narrowboatworld

AT THE risk of contradicting Victor, our experience over the last month of the state of the canals doesn't match his.

CaRT seems to have spent some time during the winter in much needed vegetation cutting on the Grand Union, both towpath and offside—not before time. I can only hope that this has been the case all over the system.

I SPENT an interesting afternoon at the first of two of these events; this one was to cover mooring sites on the Oxford Canal.

LIKE Victor, I have been rather surprised by the vitriolic response to CaRT's mooring consultation. Like a good boy I read it through, and because a lot of the sites are well known to me, I sent in comments and volunteered to attend one of the workshops they are going to hold.

I TOOK the opportunity of a mild and dry window in the weather to make a new year cruise to Coventry and back. It made a change to do a route, at least as far as Hawkesbury, that is normally very crowded and meet moving boats in single figures per day and be able to tie up in a choice of locations which are usually zooed out.

I RECENTLY had to complete the formalities for a new licence to cover us for 2013, and we were toying with the idea of a Gold licence.

THE picture below shows the designated winter mooring site at Crick. It has been available since 1st October, and seems to have attracted virtually no custom.

I THINK James Henry and Victor should be very careful what they are wishing for. The logical outcome of their arguments is a Boating Licence, analogous to a Driving Licence, without which you would not be allowed to steer a canal boat, whether hired or private.

A LOT has been said and written about the ‘legacy' which is supposed to accrue from the recent Olympic Games, some of which may well benefit the canals of east London.

THIS year there seem to have been an inordinate number of emergency stoppages, mostly caused by the weather, either repeated river closures or floods that have washed the towpath into the canal or brought down trees.