Yes it probably a good idea for those who don't want to cruise in winter, we can't afford it, but its still illegal even if you did agree to it, it would be a civil contract, which being based on illegality would be null and void, and should be refunded. The C&RT should have refused to do it until the law was in place to allow it, like any sensible organisation would. In theory they would have to repay every winter mooring fee from day one, that's the down side of acting unlawfully, just like tax fraud for instance, the HMRC won't let you off because it was long ago, or you thought what you did was legal. Claiming everyone has "accepted" the idea doesn't make it legal either.