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philandiz

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  • Occupation
    Youth Offending Team worker
  • Boat Name
    Niggling Nixie
  • Boat Location
    York...for now!

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  1. So sorry to hear about your bad experience....slightly off topic but on topic..... We had a hull survey of our 25 year old 70' widebeam Springer done recently. Surveyor thinks she built with 6 ml steel. She averaged 5.1ml...... I can live with 0.9ml loss over 25 years thanks. Springers have a bad reputation that isn't always justified. My boat proves that.
  2. Hello everyone. Ok. To straighten things up. Like i wrote, I was calmly assessing my next move when they turned up. Droppin our 60Lb anchor was going to be a last move but I was prepared to do it....maybe if I had swam ashore with a line to realise that it was not possible to secure the boat. Of course if the boaters had declined to help as it would have been placing themselves in danger then...but that section of the Calder is very wide and not menacing at all. You could easily turn an 80´ there let alone a 42 footer. What really amazed me is that the next 2 boats arrived 5 minutes apart. From where we were it is just over an hours cruise to the next lock (Castleford). 20 minutes later the first of the two boats arrived from downstream. In other words, they passed one another. Trevor, the guy that gave us a tow, definately remembered passing them although the cuiser couldn´t recall. Neither were told of our situation by any other boaters. They didnt stop because they didnt have time, not for any other reason......... And thanks for the photos, Yes it looks like it was the bend in the first picture picture....After the disused railway bridge. The water looked about two foot deep off the starboard side which is what I was considering getting into to secure a rope. As for the anchor, trust me had we begun to drift I would have dropped it immediately. It is interesting there is so much response to my post. For the record, I would always try my best to offer help to anyone in a similar situation....even those on the boat in question. If I couldn´t help, I would do something to reassure the crew (genuinly mind) that I would go straight off to get help. Not sure the name of the place but downstream abolut 10 minutes away are loads of boats moored up. I would bet a fiver that if I were to drive down there and ask, not one of them was told about us last Saturday ( and lots of people were out on their decks!) And I cant reply straight away due to lack of internet access...sometimes not on line for days!!
  3. I would just like to share with you all something that happened last Saturday. Having left Dry Dock in Thorne (Stanilands, very nice people), we were making the journey home to our mooring at Stanley Ferry. On the Calder we broke down and had to cut the engine on the river,due to overheating. Our two small kids were in life jackets but still....we managed to drift to a side of the river where we could tie our boat to a tree. We then remained there for about an hour while I made repairs.... Eventually we set off again, knowing that we would be off the river in less than half a mile. We continued for about 5 minutes, got about 100 metres up stream of a bridge with arches, when the problem returned. This time we headed for a tree on the outside bend of the river. Unfortunately, this was a mistake as the tree was too spindly to tie a rope to which would adequately hold our 70 X 12 foot home. So, my girlfriend held a thin branch at the front of the boat, while I held a branch at the back of the boat. It was a very scarey situation to be in, more so as our 22 month baby and 5r year old was on board plus our two dogs. The engine had effectively blown and seized! Like I say we are on the outside bend of a river, upstream of a large bridge with arches. We decided to remain holding on and stay calm while I decided the next move... I was about to jump in to the water with a rope to clamber ashore and somehow secure the boat, when another boat came downstream. Saved we thought...Phew! I was very pleased when I realised it was a couple that I had spoken to at Stanley ferry, they had even been on my boat to look at our d.i.y conversion and I thought they were very friendly. We shouted to them that we had broken down and asked them if they could possibly help us with a tow to the next lock (a third of a mile upstream) to get secure on the moring landing(clinging to spindly branches dont forget).. The guy cruising looked at me and shrugged his shoulders without slowing down, he then cut his revs and then had a conversation with another man by the tiller. They both looked at their watches and one said to the other" we won´t make it if we do.....we can´t". They then looked straight ahead and increased the revs. We were gob smacked. I shouted that we were really in a bad situation. Once they cleared the bridge one shouted back that they would "send someone to help us". 