roland elsdon

1) don't say I didn't see you to a town class steerer when you, A) can't see over the continuous cruising rubbish on your roof coal generators wheel barrow, roof boxes scrap bikes, plants, bits of old car pallets, bits of old wood, dog kennels are on the wrong side C) going like the clappers D) sitting on a stool E) on the phone. 2). If your plants return to nature from their rest rotting the roof of your cottage, because you crash into a tree don't blame me. I know anything on the top of a boat unless strapped down falls in at some point including small furry animals , children, and ultimately yourself, and it's a long way in from top planks , that's why old boats chain down chimneys cans and anything else. 3) if you come flying round a blind bend and hit my bows because you can't stop it's your own fault. Water gets under the boat and strangely you can't stop. We know this you have yet to learn, that's why we creep slowly.. 4) finally. Asking a bloke sitting in the middle of the canal 5 feet out from a lock to move so you can get Into the lock is likely to met by a comment questioning your parentage and sanity. He is clearly happy to be wondering why there is 3 inches of counter out of the water on both sides of his boat, and how now his lock wheeler has steamed off on the bike he is going to reach the next lock. Coming up to his bow as he uses the shaft to swing the boat will result in you loosing windows, and the comment "you can't be stuck I'm floating "may be ignored. You just have to wait, maybe polish the brass, make a phone call or possibly even help... I had fun today ( til it rained on the just painted cabin top) I learned more about humans than a lifetimes work in psychiatry. Maybe more helpful hints tomorrow...

That's fine however watch it if you put the bow to the stern of a big boat I arrived at the boats last year to discover badly scratched fore end , blue paint all over the top bends. I was wandering around t cutting it off when a local informed me that someone had moored so close that a passing boat washed them into our bow. Result snapped rams head. Course I was more concerned about my paint...

Seems a long time ago I put 18 tons of coal on her. Oh it is 30 years

That's almost twice the rent I get on a Victorian three bed with garage in a conservation village with views over sheep paddocks ,walking distance to waitrose on a 90 min rail commute to London, ( oh and next 2 doors down from an mp who you can winge at if you want..... Course we prefer to "stay " on the boat

Not enough boats going uphill on atherstone had to fill some locks myself moan moan moan....

Crt asked why we were not on our mooring.. Then contacted us when we were on a temporary( at that time )mooring. We explained ( by email) we would be cruising for the summer, then buying a winter mooring They then sent us an email saying we were now cc ers. I had to send them an email reminding them that we couldn't be as I was on my annual work contract for 8 months in South Australia... They sorted it out but still made us cc ers until we got an annual contract which we now have. We have been on our mooring 5 days since what on earth does that make us other than poor.

Sillage?

It's being couriered to its new owner ...maybe it fits on a lorry like those things I can't remember but are often yellow and start with s

Yes Aquarius and ilford round from coventry light, just before Gilbert's. Took us a while to get back off the bottom, The had about a 70 foot long line on. Sheeted up to keep the coal warm.. ....

Beautiful days boating after yesterday's monsoon. Young water fowl alive on cut, passed by one josher and then met loaded pair, idyllic . Moored in quiet spot , to clean brass, and generally sort out, no boats for 300 meters, a good day. However rural tranquility ruined at 6 pm on the dot as the smoky noisy generator on the canal cruiser 300 meters away blasts into life and drones on and on and on... God knows the db level in their boat and I'm surprised the local ( rich) landowners haven't sorted him out. Strewth and crikey the forum works it just stopped or did it blow up finally

Come and have a play on our black hulk when we come past for the braunston boat do. You will get a different perspective and hopefully enjoy it

My old one was nearly 3.5 before we fixed her, maybe should have pushed her through tunnels first to stop canal cruisers embedding themselves on the motors bow...

I take it next time a canal cruiser not a "historic boat" hits you or indeed you hit it they won't be an idiot just a boat owner, so It's ownership of historic boats that makes people idiots. Strikes me we can't win, old boat had no electrics so oil lamp in tunnels" can't see you" current boat has halogen light " your too bright" helpfully masked it , last comment " sorry I thought you were further away" as he ploughed into me...

Add president and the fools to it. I think welding down the safety valve on the kettle might fix the problem once and for all

3 87 year olds and one 72 year old ' youth on the navy boats yesterday at napton. Judging by the shouted commands and instructions all must have been at least captains if not admirals. Wonderful people to talk to, and truly still get on with it. An inspiration.

Thanks for cleaning out the cov, up there next week. Just finished hoovering, and flattening the southern oxford.

Got close to that when the gear rod on thaxted fell off going into Stoke bruerne with Atalanta, as I was going to hold back, course sunny Sunday with grocks on the gate, and I was breasting up as I passed the top gates ( showing off) . The bolted down Rayburn tipped... Thought I was going to go through the gates ,crept away to fix the damage .

Having gone from a full length town class to a 56 foot town class the hydrodynamics are compromised enough in that change without, messing around with modifications to counter. Unless seriously ballasting at the front occurs you go from flat on to 4 inches of counter in by dropping in the clutch, ( same engine) and as for stopping.... Just as well most people get out of the way of town class bows. Oh and before the inevitable ...the length was taken out forward of the engine hole , and it's the right fore end and stern.

Taught by Tam and Di 1) 2 hoots passing on the non chimney side 2) 5 short hoots. You clearly have no idea what you are doing. Clearly by default neither do I. I am hooting to get the business over and done with and to comply with maritime law. Now I will hit you with a large passenger boat. Have a nice day. Was planning on a long and two shorts on the oxford today when the engine went out for no reason, but couldn't be bothered to delve in the cabin ( cabin not back cabin or boatmans cabin) for the klaxon which was buried somewhere. So I just wandered into the engine hole and started the engine again. That's why I don't do tidal or bumpy stuff.

And if that doesn't shut up the claptrap god knows what will. 2 friends of mine looked at this boat at abnb prior to the work being done , and there was no evidence of anything wrong. The mantra get a survey get a survey always applies. Who in their right mind cares about over plating after 20 years of hard service, if it puts the boat sound. We overplated bits of our boats in the past ie behind knees, until other area's caught up, and then chopped the whole lot off as needed when we had earned the money, that's what impecunious boaters did and will still do in the future, better boating with overplate than continuously moored.

We manage it with an old open working boat 4-5 months here and the rest working in oz. Good winterising, sheet up, auto bilge pump, solar panel on batteries and trusted friends. In the time we are here we do more boating than most do in a year, and then go back to oz to pay for it. Our insurers insist on the boat being checked. Worst problem so far board unilaterally decided we were continuously cruising in spite of the boat being on an off towpath mooring!!

Abnb are highly reputable and if the work was done at brinklow it's probably doubled the original value. Big pile of washers left on bank no doubt

Boat was entered in the museum last year, in view of CCTV cameras completely scratch built one off racing bike and very rare wheels stolen from in the bed hole ( don't ask) Not recovered in spite of museum staff reacting with great speed. Police know who did it but can't be troubled. Only £2500 worth.... F.wit who took it for his drug habit wanders round knocking on doors if challenged asks if you want cheap diesel. Personally would not leave a boat Chester side of middlewich junction.

Continuous moorers.

Maybe they can fix it properly with nicely engraved balance beams with wistful powetry on them, like hillmorton, and I mean powetry as in po.