I received a letter from British Waterways.
Three pages of waffle about how London boaters shouldn't empty their toilets into the canals and waterways around London and how inspections will be made on boats to make sure they comply.
Three pages of single sided, single minded drivel.
one page would have been plenty, in fact four sentences would suffice.
----
Dear Customers,
We have removed elsan, rubbish and water points along Grand Union and Rivers Lee and Stort because they were over-used and were expensive to maintain.
We have removed access to British Waterways laundry and shower facilities unless you are a British Waterways Marina customer.
We understand that you will have to cruise a full day to empty your toilet or fill your water tank and that you may be temped to empty your toilets in the bushes or in the canal.
Please don't do this, we recommend that you find a marina mooring, where you will find all these facilities privately available and stop making the canals and rivers look untidy with constant cruising/on-line mooring.
yours blah blah blah
-----
if they want to encourage people to keep moving and stop them congregating in convenient spots where the facilities are, surely they need to add facilities, not take them away!
Monday, April 27, 2009
Monday, April 6, 2009
Wigged out with the neighbours
Mooring in Limehouse for the past week has been most entertaining.
we arrived on a Sunday evening, and squeezed into a spot a meter too short. So having knocked on the neighbours boat without a response, we shuffled the boat along a little bit so we could fit along the wall. Just as Mr X was about to tie the boat on again, a bald mans head popped out of the boat wondering what was happening. We explained, he shrugged and left us to it.
thereafter, for the remainder of the week we listened to the music of his engine chugging away into the night, until 9pm, and recommencing at 8am. Since we were moored so close, this meant our boat vibrated away as if it were our own engine.
This narked Mr X quite a lot. We gave the neighbour a name, which I shall not repeat on here, but shall give a pseudnom to replace his nickname : bald-engine-man
Thursday night, and we were chatting away in the living room, to the familiar sound of our neighbours engine vibrating the grate on our stove when the boat rocked violently to the booming sound of someone on the roof. I jumped up, at that very moment seeing one of my tubs of plants go frisbying into Limehouse basin! [i]"arh!, some cunts thrown my plants in!"[/i] I shouted, opening the side hatch immediately to shout outside [i]"gerrof my boat you cheeky mother fuckers!"[/i]
(as you can see in times of stress, swearing comes naturally to me)
we both ran outside, I was focussing on my plants, only just floating, out of reach near to the boat.
As I went to get the boat pole to retrieve the plants, looking down the wall of boats, I saw that four boats had been untied further down the wall, except for bald-engine-man and us. The cheeky untiers and plant throwers had been disturbed by coal-boat-Liz shouting at them from across the basin.
I grabbed the boat hook, while Mr X teased my tub of plants back to the boat with the boat pole. I set off down the line of drifting boats, hooking the ducks and pulling them back in to the side.
I thought it only neighbourly to alert bald-engine-man, who still seemed oblivious to the commotion happening around him.
I tapped nicely. No answer. I tapped louder with the boat hook. Still no answer. I wondered how it's possible for a person to not hear someone knocking and decided to give it some welly with the handle of the boat hook. Boom Boom Boom.. Boom Boom...
I stood there in disbelief at no reply. Eventually, after several minutes I saw the boat move and from the engine end a bald head popped out, like a prairie dog, looking around.
I explained to him that all the boats had just been untied, except for his and mine, and that mine had been jumped on.
I continued helping to tie the other boats back up and after a while went back inside to carry on muttering about losing one of my plant tubs and scouring the watery horizon for any sign of an upturned plant pot with my binoculars.
The weekend flew by and before we knew it, it was 8am Sunday morning and I was being woken up to the dulcit tones of the neighbours engine once again. But then, the sound faded and as usual Mr X jumped up to see which direction they were heading in, hoping it wouldnt be the same as us to avoid the locks being against us.
He then exclaimed [i]"fucking hell, hes got a woman!" [/i]
I reply sleepily [i]"really? he didnt seem like the kind of man who would have a wife, you sure it's him not another boat?"[/i]
Mr X replied, [i]"yes theres old baldy standing on the gunnel.. and he's... oh now hes giving wifey at the tiller a kiss... maybe he's congratulating her on a perfect reverse manouver?"[/i]
I reply [i]"that's unusal. A woman driving, good for her, breaking with the tradition of : man drive : woman do the locking"[/i]
A couple of hours later we were on our way, heading up towards Victoria park. we just missed a boat in the first lock, but caught up with them at the next.
