a canal society) "considerate boater" can be regarded as legit, until it's one man and his opinion, and he feels self important enough to make proclamations on his opinion, and not just on a forum.

I agree with the rest of your post, but not the highlighted bit. They were not lucky, they were well prepared, and if some dunce in a narrow boat with adequate power (i.e. not Ripple) tries to cross the channel in all probability they will succeed, it's just the odds of failure are rather higher than I like given in the worst case scenario it's an eleven mile swim to shore. TD, for dramatic effect, exaggerates the danger, at one point Mon complains she'd heard the boat could have been snapped in half like a cigar tube. Given that all-steel narrow boats hang up on cills and the worst that happens is a bent rudder skeg this simply isn't true. I liked it, but I found ND to Indian River more difficult, even though, curiously, I've cruised the intra coastal but not the canals of france. We also met them, and found them likeable. That said, if we go it's either a trailable or a Dutch barge bought over there edited to emphasis all-steel, narrow boats that are all steel not every steel narrow boat

Some twit has converted to metric and back again, and got it wrong. What they mean is "narrow" On narrow canals they don't really need to give a maximum beam, but on broad ones it is necessary, very few moorings on the Gloucester and Sharpness for example are suitable for boats 32 feet wide even though they can navigate it.

Okay, I'd better be buying the pints mean prizes then hadn't I

hmmm, judging by the third picture perhaps I could stand to lose a few pounds