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bigcol

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bigcol last won the day on March 28 2013

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About bigcol

  • Birthday 06/07/1960

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  • Website URL
    http://dutchcoasterbarge.blogspot.co.uk/?view=magazine

Profile Information

  • Gender
    Male
  • Location
    Milton Keynes
  • Interests
    getting our boat to steer in a straight line.
    Now achieved!!! I'm going places now!!

    Practice!!
  • Occupation
    Retired
  • Boat Name
    Wildest dream
  • Boat Location
    Grand union canal Bucks

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  1. Hi have a question re Heatmiser control we've had the Webasto thermotop 3 years now, the controller we’ve had 8 months or so and although we’ve read the manual, you tubed it. But you can have this temp controlled or timer controlled. and yes we have the heating on, sometimes it runs for just a hour, or as we want all day. Sometimes it runs continuelesly, somtimes 1 or 6 hours. we’ve carried on like this, because we keep playing with the thing. what we would like is to turn on leaving it on till we want to switch the heater off. anyone help us out by writing a post bit by bit giving us easy baby steps. or do other people have the same issues that us 2 oldies have. what happened to the days of a on and off button??
  2. Having just paid the next years licence, heard on the radio, that CRT have removed all the bins. I don’t know if this is nationwide, but defo on the local news covering bucks and hearts. are they talking about the small bins for general public, or the big bins for boaters? Seems crazy to me, this rubish is going to end up stacked next to trees, or rammed in the smaller bins surely this can’t be true, what are boaters going to do with their rubish? costs licence going up on top of cut backs! col
  3. bigcol

    Licences

    I imagine Mr Parry, is pondering over brochures for his next company car, holiday, and new home. so out of touch. it’s going to cause a lot of hardship for all boaters especialy wide-beams what evidence are they going provide re the amount of extra revenue there going to get next year, and of course how it’s spent, wasted. pay increases all round then fellas! and new bonus rates to be discussed. col
  4. bigcol

    Licences

    So narrowboats no increase with mooring wide-beams with home mooring 26% increase 31% without another load of money for CRT to waste as per normal 75% increase in 2028!!!!
  5. bigcol

    Licences

    Ive just had this emailed to us through a m8t carnt be true is it ??
  6. They used the stun boat just a couple of months back, there.
  7. bigcol

    Licences

    It’s funny, how different things , brings up different meanings, for different people. I’ve never moaned about having a Widebeam, or not being able to use the whole system. my point is that is a key argument about putting prices up more so on widebeams. Why? Because all the Garbage about needing to put prices up again next year, was again same reason they put prices up last year, and the year before that. Infrastructural this and infrastructural that.and last year, and the year before. I have not seen any works done, on this part of the system. NEVER! and I will put more explanation marks behind the NEVER,why because I can, and yes I did want to hammer the point home!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! very much it’s got arround I’ve got a small dick, my answer to that is, but I have 17.4 stone to hammer it home with! I know I go off on a tandrant, I know my spelling isn’t that good, or my punctuation. but putting extra explanation marks in, is because I can, and yes indeed sir, I wanted to bang the point home. there will be a day, soon enough, that Narrowboats will not be able to access the whole system how many of you now are passing a moored boat, Widebeam on your right starboard side but you can’t really due to the vegetation that’s be allowed to grow, or trees leaning over the waterway so you can’t pass because vegetation has taken over. at the moment, it’s somthing we’ve learnt to deal with, a saw on board, etc pruning shears, its one of those things. but soon enough it will be !!! Col
  8. Hi ya again i have been here in the same place since 2009, in Milton Keynes freinds of ours Rob and Julie on their narrow boat, been in Milton keynes longer. I know as a FACT, THERES BEEN NO DREDGING AT ALL EVER SINCE WEVE BEEN HERE ROB Smith, use to be somthing to do with the canal group, in Milton Keynes. boaters will know the vegetation is very very bad in places, with this and the depth situation opposite us, boats have problems getting close to, or have problem getting off. what I can say categorically confirm, is No dredging has be done here from 2009, before that ive been told by other Moorers here, that no dredging has been done for years before then.` ps I had photos of the stretch of water, from google and it showed the shallows, all along this section of water. boats are always getting stuck on the other side Hi ya again i have been here in the same place since 2009, in Milton Keynes freinds of ours Rob and Julie on their narrow boat, been in Milton keynes longer. I know as a FACT, THERES BEEN NO DREDGING AT ALL EVER SINCE WEVE BEEN HERE ROB Smith, use to be somthing to do with the canal group, in Milton Keynes. boaters will know the vegetation is very very bad in places, with this and the depth situation opposite us, boats have problems getting close to, or have problem getting off. what I can say categorically confirm, is No dredging has be done here from 2009, before that ive been told by other Moorers here, that no dredging has been done for years before.
  9. Hi Tonka how are you, zooooommmmmmm it went right over my head that, and far far away 😂 What is it you would like me to repost? what ever it is, it will be done m8ty col
  10. The 1790s saw ‘canal mania’, a period of feverish canal building. A total of 34 canals were approved between 1791 and 1793 alone, though not all those canals were completed and some were never even started. However, this was the golden age of British canals, offering around 4,000 miles of navigable waterways. We then enter what many refer to as the Golden Age of British canals—the 60-year period from 1770 to 1830. More specifically, the period between 1790 and 1810 was even dubbed Canal Mania. During this period, in particular, the UK canal system was subject to a substantial rise in building work.
  11. Did you know? The whole british Canal network Buildings, tunnels bridges etc etc the canal it self, dug out by hand took 60 years in total!!! picks axes and of course Bread!! But it took from 1759 to the early 1770's and from 1789 to almost the end of the eighteenth century. CRT hasn’t dredged 1/2 a mile!! In 15 years In fact does make CRT management look stupid don’t you think? Reading the above as I wrote it, I do understand that my grammar and spelling makes heavy reading i do apologize for this. Some people from this site know the reasons. But the main excuse is I failed my 11+ 😂
  12. bigcol

