How many times, as a boat owner, have you stood and puzzled over a technical dilemma?

Although I’ve never been a fishermen, several of my friends who are tell me that I’m missing a great way to relax and unwind – and given that fishermen spend a lot of their lives gazing at a float on the surface of the river surrounded by beautiful countryside and the sound of the birds singing, I can certainly understand the attraction.

It always worries me that, bit-by-bit, our public rights can be eroded away simply because we don’t know when – or how - to protect them.

To anyone who spends time messing about in boats of all kinds, the dangers inherent in a life on the water are always there in the background.