I’m a bit surprised at Sue off No Problem for quoting the last part of *** Maffi’s rant on her blog. Especially when she changes the word “Pricks” to “Pr*cks” because her grandchildren read it. Believe me, they’ll know what “Pr*cks” means…
***Note: Since I wrote this post Maffi has locked down his blog, so the link to his rant above no longer works for any of us. However, I have nothing to hide on here on my blog…
BTW Sue with ref to your “blonde moment” well, I’m a blonde, not a genius, but I’m no thicko “DOH” person either. And I’d much rather be blonde than grey! So am I having a grey moment? No…
FYI Bruce & Sheila on “Sanity Again” have booked a winter mooring here at Mercia marina, & last I knew, (when we spoke to them personally aboard their boat), they were considering making this marina their “base.” So after reading & approving Maffi’s rant, ask yourself does that make them 50% “infantile little pricks?” Or half “infantile little pricks?” Or just “fully fledged pricks… ?”
First of all I must say that marina based moorers have always felt this “CCer’s paying more” issue (thank goodness) has nothing to do with us, & have stayed out of it. So forgive me if we’re wrong in thinking that these quotes from Maffi’s blog post “rant” mainly refer to marina based boaters. They do, & we have the right to reply…
Maffi states, Quote: “I get nothing more for my £748 than any one else. You might argue that I get to moor up for free. Well it may have escaped your notice, but when you come out of your nice secure little parking lot with all the facilities, you too moor for free. Yes I know you pay to moor in the marina but you don’t pay to moor outside the marina so why should I.”
We don’t moor up for free out of the marina, that’s what we pay a licence fee for. And neither do we overstay. In the marina we pay mooring fees & have some very nice facilities, reflected in the price. (And rightly so). We have plenty of friends, it’s a social atmosphere, & we tootle off out whenever we want. You only sound resentful.
And Quote: “”You do not buy a boat thinking, “When I have my boat I wont be able to CC so I will make it hard for those that can”. You accept what it will cost you and enjoy your boat. If you don’t want to do that then go away and get a camper van, you are not wanted on the water.””
Wrong, it’s not a case of “I WON’T BE ABLE to CC,” at all, it’s a case of “I DON’T WANT TO CC” for every marina based boater. Personally speaking, we’re both retired too, & have no responsibilities now the kids have flown the nest. So why on earth would we want to make it harder for the CCer’s? It’s not the lifestyle we want at all, to us it must be very isolating & a very hard life, but we have respect for those that choose to do so. Who are you to sit in judgement & tell us to buy a camper van?
And Quote: “Why do all you whinging little shits who buy a boat, you cannot get good use out of, feel it is necessary for me to pay for your stupidity.”
We are not all whinging little shits, it is not “stupid” to buy a boat & not be out on the canal all the time. And you are not paying for that, BW are trying to screw you, not the marina based boaters.
And Quote: “Whereas most of you have a house and your boat is a hobby, my boat is my home. If you cant afford to keep your boat on the water its really no big deal, you can sell it and still have a home. If I cannot afford to keep my boat on the water it is a big deal because it is all I have got. I can sell it but at what loss? Then what? As a single, white, male with a small military pension I qualify for BUGGER ALL. Whilst £500 a month is not to be sneezed at I would have to live in a hostel. Thank you for your support, you snivelling little whinger!”
“Whereas most of you have a house and your boat is a hobby,” [PLURAL]
Well our boat is our home too, we also qualify for “BUGGER ALL,” so what? We don’t feel the need to moan about it, we’re happy about our life afloat. So we’re not all snivelling little whingers. Your finances have nothing to do with marina based boaters. But yes, we do have hobbies, dear me what a sin.
And Quote: “The simplicity of it is you are all jealous that some of us can have a fulltime life on the canal. You, are like spoilt little kids who, want someone else’s toys to play with. You are gonna scream until you get your way, you infantile little pricks. I have paid my dues, when you have paid yours you can have a life like mine. You will of course have to accept the bad bits, the muddy towpath, the lack of security, the spasms in your fingers from handling wet ropes nearly every day, the cramps in your legs that would fell a Marine, the spine that is only pain free in one position and you don’t know where that is. Until such time shut up.”
