CRT (not so) Hidden Agenda?

[Ali050905]

Hi everyone,

 

Long post here, hope that a few of you will read it and give me your two penneth. Informative replies are very welcome, thank you.

 

Because of long term illness I've been looking into finding a more sustainable and minimal way to make my living so I can get away from the Kafkaesque nightmare that is our current benefit system. At the same time I want to finally and permanently let loose my wandering spirit and see as much of the beauty and wildlife of the waterways and surrounding countryside as possible before I pop my clogs - I would also love to meet some new friends. My first thought was getting another van - I had several vans with minimal (or none in one case) fit outs for years in my 20s, although never for full time living. Now I'm well into middle age though I want something with a bit more room and the capacity to let me work indoors to make my living with power and a some storage and all that!

 

A couple of weeks ago I thought I'd found it - A canal boat! - Yay! I watch load of Youtubers banging on about how great it is and how friendly all the people are and the community spirit etc - I am a highly sensitive person and find socialising quite challenging so the prospect of a welcoming and helpful community to get to know and find a place in is very appealing. So off I go doing my research...

 

First I find out that there are basically zero moorings - none with residential permits anyway. I am pathologically unable to break rules (seriously, it's part and parcel of my psychological structure) - so mooring illegally is totally out of the question. Then I read about CC licences - okay I think, that could work fine as the way make a living would work best if I cruise most of the time anyway so I'd just have to get used to CC until I can find a home mooring to cruise from (if I could ever afford one). THEN - I read that there is this HUGE fight going on where to the outsider it really looks like the CRT and many people within the boating community would actually like to scrap CC licences altogether - and with the way that I have seen the benefit system change over the last few years and the prospect of Boris/Nigel/Trump in charge of the show - I would not be at all surprised to see CRT get all the CCers thrown out with nowhere to go. The current zeitgeist appears to not give two hoots about the massive rise in desperate poverty and homelessness so what's a few more of 'them'.

 

Now - I have a secure tenancy in social housing - have had for 10 years - in the rental market this is as good as it gets. But I can still get thrown out any time 'they' decide to change the rules or if I can't pay the rent (an imminent threat every time I get reassessed for benefits - claim/refused/appeal/win - repeat every 12-18 months. I'm at the end of my tether and it's wrecking my health. That said, it would take a lot for me to voluntarily leave this place, even though sometimes I feel trapped here and in constant danger of homelessness.

 

I know that a good life is not found without talking some leaps and some risks, certainly I need to soon or my mental health is going to deteriorate to the point where I'm incapable of taking one at all. I thought I'd found a good alternative in boating with better security than here. I'd have my own new boat and the first couple of  years costs (early inheritance) and as long as after that I can manage the licence/running costs/food etc, I can work as hard as I choose for life's extras and no-one can make me lose my home - WRONG! It really looks to me like it's heading back to no home mooring = no licence. And I'm not giving up my house for that, where would I go and who would buy my boat!!!

 

I feel like I have a lot to offer the boating community, I really want to get out there and contribute - I want to help other boaters and help maintain the waterways and be generally 'excellent' to people as much as I can! I have my personal issues but I am not a difficult person, I'm a good neighbour with concrete boundaries and never involve others in my private business (to a fault actually, relying on others is a skill I have to work on). If I'm having a really bad day I'll just keep my curtains closed or go for a long walk with the doggos to clear my head and be no bother to anyone. Despite my quirkiness (think Sheldon but not so rude and demanding) I get on well with everyone I meet. I'm purposefully friendly, eminently reasonable, always want to talk out any potential disagreements in a full, fair and calm manner and I never bury my head and hope problems will go away. Talking a lot is both a strength and a weakness in me - but I know what it can achieve if you give it a chance...

 

Now I've read so much about the current situation and the conflicts and now I don't feel like I'd be welcomed by some people at all. Some of the comments on the forums are frankly abusive and display some of the worst attitudes humans are capable of.  Now I know the pitfalls of internet forums and I know they attract bullies more than most areas of life because they get to stay hidden so they don't have to take responsibility for  their abuse of people. But, it does make me question whether the boating community is as welcoming and as friendly as some people say it is? I'm not looking to enter into a world of arguments and conflict and shouty angry people, I want peaceful, calm negotiations and healthy outlooks from the majority of people I come across.

