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If it can be heard by someone not on your boat then its to loud. If you want music use an earpiece/headphones don't inflict it on others we don't want to hear it. If you turned up expecting to share locks with us and you had music on I would shut the gates in your face. Music on the cut is bloody antisocial

Ii thought it was compulsory to listen to Jalpen's death boat at full blast when cruising?

Cliff Richard was variously known as Harry Webb, Harris Webb, Harris Tweed, and Debbie Harris before teaming up with ex newreader Anna Ford to form the famous duo Harris & Ford.

Personally I hate it. I don't see why I should be forced to listen to other people's choice of music (which is, obviously, always in poor taste as it is so rarely to mine). I detest it in shops and pubs as well. On the water, sound travels for miles and you can hear someone's hatch top radio for a fair while before they arrive and as long again after they disappear. To hear it over your engine, it has to be fairly loud, though it may not seem so to the driver, and most of us actually come out onto the water for peace and quiet, as, almost certainly, does the OP when not listening to his radio! This is why god invented earphones.

The re-definition of words as racist, and the desire of some PC people to be obsessively anti-racist both entertains and irritates me. Its ok to go out for a "Chinese", though going for a chinky is often frowned upon. Going out for an "Indian" is an everyday part of our culture, but going to the paki shop is racist, even though PAKI is what defines Pakistan. Brit for British is fine but Itie for Italian is not. My local "ethnic" shop when I lived in Southampton was generally known as Afghan Ali's. Is this ok. Calling an Irishman a Paddy is probably racist but betting on the horses at Paddy Power is fine. Its not the words themselves that matter but the context (hatred) in the way that they are used and just banning words because a few people use them as insults means a never ending number of banned words. Trouble is if your not an active part of the PC culture (schools, councils, government etc) then its hard to keep up to date as to which common words can no longer be. For example we now have to say person of colour rather than coloured person. A group of boaters on the K&A used to fondly refer to themselves as the Pikey Navy. ..............Dave

Poles are for pushing off the bank or the bottom shouldnt really be used on another boat. Sooner or later someone is going to take the pole of him and push it where the sun dont shine.......................

It's night and day time Now layer them in Photoshop and play with transfer modes

Can I suggest you get on The Clapton Omnibus and ask the first passenger you come across for their analysis of the etymology. Good luck with that.

Hi all. Like Frangar, I consider a long shaft a useful piece of kit. Most modern shafts are too short to be of real use, I wouldn't consider anything less than 16' to be sufficient. There are many occasions when such a bit of kit in the right hands can be really useful rather than gunning the engine to manoeuvre. On the rare occasion when I need to use it against another boat, I try to place it on a fender or on the hull, certainly never against the cabin side. Ropes, deployed sensibly, are another useful aid. I could go on..... I was saddened to note the insurance claim mentality that appeared earlier. I've never subscribed to the " Contact sport " mentality that some adopt, I've always tried to handle boats without it being necessary.....without 100% success, I hasten to add. At one of the yards I regularly work in, staff always use ropes and shafts to move boats around, much easier in very tight situations. The more I see of the modern mindset that typifies the boating scene, I'm not sorry that age and health issues don't allow much boating at the moment. It's a changed world, for sure...... Dave

We have a old walking stick with a big rubber end for those occasions where we are having to reverse into our mooring with wind in the wrong direction. We have maybe 8 inches between the boats at gunnel level and bending down in the gap between the cabin sides is not a safe option, so crew at one end and slowly reverse it can be done without grating against the downwind boat. I believe it is stupid to put any part of any human between two 15 ton hammers, I have seen a guy have his hand smashed (most bones broken, never regained full motion) between two 1 ton boats.

When I was born I was black, when I grew up I was black, when I'm sick I'm black, when I go out in the sun I'm black, when I'm cold I'll be black, and when I die I'll be black. But you, when you where born you were pink, when you grew up you were white, when you're sick you're green, when you go out in the sun you turn red, when you're cold you turn blue, and when you die you'll turn purple. And you have the nerve to call me colored?

You had better sit down, Tim -- I agree with you wholeheartedly!

