Hastings

No - it's not that we're saying that moorings should be 48 hours or less. Where we are, we've got 24 hour, 48 hour, 5 day and unlimited (i.e. 14 day) moorings, all very close to each other. We just hope that people moor at the place that suits their needs best.

Whilst I can't really understand why there are 24 or 48 hour restrictions in many places, I fully understand it in popular villages and towns. The local economies rely critically on boaters mooring up for a while and visiting the shops and pubs. Many jobs depend on this. This needs a regular turnround of new boats visiting the moorings, changing every few hours. Where we are, it's not uncommon to get three boats mooring in the same spot during every 24 hours, all visiting shops and pubs and spending money. Were it not for them, many of the shops would get much less business, and would probably close, with loss of jobs. The breach at Shebdon on the Shroppie for over three months in the main season in 2009 was absolutely catastrophic for our village's economy. Many seasonal employees lost their jobs, simply because there were not the large number of boats moving through the village and mooring here for just a few hours. With respect, boats that moor here for several days don't make the same contribution to the local economy. We're very happy to see everyone, but we really need the short term visitors who bring significant financial input into the village.

Compared to CRT, we have a low turnover. We pay 12p for debit cards, and about 1.25% for credit card use. It actually varies a bit from one type of credit card to another. No doubt CRT can negotiate cheaper rates, but taking a typical licence as say £700, then £7 is probably reasonable for credit cards. Having said that, we absorb the charges in our business, and the other advantage is that it avoids us having lots of cash, which costs us a fee to pay into the bank. I sometimes wish more people would pay by card ....

My apologies re you not watching TV, but I stand by my comments re anyone who does. I just feel that trying to find a technicality to get out of paying for something one uses is morally repugnant. Everyone here seems to agree that you have to have a CRT licence for your boat - the law requires you to. What's different with TV?

The law requires you to have a TV licence if you watch TV as it's broadcast. There are no exceptions, as far as I know. So, if you watch TV at the time it is broadcast (i.e. not on Iplayer or some other system at a later time), you must have a licence. Saying that you don't have an address is your excuse for trying to buck the system and watch TV illegally. To licence your boat, you have to have a postal address. You can use the same one for the TV licence. Law abiding people (the majority of boaters, I suspect) will have no truck with boaters who intentionally breach the law or think that they have got the better of it by, in their view, finding ways round it. You haven't - you are simply breaking the law! Stop trying to justify what you are doing, and pay up, like all fair minded people do. The licence means you can watch TV all day, every day, for less than 40p a day!

The shop and cafe/bistro at Hassall Green (lock 57) closed a while ago, and I understand that the site use is being changed to housing, but with no demolition of the canalside 18th and 19th century buildings. A pity really that the shop has closed, as there has been a general store there serving boaters since at least the 1880s. The Romping Donkey pub has been partly demolished, or to be correct, the awful 1960/1970 additions to this timbered building have been removed. Rumour (informed, I think) is that planning permission wasn't sought to do this, as the pub is grade 2 listed. I suspect that this mess will take a bit of time to sort out!

Point taken re having an address, but if you want to pay for your TV licence, as you seem to want to do, can't you use the address of a relative or friend, or a friendly marina or canalside shop, or someone with a permanent mooring, .... etc. There's always a way, and I still make the point that you should have a licence to watch TV. Hiding behind legal techicalities isn't really defensible! I also agree about millionaire's tax dodges. I'd love to be one, but I'd still pay what the law requires. It's only fair that everyone does.

I can understand what you are saying, but you seem to be encouraging people to break the law. If you watch TV as it's transmitted, you need a licence, wherever you view it. You need an address to get a licence, but the TV may not necessarily be at that address. If you have a house and a boat, both with TV, then your licence covers both, but, I believe, if the TV is switched on at only one of these two locations. If you don't have a home, then you'll need a licence for the TV on your boat. Why is it that a significant minority of writers to this forum encourage getting away with not paying TV licence, or boat licence, etc., or claim to be CCers when they really aren't? Besides the fact that they may be breaking the law, it seems morally indefensible not to contribute financially to enjoy what you do. It's not a right to do these things without paying. Rant over, but .... please pay for things you use.

Speaking with the new Manager-to-be, Alastair, he said that his bosses have taken the pub on a long term basis, with renovation coming in May, and reopening again on 26 May.

Well, the Shroppie Fly reopened last night (Good Friday) at 7.00pm, so let's see how it goes. I couldn't quite discover what terms the new people have got it on, i.e. short term or longer term. Time will tell, but at least it has reopened.

