MauriceMynah

Yes indeed Peter..., You would!

Well I can tell you that they are still there today but haven't run a hire fleet for a few years now. I put my boat (St Christopher) there in 1994/5 having moved it from the Grand Union canal. At that time the hire fleet was still running and continued to do so for some years. My best guess is that the hire fleet ended in about 2003 or 4. My boat was taken out of the water ready for me to sell in 2002 as I emigrated away from the UK, never to return. I came back 9 months later ! but my mooring had been re-let. I used St Christopher as a land based boat for a further 10 years before finally getting it back in the water in 2011 when I obtained my current mooring. The Neatishead boatyard's hire fleet comprised Ocean 30s throughout that period

I know a fair bit about Peter and Thelma Linford who own the Neatishead Boatyard at Wayford Bridge, My lasat boat was moored with them for over 10 years. Might I be of any assistance?

I said I'd never go near facebook, but when I lost access to NBN a while back, I needed facebook to get back here, So I used it. Those aspects of it I didn't like seem to be there still, and still I don't like them. I just can't get my head round the point of it all. Yes Robin, I see it has evolved from the "friends-reunited" days and now carries so much more information, but perhaps that's the problem, There's so much info and I'm not good at filtering it.

it looks like "2647-BG9" if that makes any sense John and Thanks Grendel, I'll try Lubuntu, if I can get it to disc. Ooooh I'm having a bad day!!!

And now for something completely different. I've just mended my old laptop. No, honestly I have ! . I'm better with the hardware than I am with the software and so My old 'faithful' IBM T21 Thinkpad has been given a new lease of life... however, doing a spec check on it (speccy) I find that it hasn't got enough oomph to run windows 7 or 10 so it's stuck with Windows XP. Now, Don't get me wrong, I like XP, but it seems to be a bit vulnerable right now what with it no longer being supported, so I find myself asking for the answer to one of two questions. How do I best defend it (anti virus, firewall and the like, preferably free)... or... What operating system should I go to? Now Gentlemen, be gentle with me. Use small words and not too many of them. Treat me as you would a child who's been given his first set of coloured bricks. Thank you.

I just gotta say this before Peter does.... Don't tell the BA about those wings, they increase the square meterage of the craft.

Thanks Timbo, many thanks indeed. My Niece is delighted, a grand job. Next time I'm going to promise to do something for someone, I'll check that I have some idea how to do it first.

Yes, Many thanks DeeBee29, Timbo has taken my problems unto his bosom. (Possibly 'cause he knows I'm a right tit!)

Fair point Mark, but I do have a genuine question here. Is the demand within the school holidays as great as is implied. It seems to me (just "seems" ) that the broads are actually busier outside the school hols. The first two weeks in September always strike me as the busiest. You and Andy would know far better than me as to when the bookings are high and the rough age of your clientele.

E-mail sent kind sir.

"The internet is here to stay" I certainly wouldn't argue with that Andy, and for a while so is facebook, but we are at a stage where there are a lot of vulnerable people out there and for as long as that's the case there will be criminals only to willing to offer them assistance. Trust in this new technology (and yes, it is "new") will take time. I would think that predominately the hire yards customers will be ...shall we say...a little older in the tooth than Joe Average. Those who distrust I.T. will also be in that age group. Does it make sound business sense to advertise solely in a place that your primary target avoids?

My dear fellow, how can I ever thank you. A rolled up photograph of Queen Victoria holding a seven pound note will be sent to you with all haste (though the haste is likely to arrive at yours first). As soon as I've got the two tracks I'll e-mail you.

I'm trying to do a favour for my Neice. She wants a piece of music downloaded (purchased in the proper way) and she wants the midnight chimes of Big Ben downloaded. Then she wants the chimes superimposed onto the music at a certain point. I have found the music and I have found the chimes (Both purchasable on iTunes) but how do I do the superimposing?. Oh, and just to make things perfect, this is all needed by tomorrow morning!!! Doesn't want much does she !!!!!!! Can anyone help me please?

People seemed to tire of seeing Mercedes coming first and second time after time and say that Formula 1 was becoming boring. Now people are saying that the would like to see Verstappen as Hamilton's stable mate. Well I think I could guess what the podium would look like for that season, very similar to this one, followed with similar complaints. I would like to see them in closely matched cars but different teams. Bernie Ecclestone is doing his damnedest to bring excitement back into the sport for the spectators, that's why he keeps trying to change the rules. Sometimes he gets it right, sometimes not but at least he's trying. It will be a sad day when he leaves the sport and F! will be a lot poorer for it. Earlier someone noted that there were no "characters" driving these days. I'm afraid that the days of flamboyant excitable people like Nigel Mansell are over. Personally I think Lewis Hamilton is pretty good, OK, not the ambassador that Jenson Button is, but certainly as good as most sportsmen are. As far as this last GP went the only ones I'd call over the coals would be the Mercedes team trying to give Hamilton "instructions" during the race whilst he still had a chance of winning the championship albeit through tactical driving. That was unforgivable.

I usually hang my sparklyballs from the Christmas tree, but this year I'm thinking that hanging them from the centre light might be more attractive. What do you all think? Tee hee, when Peskey's away the Mynah will play. Get better soon Iain, I'm not sure for how long I can keep it up.

I try to limit myself to hanging up my sparklyballs and calling it a day. Should I post a picture of them?

I have to congratulate Grendel for getting the terms "BT" and "Helping people" in the same paragraph whilst outside the Jokes section. Well done that man.

Young upstart!

WOW... That old !!!

And that just about say's it all. The owners/hirers decision, the owners/hires choice. To all you sailies out there who insist on 'having it real' and 'having it as the original' What are your sails made from? ... still, that's your choice. Ahh, you mean 'Fake it' quite right too, still, that's your choice. There's only one thing about Nyx that was, is and always will be original (for as long as I have anything to do with her) She was built for pleasure.

Hmmm, I must try that approach when I'm next complaining to anybody. I like it and it seemed to work.

And a fine question that is, Mr Q, a fine question.

Thinks... Greece or Hickling.. Greece or Hickling.... You're right Mark... Greece isn't for everyone!

There are a million and one reasons why somebody might need or just want to have a working mobile phone on board, and I'd find a marine VHF unit pretty useless anywhere other than the boat. I might for example be on Oulton broad and want to get hold of my old mucker to have a beer with him. No, there are times to stay with the Luddites of the world and times to be up to date, and it's up to each individual to decide for themselves how close to the 21st century they wish to get when they are out enjoying themselves.