canaldrifter

Moit mak a seendwidge? Tone Oi meet a blowk feesheen. Oi ast eem eef ee'd cort owt. "A whale!" ee told oi. "A whale?" says oi. "Wot do um do weev eet?" "Oi froo eet back in coot," he says. "Woi?" I oosked. "Cos eet don't feet may car!" ee says. Tone

Y'know........ I think I suffer from that. Tone

I moored behind another live-aboard at Seend on the K&A a couple of years ago. They were moored on the water point, which also gives access to waste disposal. Nobody was home. There was a BW overstaying ticket stuck to the doors that implied they had been there for several days! I breasted up to get water. We then moored, one boat-length along the mooring, for the rest of the day. The Brewery pub in Seend village is one of my all time favourite hostelries, Thatchers 'Wacky' on draft being very reasonably priced and the bonhomie excellent. Nobody appeared on the offending boat until late evening. A couple returned to the boat, laden down with carrier bags after a long shopping trip in Devizes. They removed the ticket, laughed, and threw it in the cut. They did not move on until 10am the following morning. Until BW work out an efficient policing system with effective unavoidable penalties, then all mooring regs are a farce. Tone

Watch out for the natives around Doodlay. They'll eat anything tender. Unka Tone

Chris Collins also restored Roger at Batchworth. Roger Tone

I can understand your nervousness, and your pride in your new acquisition. Why not ask another boater travelling in the same direction, if you can accompany them when you're solo? You'll find most boaters are only too happy to impart their superior knowledge! Good luck with the cruise. You will love it! Tone

Anarchy works well where I moor. tone

Naturally. Tone

From what I remember and from what video exists, I don't think working boaters used reverse much at all in a lock. They used ropes, often by strapping gates closed behind them going downhill. Going uphill, the GU boaters usually thumped the cill in order to stop the boat, hence the frequently battered cills, not to mention stem posts. Tone

I am assuming that the boat is well designed. Tone

The only time you are officially allowed to keep an engine running in a Thames lock is if you occupy the chamber alone. It is not up to the lock-keepers. It's not about fire risk. It's not about noise. It's about air pollution and it is a Byelaw: Tone

He might seem mad, but I reckon that Guy's got his ducks in order. Obviously he's not driven by greed for money and 'fame', like most. I wish him the very best for his TT ambitions. But I bet, if he survives, he'll be back boating again sometime. Once in the blood.... Tone