 

I also do not wish to be part of a community that is full of strict social rules - etiquette and good waterways manners I'm totally on board with, but policing other people's lives? I'm not into that. Is the boating world and the CRT in particular only welcoming and friendly to people who fit into a certain category of 'acceptable'? Or are 'outcasts' forced to live on the fringes stranded by powerlessness?

 

Thanks for reading and I look forward to hearing your views. 

 

Best wishes to all,

 

Ali.

 

 

[Jennifer McM]

Hi Ali welcome to the forum.

 

It's true on the canals, as anywhere, that life is what you make it!

 

There are quite a lot of different types of people on the canal, as there are in any village or town. Some people are very kind and helpful, and some are awkward bu**ers. Some people it appears don't have a smile to share!  

 

What's great about having a boat is that you can pull up the pins and move on if you don't like the neighbours.

 

For me, I don't think I'd like to live on the canals on my own though, as it can be very lonely, especially in the winter months. The canal system changes dramatically from a hot summers day, to a miserable rainy day in January.

 

I understand, though I don't know for sure, you can get financial help for paying for moorings, but not for your CRT licence. You'll need to look into that.

 

Why not contact CRT and join up to be a volunteer? You'll be able to get a better flavour for the canals that way, with the opportunity to chat to some boaters.

 

If you feel you are being abused on this forum, just click the 'Report' button. This forum has rules that should be followed. But what perhaps you should be aware of, this forum has many people who have known each other for years, and they love nothing better than to have a banter that 'outsiders' probably would think is rude.

 

Let's know how you get on  

 

 

[Tuscan]

I think you are perhaps putting up barriers where few exist in reality unless you want to stay/cruise in a very busy part of the country like London or perhaps the western part of the K&A here moorings residential or otherwise are at a premium.

 

take a walk along the towpath and talk to boaters with few exceptions we are friendly lot and you will get good advice.

[canalboat]

Ali

Thanks for your post. I felt every word.  I am long past retirement age and would not swap the boat for any type of land housing, sheltered or otherwise. I agree with what Jennifer said in reply to you.  

[Jen-in-Wellies]

31 minutes ago, Jennifer McM said:

What's great about having a boat is that you can pull up the pins and move on if you don't like the neighbours.

Or pull up your neighbours pins and watch them drift away. ?

I've been set adrift a few times. You don't think? Nah.

 

1 hour ago, Ali050905 said:

Some of the comments on the forums are frankly abusive and display some of the worst attitudes humans are capable of.  Now I know the pitfalls of internet forums and I know they attract bullies more than most areas of life because they get to stay hidden so they don't have to take responsibility for  their abuse of people. But, it does make me question whether the boating community is as welcoming and as friendly as some people say it is?

The internet is not the real world.

 

1 hour ago, Ali050905 said:

 

First I find out that there are basically zero moorings - none with residential permits anyway.

Depends what part of the country you are in. The popular ones, no, but other areas are not so much of a problem. Residential are not so common, but more than there used to be.

 

1 hour ago, Ali050905 said:

and with the way that I have seen the benefit system change over the last few years and the prospect of Boris/Nigel/Trump in charge of the show - I would not be at all surprised to see CRT get all the CCers thrown out with nowhere to go.

With these types in charge, then us little people are basically disposable, wherever we are/live, or whatever our circumstances.

 

38 minutes ago, Jennifer McM said:

Why not contact CRT and join up to be a volunteer? You'll be able to get a better flavour for the canals that way, with the opportunity to chat to some boaters.

Good advice. Get out on the cut and chat to people. You'll soon get a range of views and something closer to reality.

Hope it works out for you, whatever decision you come to.

 

Jen

[Jennifer McM]

9 minutes ago, Jen-in-Wellies said:

Or pull up your neighbours pins and watch them drift away. ?

I've been set adrift a few times. You don't think? Nah.

? What a great ide....... no no, I'm not going there? 

[LadyG]

The UK economic system is difficult for anyone who wishes to live a simple life. Even those who live on a smallholding and try to  be self sufficient need to generate income. That is the way it is, I don't know how this can be changed.

I have retired from work, I just cannot "get work", I don't even think I want to work any more. Many are in the same position.

The CRT are a charitable trust rather than a charity for those who want to live on a boat, that is not their business model. 

I find a few of the folk on here to be a pia, but I just try to ignore their opinions [hah!]. Most are great guys [and gals]. Just like real life!

