nine9feet

Did almost all of the BCN last year, Feb & March. Only trouble was boat was frozen in top of Ryders for a week and two young lads crossing a bridge over the Wyrley thought it might be a good idea to climb over the side and jump onto the roof of my boat. They changed their mind when I took the camera out and took a picture of them.

Usually puts his schedule on the company Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/GravenorBoatingCompany/

See http://www.fourcountiesfuels.co.uk/ for schedule!

Seems to me that situation is the same even if the boater does not pay for the winter mooring. It would all come down to how CRT reacted to the cruising pattern and whether they deemed it acceptable. I don't think it is any more complex than that! Cheers

Haven't checked for a link, but here are the original Statements I copied: Boating: 8 candidates for 4 places on the Council: Steven John Wickes Stella Ridgway Ruth McCabe Richard Phasey Vaughan Welch Phil Prettyman Jim Owen Roger Stocker Steven John Wickes Election statement: As a member of Rammey Marsh Cruising Club, I have cruised the inland waterways for the past 28 years. I have held numerous positions with RMCC and have always been heavily involved with User Groups and User Group meetings for the London are. I strongly believe that co-operation between CRT and users is essential to maintain our waterways for future generations. Any committee membership, officer, trusteeship, directorship or other official position held with any inland waterway organisation during the 12 months immediately preceding 14 October 2015: Honorary Treasurer/Secretary, Association of Lea Cruising Clubs Stella Ridgway Election statement: My name is Stella Ridgway and I continuously cruise with my husband and two Labradors on NB Gracie. I have considerable experience in mediation and consultation and if elected I would: Encourage CRT to focus on the maintenance of the canal navigation and infrastructure. Seek to ensure all users respect the canal and its environment Canvas and seek to get boaters views heard on, for instance: Towpath safety and responsible cycling More facilities in popular areas Accessible moorings long and short term Fair and consistent enforcement If we all show consideration and treat others, as we would like to be treated, I believe we can preserve our way of life. Boaters and towpath visitors should be able to enjoy a safe environment to enjoy canal life. I would encourage CRT not to affect the enjoyment of the vast majority when trying to manage the irresponsible behaviour of the few. Any committee membership, officer, trusteeship, directorship or other official position held with any inland waterway organisation during the 12 months immediately preceding 14 October 2015: none Miss Ruth McCabe Election statement: I am nominating myself for the Canal and River Trust Council as I believe my experience as director of a charitable organisation and a member of the London based canal clean up crew would be beneficial to the council. I have been a CC'er for two years and travel around the south east. The boating community is welcoming and friendly and the waterways have become my home. Therefore I would love to help in protecting them and the way of life enjoyed by a fantastic group of people. I am director of a community based initiative, Save the Date Cafe in Dalston and a proud environmentalist. Save the Date Cafe is a pay as you feel, waste food cafe which is run and built by volunteers out of waste materials. Any committee membership, officer, trusteeship, directorship or other official position held with any inland waterway organisation during the 12 months immediately preceding 14 October 2015: none Richard Phasey Election statement: This is my rationale for election to the Council of Members. To help shape policy by presenting the considered views of private boaters to the highest echelons within Canal & River Trust, drawing upon knowledge and experience gained as an enthusiastic boater for seventeen years. Familiar with committee procedures, I served as Commodore of St. Pancras Cruising Club for seven years, including chair of the management committee. Additionally, I serve on: National Executive Committee of the Association of Waterways Cruising Clubs; Technical Committee of the Boat Safety Scheme; and Inland Navigation Panel of the Royal Yachting Association. Boating adventures, with Frances, include 10,000 hours of cruising on the nation's canals and rivers. I have planned and led many Thames tideway cruises, to which our club welcomes all boaters, and was appointed leader of the 40-strong narrowboat contingent during the planning and execution of the Thames Diamond Jubilee Pageant. Any committee membership, officer, trusteeship, directorship or other official position held with any inland waterway organisation during the 12 months immediately preceding 14 October 2015: National Executive Committee of the Association of Waterways Cruising Clubs Technical Committee of the Boat Safety Scheme Inland Navigation Panel of the Royal Yachting Association Commodore, St. Pancras Cruising Club Vaughan Welch Election statement: With your support I hope to: - Establish primacy for boating Prevent navigation being subsumed by