We’re all jealous about a full time life out on the canal? Give us a break, why do you think people CHOOSE to be BASED in a marina? And where do toys come into this issue? Nobody’s screaming, & we’re not all infantile little pricks, we’ve got better things to think about than hounding CCer’s or anyone off the canal. We pay our dues & wouldn’t want a life like yours even if it were free! You’ve listed some of the many reasons why not to put yourself in that position in your own sentence! And in your own words: “Until such time shut up” (?) Well who’s doing all the ranting here? Blaming marina based boaters or anyone else when it’s all about BW is simply ludicrous.
And Quote: “”What you Muppets should be saying is ‘I only come out of the marina for two weeks of the year so I want a discount’. Or you could argue that boats in marinas should only pay a licence fee when they come out on to the system. Don’t fuck the CCer up because you made a bad-purchasing decision. I made a good purchasing decision I get the maximum benefit out of my licence, as do many others, the same benefit as you are entitled to if you were not a numpty. What you really mean is you have a job and a family and cannot make best use of your boat? I had a job and a family! I waited until they had all flown the coup before I bought my boat.” “
The majority of “Muppets” go out for much longer than 2 weeks per year, & we don’t begrudge the principle of paying a licence fee wherever we are on the system. We also don’t begrudge the fact that (some of) those poor souls who stay out there 24/7 think they own the system, we laugh & joke about it. Neither did we make a bad purchasing decision, we made the decision that was right for us. Like I said we’ve got more important things to do in life than “fuck CCer’s up.” You’ve made your own decisions, (& aside from the issue of fees) it appears that you’re very unhappy with those decisions. You talk like you feel trapped. That’s not our problem it’s yours, so bite BW’s bullet & stop looking for other people to blame. Families with jobs are just as entitled to buy a boat & put it where they like as you are.
And Quote: “Leave us alone. You don’t want to piss us off coz if you Muppets get your way and we pay to moor, we are going to moor . . . . wherever we please . . . . in all the prime spots. You of course will complain, but will only have yourselves to blame.”
Do you have any idea how childish that sounds? Us “Muppets” in marinas haven’t touched you, so moor where you want to, we don’t particularly care! We bear no grudges or blame. Like you seem to.
And Quote: “The rank and file boater will not benefit from CCer’s paying any exrtra. Your licence fee will still increase by more than inflation year on year. It makes no sense to take this to it conclusion. When you are sixty plus and the bottom has fallen out of your pension pot and you cannot afford to live on your boat you are gonna be one sick puppy and I will be laughing at you from heaven or pissing on you from hell.”
You’re right about one thing, the rank & file boater will not benefit from CCer’s paying extra, BW would. So why lay the blame at someone else’s door? This really is all about BW not us. Oh & pissing in hell might put out your fire.
And finally Quote: “Give it up its a no win situation” Yes it is, & please do, for the sake of your blood pressure if nothing else. With this post you’ve done nothing but give continuous cruisers a bad name. Do you honestly think the powers that be would listen to any marina based “whinging pricks” anyway? Boaters haven’t been listened to for years – even as a group, and you know it…
And relax . . . . . .
Luv & kisses, Heth xxx
46 comments:
Heth you missed Maffi's point he is only ranting at a Marina dweller who wrote to a magazine advocating extra charges for a particular group of boaters you didn't write so he isn't getting at you Dave nb Sokai
I get what you mean Dave, but it was written as plural, aimed at all marina based boaters. 99% of it was not aimed at the guy who wrote the article...
H
Hi Heth,love this post, you have put your point across in a no nonsense way. I have always enjoyed Maffi's posts, but have found he can be quite rude and insulting, oh and really angry, some of the time his anger is justified, but there really is nothing grown up about ranting like a yobbo and hurling foul language in the mix, by all means everybody has a right to an opinion, but not to the detriment of others. I hope you read this Maffi, all I can say is....do you have a splinter in your arse??
Debbie.
Hi Debs, tell it like it is (girl power), only thing is, I wouldn't want to be the one with the tweezers. Yuukkk!!
Hxx
What Dave B said - please re-read Maffi's article?
