Update - Bad(ish) News. Went down to Parbold to check my boat CLEE after work tonight. I had spoken to R&CT during the day who told me that the burnt boat was on the other side of the canal to my permanent mooring. As was later stated by Catweasel, this was wrong. Ripple was actually the boat moored behind mine. After walking past it's sunken remains in the dark I was confronted with my 25' nb with both front and rear covers damaged, apparently by something sharp like a Stanley knife. (I was later told that this is popular way of breaking into tents and HGV's due to it's quietness). The top had been pulled off the locker containg the hosepipe and a spare propane bottle though both were ok. There were, however, muddy marks where an attempt had been made - unsuccessfully - to kick the doors in. Too late to phone the R&CT to ask, amongst other things, why they had given me incorrect information and had not notified me of the damage to my boat (that will happen in the morning....), I phoned Lancashire Police as I assumed that they would have been aware of this. The very helpful person I spoke to found that they were aware of the fire, but they had it down as possibly accidental and not suspicious. Obviously the previously unknown information about the damage to my adjacent boat - which must be linked - puts a different twist on this, and I will be meeting them at the boat tomorrow with CSI Skelmersdale.
Cold and rather fed up, we retreated to the "Windmill" for a pint of Southport Sandgrounder where two locals we chatted to suggested that they could probably name who was responsible - but proof, of course, would be another matter......
Mike