Mac of Cygnet

Very few raw water systems in narrowboats directly cool the engine - this is asking for trouble if anything is drawn in and blocks the system. Most use a heat exchanger, usually built in when marinising the engine, but you can get them separately here and several other places, I imagine. This would probably be the most expensive part. You would also need a strainer, of course, but these are widely available. And also possibly a mud box, although I don't have one. ETA that I see that's an American site. This might be better. My goodness, they are expensive.

If it weren't for Shire Cruisers there would be very few boats moving on the Rochdale. I watched Nigel send 4 boats up Tuel Lane recently. They were the only boats through that day. I reckon about 80% of the boat movements on the canal are his boats.

I have a checklist for leaving the boat, even for a few days, which I do several times a year. Most items have been covered, except the chimney - I cover it to prevent a torrential rainstorm running down into the stove, as the chinaman's hat has been known to blow off. Also check that your automatic bilge pump float switches are working.

Also, DAK where have they gone? The ones at Ferrybridge were taken away a few years ago, and I saw at least some of them near Kellingly Colliery (last year?) and a few at Castleford, but there were none at either place when I came past last month.

He wouldn't be fighting it. He'd be going downstream. ETA that, yes 10ft of fresh would close the floodgates on the non-tidal bits anyway.

Works and never stopped for me on IE8, ISP Plusnet. But it did prompt me to have a look at who this guy Jim Shead is, who seems to have become the vade mecum of waterways info.

I always now return North by the Trent - as Chertsey said, there had to be a first time! If you're at Marple now and making for Sheffield, then there's not much in it. But have you got an anchor and lifejackets? That may sound scary, but narrowboats do it almost every day. I tend to wait for calm weather for the last of the tidal bit, as it can get a bit choppy for a short boat. Oh, and how long is your boat. I believe Thorne lock is the limiting one (although I never even think about such things! )

A few years ago at Stoke Golding we had a thunderstorm overhead (it scorched a tree nearby). I of course was adopting my usual position in these circumstances (curled up with my eyes tight shut, fingers in my ears and the curtains closed ), but we later heard that two people had been killed by lightning that day - one at the tiller of his boat, and the other lying in bed in a house. Make of that what you will.

Threatening with a gun is a much more serious offence than trespass (which is a civil matter anyway) and should be reported to the police.

With the river in flood, you may not get to Wakefield or Dewsbury by 21 Sept. Have you got the crane organised as well as the transport? Shire may be your only option - Nigel cranes his boats out (and mine) regularly and I'm sure would help, but there is no crane there - he brings one in. ETA - why is Brighouse not suitable? If Colin Richardson was asked to move Waylon, that would seem a good place for a crane-out. And I think Sagar Marine have had boats craned out.

Hey! There's no need to make it too easy just because he gave us all a good laugh. BTW, I found Allan's link absolutely fascinating. I'm going to enter my shed in the 'Shed of the Year' competition:

I like it! Try "Jim Shead"

I also like the term 'skulking-place'. I'm sure we can all recall a few canal bridges that applies to!

Eh??? So what's the point of having one? That's one of the weirdest things I've heard in the 'equipment' field.

Absolutely. Actually, I find that I get on best when I team up with a crewed boat who can fit in with my way of working wide locks - only one gate open, in and out, me first in then across, them first out pulling me across, me going ahead to set the next lock, them staying back to close up and pick up. But narrow canals I'm more grateful for meeting boats coming the other way, obviously!

When I'm pairing a crewed boat (I'm singlehanded), I try to get into the lock first, one gate open only, then push across to the other side to allow the other boat in. Leaving, the other boat leaves first (again only one gate open), and his leaving drags my front across so I can get out of the same gate. I then go ahead to set the next lock while the other boat picks up his crew. This works very slickly if the other boat gets the idea, and applies going up or down.

I think you mean the Aire & Calder, and the answer is yes (see Martin's reply above). The BW staff travel along the canal to lock the big tankers through. You gotta watch out for them, too, especially on the bends in the river and at Knottingly! Glad you liked the HNC. It is definitely a canal for the hard-core boater, although Shire Cruisers send their hire boats out round the Pennine Ring very regularly (that's not to say that the hirers aren't hard-core!)