I resemble that remark

No, they are reading your posts with a deaf eye

But that is an essential characteristic of political correctness; if you hear or read anything that could possibly be construed as racist etc then it is you duty to interpret it in the most negative way, be outraged and offended, and dismiss the user as a racist/sexist/homophobe (or possible all three) and make no attempt to understand the context in which the word was used lest you are seen as condoning it. The PC folk are often just as blinkered as the racists who they detest. Heavy stuff, can we talk about batteries and bogs again now please? ............Dave

Funnily enough, I don't mind so much if it's Test Match Special or The Archers say, but I also hate other people inflicting their choice of music on me.

I think a sensible volume that does not disturb the peace of those around you is acceptable. The trouble is you may need some volume to hear it over the engine. Personally I prefer not to hear other people's music playing (unless it's live), and I'm a musician!

A boat drifting down the river, weir or not is a danger to life and property. In the absence of an anchor maybe just hoist two black balls to signal that your vessel is not under command. Causing danger and possibly instigating an emergency rescue situation for the lack of an anchor is gross negligence and one should be mindful of ones responsibilities as master of the vessel.

We currently have one of these: https://www.caraudiocentre.co.uk/product_m-sony-cdx-dab500u_p-31263.htm?gclid=Cj0KEQjwzpfHBRC1iIaL78Ol-eIBEiQAdZPVKuWJD8yYch3Vplf1utTN4tcTioJ-_lPiM2yo0xrtoVEaAph_8P8HAQ# But we will be replacing it towards the end of this year with a Rockford Fosgate head unit. Nothing wrong with the Sony but we just don't need the CD player and are well impressed with the Rockford Fosgate speakers we bought this winter so are upgrading the head unit as well.

Interesting that you are unhappy with a bit of scratched paint but are happy to condone violent assault!

In times of strong wind(not that sort) when we move in the marina I always use a human fender, (the wife) I think a pole is a bit unsafe, apart from paint damage, I always think it would end up going through a window. why does the wind blow the wrong way when in a tight spot?

Totally justified to complain, a gentle push off with your foot should be adequate. Whether the paintwork is pristine or rough, someone else's boat deserves respect.

I've got a flat screen tv in mine. Guess that rules me out.

The Ribble is fun. We did it with a JP2 which is 18hp albeit with a lot of torque and it was fine. The main thing is to know the cooling system is up to scratch. You will be working the engine hard for a few hours or more....much harder than most rivers. Check all the levels before you go on the engine. Also realise that you might be held up if the weather is too windy or visibility bad Loved the Lancaster too. Enjoy the trip

A truly dreadful film that is well worth watching for its canal content. Wonderful scenes around Gas Street Basin, and i really envy him that hovercraft. I also envy him that narrowboat which is 7ft wide outside but over 14ft wide inside. The Brumburgers are there but now go under the "Handmade Burger Company" name

Was he on a summer holiday? He certainly looks like a young one. Now a shadow of his former self.

Little used? 40 or 50 years ago it was very much used, and therein lies the problem with the word, surely? Most, (but clearly not all!), of us remember a time when it was a very frequently used term of racial abuse.

Still can't see the summer bit!

Do you have any evidence for this assertion please? I think it is baseless. Narrowboat owners simply want widebeams to pay their fair share for the extra space they occupy and boost the CRT coffers, in my opinion.

I have a feeling that the bedroom tax only applied to certain folk as it didn't apply to me I didn't look into the details. Reasons for living in the house: They own it and people shouldn't be told how to use their own property. The family all live away and have families themselves so the bedrooms are needed for their regular visits. They having lived in that house for decades are emotionally attached to it like many of the people whgo refuse to leave houses for an area to be redeveloped. I am sure if you put your mind to it you would find a few more those are just my first off the cuff suggestion. Just a thought what would a liveaboard say if they were told the had to sell the 70 footer and buy a 45 footer just because the kid had gone to uni? Poll Tax is a way of ensuring everybody pays their share unlike the situation where one council tax can cover 6 people or 1. Perhaps you aren't in favour of everyone paying their fair share?

Just to set the record straight it has nothing to do with speed of transit, it is everything to do with helping those who are experiencing difficulty with doing the thing that they love. I had to let my own boat go when I was found to have Cancer, and now that I am in remission I am getting my boating fix by helping others. I am also a Voluntary Lock Keeper for CRT on the Hanwell Flight on the Grand Union, and have been involved with canals all my adult life. I live within sight of Shepperton Studios and cover all the waterways from the Midlands To The River Wey.