Stephie
Ouch! Drinks all round everybody. xA
Hi Heth,
Now that is what I call a spirited post. I have been following all of your blogs for a few months now and I really enjoy everything that is going on with everyone. I guess I look at about 30 or so blogs every other day and I think the lifestyle you all lead is absolutely wonderful. I read you and Maffi and he can sure be cranky, actually he is most of the time. Of course I check Debbie's blog but she never posts, well at least not that often. I just thought I would say hello and wish you all the very best. I do envy you, but from a distance, I am in South Carolina. Have a wonderful summer and I hope you get some rain. We are also in a draught and are about to get our first rain in 3 weeks. Cheers. Bob
"I get what you mean Dave, but it was written as plural, aimed at all marina based boaters. 99% of it was not aimed at the guy who wrote the article..."
Sorry, what with one thing and another my thinking isn't up to speed, but when did plural stop meaning more than one and start meaning all?
Is this another bit of language drift, like the whole annoying thing with less and fewer?
I don't usually read Maffi but did see that one, saw it was a rant, checked it didn't apply to me and then ignored it, after all if I know I'm not the target any friends worthy of the description should know the same why bother. Now if names were mentioned.
When I wrote my post you were very far from my thoughts. I am sorry you wasted your time.
As usual H you have hold of the wrong end of a very shitty stick. It seems that whenever the CCer subject is brought up the whinger is a paid up moorer. David Nobody is such a whinger.
I am not popping at you, just those who wish to complain about CCers. If you don’t complain about CCers then my post was obviously not aimed at you and you have wasted your time.
Of course you have a right to comment. I would never deny you that, but stick to the facts. Don't twist what I say, to fit your agenda, you wont win.
How I write, is how I write. I am no Steinbeck and don’t profess to be. I don’t see the point of pussy footing about because people dont understand how angry you are, but I am a writer not simply a blogger. Not only do I feel passionate about the canals
I do get my hands dirty practicing what I preach.
Well thank you for articulating so clearly and calmly what I felt when I read Maffi’s post. We also laugh at the attitude of some CCrs to others on the cut. We don’t understand why some of them note only some seem so bitter and twisted. We have decided to just enjoy our weeks and weekends away out of the marina, interact with the many many nice people you meet whilst ignoring the miserable gits who appear to think they are the only boats who should be out on the cut
Bravo Heth, well said!
Hi Dave B, Anon, & Roger,
This is a reply to your comments & questions only, I'm not banging on for the sake of it.
These are the sections of the post that spill over from plural, to being aimed at all marina based boaters.
To start with plural, aimed at many boaters, not just the guy who wrote the email:
“Why do all you whinging little shits who buy a boat, you cannot get good use out of, feel it is necessary for me to pay for your stupidity.”
Then with loose ref to marina moorers:
“Whereas most of you have a house and your boat is a hobby, my boat is my home."
Again with loose ref to marina based moorers:
“The simplicity of it is you are all jealous that some of us can have a fulltime life on the canal."
And aimed directly at all marina based boaters:
"What you Muppets should be saying is ‘I only come out of the marina for two weeks of the year so I want a discount’. Or you could argue that boats in marinas should only pay a licence fee when they come out on to the system. Don’t fuck the CCer up because you made a bad-purchasing decision."
And this was also aimed at marina based boaters - admittedly, can't be absolutely certain whether everyone was included:
“Leave us alone. You don’t want to piss us off coz if you Muppets get your way and we pay to moor, we are going to moor . . . . wherever we please . . . . in all the prime spots. You of course will complain, but will only have yourselves to blame.”
As a marina based boater I replied with our own experience, because there is no doubt that we were (eventually) targeted on mass.
I cannot speak for everyone based in marinas, but I know that the majority of us are like-minded.
I suggest that if you can't see any clarity here then you re-read the whole post & observe how it morphs from starting off being aimed at one person - to including all marina based boaters.
I think the guy who wrote that email to CB magazine was either very naive, or just plain ignorant.
But we don't all deserve to be tarred with the same brush as him in such an abusive fashion.
H
Sorry, had to post this again, Blogger prob.
Hi Maffi,
Thanks for your reply without it being a rant. I don't think I got hold of the wrong end of the stick when marina moorers were ranted about as a group.