Tony is right - BW (now CRT) has never been a housing authority, and has no legal responsibility to provide space for people to live. In practice, they continue to accommodate the successors to working boatmen, i.e. genuine continuous cruisers who regularly move around over fair distances. If people want to live on boats, there's no problem, as long as they fit in with these principles. Static, or virtually static, living on a boat is a relatively recent phenomenon in the overall scheme of canal history. Whilst there have always been some static moorers, there were not that many until perhaps 15 years ago, and this does not generally fit into BW/CRT rules, unless the boat is on a residential mooring. Local authorities tend to have a say in this, as planning permission is usually needed to live on a boat moored in one place, and council tax is rightly levied. In practice, there aren't many approved residential moorings, and many marinas have only a handful at most. I'm not commenting on whether this is good or bad - it's just the way things are. So, back to the point about boat removals by CRT - whilst rare, they tend to be of boats that don't have residential permission. Like Tony, I don't want to see anyone losing their home, but if they don't comply with the rules, then eventually the inevitable may happen. It's avoidable - either cruise around the system, moor at an approved residential mooring, or find housing through a housing authority or housing association..

Just to say that we only have three spaces left for this year's gathering of historic boats at Audlem on 28 July. We can only fit 42 boats into the three lock pounds available to us. Bookings will be taken on a first come, first served basis. Why not come to what is probably the most informal and friendliest event in the north west? Ring 01270 811059 to book your place - no charge to enter, though there's a small charge for the wonderful BBQ on the Saturday night. Peter Audlem Mill

The new landlady has told me that she wants to be in for Easter, but that there's quite a bit of work to be done. As yet, there's no signs of any contractors. Watch this space ..... The new landlady told me a couple of days ago that there are delays (at the CRT/Punch Taverns level, apparently - CRT actually own the building), but that she hopes to reopen during the second half of April.

Kate and Andy had been tenants for many years, but gave in notice in the normal way, and left in early October. They stopped doing food about three or four weeks beforehand. Temporary managers came in soon after, and started doing food, albeit light snacks in the main. But there really weren't any customers - a common phenomenon when a pub is between landlords. So they gave up the food after a short while, and then reduced opening hours to a couple at lunchtime, and early evening - and then only Tuesday to Saturday. Still hardly any customers, and they left before Christmas. The new landlady has told me that she wants to be in for Easter, but that there's quite a bit of work to be done. As yet, there's no signs of any contractors. Watch this space .....

Sorry that we didn't get back earlier on this point. Unfortunately, the exhibition is on the first floor of Audlem Mill, and is not therefore wheelchair accessible (unless you are able to get up the stairs, or can with help). A wheelchair can be used on the first floor. Please ring 01270 811059 if you would like to discuss how we can help. Peter

Thanks for giving the Audlem Mill website. It's worth noting that we have our annual Canal Art Exhibition from Saturday 17 March to Sunday 13 April, 9.00 to 5.00 every day. There will be about 150+ paintings, photos etc. from at least 15 artists, including many of the members of the Guild of Waterway Artists.. It's well worth a visit, as everything is for sale. At other times, we always have a good selection, but of course rather less items.

I'm a retired employment law consultant with over 20 years experience of providing employment law advice to employers, and a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development. If you want to PM me, preferably providing a phone number, I can hopefully give you a few thoughts, but I'll need to know rather more of the facts, particularly length of service, and what happened. Also, if the person has been employed for more than a year, did you go through a full formal disciplinary procedure with an appeal stage? As an aside, I'm always intrigued to discover what the many boaters that I meet did in the "real" world (not to say that canals aren't real!). Thanks Peter

I can confirm that George's shop at Audlem bottom lock was inspected and approved by the local Environmental Health people. There is no handling of unpacked meat there - it arrives pre-packed from an approved butchery at their farm.

The green boat is definitely Wey. Photos I have show it thus in September 2010, whereas about 2-3 months earlier, another photo shows it in grey primer. I believe that the other boat is Aye, but I'll do a bit more research into photos. Peter

We've been very happy with Swanley Bridge Marina for two or three years now. It's a mile up the Llangollen Canal, so you have got a good choice of routes - to Llangollen, north on the Shroppie to Chester and Ellesmere Port, east along the Middlewich branch, or south down the Shroppie to the Midlands. There's also Tattenhall Marina, or Venetian Marine at Cholmondeston (now part of Whilton Marina).