10 minutes later a small river cruiser came upstream. It only had a 9 HP outboard and couldnt possibly tow us but they saw our situation and sped off around the corner to get help from those at the moorings at fairies lock. Then a red narrow boat came upstream. The owner (Trevor) didnt hesitate and immediately offered to help and tow us to safety. As he did so the cruiser sped back saying a boat was in the lock on its way down. As we came around the bend a number of people were by the lock, and a boat was about to come out...on its way to help us. We thanked them all and continued to the next lock where Trevor safely moored up and helped us securely tie our home. The whole thing was very scarey. Both the owners of the cruiser and Trevor told me that nobody in the boat they passed even mentioned we were in trouble upstream ( maybe as they were ashamed that they didnt stop to help themselves?).... So to the owners of that boat, I would just like to say that what you did was inexcusable. You know we have two small children and still refused to help us because you were in a rush! I really hope you dont find yourselves ina similar situation...ever. Really needing help to get out of a dangerous situation, only to be ignored!!! And to the owners of the river cruiser, Trevor and those at Fairies lock that all jumped to our aide, THANK YOU VERY MUCH. It was so reassuring to get that help having just been ignored. Yes, I am hoping to name and shame by posting this. Everyone I have told about it thinks it was a disgusting thing to do and have urged me to write this post.
  4. You could try calling Phil at B and B Auto marine in York. I dont have the number to hand. Do a goodle search for them. Phil was telling me that his friend is about to open a small marina north of Linton lock..Not sure name. Naburn Marina has new owner apparently.....very expensive now.
  5. Ray Bowers(?) at Streehay Wharf...Very nice guy with a great attitude.Was very willing to move our 70' X 12' from york to Bristol and then Hull to Manchester Ship Canal (not that we did either but he gave us competitive quotes for each journey). Look him up on Google. Good Luck..
  6. We took the plunge and got a rather large boat without a mooring....I know 2 people that are moored down near Deptford, been there about 7 years with very little problem!
  7. I think i read on a different thread that someone had a plastic Coke bottle put down their stack while it was lit. It didnt have petrol in it though...just caused a horible mess/smell. Chicken wire mesh over the top of stack could stop this from happening.....
  8. Is there minimum size requirement to the name of your boat. I have been told that the index no. and name must be visible, but what size name can we get away with? thanks...
  9. Jim Shead offers good advice. Just find his site on Google search engine..
  10. sorry for the delay...just a little out of our way........
  11. Anyone know of a large dry dock on the Aire and Calder? Needs to be able to take a 70' by 12'. Hoping to avoid going to Goole if possible Thanks
  12. I was just adding my tuppence to the prospect of getting involved in this day and age....and no, not through watching westerns, rather working in M.A.G.S (Manchesters Anti Gang Strategy) and the Trafford Youth Offending Team - dealing with "kids" shooting at each other on a weekly basis! Ps. sent you a message about the genie...waiting on a call.
  13. Interesting thread. Last year i confronted a youth for throwing an empty bottle of water at my feet when i was stood next to a bin. This was 10.30 on a Sunday morning, i was with my two children and girlfriend. I actually work in a youth Justice Team and tend not to be intimidated by youths/hoods etc. However, the situation escalated rather fast...he got on the phone to his "posse", we had to leave the area...FAST, and then spent the next two weeks dodging this idiot and his mates who kept prowling the streets looking for me. This happened in Hulme. I found out through other people on the estate that of all the people i confronted, it was "junior" a 19 year old gun totting bad boy that had been delivering deals of smack and crack on his mountain bike since the age of 9 and is now one of the most feared/violent people in Hulme! Needless to say, i learned a valuable lesson that morning...The kids these days (and many adults) don't give a XXXX and are just looking for an excuse to release some of that pent up frustration they carry around.... We totally left the area as a result of that episode.... My advice....phone the police everytime....Let them deal with it!!!
  14. fancy naming your gin palace after a yeast infection! Oh..i seen that Hairy already picked up on that one....
  15. its 70´by 12´. Not going to take it over for a while, i imagine either put it on a low loader then truck ferry to Zeebruge....
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