As I stood at the side with rope in hand I realised we were sharing the lock with the bald-engine-man's boat. So I looked at the bald man sitting on the side of the lock, thinking, [i]he's not the same bald man I saw before[/i]. I shouted across when the lock was full to ask if they wanted to go first or if they were waiting for someone, as the bald man showed no sign of springing into action.
He replied, [i]"she's inside making coffee"[/i]
[i]"Ok"[/i] I replied
at which point, a blonde shoulder-length haired figure arrived with a tray of coffee mugs from the front.
I had to do a double take, and so did she.
The blonde lady was none other than the first bald headed person we had met prairie dogging from the engine hole.
suck me sideways! its HIM.. no HER!
She spent the next few locks avoiding eye contact with us, appearing rather uncomfortable at being "out" with the neighbours, and me trying to catch her attention so I could be sociable and talk, at least about the finer points of the 8pm engine-off time.
I never did get the chance to say how good she looked or even to get a name. Shame.
we arrived on a Sunday evening, and squeezed into a spot a meter too short. So having knocked on the neighbours boat without a response, we shuffled the boat along a little bit so we could fit along the wall. Just as Mr X was about to tie the boat on again, a bald mans head popped out of the boat wondering what was happening. We explained, he shrugged and left us to it.
thereafter, for the remainder of the week we listened to the music of his engine chugging away into the night, until 9pm, and recommencing at 8am. Since we were moored so close, this meant our boat vibrated away as if it were our own engine.
This narked Mr X quite a lot. We gave the neighbour a name, which I shall not repeat on here, but shall give a pseudnom to replace his nickname : bald-engine-man
Thursday night, and we were chatting away in the living room, to the familiar sound of our neighbours engine vibrating the grate on our stove when the boat rocked violently to the booming sound of someone on the roof. I jumped up, at that very moment seeing one of my tubs of plants go frisbying into Limehouse basin! [i]"arh!, some cunts thrown my plants in!"[/i] I shouted, opening the side hatch immediately to shout outside [i]"gerrof my boat you cheeky mother fuckers!"[/i]
(as you can see in times of stress, swearing comes naturally to me)
we both ran outside, I was focussing on my plants, only just floating, out of reach near to the boat.
As I went to get the boat pole to retrieve the plants, looking down the wall of boats, I saw that four boats had been untied further down the wall, except for bald-engine-man and us. The cheeky untiers and plant throwers had been disturbed by coal-boat-Liz shouting at them from across the basin.
I grabbed the boat hook, while Mr X teased my tub of plants back to the boat with the boat pole. I set off down the line of drifting boats, hooking the ducks and pulling them back in to the side.
I thought it only neighbourly to alert bald-engine-man, who still seemed oblivious to the commotion happening around him.
I tapped nicely. No answer. I tapped louder with the boat hook. Still no answer. I wondered how it's possible for a person to not hear someone knocking and decided to give it some welly with the handle of the boat hook. Boom Boom Boom.. Boom Boom...
I stood there in disbelief at no reply. Eventually, after several minutes I saw the boat move and from the engine end a bald head popped out, like a prairie dog, looking around.
I explained to him that all the boats had just been untied, except for his and mine, and that mine had been jumped on.
I continued helping to tie the other boats back up and after a while went back inside to carry on muttering about losing one of my plant tubs and scouring the watery horizon for any sign of an upturned plant pot with my binoculars.
The weekend flew by and before we knew it, it was 8am Sunday morning and I was being woken up to the dulcit tones of the neighbours engine once again. But then, the sound faded and as usual Mr X jumped up to see which direction they were heading in, hoping it wouldnt be the same as us to avoid the locks being against us.
He then exclaimed [i]"fucking hell, hes got a woman!" [/i]
I reply sleepily [i]"really? he didnt seem like the kind of man who would have a wife, you sure it's him not another boat?"[/i]
Mr X replied, [i]"yes theres old baldy standing on the gunnel.. and he's... oh now hes giving wifey at the tiller a kiss... maybe he's congratulating her on a perfect reverse manouver?"[/i]
I reply [i]"that's unusal. A woman driving, good for her, breaking with the tradition of : man drive : woman do the locking"[/i]
A couple of hours later we were on our way, heading up towards Victoria park. we just missed a boat in the first lock, but caught up with them at the next.
