ChrisB

I think sometimes the lack of appology is not a deliberate act of whatever could not care, bad manners etc. We all in this litigation world have it drummed into us when driving " Never admit liability, Never say sorry" Sorry is taken as an admission of guilt and Insurance Companies don't like the word. That is the world in which we live I am afraid.

Like car buyers fall into 1. Will only ever buy new. 2. Will only ever by used, knowing how that squares with him would help. That is to say £40K covers hundreds of used jobbies but nowhere near as many out of the mould new grp and no new woodies unless pretty much a dinghy.

I can't comment as I don't know enough about the subject but would just like to say that I would never hire, buy or anything else a boat that I had to plug in at night. But then the perfect night for me before age got my joints was a small lidded boat like a Drascombe Coaster on the mud of an estuary like Breydon with my chain leading to an anchor in deeper water. Lifting off the mud is a superb alarm clock and off you go, the magic morns is when that happens as the sun comes up. As modern youth say "I just don't get this plugging in bit"

Many of the newer boats have their ground tackle on chain to winch so they have to hang. Bigger boats need bigger ground tackle so too heavy to handle safely. Some of the sports boat decks slope so much they are not safe to manually handle a mud weight. You can't blame a mud weight for incompetence any more than you can blame a bowsprit for the damage they cause. An acquaintance had his screen completely smashed causing £1200 of damage by a boom when moored in Fleet Dyke. The secret is not coming into contact in the first place. However given the high number of "first timers" present on these waterways at this time of year the risk of contact is very high. A bigger boat moving slowly will always have the capacity to really damage a smaller lighter one. I have often seen weights completely unsecured on a foredeck with the line only secured at the far end, in an abrupt halt or collision that is going to take off like a cannon ball.

That is such a shame. I would get that bulkhead that has been exposed really checked over just in case it has moved and there is unseen damage. 0

The other advantage is the much reduced windage makes a small, light, shallow draft motor cruiser much easier to handle at slow speed and around moorings also hopping on and off easier.

You have a very valid point Peter. I unfortunately can no longer grip the tiller or hold the main sheet for any decent length of time and my wife has very serious health issues so we have a small cabin cruiser. However maybe it is coming from sail but if it is not raining the canopy is always down but we see folks who never ever put it down, maybe just the side panels out. A sailing cruiser with a traditional companion way must be inherently safer than rear cockpit motor cruiser with canopy up.

Was that The Jester of H G "Blondie" Hastler fame. The fully enclosed junk rigger used to such effect in the OSTAR. She was lost in the late eighties under the ownership of Mike Richie in an Atlantic storm I think. Apart from inventing the vane self steering gear in later life he helped Kingfisher Boats develop their junk rig for the 20 & 26.

Essex & Suffolk Water Company. If it was destined just for Essex some fenman would dynamite the pipe line. I am pretty sure the Muck Fleet went all the way once. Probably when old Jenny Morgan was a virgin bride.

Very much for the man in the street, trailer sailors, SCODs, Folkboats etc plus good articles for motor boaters also.

I know there was discussion here about the new Swallows and Amazons film but there is a very good article in the above. For anyone who has not come across Classic Sailor it is under a year old. A very smart mag but covers all types. It is run by an old friend Dan Houston late editor of Classic Boat but is in the mould of the old style Classic Boat of Pete Greenfield and Dan before CB went all billionaire J classy. www.classicsailor.com

You can't get there anymore from the river, well not without considerable effort and a kayak

Your sounding like an old Fen Tiger Peter.

The vietcong village was the old Beckton Gas Works in East London. I was working in heavy chemicals at the time at the International Paint Factory at Silverton and we could here the thunder flashes from there.

TALKING OF RECORDS As all have read the Duke of Westminster was taken ill on his Abbeystead Estate before passing away in hospital. However the Grosvenor family trust had only held these 18000 acres of Bowland in Lancashire since 1980. The house and estate were the shooting lodge of the 4th Earl of Sefton. On the 12th August 1915 a record was set for a single day, 2929 grouse were taken by eight guns. I think it is highly likely that most people would think it was held by one of the great Scottish or York Moors shooting estates. One for the Red Rose County. (Incidently the glorious 12th has been cancelled on all the Grosvenor estates as a mark of respect)

Does God's country go as far south as Donny, Griff? You live and learn even at my age. I actually thought it stopped about Harrogate Wetherby latitudes.

Yes I should not complain. Next month it will be ten years since I last day dreamed out of an office window. I know some folk miss their work but not me. Sure finishing at 56 clobbered the pension pot a bit but given my wife's incurable health issues it was the best decision I ever made if I had kept going to 65 we would have had virtually no retirement together.

I was up at 5am this morning as my wife has a day at hospital and it was wet and cold on the north coast. It was only 12 C, if it drops below 10 then the grass will stop growing. The leaves are changing round the edges on our maple tree.

I have to say every time British Gas sevice our boiler they always say have you got a CO detector. When I say NO! They get straight down to the sales patter before I can say that we don't need one as there is no combustion in our house. The heating boiler is not in the house and hot water is by a direct Magaflow system. No open fires or anything. Done the old property bit with fires and wood burners, you can keep them, OK in world of interiors, and tv programmes but not for me anymore.

Yes, I also re-jeted mine about 79/80, the atmosphere in the cockpit of my self build SeaWych was much better. You know with age I think I have lost my touch. We were moored at Cobbs Quay, Poole and no reverse did not worry me.

Tinned bully is better chilled carving is easier. Waitrose tinned potatoes, Smedleys peas and mushy ones and some of those envelopes of meat dishes and rice are fine for two or three days. Totally agree Peter.

you can not even compare the Windermere incident with Wroxham. Given the qualifications of the gentleman concerned it is just unreal. http://www.itv.com/news/border/update/2015-10-26/windermere-carbon-monoxide-deaths-gas-fitter-found-guilty-of-manslaughter/

Some say Screwfix own be as good as Fernox at a much lower price.

Maybe the batteries were low, alot of those American sports cruisers like SeaRay, Bayliner etc. are very power hungry sporting fridge, freezer, microwave, electric cookers. As suggested here on their home waters they would be plugged in.

You missed a trick there! The Jolly Richie drifting powerless! You should have finished the job and sunk her.