Momac

My boat was ashore from mid October to mid Feb and and we didn't miss many , if any, weekend boating opportunities. The river was in flood a good deal of that time or if not the weather was foul. I remember him. He insisted on sliders being used when penning down , which can be tricky from the side deck of most cruisers , and just stood and watched people struggle / refused to help with the ropes .

Hardly any locally based boats move in the winter eg mid October to Easter.

You need to at present or risk no lock keeper being in duty.

I mention the non tidal hours to advise people who may turn up and expect a lock keeper to be on duty until 5pm. The locks are easy to operate but some locally based people haven't done so despite years of boating experience. Lets not forget also some people have better mobility than others . My main complaint is the reduced service for extra fee .

The tidal locks on the River Trent have in theory always required booking 24hrs in advance. However this has been quite relaxed and in practice not required at all at Torksey and Cromwell in recent years. On passing through Cromwell today the full time lock keeper advised the locks will not be manned if no boats are expected. You can of course just turn up........but don't be surprised if no lock keeper is on duty. If the pre booked boats had passed through the lock keeper may , and probably will, go off duty. In addition the lock keeping hours are 8am to 4pm at present and this is regardless of tide times . reduced service The non tidal lock keepers are finishing at 3pm while 5pm is usual in the summer. No booking required for non tidal locks but even so the early finish may catch out some people. I am sure this is only one aspect of the ways C&RT are not making any friends among boat owners by reducing the service offered while charging license holders ever increasing fees. It does seem C&RT would prefer if there were no boats . .

I don't know the bridge in question but think you were lucky the bridge operated with a car on it . Despite the car being in the wrong you could , presumably, have reversed the barrier operation ?

You did well at that price I paid £180 in May.... which is not an unfair price for the time involved. The examiner presently pays £51.60 including VAT per certificate . The price went up in April. https://www.boatsafetyscheme.org/professionals/you-and-the-bss/agreements-and-expectations/fees-and-charges/ I don't value a so called ''safety certificate'' that does not require the engine to be started nor consideration of any aspect of the boat that involves it moving through the water under power. In that respect I certainly agree 'pointless' and 'meaningless' are appropriate .

I believe that's what happened in my case . I have no problem with it.

Or if the river level rises . The bow is high. Perhaps there is a bulkhead across the boat and the stern half of the barge is flooded (or sunk).

What's the thinking regarding deliberately filling the barge with water ? Would it not be better protected if empty and afloat?

After breaking loose from its moorings Selby Micheal failed to reach Newark , where it could potentially have damage to boats on the sales pontoon and those moored on the river frontage at Newark Marina . There was impact with the pontoon outside Farndon Marina and for all we know there may have been other impacts including Averham Weir. I understand Selby Michael was brought under control in Newark cut . It was towed back to Hazelford and it would seem it was taken to the upstream side of the lock - where it better protected from flows than it would have been below the weir. I believe the tug from Newark Marina was used but whether that was under instruction from C&RT I have no idea .

Yes

This may be one of the boats in the video

Selby Michael is moored upstream of Hazelford on the visitor mooring and taking up a substantial proportion on the available length. It is sunk and I imagine liable to remain in-situ for some years.

I expect all the British Waterways people moved over to C&RT - it was just the name on the pay packet that changed. People moaned about BW and now they moan about C&RT - Nothing new there.

I suspect you are only looking at this subject from your own situation and circumstances ...........as I am. ...........but It seems our circumstances are completely different.

Perhaps be concerned if you see a submarine hunter ?

There are certainly some parts on my patch (River Trent) that are all the better for boats , both passing through and moored . If the locks were filled in and there were no boats it just wouldn't be the same. We do sometimes feel part of the tourist attraction , often photographed and certainly often observed . So I do agree with the thought noted earlier that the watercourse being navigable attracts visitors. Most of the length of the river is free of observers but I don't see that as an issue. Being on or near the water is good for wellbeing - I think we would all agree to that (if not why go boating). The navigable waterways are one way or another a benefit to the wellbeing of all. Those that don't take advantage of free access to experience the wellbeing are missing out . Marinas also bring visitors (and boat owners) in and those people use local services which is good for the economy. Therefore as boat owners we are contributing to the general wellbeing of the nation and the economy. So while we, as boat owners, should pay a fee for using the watercourses we should only pay a contribution as we do now - not the full cost of operating and maintaining the waterways. Discharge into and abstraction from watercourses is not free (as already mentioned). The balance should come out of the public purse in the same way that other public open spaces are funded.

A U boat ? No.?

U boaters using terminology like ''plastic'' doesn't help. ?

Outdrives do cost money to maintain in large part because the boat has to be lifted ashore to do the most basic service work including a leg oil change . But once in two years seems sufficient for routine service. I don't find the annual engine service costs particularly expensive on a DIY basis. The tendency to wander from a straight line , especially noticeable with a single engine set up, is something you learn to live with - the corrections become more instinctive. Try to avoid over correction which can set up an even more exaggerated pendulum motion. Not necessarily - not with duo-props

This is what I am thinking of......but perhaps despite the duty increases diesel remained cheaper at the pump until some later date ? http://www.forecourtassist.co.uk/why-diesel-costs-more-than-petrol.html ''Despite these reductions in sulphur emissions, standard diesel fuel is still taxed more heavily than petrol. In 1994, duty on diesel and unleaded petrol (ULP) was the same, however from 1996 through to 1998 diesel was around a penny per litre more expensive. In 1999 it became three pence per litre.'' .