non-navigation interests Reduce spiralling boating costs Develop cheap entry traditional boating for the young and families Establish opening hours to suit the users especially manned structures Develop a proper dredging programme Improve vegetation management Prevent closures Increase provision and improve essential boaters facilities Seek network expansion and adoption of EA Waterways Promote internal and external cost reductions Establish salaries equivalent to ‘like’ charities Re-establish the Right of Navigation Compensate for long term closures Encourage residential boating and legitimate Continuous Cruising Ensure the fair use of towpath based moorings for all Legitimize those who have chosen the waterways as their home Continue support for less well off boaters and those in difficulty Establish security of tenure Any committee membership, officer, trusteeship, directorship or other official position held with any inland waterway organisation during the 12 months immediately preceding 14 October 2015: Chairman of Inland Waterways Association’s Restoration Committee Member of Inland Waterways Association’s Navigation Committee Member of Inland Waterways Association’s Promotions and Communications Committee Member of Inland Waterways Association’s West Midland Region Committee Former Trustee of the Inland Waterways Association, now retired Member of Canal & River Trust West Midlands Partnership Member of the Joint Canal River Trust and Inland Waterways Association’s Joint National Restoration Partnership Director and Trustee of Lichfield and Hatherton Canal Restoration Trust Director and Trustee of Stratford and Warwick Waterways Trust Phil Prettyman Election statement: I believe CRT Council must represent the whole waterways community, with boaters' members striving to ensure that waterways remain fit for navigation, including depth, original features and vegetation management. I have owned the same boat for 43 years and have witnessed impressive improvements from the 1970s. Nevertheless, vigilance is needed to ensure that appropriate maintenance remains high on CRT's agenda so that standards do not slip. I support the Trust's wider inclusivity and will continue to promote the waterways' public profile. It is also important to raise awareness of good boating techniques and encourage considerate attitudes to other waterways users. Our shared resource is a national treasure but is first and foremost a navigation for boats. I have been a member of IWA and various canal societies since the 1970s. From 2007 to 2012 I was a member of the British Waterways Advisory Forum and its Heritage Group. Any committee membership, officer, trusteeship, directorship or other official position held with any inland waterway organisation during the 12 months immediately preceding 14 October 2015: Historic Narrow Boat Club, Chairman Central Shires Partnership, member until December 2014 Jim Owen Election statement: Having been a liveaboard for 10 years I would like to see and fully support ANY motion that would bring a fairer and more commonsense approach to the way CRT is connecting with boaters. We need to stress to local councils the need for more marinas. We need the scrapping of the distance regs for CC'ers as it it obviously unenforceable without a proper way of logging movements. Any committee membership, officer, trusteeship, directorship or other official position held with any inland waterway organisation during the 12 months immediately preceding 14 October 2015: I am the ex-Chairman of the RBOA,, Benefits and Legal advisor in the RBOA for 3 years. Served on the Bench as a full member for Independent Tribunal Services Roger Stocker Election statement: Interests: Narrowboats , cycling (riding and campaigning), Rugby League, Speedway, Trade Union representation. Why stand? To help represent all canal users across the diversity of users, we have a finite space that needs people to understand the need to share. I am the owner, since 2012, of a nb moored on the Slough Arm of the GU. In this time I have experienced the delights of rivers, canals and the problems with a lack of boating facilities on key parts of the system. Unfortunately these facilities have yet to catch up with demand and CRT needs to look at different ways of delivering services to all communities and ensuring general maintenance is not forgotten. Before owning our boat I was a regular hirer of the BBC Club boat, Savoy Hill. I've been a volunteer Towpath Ranger, attendee at canal clean-ups and help support local IWA branches. Any committee membership, officer, trusteeship, directorship or other official position held with any inland waterway organisation during the 12 months immediately preceding 14 October 2015: none

As well as brick lined and natural rock, there are sections where the roof and walls have been concrete sprayed and it is very uneven. It may be something peculiar to me but I found that this made it doubly hard to steer in these sections as what you see ahead is not like the normal signals you pick up from bricks or bare rock. I found the trip quite exhausting as I was concentrating hard nearly all the time. Nevertheless,it was fantastic and exhilarating and I am looking forward to the next trip through Cheers

