Jo_

I'm a great advocate of the Go Windlass. I love mine - use it all the time.

We always moored down near the now-not-so-secret facilities at the beginning of the park. They're useful for the elsan drop. Showers never seemed to work but maybe they've been fixed now that CRT advertise the facilities! Absolutely fine - fair number of walkers and bicycles around but that was in B.L. days so I don't know now.

https://www.miracleleisureproducts.co.uk/prop-mate-c9.html It is a superb tool. Slim, elegant, very tough, cuts through most things and doesn't stop you going in with arms, hands, gauntlets if needed. It's also astonishingly reasonably priced and is our go-to prezzie for boaters' Christmas Presents too (except that most of our friends are now equipped so we'll have to think of something else)!

What a great welcome!! I have to say it's typical of our community (even though there may be a grumpy old fart lurking every now and then!). Welcome to Mercia 😀 (there is no elbow bump emoticon yet, is there!)

Does it come with very up-market designer 'No Mooring' signs?

In my view it really depends on the standard of the facilities available and their proximity to your boat. And this, for me, is relevant whether in the marina or out cruising. Using a Marina's loos extends the cassette-emptying interval and using a Marina's showers saves drying down our on board shower/bath and it saves our water and our hot water. I use our own washing machine for 'smalls' and land-based ones if there are jeans, sweatshirts etc. queuing up. For me it's a matter of convenience and ease. If there are nearby decent alternatives to the boat, I'll use them. I would always rather be self-contained but being practical saves time and efforts sometimes!

My android phone automatically backs up photos on my PC through Google - well, doesn't back up so much as is synched so the information on my phone is also on the PC. Then there is a constant back up going on from my PC to an external hard drive. So the photos are backed up as part of that.

We've always had both Nicholson's and Pearson's. Pearson's is chattier and it's timings are spot on I find. He likes the detail of Nicholson's and it's on those maps I add my notes about moornings and other travel information. Also go and have a look at https://canalplan.uk/ It's the go-to for online journey planning! Well done on getting afloat. Nothing like it!

Does your collection have to be available to wear/show/drool over at all times? Or could it be sucky-bagged? Or part of it sucky-bagged. That would reduce the space needed enORMOUSLY, AND keep the clothes free of moisture.

Drive

I did the bit below a couple of months ago in our Newsletter. It was done with a lot of input and checking! Boat Safety Scheme (BSS) The Gas Aspect - Examiners, Bubble Testers and Manometers A BSS Examination is a safety check every four years to ensure your boat is being kept in a condition that complies with the BSS requirements (and be aware that, in the intervening period, your boat must not have any non-compliant changes to any of its systems which are subject to a BSS check). You can find an Examiner from the BSS website - www.boatsafetyscheme.org – which lists Examiners by area and gives full details of the scheme.. HOWEVER, a key element of the BSS Examination - the Gas check (7.12.2) - is critical as to whether your BSS Examiner will be able to issue a ‘pass’ confirmation for your boat. Graham Watts, BSS Support Executive, has been the lead on what follows. 1. If you are a leisure user (i.e. non-residential and your boat is non-commercial [not a hire boat, not a shop etc.]) any BSS Examiner can complete the safety checks and issue a ‘pass’ because they can check for gas leaks (check 7.12.2) using a manometer. 2. If you are a residential boater then if your BSS Examiner is not also Gas Safe (LPG boats-competent) registered, the Examiner can only complete check 7.12.2 (and therefore issue the ‘pass’) by either a. observing the tightness test conducted by an attending GSR engineer b. undertaking a gas tightness test using a bubble tester where correctly fitted and correctly located Less than 30% of BSS Examiners are also GSR so check for an in-date ID card if necessary. In terms of the (b) option, a bubble tester must be fitted by a GSR engineer** and if the total kW rating of appliances running through the system is greater than 12kW (as in most widebeams), the bubble tester cannot be fitted in-line but needs to be on a by-pass. This can be awkward in the locker and, to complicate matters, they are designed to fit to metric pipework. To add to this, a big part of the GasSafe gas test is the gas pressures of the system which the bubble tester doesn’t show. Two final points: The BSS does not require you to have a bubble-tester fitted. And, particularly important, if you are a residential boater, consider the sense in having an annual routine gas check. **Boats used for residential purposes as well as hire boats and floating businesses (such as cafés or shops) all fall within scope of the Gas Safety [Installation and Use] Regulations (GSIUR) and as such any LPG 'work' must be undertaken by Gas Safe registered installers.

Ditto Ditto. And the photograph just above is of a Go Windlass

"The Aqueduct" ................................