Continuous mooring resolved

Published: Monday, 11 May 2015

ONE boater not wishing to cruise or pay any fees to Canal & River Trust has negotiated with a farmer to dig out a hole by the Oxford Canal summit, writes Kevin McNiff.

This is on the summit pound close to Bridge 122. Whether the access from the canal was authorised is a question for CaRT, but looking at the picture, the bank has been in-filled and thus isolated the boat from ever cruising again—unless the JCB is brought back?

It beats me, but surely a caravan would be more appropriate than a tin tub prone to rot and decay. I also noted a sign offering moorings to rent?! Interestingly, Bridge 122 was not so long ago the subject of a number of stoppages caused by obstructions hung over the parapet by an apparently disgruntled landowner. Maybe he also owns the land with said boat in?

Presentation

I was at the Bond presentation by Richard Parry and, like others, was put off by the hijacking of the meeting by a vocal few. Such is the way of democracy in our beloved country that reasoned debate has gone, like the bathwater, down the drain. I too left before the end as did many who felt the Q&A was going nowhere for the genuine boaters.

However, it must be corrected that, despite protestations by the said vocal few, the meeting was by invitation via the internet and was not set up to excluded any group or individual so I don't agree with the claim that the National Bargee Travellers Association (NBTA) were in any way prevented from getting tickets and showing up.

The agenda of the NBTA does not sit with any other boating organisation so it is perfectly reasonable for them to engage with the Trust on an individual basis and derive whatever satisfaction or otherwise they can.

BBC4 journey

If anyone stayed the course over the recent no commentary two hours cruise from Bath to Dundas on the Kennet & Avon, it did show continuous mooring really well, including one sunken narrowboat. Question I have, is where do they go to dump their excrement and take on water? Answers on a postcard.

Cut to the chase

Try to define as much as you may the legitimate cruising distance one needs to travel under a continuous cruiser licence, the real acid test is to listen to those who claim to need permanent access to facilities enjoyed by those with bricks and mortar or mobile homes. The two regimes just don't co-exist. Any attempt to justify otherwise is only a money pot for lawyers and a waste of valuable resources by CaRT. End of story.