    Licences

    Ive just replied to this crt letter with below What a load of Tosh!!! First of all, let’s hammer the wide beams, 1) wide beams haven't got the full use of the system 2) what’s left of the canals, the inability of using the sides of the canal 2a) vegetation of trees and bushes which plays havoc with narrow beams as well, making a lot of areas unpasseble. 3b The sides of the canal all boats have problems getting in close to moor as lack of dredging. Some sides have got less than 18” But none of this maintenance never gets done!! Being here at a marina on the canal, I’ve never Never seen the canal here dredged!!!!! The directors /managers should be ashamed of them selves I imagine your pay checks are above 4 figures!!, instead of getting pay increases, you should loose your jobs. The whole network tunnels bridges locks the whole Network inc buildings just 21 years from start to finish as it were. All made and dug out by hand took 21 years in total!!! from 1759 to the early 1770's and from 1789 to almost the end of the eighteenth century. CRT hasn’t dredged 1/2 a mile!! In 15 years !!!!!!!!!! infact has anyone seen a significant amount of dredging done at all.? In fact does make CRT management look stupid don’t you think a precious national treasure which hopefully, gratefully can continue to enjoy for a little while yet. and be part of a larger community that’s learnt to make do Colin Sent from my iPad On Sep 19, 2023, at 10:56 AM, Canal & River Trust <customer.services@canalrivertrust.org.uk> wrote:  Important news for boat licence holders View this email in your browser Licence fee changes Hello, I am writing to let you know about some changes to future boat licence pricing following a consultation with boaters. Alongside growth in income from other commercial and fundraising activity, the changes will help support the long-term future of the 2,000 miles of waterways that we manage across England & Wales. Boat licence fees will need to rise above the baseline inflation rate for each of the next five years. In addition, we are introducing a surcharge for boats that continuously cruise and increasing the surcharges for wide beam boats to reflect the greater utility they receive. The above-inflation increases for all boat licence holders, and the new surcharges, will take effect from 1 April 2024. Details will be announced in November using the latest inflation forecasts. Our canals are facing some daunting challenges and, if we don’t act now, the future could look bleak. The government recently announced significant cuts to public funding for the canals over the years ahead, whilst high inflation rates and the ageing infrastructure has seen the cost of caring for canals rise. We’re re-doubling our efforts to further grow volunteering and to raise increased funds across all our activities, from all our users and supporters, so we can deliver the additional ongoing investment that the network needs. The boat licence fee represents around 11% of income, going towards vital maintenance and repairs. Whilst the scale of the investment required is in no way to be borne by boaters alone, the increases from boat licences will make an important contribution. Alongside the changes to boat licensing, we are continuing to grow income from our property and non-property endowment, and from other commercial sources such as hosting utilities and water transfer, which together contribute over 40% of our income. We are targeting a step-change in income generation from towpath users and other supporters, with fundraising income projected to grow by 10% each year – while other commercial waterways income, including from anglers, paddle sports and moorings, is also set to increase. Boat use has changed over the years, with rising numbers of people choosing to continuously cruise, and to choose wider boats. Most boaters without home moorings spend more time on the waterway network, and make more use of facilities, than those with a home mooring. Wider boats take up more space on the water than their narrow beam counterparts. We believe that reflecting the utility people get from their use of the waterways network, and the cost of supporting different boat use, is the fairest way to decide licence pricing – as