As I stood at the side with rope in hand I realised we were sharing the lock with the bald-engine-man's boat. So I looked at the bald man sitting on the side of the lock, thinking, [i]he's not the same bald man I saw before[/i]. I shouted across when the lock was full to ask if they wanted to go first or if they were waiting for someone, as the bald man showed no sign of springing into action.
He replied, [i]"she's inside making coffee"[/i]
[i]"Ok"[/i] I replied
at which point, a blonde shoulder-length haired figure arrived with a tray of coffee mugs from the front.
I had to do a double take, and so did she.
The blonde lady was none other than the first bald headed person we had met prairie dogging from the engine hole.
suck me sideways! its HIM.. no HER!
She spent the next few locks avoiding eye contact with us, appearing rather uncomfortable at being "out" with the neighbours, and me trying to catch her attention so I could be sociable and talk, at least about the finer points of the 8pm engine-off time.
I never did get the chance to say how good she looked or even to get a name. Shame.
Travel Power 2
A trip to Cox electrical...
reveals the damage.
black box, damaged and repairable if they can source the parts. £350
alternator needs servicing with new winding and copper core £270
postage return £30
=
empty pockets on Honey Ryder... and another month or so until I can consider buying some new wheels.
reveals the damage.
black box, damaged and repairable if they can source the parts. £350
alternator needs servicing with new winding and copper core £270
postage return £30
=
empty pockets on Honey Ryder... and another month or so until I can consider buying some new wheels.
Bike 1 - 0 thieves
It was around 3am, when I awoke to a very suspicious sound.
This is not unusual as even the merest leaf falling on the roof can wake me up. It was not a fox like the previous night skipping along the roof, it was the sound of someone trying to remove my bike. It was the sound of scooter engines ticking over right next to my boat on the towpath.
As realisation dawned on me at what was happening just a few feet from my head, Mr X sprang out of bed, running to the side hatch. My mind was still catching up trying to think of the best course of action. Mr X didn't think, he just did.
Neither technique had any effect. The scooters careemed down the towpath at warp 6 Mr Sulu and shot out of sight.
Mr X surveyed the rooftop and proclaimed my bike was still there and with both wheels still attached. one security cable cut.
The bike was locked on the roof to the centre line loop with a D lock, a heavy duty motorbike chain and a small cable around the front wheel.
They cut the small cable thinking (rather optimistically) that was all that secured the bike.
[img]http://i129.photobucket.com/albums/p213/jaynetoyne/cutcable.jpg[/img]
Since even the most nible and delicate of nymph like cats couldnt tip toe across my sound amplifying roof without being duly noted, the chances of three social wastrels swiping my bike, with me just a few feet under it, un-noticed was a tall order.
So, the question remains, why were three people on scooters riding around on a towpath at 3am carrying bolt croppers?
This also raised another question, what if I was on my own, what would I have done? Since I don't have a panic alarm attached to the boat, I thought perhaps keeping an airhorn handy that could be used as a loud distraction, as well as my camera which lives beside me at most times might be the best defence against would be attackers. I think if I used the machete, it would end up being turned against me.
Yet again I am reminded why I dislike living on the east side of London, or infact, within the M25.
This is not unusual as even the merest leaf falling on the roof can wake me up. It was not a fox like the previous night skipping along the roof, it was the sound of someone trying to remove my bike. It was the sound of scooter engines ticking over right next to my boat on the towpath.
As realisation dawned on me at what was happening just a few feet from my head, Mr X sprang out of bed, running to the side hatch. My mind was still catching up trying to think of the best course of action. Mr X didn't think, he just did.
Neither technique had any effect. The scooters careemed down the towpath at warp 6 Mr Sulu and shot out of sight.
Mr X surveyed the rooftop and proclaimed my bike was still there and with both wheels still attached. one security cable cut.
The bike was locked on the roof to the centre line loop with a D lock, a heavy duty motorbike chain and a small cable around the front wheel.
They cut the small cable thinking (rather optimistically) that was all that secured the bike.
[img]http://i129.photobucket.com/albums/p213/jaynetoyne/cutcable.jpg[/img]
Since even the most nible and delicate of nymph like cats couldnt tip toe across my sound amplifying roof without being duly noted, the chances of three social wastrels swiping my bike, with me just a few feet under it, un-noticed was a tall order.
