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George Kennedy

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Everything posted by George Kennedy

  1. I am the OP and you're right, I have been quiet since asking the original question was asked and here are the reasons why. I have been accused of "gross exaggeration " by archie57 in post #12 who claims he was there at the time but hasn't given his account of events. Bearwood Boster in post #113 suggests that archie57 and Trevor Maggs are friends so perhaps archie57 wasn't there after all but is springing to his friend's defence. zenataomm has concluded in post #38 that although he or she is ignoring my poor spelling, I am a frustrated Sun headline writer and wannabe ex working boat owner. Well Zena, I don't read the Sun and have no desire to write headlines for it either. I do admire the old working boats when I see them and I also admire those who own and maintain them. I can't deny that it has crossed my mind to own one but despite the fact that I can afford to buy a fleet of ex-working boats, I am not sufficiently interested. Mr Smelly in post #42 suggested that I must have been having a bad day. I wasn't, I can't remember the last time that I had a bad day. Maybe if my name was Smelly, I'd have a few more. Roland Elsdon in post #43 imagines that I have owned a car that I have never crashed or scratched and it is therefore in pristine condition. Better than that, he would like to see photos of it although I suspect that he was just writing that to take the mickey out of my spelling mistake. Sorry Roland, I don't have a car and haven't owned one since 1990 so I don't have any pictures for you. I did have a series of company cars though, the last being an E class Merc which cost £50,000. You're right though, I didn't scratch or crash it but that's because I know what I am doing behind the wheel of a car when driving 25,0000 miles a year. Had I known that I was inviting personal comments and criticism, I would never asked the original question. This post is not only the last post that I will ever write on here, it is the last that I will ever read too. I have asked the moderators to delete my account but I will neither know nor care whether they do or not. Before I finally go, just a few mentions. Bizzard - never lose your creative streak. MtB - I appreciate your contributions over the years NickNorman - keep going, you have a thicker skin than me Archie, Zena, Smelly and Roland - Go forth and multiply.
  2. Did I say that there was any damage? I just questioned using the bottom gate as a buffer stop.
  3. No, that is not my assumption, I can only comment on what I saw today. Perhaps you would like to describe what you saw?
  4. Quite correct, down Buckby. My definition of "Smash" would be that it moved the gate, lifted the bow and caught the attention of those inside and outside the pub. A number of those inside came outside to see what was happening. There didn't seem to be any mechanical problems with the boat.
  5. Having just watched nb Corona which has the name Trevor Maggs painted on the side of the cabin, smash into the bottom gate of Buckby top lock and then be told by the volunteer lock keeper that it's how the working boats used to do things, I am wondering if ex-working boats are allowed to smash there way around the system. If so, it seems to me that that for those on this forum who complain about the poor state of the infrastructure and blame CaRT for lack of maintenance, they are wasting their time and pointing their fingers in the wrong direction. Maintaining the infrastructure is important but we all have a responsibility to look after the waterways too and I think that most boaters do feel the same but I also get the impression that some owners of ex-working boats forget that their boats are just leisure boats and believe that they can basically do what they like and have some priority over everyone else using the canals. CaRT have a responsibility to maintain the waterways but surely they can't be held accountable for the actions of every idiot that they have had the misfortune to issue a licence to.
  6. NB Berkhamsted, moored at Castle Wharf, Berkhamsted has windows on the port side and portholes on the starboard side.
  7. I bought one of these for £45 from Maplin as a back up for satellite. We were moored at Spiceball park in Banbury where, due to the canal being tree lined, line of sight doesn't work. All the reviews seemed to suggest that it worked surprisingly well so I bought it even though I was very sceptical of the claims. The kit includes a bracket mount as well as a sucker mount. The unit is powered from the coaxial cable by a small device which can be powered by either a 12v fag lighter plug or a 240v power supply- both provided. I used the sucker mount and the antenna stood three inches above roof level, tuned it in and it found all of the freeview channels. Later in the evening we heard a clunk outside but couldn't see anything untoward. In the morning I realised that this was the antenna falling on to the deck. Semi trad so surrounded on all four sides by steel but the picture had been unaffected. I overcame the sucker problem by cleaning the area where I wanted to stick it. Since then we have travelled to Oxford then to Brentford on the Thames and now head up the. GU. Everywhere we have been, this little antenna has worked. I'm sure that there will be someone who will say that they have had one and it didn't work in Braunston tunnel or something but for me this really is "plug 'n' play". No big pole, no compass, no mast finding app, no map.
  8. Definitely Beduff, as Dave says.
  9. Thanks everyone, that's sorted it out in my mind now. I wonder why the EA bother having a visiting licence for a houseboat?, especially a 1-day one!
