Dav and Pen

The chimneys and building certainly look like a brickworks.

Had stones thrown at madam steering down the Wolverhampton flight. They didn’t realize I was the other side of the bridge setting the locks and I managed to get a couple of blows in before they ran off. On the Mac had some orange pop (at least I think it was) expertly poured down my neck from a high bridge.

It is possible to get a long term Visa but it’s quite complicated needing health insurance and a minimum income. crossed with Bee.

Saw this done on an empty 38m going into a lock. He gunned the motor to get under the bridge then full reverse to stop in the lock, nerves of steel and a good crew on the fore end with the rope.

In this case I believe that they got stuck coming out and for some reason they lowered the pound thinking this would un jam the boat but this in fact made it worse as they then got fast on an obstruction possibly a motor bike. Trying to fill the lock clearly let water in rather than lift it.

I never had a survey on any of my narrow boats but did on my Dutch barge in fact whilst in my ownership had 3 surveys for insurance purposes as boat was 100 years old. The surveyor cleaned to bare metal a number of places on the sides and across the bottom so as to get a reading on his ultra sound machine. I can’t see any evidence of this on the ops photo so I wonder how the surveyor could give an opinion about the state of the base plate. Maybe narrow boat surveyors have magic powers unlike the professional in Belgium.

I go along with Belgium we brought and kept our barge near Antwerp for many years. The mooring was cheap as it was owned by the waterway authority although there are lots of boat clubs with moorings throughout the country, there is an organisation called something like VVV that the clubs belong to . The drawback to Flanders is the need for a license whereas Wallonia is free.

Made a right mess of that it doesn’t look traditional in any way .

Had a great holiday on the Puffer along with members of the Ashby Canal Association some year ago but I think this is the most beautiful cruise ship in the world and had some wonderful cruises on it

Atherstone from 1976 looks like the lock cottage never had good access. The hat factory was still going then but I’ve lost my clowboy hat as Arther Bray called them

Although this barge isn’t amongst the photos so far it must have worked the canal. I took the photo in 1973.

We had our first boat in 1963 a small Dolphin cruiser and used it weekends and holidays for a couple of years and then i brought a grp hull and fitted it out. We went to various national rallies and did the Thames whilst still working and with 2 small children. Then a big step up to 2 70ft commercials carrying coal in winter and camping in summer with the help of friends and crew whilst running a business. Gradually working our way up the boat owning chain until we had a 50 ft NB built not long before taking an early retirement age 55. We took that boat all over the Northern waterways where we couldn’t go with the 70ft and then had it taken to Ireland where we spent 2 summers on board before deciding the boat wasn’t really suitable for the Irish waterways and went to Holland to look for a small barge. We finished up buying a 22m Dutch barge which was to big for most of Ireland so we kept it on the continent and had 18 years there until Madam was diagnosed with a blood cancer and I became concerned about her mobility so we reluctantly sold up and came back full time to our house. I was then aged 78 and could have carried on but it has turned out to be the right decision. Over all this time we have kept a house as the boats we brought were cheap and either earned there keep or paid for. We have come across quite a few who have sold up and used most of the money to buy an expensive boat and then circumstances have intervened leading to a move ashore to find that house prices have moved faster than they can manage so one couple finished in a small terrace in Northumberland and another in a Yorkshire flat both having originated in the SE.

Gary Wards boat when with UCC. He kept it in first class order. Not much of an advert no photos apart from a poor one from the bows and wishful thinking with the price.

Think this is the Welland canal in the Great Lakes, the only triple lock I know of on a big waterway apart from the Panama.

This is the last lock ( or first) to a tidal river the longest in this country.