CRT (not so) Hidden Agenda?

[Tumshie]

11 hours ago, Naughty Cal said:

This is  a piss take right?

Not necessarily, I think a lot of people could relate to aspects of what Ali is saying. Yes she has a very energetic writing style but she also sound very much like someone trying to find their feet in a (boating) world they don't yet full understanding. Ali has said she has said she has health issues and knows that there are situations she must protect herself from, this might make her concerns seem unusual to some people but doesn't necessarily make them unfounded. God knows the Scottish Highlands are full of people like Ali escaping the rat race. 

 

On 27/06/2019 at 19:17, Ali050905 said:

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'm a bit late to this party so I'm sorry if I've missed you. Welcome to the forum and I hope can find the answers you're looking for. Lot's of member have already given some really helpful and/or informative view point but I just wanted to pick up on this bit that I have quoted here. I don't know where you live or what your health issues are and I'm not asking you to tell, but if you have long term health issues then you should not be assessed as regularly as every 12-18 months, if you are then I strongly suggest talking to your doctor/consultant to get them to write a letter explaining the chronic nature of your illness. As for living in Social Housing and getting thrown out if they change the rules - No you really really can't - there are laws in place that prevent this happening, I can understand that this might be a deep rooted fear/insecurity but the reality is that you either have to behave VERY badly or refuse to pay your rent for a very long time before they will ask you to leave; I can understand your need to experience more freedom and have more control over your life but I strongly suggest not giving up your house, if nothing else get another camper van, at least for the time being, and just use the house as a base, houses make the best storage units / sheds / places to wash and dry clothes / keep food / get deliveries. ? 

 

If you like the sound of the Towpath Taskforce then you might also like the Green Gym, like the Towpath Taskforce a great place to get out and about with purpose and meet like minded people. https://www.tcv.org.uk

 

The other thing I credit to helping my health issues is Michael Chaskalson's mindfulness in eight weeks. https://8weekmindfulness.com . Canals are a great place to practice mindfulness. 

On 27/06/2019 at 22:20, Ali050905 said:

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!!

Me too - For me being single is very much a lifestyle choice and I wouldn't have it any other way, and being an extreme introvert I'm never comfortable spending any length of time in a populated or built up areas. 

 

I see no reason why you can't make the lifestyle changes you want, though the jump from house to boat may be an expensive one, there are lots of people making a living from their boats, or it may be that you decide to keep your house and get a smaller boat, that way you always have a "Plan B" if you need one, best of all worlds. What ever you decide to do good luck and I hope you won't be a stranger to the forum. 

 

 

[Jim Batty]

On 27/06/2019 at 19:17, Ali050905 said:

...

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 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 ...

 

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.

 

 

Hi Ali and welcome to the forum.

Clearly you are looking for a change from your present situation - that has a certain comfortable stability, but is beginning to feel like a grind and a bit of a trap. Only you can know what you feel 'safe' and 'secure' with. So good luck with your research!

I think it's important to know that there are many different ways of living on a boat. Some hang out in the countryside; others in the middle of cities. Some move every couple of days, or every two weeks. Some go long distances; others short hops. Others base themselves on a long-term canalside mooring or prefer the community of a marina. (Maybe they work part-time in the chandlery or boat yard). Some are market traders who drift on their own, while others follow an annual rota of organised markets. Some take their boats over to France; others up to Ripon. Some live on very little - enjoying a simple life where they create their own entertainment, develop a personal project, immerse themselves in nature, scavenge for firewood, harvest 'wild food'. Others live a life of luxury with all conveniences on-board and sparky social lives. A few boaters have beautifully compact 30' narrowboats with everything they need to hand, while others insist on the spaciousness of a 12' x 62' widebeam. Some run cars or vans in parallel with their cruising (and tie up near safe places to park them); others depend entirely on their boat and where it can take them. People also convert old GRP cruisers, barges, trawlers ... and live on rivers, estuaries, lakes as well as canals.  Basically, there is lots of scope for creating your own way of living aflloat. And I think there is a lot of toleration amongst most boaters and the boating community for different ways of 'doing it'. Just be friendly, helpful and curious - which seems to come naturally to you.

 

Definitely walk the canals and talk to boaters. If you say you're seriously thinking of living aboard I'm sure most people will want to share some experiences and offer advice.

 

On 27/06/2019 at 22:44, Jennifer McM said:

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.

 

 

Perhaps you could start writing a blog ... about thinking about changing your life by moving onto a boat ... and including all the stuff you learn along the way. It sounds like you are coming at this from quite a unique point of view and circumstances, so it would almost automatically be interesting to others.

 

[Tash and Bex]

On 27/06/2019 at 19:17, Ali050905 said:

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.

 

 

Ali,

 

I do understand your concerns, and share quite a few.

 

I just wanted to add, there are other options than CRT waterways.

 

Please don't use this site as a barometer for boaters in general, we are a very friendly, helpful, community spirited lot, the majority of the nasty comments on this site come from only a few of its membership, but really don't reflect the community, and indeed, this forum as a whole.

 

Where in the country do you live, roughly?

 

Warmest Regards,

 

Bex

[matty40s]

40 minutes ago, Tash and Bex said:

Ali,

 

I do understand your concerns, and share quite a few.

 

I just wanted to add, there are other options than CRT waterways.

 

Please don't use this site as a barometer for boaters in general, we are a very friendly, helpful, community spirited lot, the majority of the nasty comments on this site come from only a few of its membership, but really don't reflect the community, and indeed, this forum as a whole.

 

Where in the country do you live, roughly?

 

Warmest Regards,

 

Bex

I actually think that most of the comments and advice on this thread, certainly the first tranche, are very helpful, realistic and honest.

Only Phylis shows her normal colours...but if you are on the canals, you probably wont have to experience her.

The waterways(yes, not just CRT, ) are still one of the few places you can pretty mu h escape much of present lifes impositions. You dont get daily junk mail, piles of fast food advertising flyers, doorstep salespeople, you dont even get much in the way of spam telephone calls if you are sensible.

It's not rules, its terms and conditions you sign up to, boat owners who get into problems now have generally signed agreeing to T&C and then try to ignore it or beat it.(sometimes encouraged by the Norty Barging non-Travelling Alliance.

It's a wonderful place, can be hard work in Winter if you are not ready for it or expect services on a Deliveroo style basis, but is fill of smashing, super people who will help you out and welcome you in if you  come in with the right attitude and willingness to take part.

 

Edited September 25, 2019 by matty40s