So, the question remains, why were three people on scooters riding around on a towpath at 3am carrying bolt croppers?
This also raised another question, what if I was on my own, what would I have done? Since I don't have a panic alarm attached to the boat, I thought perhaps keeping an airhorn handy that could be used as a loud distraction, as well as my camera which lives beside me at most times might be the best defence against would be attackers. I think if I used the machete, it would end up being turned against me.
Yet again I am reminded why I dislike living on the east side of London, or infact, within the M25.
Wednesday, April 1, 2009
Travel Power and electric toothbrushes
Honey Ryder is fitted with the best system I've ever known for supplying power. It's got electrical power coming out of its ears, not literally, but metaphorically.
2kw Inverter, Charger, shore power, comprehensive battery management, small suit case gennie for just in case, solar panel awaiting fitment, ELECTROLUX TRAVEL POWER...
When I bought the boat I didn't know what IT was or how it worked.
after asking the questions on the canal forum I got answers for how to make it work,
The travel power gives us the power to charge our batteries with our 240v charger, with stage charging. it lets me run a washing machine, a vacuum cleaner and a hair dryer that can strip vinyl off of name panels at 10 paces.
Yes it's got the power!
I've lived with (and without) it for just over two years, so heres my travel power story
It works from the engine, so start er up, flick the switch and see a green light come on. Or NOT. a few more engine revs, and there is the lovely green light followed by a nice audible >CLICK< all the boat is beaming with 240 volts running through the inverter/charger box.
But soon follows another >CLICK<, followed by a frown, the engine is switched off, the floor boards are lifted, belt tension is checked, tools are made handy , the large belt is tensioned within an hairs bredth of its life, engine switched back on, revs applied, the green illuminates , cross your fingers.... hurray! we have POWER.
The light on my electric toothbrush comes on in the distant corner of the bedroom where it is always left plugged, just in case, to catch any stray 240v that might wander through the boats circuits. All is well, the boat vibrates with the engines rythmic humming...
But then, while the engine boards are up, there's a distant squeeking. You cock your head on one side and listen intently for a moment. Nothing to worry about, especially if you put the engine boards back on, it's hardly noticable.
Then >CLICK<... it all goes off again, apart from the engine that carries on regardless and my toothbrush sits dimly in the corner. This is probably because the charger has been left on at the same time as the washing machine trying to run its heat cycle. A simple case of overloading, switch off the charger and >CLICK< we are back in action.
However, if you forget to switch off the charger when running a large appliance too many times, you will blow a small fuse, located in the engine room.
It will take two days to locate this fuse.
New fuse applied and a jug full of spares in the kitchen cupboard, we are back in electrical action. This time with slightly louder squeek. After ignoring the gradually increasing crescendo of squeek turning to sqeal, it all turns nasty when it goes clunkety grindy clunk under the engine boards. Inspection reveals a tensioner has chucked its bearings out of the pram. The rubber belt has melted and its all a rather hot and sticky mess. [url="http://www.canalworld.net/forums/blog/honey_ryder/index.php?showentry=398"]new pulley[/url]
one week later, new "ventilated" pully applied and my toothbrush is happily charging in the corner.
Until, there's another splintering sound. Engine rapidly switched off, boards are lifted once again in a hurry, to reveal a shredded belt. At £20 a throw, this is the 5th belt it's munched its way through in as many months. Careful application of another new belt shows the critical prescision fitting of the belt and the alternator pully sides.
Weeks pass, everything seems to running nicely, then >BANG< the inverter blows up.
[url="http://www.canalworld.net/forums/blog/honey_ryder/index.php?showentry=461"]new inverter[/url]
three weeks later, new inverter plumbed in, the travel power is humming along beautifully, new belt, new tensioner pulley, new inverter charger and my toothbrush has never been happier.
Its freezing cold outside, the washing machine is humming its way through is fortnightly wash when >CLICK<>CLICK< washing machine whirs back into action. We dismiss it as the water being so cold it is making the heater work more than usual...
until gradually without us really noticing the decline in performance, the travel power refuses to co-operate with the washing machine. >CLICK<>CLICK<>CLICK<>CLICK<>CLICK<>CLICK< off
the fuse blows again.
a call to Beta Marine, new brushes ordered. one day later, new brushes fitted.
still no travel power. still no electric toothbrush.
a call to Beta Marine, followed by a call to Cox Automotives in Warwickshire...
one day booked off work to take the complete Electrolux travel power system for checking in Warwickshire.
