Giles Williams

I'm off to bed. It's way past turning-in time. I'll leave this thread here, unless anyone else has a genuine question I can help with, tomorrow evening.

Okay, please, I don't want to upset you any further.

Okay, and thank you for the leads. Evidently, you don't feel the same way I do about this, so let's please leave it politely.

There are always dodgy folk out there, unfortunately. FWIW, I'm upfront with my fees, and with what clients will get for their money. I know other movers can often accomplish moves faster than I do, and that's fine; I work a set length of day, and I refuse to over-tire myself just to meet a deadline faster. People seem to appreciate that.

Yes, that's quite right. You only require them for moving unlicensed boats across Canal & River Trust water, although they are also useful for online booking of passages and moorings for a boat being moved because I won't have access to a license holder's login details. As I said on my site: "I'm licensed by the Canal & River Trust to move boats using trade plates (useful, if your boat is currently on another waterway authority or is, as yet, unlicensed.)"

Just answering your questions, and I'm really not wanting to throw any shade - that's not what I do. So, I'm sorry I've upset you. I really do recommend the trade plate licence too, for all the reasons I gave. Peace.

Well, I'm cheaper than most other boat movers. And of course, it saves the client the cost of getting a short term licence or transit licence for their move. So they don't need to worry about that, and neither do I. The trade plate licence isn't expensive, and you get a free listing on the Trust's website too ("wooflippinghoo" I hear you groan.) It adds to having a professional reputation. If that matters to you.

Fair question, here's my answer, YMMV... It doesn't. It's for when a boat isn't licensed, for example I just moved a boat off the Avon, which only had an Avon licence, to go for brokerage at Hanbury Wharf. So to pass through Diglis without shenanigans I needed the trade plates on the Severn and the Worcester and Birmingham. It helps when booking a boat through a passage that isn't under a licence I can log into online too, I can just use the trade plate to book a passage or mooring on the Trust's website. I'll be using it again to move a boat from the Nene (EA waters, with an EA licence) over to Stourbridge later this year too.

I'd recommend one then. I've had to use it at on two moves this year alone, and that's with the whole CoViD shemozzle going on.

See above. You will need at least £2M worth of PLI as well, of course. You do have that too, don't you?

That's funny, that's what I've got: trading licence, trade plates number 41843, same as the licences boat yards get for moving boats. I could show you a photo Thomas, if you have any other doubts. Really important if you're moving an unlicensed boat. Darn smart autocorrection. You have it right, of course. And for Matty here are my trade plates, and current licence. Perhaps you should invest in one.

https://your helmsman.co.uk

It's been ten years since Challenger deservedly disappeared. A lot of their boats ended up with BCBM and other shared ownership groups, I'm part of the group that own Victorious. Since Valkyrie appeared on Facebook when a camera containing shots of her was rescued from the bottom of a lock I've been wondering if there's a definitive list somewhere of all the boats that were built for Challenger. I'm aware of three 'V' boats: Victorious, Valkyrie, Viceroy. One 'I' boats: Invincible. Three 'E' boats: Endeavour, Enterprise, Explorer. Two 'C' boats: Centurion, Champion. Three 'B' boats: Benbow, Black Watch, Broadsword. I just wonder if there's a full list hiding somewhere. I'm curious.

Found a map.