Jo_

How about using the time to look at the owned boats you pass, moor up with, share locks with, queue at locks with. Talk to people. Keep notes. If people know you're wanting to settle on a spec that will suit you and your needs, they'll be only too happy to tell you why their's is exactly the right sort of boat - and if you're pleasant and interested and let them talk - probably invite you on board for a look! Looking at boats for sale is what you do when you've a pretty good idea what it is you're after. Good luck!!

More Coltishall stuff to enjoy http://www.broadlandmemories.co.uk/coltishallpostcards1.html Looks like there was a little waterway behind the lock keeper's cottage which was good for the wherries. Thank you for all your plaudits. There isn't a curtesying gif but take it that I have done so in acknowledgement! How did I find it? I'm an academic and all the research I did and learned to do now translates into finding things. With the internet anything is possible - if you use it well. The original picture had too much 'stuff' - the elegant lady, the mast of the wherry - so I cropped the photograph back to the roof with the gable end features and the chimney and fed that image into google with canal and lock and cottage as supporting words. And up it popped - well, amongst other images. So it was just then a question of finding the chimney! Simples 😀

Coltishall Lock, Norfolk Broads? I don't know it but this looks exactly like it

There's a song too - I remember it from my childhood (assuming I'm right of course). But I did think this immediately and then the photograph seemed to confirm my thought 😀

I watched it and really enjoyed it. It was anything other than CRT taking the credit - it focused on volunteers, IWA and WRG and the graft over decades. AND it was all about boats and boating. Not a cycle in sight!! And it was lovely to see Harry Arnold chatting away about the history.

The compassionate and factual account includes the bit where the hire company themselves brought the boats back, apologising and saying they had turned the hirers off the boats. That is surely an admission of liability and the insurance that is part of the hire agreement is there for damage caused by hirers, isn't it?

Hire Boat Company's 3rd Party Insurance. If the police are investigating and there were witnesses ...............

ooo, I wonder if she's any relation of Guido Brunetti, the lovely Commisario who is the central character in Donna Leon's wonderfully gentle novels about Venice and food and a bit of detecting.

This is just getting silly .......................... 1. August 22 = Renewal email with 132 attachments of others' licence details etc. 2. August 22 = Ooops email saying I was affected by a data breach (no shit, Sherlock!) 3. August 24 (5.32 pm) = "As one of our affected customers ...." etc. etc. about what they're doing 4. August 24 (5.34 pm) = "You will be aware etc." but you have not been affected by this data breach it says in bold in a couple of places I lie here with bated breath waiting for the next instalment in what is beginning to turn into a soap opera .................................... That means you probably were!!

This 'data breach' was surely a case of local human error. Someone told to send the .pdfs and the letters to the relevant addresses just got it wrong big time!

I had that too. And on a couple of other sites where it seemed old style HTML was running and images were missing. It seemed to be a Chrome issue. I did a bit of hunting and checked my AdBlocker and AdBlockerPlus. Both of which were running. I turned both off. Restarted. Things now working fine. Turned on AdBlockerPlus only. So far so good.

I have also had the licence renewal email (and the ooops email) and 132 .pdfs of other people boat/insurance/telephone/mobile/home address details. Catch me renewing online at the moment .............

Ditto

I agree. I just carry mine and, though I'm aware it's a bit heavier than an aluminium one, it just reminds me I've got the GoWindlass and it's helping me! I'm not skinny enough to carry a windlass in a belt. It would just stick into me or drop off or bang into my thigh. It's easier to carry.

Where are you haggis? You could borrow mine to try if you like. I am at Mercia.