Not sure if that helps, or hinders,  but your boat is your responsibility, and it demands constant funding ........................

I don't think anyone in the UK can live without social support of one sort or another.

Edited June 27, 2019 by LadyG

[Mad Harold]

If you can get a home mooring you will avoid a lot of the problems that continuous cruisers face.You can claim a portion of the mooring fee as housing benefit.

The cost in the south is expensive,but up north more affordable.

There are residential moorings,leisure moorings, which may or may not be strictly leisure,it depends how the management interpret the rules. Sometimes on loosely iinterpreted rules, the moorers have to bugger of on their boats for a month or so every year to comply with the management's interpretation of the rules

The suggestion to volunteer is a good one.Talking to as many boaters as possible,you will get to know what the craik is.

[ditchcrawler]

1 hour ago, Jen-in-Wellies said:

 

 

The internet is not the real world.

 

 

Are you sure about that

 

[sueb]

Try talking to the residential boat owners association. Plenty of advice with them

[Ali050905]

Thanks for all your replies. I would love to chat to some boaters - I walk the canal with my dogs nearly every day where I live - but I don't like to pester people in their homes! I also try not to be too nosey about the boat, however much I might really want to be! I've read a lot of comments on how some people get annoyed about strangers just thinking they can just overstep boundaries as if boaters don't have the right to privacy like people in houses do.

 

If I ever come across someone out of the boat or on the lock I do sometimes stop and chat a bit etc, but if they're on their boat I leave them alone except to smile and say good morning as I pass and if the curtains are drawn but people are in, I'll walk past quickly without even a look. 

 

I would love to be able to be more confident and gregarious and maybe even go to a show but I'm not good in crowds and get too nervous. I am much better one to one.

 

I have been single for over 10 years and I never get lonely as I am very self sufficient and I have two dogs - you're never alone when you've got a dog!! I have absolutely no worries at all on that front - I am very happy in my own company. And you're never going to see my boat moored up in a city!!

 

Whether I can make enough money to survive is something I am still costing out. That's one of my main deal breakers obviously, especially as I'd be giving up my house. I will always (bar some really extreme welfare changes) be eligible for some help but I really want to get off in-work benefits. I just can't hack the way you get treated now and the costs of running a house wipe out any money you get anyway...

 

I suppose what worries me about the money side of things is the same as the problem with private rents - will a CC licence fee increase to unaffordable? and of course rented moorings are insecure and can increase in cost too. It is true that as someone on a low income, I'd be in an insecure place in many circumstances, but some places have their compensations.

 

For example, I've just got back to my house after an evening walk along a beautiful countryside stretch of the canal. Two song thrushes singing their hearts out, loads of other birds, the babbling of the river on the other side of the wall, the late sun through the trees, the throng of insects swarming across the water etc etc. Now I''m sitting sweating at a desk in a house with closed windows because I can't have my window open as my neighbour and his friends are all smoking in the garden, all I can hear is the whirr of the laptop and the occasional car going up the street... Yep, money is an issue wherever you are, but I'd rather worry about it on a boat!

 

 

[Ali050905]

Just had a look on CRT volunteers and there's a 'Towpath Taskforce' that meets once a month just down the road from me. I will pop along next month then!

 

Thanks for the tip!

[Jennifer McM]

11 minutes ago, Ali050905 said:

Thanks for all your replies. I would love to chat to some boaters - I walk the canal with my dogs nearly every day where I live - but I don't like to pester people in their homes! I also try not to be too nosey about the boat, however much I might really want to be! I've read a lot of comments on how some people get annoyed about strangers just thinking they can just overstep boundaries as if boaters don't have the right to privacy like people in houses do.

 

If I ever come across someone out of the boat or on the lock I do sometimes stop and chat a bit etc, but if they're on their boat I leave them alone except to smile and say good morning as I pass and if the curtains are drawn but people are in, I'll walk past quickly without even a look. 

 

I would love to be able to be more confident and gregarious and maybe even go to a show but I'm not good in crowds and get too nervous. I am much better one to one.

 

I have been single for over 10 years and I never get lonely as I am very self sufficient and I have two dogs - you're never alone when you've got a dog!! I have absolutely no worries at all on that front - I am very happy in my own company. And you're never going to see my boat moored up in a city!!

