I'VE BEEN living on my boat now for seven years and still find it hard to understand the constant sniping at continuous cruisers by some other boaters. The latest by Ray Smith (Bring it on!) suggesting they should be forced to pay for moorings, writes Kevin Macllroy.
What is it about people that they seem to think that if someone has a cheaper lifestyle that they should be forced to pay the same as someone who has the benefit of a mooring they know will be there when they want it?
A life they can only dream of
Are they jealous that others are able to live a life they can only dream of? Are they too scared to take a risk and justify their fear by denigrating someone else?
I don't know how their minds work but all I know is that I am happy to see continuous cruisers moving around. It's great to recognise boats (cos we don't really recognise the crew until we know the boat do we, or is that just me?) passing regularly.
Keeping the network open
It's good to know they are keeping the network open—so that when I can get off this workaday treadmill I'll be able to get out of my cushy marina and see the network that's more than an all too brief holiday away from home.
CaRT must be sniggering up it sleeve at yet more splits in the boating community (surely that wasn't its plan when it announced this ‘consultation'?).Also be charged
All that aside Ray can't have thought that suggestion through. If CaRT are going to charge continuous cruisers for moorings because they are out on the cut and mooring somewhere every night, then it logically follows that when someone leaves their mooring and stops overnight on the cut then they should also be charged—after all they are using a mooring space on the cut just like the continuous cruiser.