boatone
Well-known member
......I have just returned from 16 days on the boat visiting all the major ports of call on the Old Father Thames between Chertsey and Oxford and back. I have had not one single occurence of mechanical or electrical failure and have used less than a quarter of a tank of diesel. At no time have I been connected to shore power (nor do we have a generator) but the electrical side has behaved faultlessly with fridge running 24/7 and tv and radio used whenever in the mood as well as laptop daily to check emails etc.
We have met at least 6 forumites along the way including Lord Byron, Nick2, Col, Dogsbody, Alpha and The Guvnor and last but by no means least Mike Gates of MDL who I would like to thank for laying on such a superb birthday party for me(who were the other 500 geezers Mike?)
We have run aground or touched bottom far too many times for my liking (please EA, can we either have a bit more water in the river or can u do a little dredging in a few places?), and seen far more narrow boats than I can remember in previous years and they're all very nice people but they do take up lots of mooring space (EA are you listening?).
The weather could have been nicer on quite a few days and I could say a few quite caustic things about the behaviour of certain commercial passenger craft skippers who seem to think they are exempt from the regulations the rest of us try to observe. I could also congratulate Marlow and Abingdon for their attitude towards river users and I could slate Henley for a 40% increase in overnight mooring fees since last year with no facilities to justify it.
I could write a book about eating out and where not to go and could also publish a small pamphlet about a couple of places that will see us again in future.
All in all a very pleasant way to spend a fortnight and a particular thank you to the lock keepers who always seemed to stay cheerful (well....maybe just one was a bit miz) when I'm sure there were far more basic thoughts about certain boaters passing thru their minds.
Thanks to all who read this that contributed to the experience.......and, oh yes...the radar arch gas struts worked brilliantly !
<hr width=100% size=1><A target="_blank" HREF=http://www.boatsontheweb.com/> Website, Photo Gallery, Chat Room, Burgees</A>
We have met at least 6 forumites along the way including Lord Byron, Nick2, Col, Dogsbody, Alpha and The Guvnor and last but by no means least Mike Gates of MDL who I would like to thank for laying on such a superb birthday party for me(who were the other 500 geezers Mike?)
We have run aground or touched bottom far too many times for my liking (please EA, can we either have a bit more water in the river or can u do a little dredging in a few places?), and seen far more narrow boats than I can remember in previous years and they're all very nice people but they do take up lots of mooring space (EA are you listening?).
The weather could have been nicer on quite a few days and I could say a few quite caustic things about the behaviour of certain commercial passenger craft skippers who seem to think they are exempt from the regulations the rest of us try to observe. I could also congratulate Marlow and Abingdon for their attitude towards river users and I could slate Henley for a 40% increase in overnight mooring fees since last year with no facilities to justify it.
I could write a book about eating out and where not to go and could also publish a small pamphlet about a couple of places that will see us again in future.
All in all a very pleasant way to spend a fortnight and a particular thank you to the lock keepers who always seemed to stay cheerful (well....maybe just one was a bit miz) when I'm sure there were far more basic thoughts about certain boaters passing thru their minds.
Thanks to all who read this that contributed to the experience.......and, oh yes...the radar arch gas struts worked brilliantly !
<hr width=100% size=1><A target="_blank" HREF=http://www.boatsontheweb.com/> Website, Photo Gallery, Chat Room, Burgees</A>