reflected in the responses from the recent boater consultation. We also considered whether the various licence discounts currently offered are sustainable. From 1 April 2024, there will be a reduction in the discounts for prompt payment and for paying online as this has become the standard method used by the vast majority of boaters. The electric boat, historic boat and charity boat discounts will be retained. We will continue to control our costs as far as possible given external pressures, while focusing our resources on the priority maintenance and repairs that are required to support safe navigation, and we will continue to lobby the government to rethink their short-sighted decision on our future funding. We recognise that these changes to licence pricing will not be popular with everyone, but the income we receive from boat licences is more critical than ever. The cost of the licence has largely kept pace with inflation since Canal & River Trust was formed and now, together with increases in income from all possible sources, we must raise the resources needed to keep the network alive for future generations, averting a return to the decline of the mid-20th century when canals fell into disrepair in the face of insufficient funding. The consultation report can be found here, alongside an equality impact assessment:National consultations. For more information on boat licensing, visit: Licence your boat. Our ultimate aim is to secure the future of the network so that boaters, like yourself, can continue to enjoy, and benefit from, this precious national treasure. Richard Parry Chief Executive Canal & River Trust
  13. A council is seeking "urgent discussions" with the Canal & River Trust after a plan was revealed to remove most towpath bins across Yorkshire and the North East. The charity said it faced "soaring costs" and the move would save money to pay for waterway repairs. The trust hoped other agencies such as councils could become responsible for providing or maintaining bins. But Bradford Council described the plan as "a concern" amid its own pressures. It said cleanliness in the absence of bins would depend on those who walked and cycled on the towpaths carrying litter, or dog mess, away with them. The charity said it spent £1.4m nationally emptying bins and clearing fly-tipping from canals in 2022. A statement said the trust already had many miles of canal where it did not provide litter bins, "including many that have achieved Green Flag Award status". "Where there are proposals to remove bins, we are first seeking local funding options to adequately service the bins and hope that local partners will step up to help." 'Urgent discussions' A section of the 127-mile (204km) Leeds and Liverpool Canal, with a popular towpath for walkers, joggers and cyclists, runs through the Bradford district. Bradford Council officers have suggested the local authority might not be able to spare staff to traverse the towpath to empty bins on a regular basis. "This is obviously of concern to us as it will be to residents so we are seeking urgent discussions with the Canal & River Trust," a spokesperson for the local authority said. At a recent council meeting, Stuart Russo, a senior technical officer, said the move could put a strain on waste services, which he said were already suffering budget pressures. "We're happy to look at if we, as a council, can take bins on," he said. "But if a bin is going to be half an hour down the towpath, I don't think that's something we'll be able to take on." Marcus Dearden, a Labour councillor for Bingley, said: "People will think these are council bins that are being removed, so it will be us that gets stick from the public."
  14. Funny tho, I would have thought CRT was the worst group to give an indication of mooring tariff increase they would want it to be high, wouldn’t they?. surely it will give them a basis for their increase in moorings or license fees. Will it not??
  15. correction of date mistake regarding what’s happening in the UK re inflation this and last year what increases percentages have you received for your 2022-2023 compared to previous years mooring contract 2021-2022? Should have read, apologies col
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