floydraser

Well I don't know much about the breeding habits of fish or the ecology of the Broads but even I can predict there'll be an inquiry into who is responsible for this outrage. And inline with other inquiries it will be strung out so that we get the results just after the last of the people responsible has topped up their retirement funds and got their bus pass, or snuffed it!

Bit of a late update although it makes little difference under the circumstances: I bought a refill last Tuesday from NC&L. 15kg Butane (blue) - spitting distance from my house there's a massive Calor depot, price £41.75 Norwich Camping & Leisure - spitting distance from the boat, £40.50. Notes: I do spit a lot. Price difference is hardly anything but given the size of the depot near here I would have expected them to be cheaper. I've checked and there are no 4.5kg bottle available over here, propane or butane. Thanks again for the help.

I wonder if marinas will do a U turn and allow owners to winterise their own boats?

No, your holiday was cancelled by the virus and people. If two households rented a cottage/boat for a holiday could we rely on them not to mix? Would one party stay at home? Experience has shown that we can't rely on ordinary people to conform to the advice and of course they can't write rules/laws for every individual case, so to be sure they have to cancel everything. But then it's just so easy to blame Boris; it's almost a fashion statement.

I saw the news about the vaccine. I wonder how holiday bookings will now go for next year - home vs abroad?

Mine was similar but the electric had been changed for a manual just before I bought it. I suspect the people doing the conversions may not have been too careful with spilages. I would try a good clean up around the area first. By that I mean under the toilet and the surrounding area.

Try this: https://www.brianwards.co.uk/product/odourlos-holding-tank-treatment-1-litre/?highlight=toilet 10% off at Wards.

The law doesn't say you have to wash your hands. The law doesn't say that when out walking and you have to open a gate, you can't then scratch your nose. The law doesn't say you have to wipe down supermarket food which may have been handled on the shelf. The law doesn't say the post you just received has to be clean. Some people are so obsessed with the law that are ignoring the greater danger from the virus.

Am I right in thinking you haven't had the boat that long? It could be that the source of the whif is not the water inside the bowl. The transfer pipes can become sightly pourous with age. Leaks or spilages from the toilet can soak into woodwork under the floor. My latest experiment was to use up old tins of spray paint by spraying the timbers under the bog. Don't know if it's made a difference until December 2nd. I've posted plenty on here about poo pipes having changed mine. That reminds me, I must wash my hands....

Oh look: I've just realised I've used the same thumbnail pic a few times now. One day I hope to have the blue cover off and take a decent shot with her looking at her best with the 6ft pointless mast and useless spotlight in place. D.O. 19 is mostly about the work done to satisfy Will Kirby of Freshwater Marine, who did the BSSC.

Thanks for this thread Helen, it gives me something to look forward to shoud I ever get the Denham Owl away from her mooring! My guess was that the concrete structures at Winterton were WW2 but it seems they are a lot more recent than that. They are the remains of a Royal Observer Corps post which was only used from 1963 to 1968 during the "cold war" period. It seems there is an underground structure too but it's been blocked up for obvious reasons. There were concrete tank traps and other defences during WW2 and the area was used for practice trenches for WW1. Who would of thought there was so much history in a bit of sand!

On the basis that people are still on holiday it would have been silly to ban boating at either place so neither one is encouraging travel, just helping out people already there.

Not so. If you're on holiday at White Cross Bay in a self catering unit you are next to the old Sunderland flying boat slipway.

Because JP's counter part up north interpreted the rules slightly differently, or did more thorough research probably. Either way, I'm encouraged by the news that they at least acknowledge they (the BA) may not have been on the mark.

So long as when you visit the petrol station, which you will now have to do more often because you've used the car, you fill up on your own and don't leave the virus on the pump for the next person.

I have the roll cabinets but not Snap-On, I have hundreds of spanners and a lot of ex-kitchen knives mixed in with the spanners. So far I've managed to keep all 7 fingers too...

Ok, I was wondering so here goes. Knives: It's a minefield out there! Just looking in Procook there's a vast range of prices and claims. If you needed new knives where would you start looking? Diamond steel: I found prices from £14.00 to £275.00! Thank you in anticipation Ian; I'm really enjoying this thread.

I get that. But the marinas are taking their guidance from the BA and so they should. I would now like to see the BA amend their advice and let the boat owner take some of the responsibility for compliance. Having paid my tolls without complaining I would be less than impressed if I had been "caught out" with winterisation. Preferential rates or not, some of us just don't budget for work we can do perfectly well ourselves.

I think I was close then and it's all a big misunderstanding. So let's do the decent thing and let them sort it out in reasonable time and come to the same conclusion: that it is reasonable for people to winterise their own boats but no overnight stays. Hopefully the BA will pick this up and ask a few relevant questions. My only gripe with DEFRA then is if the government are only advising against non-essential travel, who are they to effectively ban it?

It looks like the situation with hire companies/refunds etc last time, until it was all sorted out. Hopefully the marinas will see the guidance and change their stance.

Well I'm now very glad I nipped over to winterise my boat when I could. I've just had an email saying it's closed and there's no access. But there is preferential rates if they winterise your boat for you. Are there any marinas allowing access?

If only Covid 19 would conform to the law!

It is impractical and probably impossible to write legislation for every individual case. Yes it was short notice but then travel has not been banned completely so I think there is scope for anyone with a boat or holiday home to go and winterise without being seen to deliberately flount the rules. With the notice coming at a weekend it would be unreasonable to expect everyone to be able to prepare fully. It relies on those of who can, to get prepared as soon as possible to clear the way for those can't.

I've always used Microsoft Movie Maker simply because it was free and easy to use. I am aware though, that MS are not supporting it anymore so I'll be looking at some of the suggestions above for a replacement so thanks for starting this thread! I had a warning about music copyright once when I included in-car video crossing the England/Scotland border on the M6. Status Quo were rockin all over the World (or something) on the radio and their automated software picked it up. They didn't mind though and told me I could leave it in as it wasn't the main feature I guess. Buy an instument a learn how to play your own music? Now may be a good time....

"Zed victor one to BD!" Was the Desk Sergeant a scouser with a catchphrase, "Put it down in the boook!"?