Pembroke

Heyford Fields does indeed look nice they also have the workshops on site as well which are excellent However It is an absolute nightmare to find off the road as there is no sign or anything telling you that you are near the canal Apparently you are not allowed to spend a single night on board the boat in the marina even if you are going out the following night

We spent a couple of nights last summer at the visitor moorings near Kate boats and apart from a lot of cycles there was no problem There are moorings outside Lidl and you go past tesco as well One of the nights I walked back to Tesco which wasn't too far The bridge by Kate boats is the closest one to Warwick town centre and it is about a 20min stroll

We are planning on heading south on the Grand Union over Easter and one idea we had was to spend a day at Bletchley Park From what I can see it looks like it is about a mile from the canal But Has anybody got any experience of what the moorings etc are like in that area Thanks

I think I'm right in saying Harecastle tunnel is only one way as well, so unlike Blisworth and Braunston tunnel if you are the last boat in the convoy you could have a very long wait for rescue Certainly Blisworth tunnel has a chain on one side which in theory you could hold onto Very sad and does make you think

I have a rotten floorboard that needs replacing and as the boat has always had a slight list (all the weight is on one side) have decided this is a good opportunity to rectify this. Apart from taking half the cabin apart my current plan seems to be: Gain access to the flooring Take flooring up The ballast is 3 paving slabs deep so I'm thinking of taking 2 out on the side and 1 on the centre and leaving 3 on the other side, then using various thicknesses of timber battens to support the new floor. There are 2 loo tanks on the heavy side and I'm wondering if it would be worth half filling them with water I'm still debating whether I should use marine ply or normal exterior quality ply - marine ply is more expensive but this isn't a job I ever want to do again. I think in total I would be removing 6 slabs and as I need to replace the kitchen next I can measure the list and if necessary take some more slabs out from the kitchen Does this sound like a reasonable plan

We went past that as well, apparently it has been under since Christmas Like you say they seemed hopeful of raising it but it didn't seem a very professional operation

Here's a couple of possible theories: There are a lot of building works in that area at the moment all of which will have on site diesel tanks Or When they knocked down the gas holders perhaps something has been disturbed

All the water has probably drained into the Nene God knows I wouldn't want to be at Billing Aquadrome at the moment

This happened a couple of years ago and from memory it was a retired couple who had just bought the boat and it had either been refitted or was about to have a refit before they set off on long cruise Can't remember how it happened but I'm pretty sure everybody was okay

Hasn't it been quite wet recently I think it is probably about time the "red" boards were extended by a few feet The Cherwell is probably back on the rise again so I would stay put - probably until about April

I once worked for a company that went into liquidation What happened is the directors decided to place the firm into administration while they try to find a buyer (this is preferable to full liquidation) A firm of very expensive accountants will run the business for a period of time while a buyer is sought The administrators are there to run the business for a short time until a buyer is found During this time all debtors are listed, in this instance people like the VAT office and tax office are top of the pile Should a buyer be found then the usual due diligence will be done and who knows what that might uncover Should no buyer be found then the firm will be liquidated Once the extent of the companies assets is known and the companies debts are known an offer of £x penny per pound will be made to the debtors and this can be either accepted or declined. The firm of very expensive accountants wil be working to recover as much money as possible for the creditors (and to pay there fee), the big asset here is clearly the marina business and cash from moorers, the value of this will vary greatly on what if any agreement can be made with CRT with regards to the access fee etc In this instance and given the protracted history I think a take over by an established marina company could be the best way forward for all concerned

I heard at work today via friend who has a friend with a boat there that an emergency berth holders meeting has been called for Friday night So if you know anyone with a boat there it might be worth letting them know It might also be worth letting the local constabulary know as I suspect it could get very heated

I wouldn't be too worried about Nell's Bridge Before you get that far you have the infamous Aynho weir lock to get through - this is where the Cherwell literally crosses the canal at 90 degrees There are level indicators on the lock and if it is on red you will not get through Nell's bridge not only due to clearance but you run the very real chance of sinking at the lock as the cross currents can be very strong - this lock is not to be messed with Chances are it is on Red at the moment but it might be an idea to give Walker Services a call - they are based at Aynho so should know the current conditions

I know last winter there guys spent many an hour letting water through locks simply to reduce the water level in certain places

We have just fitted a 5kw stove to the house and the heat that produces is incredible. I can't help thinking 12kw will would melt the steel the boat is made from