Email: Shiny boat brigade

I have noticed of late the increasing use of the phrase 'shiny boat brigade' as a term of abuse. I am the proud owner of a shiny boat and I work hard to keep it that way, but it seems to be implied that anyone who has a shiny boat is a rich snob.

This is probably why when we left our boat over Christmas and New Year someone thought it was okay to help themselves to the biggest share of our wood, the last little bit of our coal and the two new wheels we had treated ourselves to (for mooring on the Shroppie). We are not rich, managing on our pensions and rapidly diminishing savings.

Just because I don't choose to cruise in something that resembles a floating skip doesn't make me a bad person. I reserve that accolade for those who rob old age pensioners!

We should never judge by appearances, not every shiny boat owner is a stuck-up snob and not every one on an old 'rust bucket' is a loveable eccentric .

We cruise the length and breadth of the system and have met help and friendship from people on boats of every description so it really annoys me to hear blanket condemnation of any one type of boater.
Jennifer MacGillivray

[We have entered 'Shiny boat brigade' in our Search facility, with no results.  We entered 'Shiny boats' and only received results appertaining to the word shiny—not applying to boats. So the above must refer to others.]