 

Whether I can make enough money to survive is something I am still costing out. That's one of my main deal breakers obviously, especially as I'd be giving up my house. I will always (bar some really extreme welfare changes) be eligible for some help but I really want to get off in-work benefits. I just can't hack the way you get treated now and the costs of running a house wipe out any money you get anyway...

 

I suppose what worries me about the money side of things is the same as the problem with private rents - will a CC licence fee increase to unaffordable? and of course rented moorings are insecure and can increase in cost too. It is true that as someone on a low income, I'd be in an insecure place in many circumstances, but some places have their compensations.

 

For example, I've just got back to my house after an evening walk along a beautiful countryside stretch of the canal. Two song thrushes singing their hearts out, loads of other birds, the babbling of the river on the other side of the wall, the late sun through the trees, the throng of insects swarming across the water etc etc. Now I''m sitting sweating at a desk in a house with closed windows because I can't have my window open as my neighbour and his friends are all smoking in the garden, all I can hear is the whirr of the laptop and the occasional car going up the street... Yep, money is an issue wherever you are, but I'd rather worry about it on a boat!

 

 

You're a very good writer Ali, perhaps you could go down that route to make some money, sending articles off to magazines, or ebooks, etc.

 

There are quite a few trade boats on the canal, ranging from fudge, sweets, cheese, hand knitted garments, crochet items, marmalade, fender makers, stainless steel chimney maker, today we saw a wool boat selling balls of wool (I think) behind where we were moored last night was a boat selling crochet covers for portholes. If you're selling on the canal as a trader, you'll need a different licence. I know an architect who works from his boat, sending off his plans via internet. Website builders, graphic artists, can be done through something like Craiglist.

 

[Chris Williams]

29 minutes ago, Ali050905 said:

if they're on their boat I leave them alone except to smile and say good morning as I pass and if the curtains are drawn but people are in, I'll walk past quickly without even a look. 

The old boat people would avert their eyes when passing another boat, even if the doors were open.   "Ow jer do" was the normal greeting.  Times have changed.  I once (just once) actually had someone ask if they could take a photo of my boat.  Sometimes you felt like a part of some sort of circus.

You have to give and take.

[Ali050905]

Hi Jennifer,

 

Thanks for the compliment! I hadn't considered that idea... I am a crafter (sewing/crochet/knitting) at mo, but I don't make enough to survive on that alone as yet. I've a million other ideas zipping around. I am about to start learning a new craft but of course that'll take some time to do well enough to sell... I'm also a photographer which I could develop more (more arty stuff than postcard/holiday picture stuff but hey I'll try anything) and I'm also an amateur astronomer with my own scopes so there might be some mileage in that with tourists in dark skies... I dunno, have much research to do. I also make great fudge - but I guess that's already covered then!

[Peter X]

My guess is that all these boats selling craft items, fudge. etc are probably not making much income, but that may be all that's needed when living a frugal life on the canals, and it would be a pleasant way of life if you're doing things you enjoy. Most boaters (and other people on and around the waterways) most of the time are a friendly and helpful lot, but you'll meet the odd one who isn't, and when you do you have to ignore them just as you would do with such people on land.

There is a lot of tension over CC'ers, mostly in areas such as central London where property prices and rents are very high so there are many people wanting to live there more cheaply by being on boats, many of them hoping to actually move their boats as little as they have to. Far more people than there is space for, leading to intense competition for mooring spots. This leads to endless debate about what was intended when the relevant Act of Parliament was passed, how that should be applied by CRT, and especially how often and far anyone with no home mooring should be expected to move on.

If your lifestyle (work, friends and family, boating ability etc.) allows you to mostly keep away from such areas and to steadily move your boat about to different areas, that makes being a CC'er a lot less stressful I would imagine. There's a lot more space on the waterways in the midlands and the north in general.

While it wouldn't surprise me if CRT (and other navigation authorities) make further efforts to tighten up their interpretation of the somewhat vague law, I doubt that there will be any dramatic changes. I really can't see any likelihood of CC'ing being outlawed altogether, not least because time wouldn't be found in the parliamentary schedule for any new legislation. All the current political turmoil isn't going to have much impact however it turns out, I don't think Boris or anyone else who ends up in charge of the country is going to be paying much attention to canals when so much other drama is going on.

