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Hylander & Matt, I hope it isn't Lightning because she's not supposed to be out this week. Will have to check with Brooms. Roy

Matt, We'll just miss you on changeover day. I'll try not to bash Thunder as I reverse into our mooring. Roy

Should be on Lightning from this Saturday for a week. Boat not out this week so coming down definitely Thursday and possibly Wednesday - extra 2 or 3 days, wonderful. Roy

Do the last 14 words of the quote from the document which begin "and continue when necessary etc" overrule the previous 14 words beginning "to ensure safe transit etc". If, as I read it, they do then BA can stop navigation whilst power boat racing is in progress. Roy

The "contact sport" comment isn't something I would have expected from somebody of Timothy's canal boating experience. He hit lock entrances and I think at least one other boat in the previous series as well. The other series "Barging around Britain" is no better with the waterways employee hitting the sides in the Harecastle tunnel. You are bound to get some contact with newcomers to narrowboating but it doesn't help the image of the pastime when TV programmes include these scenes (probably for effect). Roy

We have a couple of children's lifejackets on Lightning but adults bring their own. Having them permanently on board for adults has been discussed in the past but to cover the possibility of seven adults in various shapes and sizes could easily run to needing a dozen jackets and all the storage problems that would cause. Roy

Alan, 56 foot 10 berth; those were the days, we hired a few like that. Our last shared narrowboat was a 58 foot 6 berth and the young uns complained that was too crowded. Roy

Hi Geoff & Wendy. There are a couple of routes on the canals with very few locks. The North Oxford and Ashby Canals are rural pretty much all the way. Starting from Viking Afloat at Rugby there is a leisurely one week return trip to the present terminus of the Ashby Canal with only one stop lock (rise and fall of a few inches). There is also Ashby Narrowboats from where this trip could be done in the reverse direction. Starting at Rose Narrowboats, north of Rugby, the same route is a comfortable five day break. For the slightly more adventurous starting either from Braunston or Napton Junction there are three or four hire yards. The journey to the end of the Ashby from these is seven days at about 6.5 hours a day. There are just 3 locks each way plus the stop lock mentioned above. Roy

Just under 3 weeks for us Roy

If it was the episode where Hyacinth thought she was taking a trip on an Ideal 40, it was on the Thames at Benson Boats at Benson in Oxfordshire. Roy

Andy, I don't know anything about Antigua but if the 240v is just through an inverter you have to remember that most electrical items can peak at up to double their stated wattage when first switched on so can trip an inverter which in theory is big enough to handle the item. Our inverter is 1,000 watt but we cannot run our microwave on full power (800w) even on new batteries that are fully charged. Roy

Neil, I think Lightning's inverter is quite small, I think only 1,000 watts (possibly !,500) and I think the kettle the member put on board is 2,500 watts so the inverter will trip out immediately, so it shouldn't damage it. Roy

Alan, Bishops Bridge is quite low with a quite steeply curved arch, plus the navigation arch is not in the centre of the river. I can't see hire yards agreeing to let their boats pass it. We have not used the yacht station since we were untied at one end in the early hours one October. The decks were really icy and it certainly put me off mooring in Norwich. Roy

Looks horrible Griff. Not the sort of place I would like to spend time lazing on the bank with a glass of something and definitely not anywhere anybody would want to drown some maggots. I better not show Lightning your pic, she may force me to take her there. Roy

Still trying to bribe the missus for the end of this month but failing that (and I probably will) the first week in April for us.

Hi, Only been as far as the junction of the lock and weir arms but as Matt says there is room to turn at the lock. Plenty of depth down the middle with very clear water. Keep an eye on your temperature especially if there is any floating weed. Think I will have a go at mooring at the lock myself this year. Let me know how you go on. Roy

We have taken both Moonlight Shadow and Lightning up to New Mills in recent years. The last time was summer 2013 on Lightning. One of our trips was at low tide and had no problem with depth or turning at New Mills. Just take it slowly - wouldn't want to rush it anyway - and keep to the centre of the channel. Been up at high water also and the only bridge that is really tight is Bishop's Bridge at the end of the yacht station. It has a dog leg to the right immediately after it, so going upstream is fairly easy as you can take it slowly against the current. Extra care is needed negotiating this bridge coming downstream especially in a longer boat such as Lightning. I wouldn't advise passing under the bridge when there is anything more than a gentle flow behind you and if possible navigate it when the tide has turned and the water is fairly slack or against you as you only have a couple of boat's lengths to straighten up for the bridge after the dog leg. Having said this the trip isn't difficult with care and well worth it. Roy

Just received a copy of Le Boat's Thames Guide. About 80 pages, A5, good quality gloss paper. Really comprehensive guide to the river and its facilities but not an awful lot about the boats - they only show 5 of the 14 classes of boats they have available and then only thumbnail pics. Unfortunately none of their boats will go above Oxford thus missing out on 30 miles of lovely river, a lot of it reminiscent of the Waveney above Beccles. The 40 and 45 footers they sold to Woods would have passed under the two Oxford bridges that are a block to larger craft. Their base at Benson is a comfortable week's return trip to the top of navigation just above Lechlade. Lots of wild moorings and pubs about half a days cruising apart who are generally more grateful of your custom than those in the lower reaches, some of whom have been known to refuse overnight mooring to hirecraft – "they spoil the view from the lawn for our customers". Still a very nice brochure which would be really useful to anybody contemplating a Thames boating holiday. Roy

My red camellia came into full flower a week ago. Doesn't usually flower until late March up here in sunny Manchester so an unexpected bonus. Maybe a sign of an early spring. Roy

Lightning has just had her annual two week winter maintenance and clean and polish at Brooms. New owners out on her this week so hope the weather is kind to them. Roy

We moor at Brooms and next trip is in six weeks so hopefully be able to take advantage of the new prices. Think about all that lovely cheaper diesel heated warmth when we come back from the pub. I presume the prices quoted are for a 60/40 split. Does anybody know if any of the Broads boatyards will let the customer choose what rate of duty they want to be charged as do most if not all of the canal boatyards. If the weather is rubbish and we stay in the boatyard all week can we ask for all the fuel at the non propulsion rate. Roy

Don't forget your boat was called Commodore Bridgemaster when built - designed to fit under Potter Heigham.

Were Norfolk Knights and Knights Creek the same company?

Probably pushing my luck but not fell in yet in over 50 years of boating - good job really cos I can't swim. Had my foot in up to my ankle a couple of times on the canals. Funniest I have seen was the "too short a rope" manoeuvre. It was the early 80's on the canal at Llangollen; all the boats were moored a couple of feet or so from the bank (it was really shallow) when this guy got his boat as close as he could and leapt for the bank with the rope in his hand. He just seemed to stop in mid-air and ended up sitting in about 18 inches of water. No damage except to his pride and the stitch my son got rolling around laughing. Roy

Not drunk anything with Aspartame in it for many years. Not just for the health issues but the aftertaste is so unpleasant. Noticed this year that ordinary white Andrex is now just as thin as most of the cheap toilet tissues. I never buy recycled loo paper . . . somebody has already wiped their bum on it. Roy