Paladine

Each of the four UK nations have got their own rules. I'm commenting on the rules for England as they stand, not as they may be in the future. There is much speculation in the media about the direction in which we may be heading, but it is just that - speculation. No confirmation from HMG yet.

One could also say that, if one can pay to have all one's shopping delivered (or even get it delivered for free), as one can with all the supermarkets, businesses that have an on-line shop as well as a physical shop, etc., it is not essential for the vast majority of the population to go to Tesco, Waitrose etc., but that activity hasn't been prohibited, or even questioned. The legislation (enforceable) only says, "No person...may leave or be outside of the place where they are living without reasonable excuse." It sets no limit on the distance that may be travelled, nor does it require the travel to be essential. The guidance (unenforceable) says, "...If you need to travel you should stay local – meaning avoiding travelling outside of your village, town or the part of a city where you live..." I was offering the OP a possible answer to his problem. It would be for him to decide whether, in his particular circumstances, that answer is appropriate or not. Since he has now revealed he would have a 4.5 hr drive to get to his boat, I wouldn't say it was appropriate, but it might be for someone living closer to their boat, facing the same situation

I would have thought that attending your boat to ensure it complies with the BSS would come under the exemption for leaving home "to fulfil a legal obligation".

I wasn't particularly trying to justify going to a marina to winterise a boat. I was pointing out that the guidance you quoted was so full of flaws as to be unreliable.

I read this site a lot, but, as I am based on the Broads, rarely post. But I can't let this pass without comment. It is incorrect in so many ways, being someone's loose interpretation of guidance from who knows whom. I won't list the inaccuracies, but urge members to read the regulations for themselves. They're written in plain English and are simpler to understand than some of the convoluted guidance that's doing the rounds. Just two particularly important points from the quoted guidance: 1. "Police don’t need to prove you broke the law to give you a fine - only to suspect you did so." Totally wrong - the regulations say: "21.—(1) An authorised person may issue a fixed penalty notice to anyone that the authorised person reasonably believes— (a) has committed an offence under these Regulations, and (b) is aged 18 or over." "Reasonably believes" is a far stronger requirement than "suspect". 2. The guidance totally ignores a very important (to boaters) exemption, "to visit a public outdoor place for the purposes of open air recreation". A public waterway is considered to be "a public outdoor place", and all forms of boating, from paddleboarding to motor boating, are considered to be "recreation".