[nicknorman]

Hi Ali, just to pick up on a few points you made:

 

1) There are a lot of CCers on the system. Thousands. I can’t really see them being “evicted” any time soon. Many CCers get on with their lives, and never come into conflict with CRT - because they abide by the rules they signed up to. Some, and they tend to be the noisy ones, signed up to the rules with no intention of obeying them and then moan loudly when CRT get uppity with them for non-compliance. I call them “piss-takers”! From your writings I think you would be in the former camp and thus not have a problem.

 

2) I don’t think one can say there is a “boating community”. Boaters come in all shapes, sizes and flavours just like in the real world! Some are lovely, some are selfish and obnoxious, just like in the real world! But it is perhaps a more friendly and helpful group of disparate people than one might find living in, say, suburban London. Not that that is saying much! But my point is that it is not all roses and chocolate box.

 

3) Although fully residential moorings may be hard to find, plenty of “leisure” moorings are in reality used as residential. Usually there is a caveat that you have to have a home address, but that could be a friend or relative. And some places specify a maximum number of days you can be there, but often it is nearly all the year except for, say, a couple of weeks. There is a wide variation in how this point is addressed. But anyway, a marina mooring is pretty much like having a caravan in a car park. Not that great a place to live, so you will want to get out from time to time!

 

But an important point is that a mooring, even a residential one, has no security of tenure in law. It is not treated the same as a house. Not trying to put you off but you would be giving up a secure land based home for an insecure water based one. Although I suppose if you fall out / get evicted from a mooring, you can take your “house” with you and chug off into the sunset. A bit like being a snail!

 

4) And finally please don’t consider a boat to be a cheaper way to live than a house. Things go wrong with boats and can be expensive to rectify. Power, heating, water, sewerage etc are all more problematic than in a house. Especially in winter, I think you have to be more resilient than in a house. For example, when you find you are frozen in, miles from a shop/water/Elsan point, low on diesel and coal.... etc

 

I wish you the best of luck in whatever you decide, but please don’t think that living on a boat all year round is an easy and cheap option!

 

 

[Arthur Marshall]

The use of the thread title worries me a little. It implies the OP is starting from a position of expecting to be a victim of some sort of coercion from an authority, rather than looking at the rules and practicalities and seeing how a life can be made from it. 

CRT doesn't have any agenda apart from trying to maintain a system for a variety of users, most of whom are somewhere on the anarchic spectrum (I include cyclists & fishermen as well as us) when it comes to the rules/traditions, with not enough money to do the job. 

The villagey nature of those who live on has changed a bit over the last thirty years as more people do it, but in general we all help each other out as far as possible, possibly due to a shared history of needing help. But do bear in mind the  crucial, and expensive, need for occasional sudden large amounts of money - my boat needed 9 grand's worth of work overnight a year or so back, or all I would have owned would have been a pile of underwater rust. If that had been my only home... renting might not be secure, but at least houses don't often sink. 

The other thing you lose as a cruiser is all your local network, friends, acquaintances, regular and known habitats. That may be more important than you think as you're used to it so don't really notice it any more, but constantly moving mucks it up. 

PS those who post endlessly on various forums about hidden agendas or social cleansing by CRT are usually (though not always) those who have deliberately, for one reason or another, picked a fight with CRT and lost. Most of us just get on with our lives with no problems, putting up with the occasional glitch that is bound to occur in an inefficient management system. 

[Jen-in-Wellies]

Wise words from Arthur ^^^^^^^. Sums things up my thoughts too, but much more eloquently than I can write.

[roland elsdon]

Having gone from the days that the arrival of the patrol officers leading to a mass engine start, even if you had only been moored for day or two, and patrol officers standing on your boat asking why your address is in nottingham , but your boat and its mooring are in herts, to the current where a case of claimed tunnel anxiety gives you ‘permission to stay’ ( by report), the pendulum can shift.

it got quite stressful in the early days without moorings and this could come back. At one point we ended up renting for a while to appease the board which was very challenging as we still had no mooring.

While I am not a conspiracy theorist, but the rise of the right and the intolerance of certain ( often wealthy and influencial groups) is likely to make things harder. ( if you look at the boat naming and shaming about putative overstaying at an organised event on the braunston rally thread) you can see how identifiable you can be)

if you have a fixed rent secure tenure for gods sake keep it. Livung on a boat after say your mid 70s is very hard, and i cant see the tories taking you off and giving you your flat back.