Pete - My apologies that I didn't say earlier what I was doing. However, I am publishing a book that I think will do at least two things. Firstly, it should be interesting to anyone interested in canal history, and hopefully also, enthusiasts will enjoy it. Secondly, it's something that I and the photographer have wanted to do for several years, because we are enthusiasts and we have photos of nearly 500 historic working boats taken in very recent years, and want to make them available to a wider audience. Given the significant cost of self publishing, this is not a money making exercise! We know the costs, and we aren't doing this to make money. In fact, we don't expect to make anything, but simply hope at least to cover the costs. Peter

Again, thanks everybody for your replies to my initial post. My reason for asking about Kestrel is that I am publishing a book in the spring with lots of photos of historic boats. I'm not going to say more about it yet, or use this forum to advertise it, however I may use the forum to get further information. In summary, looking at all the posts, and particularly Pete Harrison's, which is based on genuine BW contemporaneous documents, it looks as if Kestrel was cut into two in 1959, with the stern going into the former (but now converted) maintenance boat now at Trent Lock (N Old R Send), and the bow into the hire boat Water Lily. So that would mean that the full length boat called Kestrel is not Kestrel. It could be some of Ostrich, with other bits added on. It might be all of Kestrel, but given what BW said, it seems unlikely. However, if by initiating this thread, I have raised doubts in the minds of the full length boat's owner, then I'm sorry. I can only say that I'm looking for fact. Again, thanks, and I'll be glad to hear of any further information. Peter Audlem Mill

Thanks - I started with what it says on the HNBC website about Kestrel: Cut into two boats by BWB in 1959, Bow of what is almost definitely Kestrel formed part of Water Lily, stern remained as Kestrel. (Water Lily was thought at one time to be part of FMC Ostrich.) HNBOC archive has full saga of identities of Kestrel and Ostrich. But then of course that might be wrong! And the full-length Kestrel may well be the real Kestrel. In which case the other two with Kestrel 202 painted on are imposters! May we see if we get any more information. Peter

Thanks everyone for your responses to my original enquiry about Kestrel. I think it's clear that the boat in the image on the right of the linky above is formed from the back end of Kestrel. This is the green "N Old R Send & Co" boat, believed to belong to the Deuchars, and kept at Trent Lock. But I'm not sure we have identified which of the two contenders has the real front end of Kestrel. The contenders are: 1 Water Lily, the ex hire boat (see left hand image at same linky) 2 the full length sheeted working boat, as in Alan Fincher's photos above. I accept that the owner of the full length boat believes it does have Kestrel's front end, and that BW records from when they cut up boats 40-50 years ago might be a bit haphazard. But, I'm still looking for the definitive answer! Many thanks

I'm looking into some aspects of FMC boat history, and I'm a tad confused about Kestrel, a 1928 Yarwoods motor boat, FMC fleet no. 202. I've investigated various routes on the internetty thing, and there seems to be general consensus that Kestrel was cut into two by BW in about 1959. So far so good - and, as you'll see, "two" is important. One boat, coincidentally called Kestrel, is said to be built around the stern section. This is a greenish boat, probably 40' to 45', with the following humorous wording painted on the cabin side - "N.Old R.Send & Co., Yarn Spinners, Mordon Water" and "Kestrel, FMC No. 202". My last photo of it was at Trent Lock in August 2011. But I have discovered two boats that are said to have the bow of Kestrel. One is a full length sheeted boat with a cabin that might have been extended a few feet forward of the engine hole. It's painted in FMC red and green, and fully signwritten as FMC Kestrel No. 202. I have a photo of it at Malkins Bank (T&M), going north, just over a year ago. The other is Water Lily. This is one of the various hire boats that BW created in the 1960's/1970s by cutting and shutting bits of boats. It is signwritten "Water Lily Langley Mill Ex FMC Kestrel 202". My photo is from June 2011, on the northern Oxford - I suspect that it has been recabined since its hire days. Now, I know that a few working boats were in fact cut in three sections, and all bits reused. Was that the case here (as I don't think that Joshers had two bows!). I've also heard of some confusion re Kestrel and Ostrich, though I'm not sure what that is about. But even if relevant, how does that fit in here, as all three of these boats have Kestrel 202 painted on their sides? Clearly, there are three boats, as the photos are only months apart - not long enough to rebuild one of them. May I thank forum readers in advance for what I know will be erudite explanations.