And I wasn't whinging as a "paid up marina moorer," my post was all about getting things in perspective. Sometimes a rant written in anger about one subject can go off topic & grow out of proportion. IMHO that's what happened, but I wasn't personally offended at all.
I don't feel that I wasted my time when so many people are in agreement.
You are a very good writer without the need to curse & swear. Because sometimes it takes the focus off what you're trying to say.
It might be a good idea to write an email direct to the editor of CB magazine. Keep it assertive but not aggressive! I would if I felt so strongly.
H
Hi Bob,
Welcome to the party from across the pond!
My little mate "A" up there doesn't know it yet but she's supplying all the booze.
Have a great summer yourself, even if we're all a bit short on water! Oh, & thanks for following this barmy boater lol
H
H 'so many people are in agreement'?
Of the now 15 comments:5 were from you:2 now from me:2 in my favour:1non-commital. that leaves 5 not so many really. An enhusiastic ioversight maybe?
You obviously haven't checked out the comments to this link on Farcebook then...
No why would I?
I'll be delighted!!
(Was only trying to cool things down. I must be the non-commital then?). xA
Because you mentioned that I might have an "enthusiastic oversight" as to how many people agree. In a nutshell people think of you as a bully. I've presented you with evidence which proves this to be true. You won't look because as we all know bully's (online or not)are insecure cowards...
Hi A,
Yep, looks like you've been added in the incorrect tally too.
Hx
I thought that blogging was a contact sport of a sort. In the sense that keeping in contact through what you write and entertain the readership with. There are many boating bloggers out in the blogosphere some are very good, some bad, some indifferent but everyone should be enjoying doing their own thing.
Sometimes, as in this instance, a blogger does not articulate their pet peeve all that well. Full of their own personal angst and bluster.
The posting then creates a load of confusion and doubt. But for me any posting that has to fall back on swearing and obvious ill temper was not going to make the grade anyway. A bit like hair pulling and handbags at dawn!
It all goes a bit OTT however, when the blogger forgets that everyone has an opinion of their own. Then sets off on a personal crusade of their own making.
Who gave them the right to take to task anyone who has the temerity to disagree and take an opposite viewpoint. A poor show! The only one to come out of this with any dignity is you Heth!
Well done.
Micky
Thanks Micky,
You're a little gem, spot on, if he composes any more abusive or argumentative comments to this thread - they won't see the light of day ;-)
H
Hi Heth- I have not met you or posted on here before.
I have met Maffi & enjoyed his company as I am sure I would yours.
Anyway, for what it's worth, CB mag must be loving this. I wonder what response they will use to 'David's' letter next Month. He personally strikes me as a first rate twonk! I thought I had bought the Daily Express by mistake!
Great to see lively debate on this topic.
Kevin Ronnie- nb Acorn
Hi Kevin, nice to meet you, & welcome to the blog. It's not always like this thank goodness!
I've listened to the CCer issue on the blogs & FB groups for quite some time now. It gets a bit boring after a while, but blaming marina moorers with a foul mouthed rant isn't fair or correct. I appreciate your comment :)
H
Heth, I seem to remember you having a go at me and accusing me of not following the CCing rules (on facebook) because I had been on The Rufford Arm for 2 months.So it would appear to me that you do have an anti CCer agenda.
Hi John,
I really don't have an agenda at all. The only reason I wrote this post was in response to marina moorers (or any moorers) becoming the focus of a rant that really has nothing to do with us. The language used with ref to us all non CCers is a disgrace & very offensive. I suggest you re-read it & then ask yourself who bears a grudge. And who's doing the mocking.
Just this one quote is aimed directly at us: ”What you Muppets should be saying is ‘I only come out of the marina for two weeks of the year so I want a discount’. Or you could argue that boats in marinas should only pay a licence fee when they come out on to the system. Don’t fuck the CCer up because you made a bad-purchasing decision."
And there's 4 more paragraphs aimed at marina moorers in an offensive fashion. Like we're all morons who think the same. According to Maffi, some of us don't even deserve to have a boat. So we all got it wrong, we didn't want a boat at all? Or don't deserve one (written somewhere else).
It's rather ironic that one of the guys commented further up on here that I should "re-read Maffi's post it's not aimed at you".
