A trustee responds - Continuous cruising and over-stayers

Continuous cruising and over-stayers

A group of boats owners with continuous cruising licences asked me and others from the Trust to attend a meeting last month. The Trust has made it clear that those people who do continuously cruise—as they said they would on their licence application—have nothing to worry about. Real continuous cruisers are a valuable part of the waterways scene. Over-stayers—whether continuous cruisers or those with home moorings—will find the rules being enforced.

Now the enforcement team have got licence evasion down to a lower level, they are turning to over-stayers and it's intended there should be more frequent patrols in future at 24 and 48 hours moorings. After all, what's the point in having a limit on hours if nothing is done about over-stayers? The meeting heard that the Trust's research suggested that about 2,000 of the 4,400 boats licenced as continuous cruising moved less than 10kms over an approximate six months period in early 2011 between 1st January and 31st August 2011. Given that not all could be followed up at once, the Trust's staff are focusing on the 600 boats which appear to move the least.

By the way, I reckon Tom Rolt (whom I knew slightly) must be laughing in his grave at the suggestion (narrowboatworld 15th November) he broke rules about long term mooring. When he stayed at Tardebigge in the Second World War, it was out of the way on the off-side, and there weren't any rules about continuous cruising—there were hardly any pleasure boats then.

Flooding

There was flooding on many of the Trust's waterways towards the back end of November—not just when the Trent overflowed into the Trent & Mersey at Aston. (narrowboatworld 26th November). Down at nearby Weston, the Trust's staff were letting water out as residents' homes were threatened—which is why they weren't seen at Aston/Sandon.

Your readers may recall two lots of very heavy water with about a day between; the staff lowered water levels where possible in anticipation. In some places, culverts normally taking surplus water off the canal to a river saw water coming from the river back up towards the canal. Ralph Freeman mentioned that a Sandon ground paddle was out of action. I've checked and it was only reported as being out of action two days before—and since then the staff had been giving priority to more urgent flood matters

Poetry, other things and Friends

Well, I've read some pretty off-beam comments about this. Let's remember that waterways and the arts have a long connection. Robert Aickman (one of the IWA founders) had many arts connections and the 1964 Stratford Re-opening was a Festival of Arts—as was the 1950 Market Harborough Festival. John Betjeman's poem about the 1974 Upper Avon re-opening was put beside the first lock at Stratford. And to bring us up to date, when I boated over the Rochdale Canal this summer, I found separate poems on many of the balance beams, advertising the Rochdale Canal Festival.

The floating forest in a narrowboat did not cost the Trust anything (not £50k) and the poetry on lock beams wasn't the only part of a £100k scheme (narrowboatworld 25th November).  The Trust is putting in £60k from its marketing budget for a variety of arts related projects. Leading waterways poet Jo Bell is a long-time boat dweller and industrial archaeologist; she recently boated from the North West to the Kennet & Avon Canal.

You'll have read about the stoppage open days—that's another part of the marketing to a wider public. The Trust wants people to realise how locks work and are maintained—and to appreciate what Trust staff do to keep the waterways open.

And if any one asks why the money wasn't spent on maintenance, may I make two points? The first is that we are trying new ways to attract people—and we won't always get it right. I'm not sure the Trust can win—do nothing and get told off for being stick-in-the-muds with no imagination? Do something new—and get told that's wrong? My second point is that these sums are vastly outweighed by the money put into maintaining the navigations—that crucial element of the Trust's work. This winter (as last winter) about £50m is being spent on stoppages with a little under 200 new gates and other repairs.

The marketing money covers more than just the arts, and is designed to bring more people to the waterways. Some of them may become Friends. The Trust knows that for years boat owners have commented that other users don't pay. The Friends' idea can help to remedy that as towpath users can join. The Trust already has over 2,000 Friends. (narrowboatworld 7th November didn't mention that the reason why the first year target was reduced from 7,000 to 3,000 was because Parliamentary delays meant the launch didn't start in April but in July.)

If boat owners wish to become Friends, then that's great. If they don't, then that's understood and accepted. Your readers will recall the Trust hopes to increase the elected proportion of the Council to 50% and has already earmarked Friends and volunteers as possible electorates.