 

i dont want to be negative , im not but be careful. I now no longer live our boat, ive been lucky we  both worked hard no children and nhs pensions so dont have to , but after 35 years experience I would not want to have the boat as my home in 10 years time.

[Ali050905]

2 hours ago, roland elsdon said:

Having gone from the days that the arrival of the patrol officers leading to a mass engine start, even if you had only been moored for day or two, and patrol officers standing on your boat asking why your address is in nottingham , but your boat and its mooring are in herts, to the current where a case of claimed tunnel anxiety gives you ‘permission to stay’ ( by report), the pendulum can shift.

it got quite stressful in the early days without moorings and this could come back. At one point we ended up renting for a while to appease the board which was very challenging as we still had no mooring.

While I am not a conspiracy theorist, but the rise of the right and the intolerance of certain ( often wealthy and influencial groups) is likely to make things harder. ( if you look at the boat naming and shaming about putative overstaying at an organised event on the braunston rally thread) you can see how identifiable you can be)

if you have a fixed rent secure tenure for gods sake keep it. Livung on a boat after say your mid 70s is very hard, and i cant see the tories taking you off and giving you your flat back.

 

i dont want to be negative , im not but be careful. I now no longer live our boat, ive been lucky we  both worked hard no children and nhs pensions so dont have to , but after 35 years experience I would not want to have the boat as my home in 10 years time.

Thanks Roland and everyone else who replied. I never was going to make a quick decision and part of the reason for my post was to listen to the negative points about the plan aswell as the positive ones. (btw Roland I don't have a fixed rent - I wish!!! - my rent has gone up by over 40% in the last 10 years, yes - same house, same housing association...)

 

I will go off now and continue my research and planning but before I go I would like to echo Roland and answer a couple of other posters who have questioned whether I am creating difficulties for myself in the absence of evidence.

 

It is true that I approach every situation with an eye on potential threats, I have a personal history I have not disclosed here that makes that fear inevitable. What I have learned in many years in therapy is not to dismiss those fears but to listen to the questions raised and seek to answer them. Only then can I decide whether it is safe for me to continue. That fearful part of me is sometimes right and this careful process has prevented me from making some poor and ill-informed decisions. Lack of this processing in the past often put me in danger and denial has been my biggest personal enemy. Sometimes the danger is real but I am temporarily powerless to protect myself, never the less it's still important for me to see the truth of the situation however painful. This pain has been very real in my suffering at the hands of a changing ethos in our welfare state. These recent years have not been the first time I've needed to ask for additional support and it was a very different experience in the past - even the word 'support' is being phased out of the descriptions for all benefits including those for the most disabled and sick.

 

I was not suggesting that Boris Johnson himself would personally take an interest in the CRT or the running of the waterways. What I think is clear now is that the only trickle down effect that can be proven is that of extremist politics eventually underpinning attitudes and policy making in all manner of institutions covering all areas of life. People who may have held similar views in private feel emboldened to seek power or use power they already wield to make changes. Those with differing views become gradually black balled, then institutions and the people who run them begin to see themselves as above the law and act accordingly. In addition you have the hidden actions of vested interests and vocal spectators on the sidelines to cheer them on while spreading hatred and fear in wider society. It does none of us any good to deny that this is now happening and that it could continue, gradually affecting more of us and eventually all of us in time. In that light and given my own personal experience, my fantasies regarding the recent and potential future changes within CRT and changes in attitudes of others with power over boaters' rights and lives are not unreasonable. I could go on and give many examples of UK institutions where this is already happening but that thread is not this thread. Maybe another time...

 

I may be back to ask more questions, but probably not for a while as now I've a lot of information to be going on with, thanks everyone.

 

Wherever I decide to live, I will still be enjoying our beautiful waterways and maybe I'll see some of you when I'm on the Towpath Taskforce! Thanks again and best wishes to you all,

 

Ali

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Jennifer McM]

The canal system is part of our heritage, and the more we cruise it, we discover how amazing and wonderful the people were who created the canal system more that 300 years ago in some instances, all without computers, satellite systems, JCBs ?  I'm pretty certain (without having a crystal ball) boaters will always be welcome, otherwise the system will be lost as it looked to be several decades ago. Fishermen, joggers, walkers, cyclists all use the towpaths, and it's a little bit of heaven in industrial areas. 

 

Boaters through their licences (about £1k per year) helps with the costs of keeping the system maintained. I can't imagine any act in parliament being passed to close down the system.