Then he went on to write a comment on Maffi's post:
"As a gongoozler (for now) it seems to me that all Messrs numpty and co want is for everyone like you and other CCers to stump up the cost of their mooring fees so they can have them for fuck all at your expense. Now I don't see that as fair at all!"
So please tell me who else is that aimed at?? Please answer the question as to who you think he & Maffi are referring to if its not us?? People in caravans??
I've got as much right to reply as Maffi has to make assumptions & get things wrong.
He refers to every boater who is not a CCer as being numptys at best. Who does that refer to then? Are we back to people in caravans?
If you need more proof I haven't got an "agenda" then take a look at some of the derogatory posts he's written since - aimed directly at me without my name mentioned. I suppose you're going to tell me I'm paranoid lol.
Him continuing in that manner is very childish indeed. I don't deserve that just because I had the guts to stand up to his distorted views. Is that a hate agenda I ask myself.
My gripe here isn't with CCers, & even if it was I'd have neither the time nor the inclination to bother mounting a campaign or whatever! It's was all about the content of Maffis rant & how unfair it was.
Turn it around John, if I'd done a similar rant about what one CCer had said, then it morphed into every CCer except long term moorers, I'd get hung out to dry.
I've been surprised at the number of people who I thought were calm considerate CCers that have raved over his obnoxious rant. Those are people who don't normally rant & have good friendly blogs.
I'll never forget a couple of ex CCer's who came into (the other marina we were at) for good. Got themselves settled in, didn't speak to anyone (literally). Except to ask how much less they'd be paying on their licence fee now they're in a marina. We were all gobsmacked.
Now you're going to tell me that was just one CCers faux pas. Yes it was, so if I'd based a blog post rant about that, then morphed it into applying to all CCers, you wouldn't be very happy about that would you? No.
H
PS: Maffi has just taken down the post that said just this, nothing else:
"When I shut my mouth & turn to walk away it doesn't mean you've won. It simply means your stupid ass isn't worth anymore of my time"
But it came into my inbox first & there's more like that...
Nice one Maffi. Now it's on here instead, as an example of just how petty / nasty you are to anyone who has the guts to speak out if they don't agree with what you say..
Hmmmmm - interesting.
I normally avoid Maffi's blog in the same way I'd avoid Nick Clegg at a cheese & wine party (or indeed cheese and wine parties), but occasionally I do read it, and occasionally I leave comments. Anything remotely critical, he doesn't publish (despite I'm pretty sure he once claimed he published all comments) - and yet sometimes replies to a comment he hasn't published, looking as big a fool as usual. I don't think he realised what a big a fool everyone thinks he is.
I treat him like the Daily Mail; I really hope that most people read it to laugh at it rather than agree with it.
I'm very much live & let live, which is why I live on the canal. I, however object to bulliesd and those who think everyone else's business is their own. Maffi behaves like a little boy who's been denied his treat (and we all know who that is, eh?), has failed to grow up or have any thoughts about the feelings of anyone but himself.
I personally don't care how far he travels, that's his business (as long as he comes nowehere near me), but he's claimed the moral high ground over all and sundry it's about time he was challenged - but to be honest, he's not worth it. He has not logical or reasoning abilities; your words are lost on him.
Steve Harkinson
I can't help but comment here.
Maffi does not have a linear mooring.
He may seem that he has not traveled a lot over this winter but as someone who knows most of the intricate details of that I think you are on a sticky wicket. He didn't travel the country, he didn't overstay either all with good reasons that were both unforeseeable, utterly regrettable and potentially heart breaking.
Maffi doesn't need me to defend him, and I am not so please don't think I am.
I think you are both as childish as each other.
However, I am a stickler for correctness and thus I feel the need to comment.
If Maffi did have a linear mooring, or if Maffi was on a linear mooring, would be no ones business except Maffi's and he usually has a jolly good reason for doing what he does. Don't we all.
You conclude that Maffi has some serious mental health issues in your opinion. This is good news as it means you will, perhaps, leave him alone regardless of whether he leaves you alone and treat him and anyone else, with the kindness people with issues need. This comment of course, if I had mental health issues and it was about me, would upset me deeply.