  10. Thanks Dave, so did you pay at the high rate for launches or the 50% rate for houseboats? The definitions are in this document https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/569952/LIT_10600.pdf A narrowboat would appear to fit the houseboat category rather than the launch category but I had always thought of a houseboat as being one that doesn't move. There's a big difference in the rate and although the cost won't affect our plans, I wouldn't want to pay more than I needed to. In answer to Mark, we'll get on at Dukes cut. I assume that I'll just buy a licence at the first manned lock so no problem with them seeing the boat first.
  11. Good evening. In a few weeks time we will be venturing on to the Thames for the first time on our narrowboat and need to pick some brains please. We have a standard CaRT licence and know that we will need a short term vistor licence from the EA. I know how to work out the area of the boat and intend to buy a 1 month certificate. Can I assume that a narrowboat is classified as a houseboat rather than a launch?
  12. You asked for it, so here we go! The global formula to estimate the electricity generated in output of a photovoltaic system is : E = A * r * H * PR E = Energy (kWh) A = Total solar panel Area (m²) r = solar panel yield or efficiency(%) H = Annual average solar radiation on tilted panels (shadings not included) PR = Performance ratio, coefficient for losses (range between 0.5 and 0.9, default value = 0.75) r is the yield of the solar panel given by the ratio : electrical power (in kWp) of one solar panel divided by the area of one panel.Example : the solar panel yield of a PV module of 250 Wp with an area of 1.6 m² is 15.6%. Be aware that this nominal ratio is given for standard test conditions (STC) : radiation=1000 W/m², cell temperature=25 °C, Wind speed=1 m/s, AM=1.5. The unit of the nominal power of the photovoltaic panel in these conditions is called "Watt-peak" (Wp or kWp=1000 Wp or MWp=1000000 Wp). H is the annual average solar radiation on tilted panels. Between 200 kWh/m².y (Norway) and 2600 kWh/m².y (Saudi Arabia). You can find this global radiation value here : Solar radiation data You have to find the global annual irradiation incident on your PV panels with your specific inclination (slope, tilt) and orientation (azimut). PR : PR (Performance Ratio) is a very important value to evaluate the quality of a photovoltaic installation because it gives the performance of the installation independently of the orientation, inclination of the panel. It includes all losses.Example of detailed losses that gives the PR value (depend on the site, the technology, and sizing of the system): - Inverter losses (4% to 10 %) - Temperature losses (5% to 20%) - DC cables losses (1 to 3 %) - AC cables losses (1 to 3 %) - Shadings 0 % to 80% !!! (specific to each site) - Losses at weak radiation 3% to 7% - Losses due to dust, snow... (2%)
  13. Unlawful is against the law whereas illegal is a sick bird
  14. We passed by Fenny Compton marina today and with the exception of access by water, it looks to have a totally secure site. I can't remember seeing another like it but I'm sure at there are other examples.
  15. search for " the dog & duck" and a 48' boat built by Stenson Boatbuilders is listed.
  16. Is it appropriate to introduce the subject of duty on red diesel?
  17. I'm intrigued but have to confess to not knowing where the location is !
  18. Originally a celebration of the removal of a chastity belt, I think you'll find.
  19. My second sim ordered before Christmas didn't arrive either.If the EE 100GB isn't repeated, this is perhaps the best answer, 50gb per month for £27.50. Two year contract with mifi but no up front cost http://shop.ee.co.uk/dongles/pay-monthly-mobile-broadband/osprey-2-from-ee/details#choosePlanAnchor
  20. Hi, I asked this question last summer in an EE shop and was told that the offer was for new sims only. I wonder how many of us are all sitting hoping and waiting for another 100gb offer? Maybe now that the BT takeover has been approved, there won't be any!
  21. It's a nice idea but if it could be viable, it would only be a matter of time before we would be overrun by Eddie Stobart narrowboats https://christopherjwebb.files.wordpress.com/2013/10/boat_1_a.jpg
  22. I went to the EE Shop in Evesham today, this is an online offer only.
  23. Ok thanks, I'll find out whether the offer is available in store. Hopefully in Evesham tomorrow or Stratford by the weekend.
  24. That was the june/july deal which worked a treat and I still have the sim card but it has no credit on it. I can top it up for £10 which gets 1GB DATA, 50 mins and 50 texts but whether that can be upgraded to 100GB a month for two months is unknown. The sim worked in a phone and in a dongle. Never used the texts or minutes though.
  25. Hi All, EE are currently offering 100GB of data each month for two months, the same as they did for June & July; an offer that I took up and I still have the sim. Does anyone know whether the new offer requires a new sim card or whether by topping up an existing sim, one can then text SUMMER100 to 150 and get all that lovely data? If not, does anyone know whether the offer is available in-store? We are currently moored where there is no EE coverage so can't test but we will probably be near a store by the weekend.
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