Victor believes we should give thought about going electric

AS YOU most likely have read, a team at the University of Southampton are tasked with the design of a Zero Carbon inland waterways canal boat.

There is little doubt that 'going green' with electric power for boats will eventually come about, and I believe boaters should make their thoughts known, as here is a completely independent opportunity to do so by filling in the survey.

And why not pass it on, as the more boaters that give their thoughts the better—for we boaters will be the recipients of the eventual design.

And a curtain call

Yes indeed, it was a curtain call for our Don Doors Comic Opera!

For though, when operatives had been on site and fitted a temporary gear box, raising the 'door' caused the water to drop and become too low for navigation.

But for the umpteenth time we are now told the level is okay and the navigation on the New Junction Canal is open.

But will all now be well? Though I don't care too much for that phrase 'temporary gear box', that could well foretell yet another performance!

Those internet problems

Those internet issues we suffered, including Google inserting full page adverts when logging on, have been sorted. We only allow two fairly small adverts—that just about supports the costs of production. And is enough, for who likes those publications that are literally swamped with adverts even between each sentence, as many are?

But what was worse was that one unwanted advert meant you had to accept cookies and it locked the site unless you did so, it needing  switching off and starting again. unless you accepted.

It obviously did not relate to this site but some other ready to pounce, as we never ask for cookies to be accepted for so doing is a definite 'switch-off' for many, who like yours truly, will not entertain them, they inviting so much trash in return.

So then of course they lose prospective readers/customers, but are likely too thick to realise!

Too far down

Whilst referring to this site, I should mention complaints that our search facility has gone. Though It hasn't, but the Google adverts were sometimes pushing  it too far down the page and out of view.

So simply go further down and there it will be. Whilst referring to the search facility, I might as well 'push' it a bit!

Should you care to glance at the full internet link of my offering of narrowboatworld you will notice a number.  The one on this effort is number 15,215.

Which is the number of articles currently contained—so happy searching, for whatever you want!

Include notices

So perhaps will also mention that, though we accept no further adverts than those two, we are always willing to include notices—in the form of articles—of things waterways.

At no cost of course.

Still they come

Still they come indeed—broken cills, that are occurring far too frequently, really showing the state of the system and not only costing far too much to replace but closing the waterways for far too long as they now take contractors a ridiculous length of time to repair.

The latest one is again on the Leeds & Liverpool with another of its flights out of action—this time Bank Newton Flight with Lock 39 with a 'blown' cill at its tailgate, our Keith reports.

Engineers have been to the site and are 'pulling a team together' to undertake repairs, and discover when work can start.

Broken cills these days are no longer repaired in a few days as when under British Waterways, but weeks. The last  one on the Leeds & Liverpool on Wigan Flight taking an extraordinary eight weeks to repair!

Beware!

Beware indeed for those boaters who 'shuffle' their vehicles whilst cruising, leaving them in various car parks.

For Alf Overton tells us the landlord of the Shroppie Fly on the Shropshire Union is installing Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) in its car park which is being run by a private company.

So if you park in this car park and don't register the car with the staff you will eventually get a shock—in the form of a fine! And the longer it is left the higher will be the fine!

Victor Swift—telling tales for 24 years