[70liveaboard]

OP.

The canal system and the people on it, are not really represented here on this forum, certainly not very well, in my opinion anyway.

Forums always have a minority of consistent posters. Unfortunately in forums, these people tend to form allegiance to one another within that few posters. I'm talking posters that are usually very easy to spot.

 

However there are lots of other posters, most less prolific than those mentioned and many of those seem to be very nice, easy going people, more like the cruisers I know and indeed love. There are some prolific posters on here that don't get tied up in that nonsense and are easy to read and reply too, but it's all very easy to see who falls in which catagory. Not that 'catagory' is the right word really.

 

So please don't take all the forum as a guide to people on the canal or rivers. Boaters in general, face to face, are very warm and welcoming, there is snobbery, but those people can be treated pleasantly when met and avoided where possible.

 

I think you'd love the way of life and I wouldn't worry too much about the licence situation.

Most people are down to earth folk with a very nice common interest.. Boating.

 

Giving people help & advice is important.. Those people that give you their opinion as fact, whether you want it or not, then wrap that up as help & advice.. They're to be avoided.

[Neil2]

22 hours ago, Ali050905 said:

Thanks for all your replies. I would love to chat to some boaters - I walk the canal with my dogs nearly every day where I live - but I don't like to pester people in their homes! I also try not to be too nosey about the boat, however much I might really want to be! I've read a lot of comments on how some people get annoyed about strangers just thinking they can just overstep boundaries as if boaters don't have the right to privacy like people in houses do.

 

If I ever come across someone out of the boat or on the lock I do sometimes stop and chat a bit etc, but if they're on their boat I leave them alone except to smile and say good morning as I pass and if the curtains are drawn but people are in, I'll walk past quickly without even a look. 

 

I would love to be able to be more confident and gregarious and maybe even go to a show but I'm not good in crowds and get too nervous. I am much better one to one.

 

I have been single for over 10 years and I never get lonely as I am very self sufficient and I have two dogs - you're never alone when you've got a dog!! I have absolutely no worries at all on that front - I am very happy in my own company. And you're never going to see my boat moored up in a city!!

 

Whether I can make enough money to survive is something I am still costing out. That's one of my main deal breakers obviously, especially as I'd be giving up my house. I will always (bar some really extreme welfare changes) be eligible for some help but I really want to get off in-work benefits. I just can't hack the way you get treated now and the costs of running a house wipe out any money you get anyway...

 

I suppose what worries me about the money side of things is the same as the problem with private rents - will a CC licence fee increase to unaffordable? and of course rented moorings are insecure and can increase in cost too. It is true that as someone on a low income, I'd be in an insecure place in many circumstances, but some places have their compensations.

 

For example, I've just got back to my house after an evening walk along a beautiful countryside stretch of the canal. Two song thrushes singing their hearts out, loads of other birds, the babbling of the river on the other side of the wall, the late sun through the trees, the throng of insects swarming across the water etc etc. Now I''m sitting sweating at a desk in a house with closed windows because I can't have my window open as my neighbour and his friends are all smoking in the garden, all I can hear is the whirr of the laptop and the occasional car going up the street... Yep, money is an issue wherever you are, but I'd rather worry about it on a boat!

 

 

 

Hello Ali - just picking up your first point here, in my experience introduce yourself with "oooh what a lovely boat" and the conversation never looks back...

 

Seriously, most boaters can't resist flattery and will happily engage if you show genuine interest.  You are right to respect people's privacy but the towpath is a public place and few folk in my experience are reluctant to pass the time of day with passers by.  Just don't let it become too much like twenty questions (sorry that reference may not compute unless you are of a certain age).  I have the misfortune to own an unusual looking boat, and am a constant target but at my age any attention at all is welcome so I don't mind.

 

In reply to your general yearning for life on the waterways it's easy to get carried away in mid summer with the notion of an idyllic life afloat.  What you have to remember is that the uk has a long, cold, dark, damp winter and this is the reason why most of us stick to seasonal boating.  Try and get some honest answers to what life on a boat is really like through the winter months, better still, try it for yourself.  A few weeks on a hire boat in December/January might be the best money you ever spend if it either convinces you you can hack it, or stops you making what could be a costly mistake.  

Edited June 28, 2019 by Neil2

[Naughty Cal]

This is  a piss take right?