Emails

Anglers to get priority?

Tring Anglers have long been 'carping' about the lack of fishing pegs between the bottom lock at Marsworth and the Aylesbury arm and have suggested that British Waterways give over the visitor moorings close to the lock in return for them 'policing' fishing above and below the lock. This will give the anglers at least three more pegs.

British Waterways are considering the proposals and are consulting moorers. Not sure where boaters will be able to stop, either to visit the White Lion or work the lock. The carp in this section are tame and regularly fed by visitors and have not been included in British Waterways' consultation procedure.

The water point at Bulbourne has been partially blocked by a British Waterways mud hopper for sometime and two anglers set up directly in front of the tap last week, perhaps boaters would therefore show some consideration and take on water at British Waterways' yard (Marsworth) or Cowroast.

Mike Griffin

Stuck in a lock

In February 2007 We had a similar accident to Abigail. We were travelling on the Staffs & Worcs from Kidderminster to Stourport. We entered Falling Sands Lock and started to drop the water level.As the level dropped the front of the boat jammed and the back still dropped.

I quickly dropped the paddles and then slowly opened the top gate paddle and slowly filled the lock, Bringing the back of the boat back up and level. I then discovered that two small logs had entered the lock with us and had jammed between the boat and the lock.The front of the boat had jammed in the lock and left us in the same position as Abigail, Bow in the air and stern at the bottom of the lock.

We were later informed by another boater that contractors for British Waterways had been cutting down trees a short distance upstream from the lock and that they had left the cut logs in a pile on the towpath. Local kids had been seen throwing the logs into the canal.

We sent an Incident Form into British Waterways in February 2007, but as of yet have not received a reply. I would therefore suggest that Abigail's accident may be due to a floating object in the lock.

Paul Edwards, Nb Dream On. (Cruising the French Canals)

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It was obvious

Di Harrison asks how I knew that the boats moored opposite Sainsbury's on the Grand Union were either continuous cruisers or continuous moorers.

Well, Di, we stayed there to stock up from the supermarket and have lunch, and as you do, you speak to other boaters, and the ones I referred to were licenced yet not on a paid-for moorings, so like many others I kept a record.

We then went down the Grand Union to the Paddington Arm and the Regent's Canal then up the Lee to Hertford, then a cruise along the Stort to Bishop's Stortford. Then it was back to Limehouse Basin and a cruise up the Thames to Brentford and the Grand Union again.

Eventually, six weeks and three days later we once again moored opposite Sainsbury's to stock up, and those same boats were still there in exactly the same places.

That is, Di, how I knew they were continuous moorers. I would have thought it obvious.

Being retired, we move about the system where the fancy takes us, but we don't abuse the system by pretending we are continuous cruisers, but pay for a yearly mooring.

Gillian Stokes

Getting his MP involved

I've asked my MP to write to British Waterways (Robin Evans) with regard to it buying Polish boats and local boatbuilders going out of business.

My MP is John Maples and he is the MP for the Stratford area. If anybody living in his constituency would like to raise the lock notices issue with him his email is maplesj@parliament.uk and I'm sure he will use the same channels.

Graham Phillips

Sympathies

My sympathies go to Gillian Stokes who has been 'harrisoned'. Terry and Di Harrison, narrowboat Ruby are very forthright and scathing in their emails regarding other people's opinions.

Bertie Bracket

Lock signs

Most of the beams on the locks from Shireoaks to Thorpe on the Chesterfield Canal have the smaller signs which I presumed was because those locks are listed monuments despite there being plenty of room for the bigger signs.

The notable exception on that stretch appears to be Boundary Lock (41a) which is not an original. Certainly all the locks around Retford have the full monty including the explanation which tell you to keep forward of the cill marking on the wall (which is okay if you're going down, a tight squeeze if you're not).

David Morris

Appreciation

We would like to send our gratitude and sincere thanks through your site, to a lovely couple called Graham & Vera (plus dogs Megan and Molly) on narrowboat Penny Peace.

They came to our rescue whilst cruising the Peak Forest Canal. We had an electrical fire, which took out the 12V system, this meant we couldn't start our engine therefore needed a tow. Having found a place to get repairs done, somewhere quite local, they offered to tow us there the very next day—in the pouring rain I might add! They wanted no reimbursement for diesel, so we suggested we could treat them to lunch. It seemed such a small price to pay, but both of them wanted no great fuss made of their kindness.

