Daftmare

DAMN! I thought I had finally found a thread I could participate in with some sort of knowledge.........

Thank you very much - this is good to know. Jo.

I am pretty sure the Lock Keeper will still be on site - just off doing other jobs (checking weirs, cutting the grass, etc). They have other responsibilities besides pushing the buttons - that's the easy part! J.

My youngest has volunteered during the Summer on the Thames, not sure which lock yet. Be interesting to see how it pans out and what the lock keepers think of it all. Jo.

Hi Gibbo I would be relying on shoreline only for charging the batteries just whilst moored overnight and all next day......until we take off for our trip the following evening. The engine would be charging the batteries only during the hour I am cruising to Sainsburys and back. The more I think about it, I am sure the batteries can cope with this if they been kept charged up properly, but just wanted to make sure. Jo. You are probably right - perhaps I am seeing a problem when there isn't one.

Hi all, can I ask a question? We have a 1 starter + 3 leisure battery set up. These are charged up by a built-in battery charger which charges them whilst we have the shoreline hooked up (which is not all the time). My question is, if we take the boat out (to Sainsburys) for a run (only half an hour) stock up the 12v fridge with food and run back to the mooring (another half an hour), and then leave the fridge running over night - will the batteries cope if the shoreline is still charging them overnight and through the next day? We would not be running the engine again until the following evening. Hope this question makes sense. I am hoping that if it is just for the one day and night, and then we are off for a week/ten days charging the batteries up properly, then the batteries will be Ok, but not sure.....

I thoroughly enjoyed the Golden Age of Canals programme. I am hoping that it will inspire many more people to "get their hands dirty" and keep up the good work started by these "nutters" to whom I for one am very grateful. We certainly have it easier on the canals these days, all thanks to them. But there is still a lot to do, as the deterioration goes on.... (Goodness, how could BW even have called themselves BW in those days?) Jo.

Over the Easter break we went from Godalming to Weybridge and up to Sonning. Then back down to Kingston and back in to Godalming. Fantastic weather. We are off back to the K&A and Newbury for Whitsun week. I would really like to do a Ring (Avon, Thames) but need more time off work for that. Perhaps if we DONT get any Olympic tickets for 2012 (which is quite likely) we will do it then. Jo.

Agreed.

Damn! That is what I was going to choose. Great minds

I like this boat - very interesting stern. Like the kitchen at the back too. J.

I concur. This is definitely the cheapest way (mortgage rates what they are at the moment). If you have enough equity in your house to do it. Jo.

As I said above we got to Brookwood no problem last year, but it had been raining a fair bit, so water was not a problem then. I think that it will depend on what time of year you try to go. They will close if there is not enough water. I would think by June it would be too late. Jo.

We visited the Basingstoke canal last Easter (2010) and were made very welcome by the Rangers, who did all the work of getting us up the first two flights and along as far as Brookwood (but not through Brookwood, flight, which was closed). So you can visit part of the canal. You just need to book. Jo.

[quote We were seldom "beaten" by the "plastic", either - didn't usually matter how fast they took off from one lock, or how much smoke we got covered in, the "lockies" usually forced them to wait at the next. (And you can smell the fear as the nasty black thing starts to pull up behind all that shineyness!). This reminded me of our trip before Easter. We were coming downstream with several plastic boats and each time the lockie made them wait for us. In the end, one exasperated skipper asked if we were going through the next lock. We weren't, so they got away in the end. But I was amused that they had to wait each time. We didn't go slowly on purpose of anything, but neither was I going to thrash my way down to avoid keeping them waiting. It was, after all, the lock-keepers decision to wait. Jo.

Thanks Dominic I will check with Paul Hutley to see what he usually does, and go from there... Jo.

Hi Tim Not afraid at all, in fact if I got organised I am sure it would be fun - its just time management really. Happy to leave it to the experts. Sounds like the bottom may get blacked after all, at All-Aboard! Jo.

Sounds like you had a fab time - well done! I cant wait to do the same trip, but intend to go the other way around. I have made a note of some of your restaurants! Jo.

Hi Nick, we have thought of doing it ourselves, for all of 10 seconds.... We are bringing her back to Newbury during Whitsun week, so perhaps we can meet up - a party perhaps, but not a blacking party! Jo

We are having the blacking done on the boat in June (before repaint). Taking it back to Newbury as the cost is half of what Pyrford charge on the R. Wey. I really thought that they blacked the BOTTOM of the boat. Turns out they don't? Just the sides below the water line. Just shows how little I know............ Jo.

Glad you are OK after your dip. A timely reminder though, I think. Last time I read something like this on the forum we went out and bought a ladder for our boat, but it would be rather useless, as it is padlocked to the roof most of the time! No good to anyone actually in the water, unless someone else was around.

Oh dear, bad timing - over a bank holiday weekend! I wonder how fast it would get fixed if the bridge was open to boats and not to road traffic....? Jo.

Sounds like a its going to be a brilliant weekend - hope you get plenty of boats and the weather is good. Jo.

Can't complain about choosing last week for our boat trip, weatherwise! We got almost to Reading before turning round and then back down to Kingston, before coming home to Godalming. BIG thunderstorm on Saturday night overhead at Weybridge. I love the Thames! Hope everyone else who is on the water over these holidays is having as good a time as we did. Jo.

we would like to have the bottom of our boat blacked soon and wonder if anyone on the Wey or Thames can recommend a good place - not DIY though Thanks Jo.