I've put my electric toothbrush away now and gone back to a manual.
[img]http://i129.photobucket.com/albums/p213/jaynetoyne/Honey%20Ryder/DSC02740.jpg[/img]
2kw Inverter, Charger, shore power, comprehensive battery management, small suit case gennie for just in case, solar panel awaiting fitment, ELECTROLUX TRAVEL POWER...
When I bought the boat I didn't know what IT was or how it worked.
after asking the questions on the canal forum I got answers for how to make it work,
The travel power gives us the power to charge our batteries with our 240v charger, with stage charging. it lets me run a washing machine, a vacuum cleaner and a hair dryer that can strip vinyl off of name panels at 10 paces.
Yes it's got the power!
I've lived with (and without) it for just over two years, so heres my travel power story
It works from the engine, so start er up, flick the switch and see a green light come on. Or NOT. a few more engine revs, and there is the lovely green light followed by a nice audible >CLICK< all the boat is beaming with 240 volts running through the inverter/charger box.
But soon follows another >CLICK<, followed by a frown, the engine is switched off, the floor boards are lifted, belt tension is checked, tools are made handy , the large belt is tensioned within an hairs bredth of its life, engine switched back on, revs applied, the green illuminates , cross your fingers.... hurray! we have POWER.
The light on my electric toothbrush comes on in the distant corner of the bedroom where it is always left plugged, just in case, to catch any stray 240v that might wander through the boats circuits. All is well, the boat vibrates with the engines rythmic humming...
But then, while the engine boards are up, there's a distant squeeking. You cock your head on one side and listen intently for a moment. Nothing to worry about, especially if you put the engine boards back on, it's hardly noticable.
Then >CLICK<... it all goes off again, apart from the engine that carries on regardless and my toothbrush sits dimly in the corner. This is probably because the charger has been left on at the same time as the washing machine trying to run its heat cycle. A simple case of overloading, switch off the charger and >CLICK< we are back in action.
However, if you forget to switch off the charger when running a large appliance too many times, you will blow a small fuse, located in the engine room.
It will take two days to locate this fuse.
New fuse applied and a jug full of spares in the kitchen cupboard, we are back in electrical action. This time with slightly louder squeek. After ignoring the gradually increasing crescendo of squeek turning to sqeal, it all turns nasty when it goes clunkety grindy clunk under the engine boards. Inspection reveals a tensioner has chucked its bearings out of the pram. The rubber belt has melted and its all a rather hot and sticky mess. [url="http://www.canalworld.net/forums/blog/honey_ryder/index.php?showentry=398"]new pulley[/url]
one week later, new "ventilated" pully applied and my toothbrush is happily charging in the corner.
Until, there's another splintering sound. Engine rapidly switched off, boards are lifted once again in a hurry, to reveal a shredded belt. At £20 a throw, this is the 5th belt it's munched its way through in as many months. Careful application of another new belt shows the critical prescision fitting of the belt and the alternator pully sides.
Weeks pass, everything seems to running nicely, then >BANG< the inverter blows up.
[url="http://www.canalworld.net/forums/blog/honey_ryder/index.php?showentry=461"]new inverter[/url]
three weeks later, new inverter plumbed in, the travel power is humming along beautifully, new belt, new tensioner pulley, new inverter charger and my toothbrush has never been happier.
Its freezing cold outside, the washing machine is humming its way through is fortnightly wash when >CLICK<>CLICK< washing machine whirs back into action. We dismiss it as the water being so cold it is making the heater work more than usual...
until gradually without us really noticing the decline in performance, the travel power refuses to co-operate with the washing machine. >CLICK<>CLICK<>CLICK<>CLICK<>CLICK<>CLICK< off
the fuse blows again.
a call to Beta Marine, new brushes ordered. one day later, new brushes fitted.
still no travel power. still no electric toothbrush.
a call to Beta Marine, followed by a call to Cox Automotives in Warwickshire...
one day booked off work to take the complete Electrolux travel power system for checking in Warwickshire.
I've put my electric toothbrush away now and gone back to a manual.
[img]http://i129.photobucket.com/albums/p213/jaynetoyne/Honey%20Ryder/DSC02740.jpg[/img]
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