Personally I think we all have mental health issues - isn't that the great thing about living on the water, the eclectic mix of people from all walks of life mixing together. There is no opportunity to be sheltered from our fellow human beings random behaviours, nor those of the wildlife we live so close to.
Happy Boating
Hi Bones,
You're right, this is childish. But he's taken it a step further now by emailing me with more threats & abuse about getting the law involved.
Which, surely if he's had to stay in the same place for health issues? Doesn't matter what the reason, he could have told me privately (without going into detail) via email. I'm not petty enough to mention something like that.
Surely his new campaign against me will not help him to improve whatever the problem is / are. In fact he's wasting his time, & I've explained why to him.
H
I didn't say it was health issues.
Private issues that are his.
I think personal issues are personal, there is no reason for anyone to tell anyone anything ever. There is no reason to explain the way we behave, but I tend to think if someone is being weird, there is usually a jolly good reason for it, and I then thank my stars that I am not in the same position.
Personally I think you should both ignore each other (regardless of what the other one does) and leave it at that.
PS: To be fair in light of what you've explained I was told to "go & see a good psychiatrist". By Maffi himself.
H
Bones,
As a goodwill gesture & to prove that I am a rational person I will take down the comment he refers to in his email. My husband isn't very happy about this either.
In return I'd request that he removes his blog post for today.
H
It has nothing to do with me, and I am not sure I know which one you mean (nor do I particularly care) If he takes it down it will be because he has decided for himself not because anyone has asked him to, told him to, or suggested it. Just like you changing, removing, editing, adding anything you write. That has only something to do with you.
I did reply to the good psychiatrist bit but it seems to have got lost. Good advice. Bad psychiatrists aren't worth a penny.
Yes, your comment got deleted by mistake, not deliberately, with the new blogger interface there isn't much room between delete & publish.
Why keep mentioning psychiatrists when its not relevant to this discussion.
I too have been through a serious physical illness, this sort of thing doesn't do me any favours either. I do not want to continue this any further, but Maffi does it seems.
H
I don't keep mentioning it I was just replying to you as you mentioned it first. I am also a great advocator of good psychiatrists. I think they are fab, I really do.
Ignore Maffi. Don't get involved. He will soon get bored of dancing, just as you will.
Thanks Bones,
On a more personal note, It would be nice to talk to you sometime. Something you once mentioned on your blog I could really associate with struck a heartfelt chord.
Your words almost echoed one of my poems.
Can't talk on here tho
H
Oh for crying out loud, you two need your heads banging together. Not defending Maffie (he's quite capable of doing that himself) but
I too am a stickler for accuracy (it’s my job) so………
Point 1. Maffie used the plural. According to the Oxford dictionary, plural means more than one – not all, just more than one.
Point 2. Maffie was ranting against the one or two marina dwellers that were complaining, so, if you haven’t complained then ergo, he wasn’t having a pop at you.
Point 3. Given the above, If he wasn’t having a pop at you, if the cap doesn’t fit then for Gawd’s sake, stop trying to make it fit
Point 4. It appears from your responses that you are more than a little sensitive. We have a saying in my country (levied at both male and female) which is “you need to toughen up princess”.
Chris
Hi Chris,
Yeh the princess has given up with dignity (I think)
H
You dont have dignity. You have told more lies and pretend you are the agrieved party. You are not worth this agrro. You are a consumate liar! DO ya worst.
Maffi,
I removed the post, you won ok? I really don't care anymore. Does it make you feel good that you've made me ill by continuing this?
H
Heth
That is unfair. The situation may have made you ill, but we have a choice about how we respond to people.
I am not reading any of this anymore because it's a personality class with two dogs with a bone.
The world can be a nice place but this week the moon must be funny because lots of people are finding things hard.
Get well soon.
Btw. Re. You other post you can contact me by email or if you are passing,in person.
B
Gobsmacked!
You guys shouldn't work yourselves up so much at your time of lives. It's not good for your old tickers.
N
Hi Heth / All- Can we please revert to the inspirational blogs that you ** all ** provide to many avid readers.
Having had some more very sad news yesterday I look forward to your future blogs.
I sincerely hope this continues very quickly.
Thanks again
Kevin Ronnie- nbAcorn
Hi Kev,
In a word yes, speaking on behalf of me anyway!!!!
H
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