Yank on the Cut

The swapping moorings with other boats you refer to is done in marinas with local authority approved residential moorings to avoid residents being required to pay full council tax. By moving berths it shows the marina is in paramount control of the berth, the berths thus forming a composite hereditament attracting business rates rather than council tax, saving boaters about £1000 a year. The rules are set by the VOA and enforced by the local authority. Marinas without residential planning permission may still require the boats to similarly move in order to 'muddy the waters'.

Yes residential at Mercia is with full local authority planning approval.

The site has proved invaluable as well as entertaining over the years. I'm happy to donate.

They are indeed required by CRT for 'new' marinas, they are used when the marina is being filled so the canal is not drained (not sure if used during stillage test) and neither CRT nor contractors building a marina can explain how they would be deployed in an emergency.

Very innovative. How do build costs compare?

It could well be from Mercia Marina when you moored here briefly, giving us the pleasure of seeing your steam powered boat. We would have cancelled the FOB shortly after you left.

Its worth checking the insulation as the older ones used a very thin 3M material which was not attached properly and left a lot of gaps and cold bridges

Sorry to hear you are selling up. I remember you from when I moored in Blomfield Road. Your Bill of Sale document would be fine, but always add detail, such as dates payments are to be made, where the boat is to be delivered and when, what happens if delivery is delayed, boat sold 'as is' or 'as seen', etc. As was suggested, make sure the money is cleared and cannot be removed from your account. There are some shady people around

Same happened to me many years ago when the yard man forgot to turn off the slipway winch resulting in the hawser snapping.

Good question. We obtained the postcode first by registering the boat with the Post Office.

For many years I paid council tax to the City of Westminster when living aboard my boat on a BW leisure mooring in Blomfield Road, Little Venice. I paid it for a number of reasons, including to obtain a resident's parking permit and proof of residency (as well as because I thought I should). Westminster staff were bemused but happy to take the money. I doubt it bestowed upon me any additional rights with BW as the argument is that the boat is your home, wherever you should be moored, rather than the mooring.

Its a great area although recently the planners seem to be allowing the immediate surroundings of the Langley Mill Basin to become a fast food hotspot. Try Basilia instead, a great deli/cafe. The Erewash itself offers easy mooring and few locks, with excellent views across open countryside. The adjoining abandoned canals make for great walks.

We all share your sorrow and thank you for sharing the eulogy with us. It is one of the most beautiful things I have ever read. My drives from Seattle to Walla Walla were magical. Whether on the canals or in Washington, he will be with you.

Go west young man! As an ex-LV moorer, I always enjoyed the rapid transition from town to countryside going westwards and the pleasure of cruising for miles without locks. Tring summit is beautiful if you had the time. Have a great Christmas and let us know which you choose.

Graham and Chris are extremely grateful for the remarkable efforts put in by so many, especially by members of this forum. However, they have been instructed not to discuss it and requested the same of me. As I don't know much, that is easy for me. Please rest assured that Graham and Chris are adamant about obtaining justice and are agitating to that end. For them, it did not stop at regaining possession of their boat and insurance paying to put things right. Their fight for justice, for that is what it is even though it sounds melodramatic, is proving difficult owing in part to police cutbacks and the fact that a fair and just legal system is also a slow one.

Personally, I think the key is getting as much information out there to as many people as possible as quickly as possible. The most valuable information is good quality pictures, especially of unusual features of the boat. CWDF is ideal for reaching a great number of highly motivated people with direct knowledge of where the boat is likely to be going and how to tell one from another. The boaters will interrogate each other and the owners for more information. Then it is up to the owners and other interested parties, including marinas, to do their bit, as Graham and Chris did so well, of keeping people up to date of their actions and actions of others in order to keep the hunt live. This is essential as a malaise creeps in after the initial enthusiasm fades. I think the thief was relying on that. Finally, despite efforts, it proved very difficult to coordinate people into search parties. Ad hoc exploration seemed to work best. A search party may work if leads are good and fresh, but otherwise informal networks seem to work best, in my opinion. Then it is people like Junior to go the extra 20 miles that inspire others to do more. I think it is best as a more informal and organic system but it needs feeding to stay alive.

Whether he had a set of the boat's actual keys, or as money have posited on here he used a lock bumping technique and then a common engine key, we do not yet know. What we do know was that he was very plausible in that he walked straight to the boat in question, after he had enquired from a moorer the location of the pontoon, and when asked said he was taking the boat away for work on the engine as it was still under warranty. This should worry all because it is the behaviour of an accomplished thief skillfully executing out a well thought out plan. His plan was thwarted only by the actions of boaters determined to find him.

I was making the point that when (hopefully not if) the thief is caught, he will have to be tried and so often the people involved are not at liberty to discuss details as it is sub judice. But that is simply my understanding.

Two excellent questions Mike which hopefully will be answered once the owners get the ok from the police to come forward. I do not know the answer to either.

No

That is kind of you, but all I did was what any of you would of, which is post on here asking for help, contribute where I could, walk the towpath and support the owners where possible. We are lucky at Mercia to have a terrific community. For instance, Loubyscooby organised the leaflets and her and Jo_ organised the search parties and maps. They and others did so much. A concerned active community armed with information is a powerful force. The boating community is not to be messed about.

Sue of Kings Bromley kindly called to offer support and assistance. Otherwise, there are marina associations but they are no match for this forum, social media generally and mobilising groundtroops. Marina staff here and elsewhere are few in number. It is better not to rely on us but rather demand us to contribute as part of the community