So please convey our best wishes and thanks to our Good Samaritans Graham and Vera, who have been true 'continuous cruisers' for nearly 20 years. May they continue for another 20 years—God bless 'em!

Terry, Di and Harry, NB Ruby

Definitely toeing the party line

Your correspondent, who had his letter responding to the British Waterways' 'Rose tinted glasses' view of the waterways today, printed (albeit heavily censored) in the Daily Mail, fared better than I. My very similar letter making all the same points didn’t trouble the pages of the Daily Telegraph.

Tony Collins

No trouble at all

Having just read your site and especially the one on Bandits, I thought that anyone reading it,who was thinking of trying boating , would be put off for life.

However, I would like to point out that not everything is as black.

During late April, May and early June this year my wife and I did a six weeks, 450 miles cruise during which time we did not have any incidents from bandits. Starting at Shardlow then onto Burton, Stoke, Middlewich, Wigan, Blackburn, Burnley, Skipton, Leeds, then down onto the Navigations to Keadby. Up the Trent to Stockwith covering the Chesterfield Canal, then south again to Torksey onto Lincoln and return, then towards home via Newark, Nottingham and Sawley.

This was a wonderful cruise, no problem whatsoever. Very helpful British Waterways staff and not a sign of any potential trouble. Yes I did have a camera ready but it was not needed.

Were we just lucky or are things changing. Who knows, we will just have to wait and see.

Phil and Jacky Aspley, NB Duck Duck Charlie Brown

Report them

Having watched with interest British Waterways' attempts to raise the cost of boating and because of the increase in mooring fees which follows its raising of the cost of boatyard leases as they fall due I recently asked the Office of Fair Trading to consider whether or not British Waterways was acting as a cartel by effectively setting the charges to match those charged by the independent British Waterways Marinas Ltd.

I eventually got a standard letter in reply saying that the request to investigate mooring charges did not fall within their 'administrative priorities' or even within the 'framework' used to determine such priorities. I have asked them to clarify how they determine priorities and have pointed out that my request was not specifically about charges but as to whether two public bodies are acting as a cartel and that this is a serious charge which deserves better than a standard letter. The Office of Fair Trading say that the request will remain on file and the decision be reviewed should other referrals support it.

If you have found your mooring charges have increased beyond the rate of inflation and you suspect or know that increased leasing costs are the reason please write to the Office of Fair Trading and say so. Hugh Cauldwell

Sheer stupidity

On my journey from Wigan to the Anderton Boat lift for a couple of days cruising the Weaver with my dad and brother, I witnessed the most stupid case of adult idiocy in my 6 years on the waterways.

Whilst waiting for passage through Saltersford Tunnel there was a guy in a small inflatable dingy with three small children no older than eight waiting to go through too! No lights and a small outboard which incidentally cut out once or twice.

He proceeded in behind a hired narrowboat and I reluctantly and at a good distance behind followed on. Ironically the first narrowboat had to stop and reverse as they had bicycles on the roof that started scraping the tunnel roof, fortunately at this point I'd not entered the tunnel.

My brother shouted to the guy that I'd prefer if he didn't enter between the two boats, to which the guy started an argument about his rights etc. When the first narrowboat had reversed out he shot off in front of us both.

We caught up with him again in the basin at the far end of Barnton Tunnel where he was preparing to go back through them both!

I told him it was the most stupid thing to do and for the sake of the kids pack it in. He gestured that I was an idiot with a lot of arm waving. We left him to it and I reported it to the British Waterway guy at the boat lift. The consequences if he broke down in the tunnel with 30 tons of steel coming through after him, and the narrowboat captain not seeing him, is unthinkable.

Roy Fawcett

The right lines

I note from a recent piece in the Financial Times that a company called Clarity Commerce Solutions have been awarded a contract to help manage Amsterdam’s historic waterways. Maybe British Waterways should award a similar contract—at least the company name is on the right lines!

Roger Fox

Collect payment

I wonder how much money British Waterways is collecting at the 24 hours moorings at Cropredy.

It must be making quite a killing this week as boats wait for the Fairport Convention next weekend.

You can't moor anywhere near the village this week! Not that it is easy at any time, the 14 days moorings south of the village seem to contain the same boats every time we pass.

Now that British Waterways have tackled a lot of the unlicensed boats, and even removed some of them, perhaps it is about time they tackled the 14 day overstayers, and charged fees where boats will not move on time limited mooring at hot spots.

