chuckale

The marina described by Dusty Wood, in what I would have to view as a right royal rant above, seems very familiar to me even though he seems to see it through very jaundiced eyes. If we are speaking of the same place, perhaps a more balanced view of his observations would be as follows. The marina has been open less than a year,. The large grassed areas have taken remarkably well but are still in their first season and have yet to knit into a solid turf base so the ground tends to be muddy in wet weather. Twigs, or more accurately saplings, have been planted and continue to be planted. Maturity of the resulting shrubs and trees will take 10 years or more. For a long time to come the site will look somewhat naked. That is unavoidable. With regard to 'dog mess', Dusty Wood exaggerates. He should pop open the regularly located dog bins every now and then to see that they are extensively used and most of the dog owners on the marina are conscientious about picking up after their pet. It annoys them as much as the marina management to see offerings left uncollected, occasional though this is. The length of the marina approach road is a matter of geography. The public road cannot be moved nearer to the canal and the canal cannot be moved closer to the road. If the distance is too wearisome, Dusty Wood should have found this out in his research before moving in. The potholes are annoying but regular filling and tamping down is the only solution while the ground, previously farm land, is settling and compacting. It may be several years before it is practical to lay tarmac. I sympathise with his fears for his car suspension, I wince too every time I hit one. The success of WiFi connection seems to vary from boat to boat - mine is generally very good. Individual experience may be affected by distance from the wireless mast, weather conditions or more likely the effectiveness of the software used and the location of the dongle on each boat. After all we do camp inside steel boxes. The on-site cafe is a commercial concern and must charge a market price for its wares. It must also attract customers from outside the marina as there is not a big enough customer base on the marina to support it. To be able to charge the sort of price Dusty Wood seems to want, the establishment would have to position itself as a superior 'greasy spoon' with volunteer staff serving Nescafe. Maybe this is the right level for a marina cafe. Only time will tell. I don't use the facility very often because of the price. If it only served Nescafe I would use it even less except as a place to meet other boaters. Dusty seems to take exception to the comments of gongoozlers. In my experience spectators are fascinated by our boats and intrigued by the lifestyle of those of us who live aboard. Most of their comments are driven by curiosity and on the few occasions when they might be derogatory, surely we are big enough to ignore them. One of the biggest problems which faces a small business, especially in difficult times, is to find time to do the necessary marketing as well as looking after the existing business. Woe betide the outfit that gets this balance wrong! Suffice to say that where I moor (and Dusty Wood?) the owners have been responsive to the needs of moorers, particularly during the recent hard winter weather and demonstrate a flexible, friendly and hands-on managment style. In conclusion I can only suggest to Dusty Wood that if his current berth is not to his taste he should slip his mooring without delay and head off in search of waters new. I hope he finds a place that suits him. Chuckale