Greetings to all in this group with very best wishes for the season ahead. As I tend towards thinking that my boating days are over for sundry reasons (including the cost of hiring) I envy those who are still out on the cut. However the message is tinged with a little sadness as I was listening to a couple who went on their second hire holiday from Whitchurch to Llangollen at half term. They are lovely people and in spending an entire week just doing Whitchurch to Llangollen I don't think they could be accused of speeding. However they were involved in an incident where a BW dredger went down the cut at speed as they were close to a moored private boat. After regaining mid channel the occupants of the other boat emerged and seeing only a hire boat proceeded to issue an absolute torrent of abuse in highly colourful language about hirers in general. They were not in the least interested in learning what had actually happened and left this couple so dazed that they have resolved never to go near a canal again. Now I know that this is not typical, I know that they should not have let it affect them but they are the quiet, unassuming people they are and we cannot change that. It's happened to me when after slowing down to pass a moored boat I was hit by a blast of wind through a gap in a hedge and had to rev up to maintain steerage - of course the owner wasn't interested in what had actually happened, only in having a go at a hirer - fortunately I can live with it, sadly some can't. John