Had just been browsing an old Nicholson's guide when I came across this thread. It's also Tusses in the 1972 Nicholson. The 1972 Nicholson's shows Bridge 70 over the arm as Granthams. Since at least before 1972, well over 40 years! :-) Cheers

Just seen this on the London Boaters Facebook page. Can anyone confirm or clarify? "Saw Steve heading north with Indus & Pictor yesterday taking them to be sold . He's not sure if they're going to stay as working boats, quite possibly going to be converted." Cheers

A couple more stoppages have been announced. First is on the Coventry Canal at https://canalrivertrust.org.uk/notice/5247/bridge-71-amington-road-bridge-tamworth from 22nd Feb to 6th March. Second is of more interest to some as it will remove a good length of mooring in London : https://canalrivertrust.org.uk/notice/5241/hertford-union-canal-east-london Note that this is in addition to the closure of the Regents https://canalrivertrust.org.uk/notice/3325/regents-canal-mile-end which is also not on the maps or spreadsheet but was notified earlier. Both these are between 2nd November and 21st December so no way to cross London by canal for that period! Just wondering what the effect will be on mooring space and boat movement! Fortunately I am nowhere near London :-)

And on the winter stoppages spreadsheet the region is shown as West Midlands! (ID 3201) Cheers

There are well over 300 boat blogs - and that's just the ones I have found and had a look at. I have a list of another 100+ still to do. But it is very time consuming to read and keep up to date, so I don't! The majority are narrowboat related. The oldest is Sue's "No Problem" which I should think is well known. Cheers

Be aware that the winter stoppage list is not complete. Additional stoppages may be added but the maps not updated. Example: https://canalrivertrust.org.uk/notice/5157/lock-29-banbury-lock-oxford-canal is not on the South East map. This additional stoppage probably will have little impact to boaters as the stoppage dates are the same for Grants Lock nearby (less than 2 miles south). Cheers

Interesting how peoples experiences vary so much. I have both 3 and EE 4G mifi. The 3 service seems consistently better. I suppose it depends a lot on where you travel. I am lucky that I can travel across large parts of the system rather than being constrained to, for example, the GU. The one thing I have noticed a lot more recently is that I often get a better signal for data (mobile broadband) than I do for the phone. A couple of days ago there was no service at all on the phone yet the broadband was full strength 4G!! On three there is an app called "3 In Touch" which enables you to utilise the broadband connection (via wifi from the phone) for SMS txt messages and voice calls when the phone signal is very weak or non-existent. The one complete dead spot I have found so far is at Lower Heyford (Oxford Canal) - a real comms blackhole!

On the Thames boat registration (licence fee) is charged by area :-) . Narrowboats on average will still pay more than cruisers though! Cheers

It was moored on the river. Cheers Edit: Must learn to type faster ! :-)

Strange. I have been chugging up the Southern Oxford for the last few days and my experience is different. 58ft boat. I put the boat at the front of the lock (going up) out of gear and whip up a ground paddle. Boat moves back a foot or less then slowly forward and is then held against the topgate by the water flow. Just a few seconds this takes by which time I have crossed the gate (checking front fender ok) and then whipped the other paddle straight up. Boat stays against the gate.

Yep! Every time! Some boaters watching don't seem to approve whilst others find it quite amusing. Cheers

A good starting point is probably the list on Sue's blog for No Problem. Find it here. Cheers

Generally I agree. But there are times when it is appropriate and I am grateful. Have had lots of gongoozlers watching before but when going down Hampstead Road Locks on Sunday there were hordes of them everywhere and I was grateful that the fence was there round the lock to keep them out of harms way :-) Cheers

As I came down the GU from Hemel to Uxbridge I shared locks with Banstead. The steerer was solo (plus dog). The cloths are emblazoned "The Bargee" and nowt else and there is some info on the inside of the engine 'ole doors. Saw the boat again on Monday in Paddington Basin and later saw the steerer was on the back of a trip boat at Little Venice. Although we chatted when working the locks I failed to ask his name!!