Jan and Malcolm, Bournemouth

Protected species

I had to laugh at Vera & Graham Lambden's statement 'British Waterways already have the power to move the itinerant boaters on after 14 days—they are called Mooring Wardens'.

They surely must be a protected species, for there must be hundreds of continuous moorers that moor on the best sites for a lot longer than 14 days.

As a regular user of the Trent & Mersey around Derwent Mouth, I was overjoyed to see the picture on narrowboatworld of the three that had been moored there for two months. And they were moored in exactly the same place last year, for months on end. So what price the mooring wardens?

I wonder if it's the same as those you reported at Hack Green, who had a 'friendly British Waterways' man who turned a blind eye?

Whilst on the subject there is the boat Just Because We Can that has been stuck on the 48 hours mooring just a little way up the canal on the rings at Shardlow for the past nine days to my knowledge. Not on the same rings, for yesterday when I saw the boat it had moved about 75 yards to another set of rings, though still on 48 hours moorings. Perhaps the owner, moving backward and forward on 48 hours moorings will not be noticed!

Going back to the three in the photograph, with the addition of the extra one, they are at the end of the pilings, just out of 'reach' of the stink caused by the Westerly winds off the sewage works, whilst such as I are forced to moor further down right in the 'flow'.

'Sooty' Black

Not worth it

When I saw the headline 'Demonstrations at the National' I though Oh good, Inland Waterways Association is at last doing a bit of campaigning, telling Robin and Co to sort out the mess—might be worth going afterall.

But no—it turns out to be cookery and street dancing (whatever that is). As Ideal Homes Exhibitions are not really my thing, not worth going then.

Chris Phillips, Leicester

What were they?

I quote: 'One may move the other may not but both take up moorings and usually good visitor moorings'. Unquote.

So do those who actually leave their marina's, so that makes us equal.

Quote: 'When I wanted to moor near Sainsbury's at Hemel Hempstead, they were taking up all the best spaces'. Unquote.

How does she [Gillian Stokes—email] know that they were either 'Continuous Moorers' or 'Continuous Cruisers' and not 'Continuous Marina's' on a day out?

Keith Makemson

Had their money eventually

We vacated our mooring at Sawley on the 18th June, still with our damaged paintwork due to over zealous British Waterways employee and his pressure washer, gangway cleaning.

We were promised paint for repair but it never happened. Ended up with £40 off final mooring bill. Mooring here at Brinklow is more reasonable. Bags more room between the boats, and I can finally get to the rear of my boat of 45ft without climbing along the gunnels.

Richard Frontrichard, Diane Emily Jayne

Good Service

I’ve just had occasion to use Wheel Freedom wheelchair hire when taking my 92 year old father on a hire boat. The chair was there ready on arrival and collected afterwards all with no fuss whatever.

Very good service.

John Harwood

In good company

I see that Robin Evans is in good company when he has his 'Visions'.

David Icke has been having them for years; part of the subtitle of one of his booklets is'Exposing the dreamworld that we believe to be real.

Iain Powell

Should see it coming

Just would like to say in reference to the latest news: 'British Waterways anticipate a much lower performance than they hoped for in their property portfolio.'

No S**t Sherlock. Didn't need a crystal ball to see that one coming!

What we were able to take from the meeting at Hatton last year was that British Waterways saw an 8% (10% at the time) rise in licence fees as making more business sense that a 1% rise on its commercial revenue (even though a 1% rise according to their own figures handed out at the meeting would bring in a much greater amount of money), and a belief that more revenue would be forthcoming as they expected a steady rise in new boaters.

Given that the current economic situation has been months in the coming, you may have though that people charged with running a public body would at least have some business sense. What do you think the first thing to go is when times get hard and disposable income is squeezed? Answers on the back of a postcard please...

L Moore

PS What do you expect from someone who thinks boaters prefer to moor in 'safer' urban areas. Great 'Vision' Robin—Should have gone to Specsavers.

Cruising or mooring

Terry Harrison wants someone to tell a previous emailer about the difference between continuous cruisers and continuous moorers, but surely from a monetary point of view they are exactly the same, they do not pay any mooring fees.

One may move the other may not, but both take up moorings, and usually good visitor moorings too.

When I wanted to moor near Sainsbury's at Hemel Hempstead, they were taking up all the best spaces, and as to whether they were there for a day or for eternity, it made no difference, they were there.

The sooner they pay for the privilege the better.

Gillian Stokes