Water Rat.
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Posts posted by Water Rat.
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We have made our first propper trip on the little boat. We left Napton last Monday afternoon and arrived at Berkhampsted on Friday evening with large celebratory G & Ts in hand gently doing the last couple of miles basking in warm sunshine. I asked folk on the way how long we might take, most said a week, so we did well and didn't feel under pressure at all - except from some odd folk, like the man who refused to go through a flight of locks with us on the grounds he could do it faster alone. What about saving water? Anyway we moored up and waited for them to get well ahead and ended up having a nice chat with a real sweetie, then went past them at a later stage! - I hid below. Life on the cut does have it's quirks - but no more than life on land. I am smitten. I am so envious to all you who live aboard now, I will be able to in a couple of years, until then I will make do when I can. One day I will be able to stick two fingers up at the crabby old git who called us 'bl**dy weekenders'.
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Thank you everyone. Begining to see the funny side of things again. Anyhow I will be off travelling on her for the week and happy away from the land folk for a while. Safe cruising all.
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I let my friend sleep over on my little tub at the week end, with her two friends, and they HATED it. Too small, no water - they switched the pump off, nowhere to put huge suitcases and guitar, etc. etc. And, good grief had I been cleaning to make it nice for them too! To make matters worse it was raining AND friends of friend took offence at the memorial on top of Napton Hill marking the bombing of coventry during the war. They were German!!! Can I do anything right ever again - from now on - NO VISITORS, unless they are boaters of course. Please say something nice to me about loving the ditch life, or am I as mad as they clearly think I am?
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You should have told him that was no way to speak to a lady.
I supose you could have countered with "If you dont like bobing up and down you could try putting it on a hard standing. Bobing up and down is what boats do!"
I thought about telling him to go and live in a caravan in a field - but thought he was going to hit me! I also thought bobbing up and down was what boats did. I like that bit...................are we back to that dating thread?
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I keep hearing about this sense of humour on the cut - but it is not always there. I am also quite new to boating and do not get out on the cut much because of work at the moment. The first time I took the boat out with my friend, I took my sons to show them the 'fun'. We had a fab day - sunshine, swans, ducks grass snakes, wonderful for my urban sons. On returning to my berth in a marina - in a tight spot, my neighbour charged out ranting and raving like a mad thing, said if you hit my boat you'll pay for the damage blah, blah, blah. Frightened me to death - in fact I have not been out since except with the wonderful Tony who took my boys on their handling course. I offered abject apologies for making his boat go up and down a bit - did NOT hit his boat. His response was how would you like me to come round to your house and make it go up and down, and F*** off. He has since gone and I have lost all confidence. I was not even steering at the time. I thought he was going to offer to help! I will have to try again. Not easy for a single woman...................where is that dating link? Good luck.
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I am thinking of moving. Little boat is on the Oxford near Banbury at the moment, but now petrol has increased in price I am thinking of moving down south nearer the house. I love the Warwickshire area (except the grumpy git who shouted at me),but would get to her more often if the drive were shorter. I would love to hear (? read) any comments on Oxford vs GU. Where are the nice areas and good pubs? Is the Aylesbury arm nice? I haven't been out and about on her very much yet so any comments gratefully received. Thanks.
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Think a bloke took my soul a long time ago so have nothing to trade with........, but think your idea mught work. I'll have a go. Thank you.
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Help please. I am trying to do up my boat a bit and I am new to boating and know nothing. I want to hang new curtains, I have the fittings that will accomdate wooden dowl, but how do I fix the fittings on to the interior panneling? I don't seem to have any batons behind at convenient places. It is an old boat and the panneling looks like a sort of laminate, so is not very thick. The original top fittings are long gone but the lower ones are still there, these seem to have a chunk of wood screwed and stuck on and then brass holdings attached to the chunk of wood. Will my fittings just screw onto the laminate stuff and hold? Or yet again will I have to 'get a bloke in to do it for me?' I would like to try to do it myself if possible. The ones I removed were plastic swish curtain rails stuck on with duct tape. I just don't know what to do. Thank you for any suggestions.
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Excuse someone a little new to the rules - but say the whole stretch of the designated area is full up and the rogue (illegal, abandoned, pikey, hooligan and immenantly combusting boat endangering whole communities) boat which has been there for weeks and weeks is in the last available space. What are you surposed to do? You can't be expected to keep moving around short term moorings, this makes a farce of paying for long term places. Never mind putting up the shed and growing cabbages along the tow path. If one has no space because of this situation, shouldn't BW offer a refund since the mooring space isn't available. Thank god I am in a marina!
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Well having attracted the ire of so many good folk of the borough, maybe i should clarify my thinking a touch. I have no issue with anyone 'evicting' a boat that is occupying a mooring that clearly 'belongs' to a person and is leased to a person. It is not clear to my mind that the OP is in this situation.
British Waterways have in recent times arbitrarily designated long stretches of canal 'permit holders' only with no consultation, no services, no exclusivity of access, simply as a way of extorting money from people who know that if they have the beloved 'M' in their window they will get no grief wherever they moor. It is my belief that this practice has been declared unlawful by the Ombudsman even though it continues.
It has the effect of causing this kind of situation; who knows how many mooring permits are issued for one of these arbitary lengths? I have seen people attempt to personalise bits of these moorings and in general where this is done, people tend to leave them alone.
But, if you have a mooring permit for a such a length, you have the right to moor wherever only on that length and no rights to any particular bit and certainly no right to move any boat on that stretch - as only BW knows who has paid for mooring there.
I stand ready to be corrected but that is my reading of the original post.
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Blimey - what vitriol - nobody even mentioned 'burning the pikeys' let alone the Daily Mail. Don't burn, damage or endanger anyone or anything. Just quietly move it to another place, put yr boat back in it's own place, and resume your life. The owners might be away travelling, or ill or dead, which ever, if you do no damage, what is the harm?
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If it has been abandoned, then why don't you just move it? I think I would.
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Went to Crick for the first time yesterday. Good fun - but so wet, himself didn't have his wellies!! Very expensive - good thing to check those chip and pins - we were charged £200.300.24 entrance !!!!!!!!!!!! Said we would pick up the two complimentory boats on the way out. Ha ha.
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I once asked what they were for and got the reply, "they are for polishing".......
Think 1/6d is (was) 7 and a half p. 15p was three bob. Wasn't it or am I showing my age?
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I have just been reading about a problem someone is having with another boat using their mooring. I am very new to boating and not been anywhere very much yet, but can some one please answer me this:1. What is the benifit of mooring on the cut as compared to in a marina? and:2. How would I know when an empty mooring on the cut does beling to someone? Are they well marked and I have just not noticed. By the way my boat is in a marina and not in someone's space.
Hooray
in New to Boating?
Posted
You are probably right!