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Fat boats on the North Oxford


Dr Bob

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14 minutes ago, Dr Bob said:

The marina management dont seem bothered at all

That's probably reasonable: they're responsible for what goes on within the marina, but can hardly be expected to police what their moorers do when outside its confines.

Edited by Athy
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40 minutes ago, Dr Bob said:

 

Miles Away moors in our marina, just behind where we are. He regularly takes his boat out for a trip down to Braunston on a weekend. He says the CRT aren't bothered anymore taking details of a trip ....."just give us a phone call in the morning if you are going out" ......to "It's not worth ringing them anymore". The marina management dont seem bothered at all ......and dont seem to know about the restrictions for fatboats so there is no chance of any change unless the CRT enforce the requirement for notification and then issue a CRT notice to other boaters (has this been dropped?). I've not seen a notice in the last 2 years.

We have been out since April so cant comment on his movements this summer but I will ask around to find out how much he is going out at the moment.

Sean, where are you this year? We're heading north - Chester ish.

 

 Hi Andy, nice to see you back on the forum.  We're out for this coming week and have just finished off the Napton flight in order to  potter about on the summit for a few days. Next trip will be longer, starting early to mid-July, and we'll probably head for Oxford as we haven't been to the Pig Place since we were there with you last year and haven't been South of there since we last went on the Thames in 2018. We might do that again this summer, diary permitting.

 

We worked the locks with a share boat from DP this morning and they said they passed Miles Away moored at Braunston Puddlebanks yesterday. It's disappointing to hear that CRT don't seem bothered any more, especially as Matthew Symonds gave me the impression last year that they were very much bothered.

 

 

40 minutes ago, Dr Bob said:

 

 

 

 

 

Edited by Lily Rose
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1 minute ago, Alan de Enfield said:

 

 

It is moored behind us :

 

MILES AWEIGH

 

http://www.shrinkpictures.com/processed/php7dodGNAM.jpg

 

 

 

Hmmmm - seems to be rotated !

 

 

 

 

If only Miles Away could relocate to wherever that is, I'm sure quite a few narrow boat owners (and hirers) would be happier.

 

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4 hours ago, Athy said:

That's probably reasonable: they're responsible for what goes on within the marina, but can hardly be expected to police what their moorers do when outside its confines.

 

 

You'd think that being connected to a narrow gauge canal, they might be responsible enough to have only narrow moorings for narrow boats though, wouldn't you? 

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6 minutes ago, MtB said:

 

 

You'd think that being connected to a narrow gauge canal, they might be responsible enough to have only narrow moorings for narrow boats though, wouldn't you? 

I blame CART for allowing wide marina entrances onto a narrow canal. There is no need for them and indeed at one time they were not allowed.

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7 minutes ago, Tracy D'arth said:

I blame CART for allowing wide marina entrances onto a narrow canal. There is no need for them and indeed at one time they were not allowed.

 

 

This is my opinion too. There is no need for a wide entrance on a narrow canal. It just encourages an irresponsible marina to rent to fatties.

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1 hour ago, MtB said:

 

 

This is my opinion too. There is no need for a wide entrance on a narrow canal. It just encourages an irresponsible marina to rent to fatties.

Yes there is, what would happen to all those incompetent steerers who can't get their boat through an 7ft gap how would they get in and out of the marina 😱

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15 minutes ago, Loddon said:

Yes there is, what would happen to all those incompetent steerers who can't get their boat through an 7ft gap how would they get in and out of the marina 😱

 

Or once in, hopefully they'd be stuck there 😂

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6 hours ago, MtB said:

 

 

You'd think that being connected to a narrow gauge canal, they might be responsible enough to have only narrow moorings for narrow boats though, wouldn't you? 

Not if the boats remained in the marina, no. 

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8 hours ago, Athy said:

Not if the boats remained in the marina, no. 

I think that's fair enough if said boats can be craned in at the marina. If they can only get there by using an unsuitable stretch of canal then perhaps the entrance should be required to be too narrow for them.

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1 hour ago, Lily Rose said:

I think that's fair enough if said boats can be craned in at the marina. If they can only get there by using an unsuitable stretch of canal then perhaps the entrance should be required to be too narrow for them.

That sounds practical. But I read somewhere, a few years ago, that all new structures such as bridges, locks and entrances on CART waters had to be built to broad dimensions. Whether that was written by someone in an official  capacity or by one of those ostensibly omniscient bods who inhabit the internet, I don't know.

Edited by Athy
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16 minutes ago, Athy said:

Whether that was written by someone in an official  capacity or by one of those ostensibly omniscient bods who inhabit the internbet, I don't know.

 

I wouldn't gamble on either being correct, if I were you....

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I emailed Mr Symonds over the weekend and had a reply at 10.05 Monday morning. Can't fault the speed of reply!

 

Short and sweet though, saying only that he will get in touch with the licence support officer. Whether anything comes of it is anyone's guess but benefit of the doubt and all that.

 

I still think the best chance of anything happening is multiple complaints so if you see Miles Away on the North Oxford (without a CRT widebeam movement notification having first been issued) and/or he causes difficulty to you, to someone else or to CRT infrastructure please complain.

 

I would not be surprised if Miles Away moves between Dunchurch Pools and Braunston many times between now and the (so-called) and of the boating season.

 

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22 hours ago, Dr Bob said:

 

Miles Away moors in our marina, just behind where we are. He regularly takes his boat out for a trip down to Braunston on a weekend. He says the CRT aren't bothered anymore taking details of a trip ....."just give us a phone call in the morning if you are going out" ......to "It's not worth ringing them anymore". The marina management dont seem bothered at all ......and dont seem to know about the restrictions for fatboats so there is no chance of any change unless the CRT enforce the requirement for notification and then issue a CRT notice to other boaters (has this been dropped?). I've not seen a notice in the last 2 years.

We have been out since April so cant comment on his movements this summer but I will ask around to find out how much he is going out at the moment.

Sean, where are you this year? We're heading north - Chester ish.

Marina entrances on narrow canals need to be stanked off by CRT at, say, 8' 6" width so that fat boats in the marina stay there.

On 29/05/2022 at 09:33, Lily Rose said:

I received this text from a friend yesterday...

 

"We got half way to Willoughby and got forced up the bank by a wide beam called " miles away" (remember him)... we ran aground and got a load of vegetation wrapped round the prop.. 
Limped to Willoughby wharf so stopped for the night. "

 

Looks like he's still at it then, 9 months after he hit my boat by the waterpoint on the North Oxford at Braunston.

 

NOTE: this latest incident was on a sunny Saturday at half-term in late May That's surely asking for trouble!
 
Has anyone else seen Miles Away out and about creating havoc recently?
 

I have posted before that, if a fat boat approaches me from the other direction, I tie up on the towpath for a brew and HE can have the fun of the offside shallows and overgrowth.

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1 hour ago, furnessvale said:

I have posted before that, if a fat boat approaches me from the other direction, I tie up on the towpath for a brew and HE can have the fun of the offside shallows and overgrowth.

 

Not a bad idea but may not always be that easy, he could suddenly appear as you approach a bend or bridge or the towpath may be such that mooring would be a bit tricky and time-consuming. Certainly worth bearing in mind in the right circumstances though.

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10 minutes ago, Lily Rose said:

 

Not a bad idea but may not always be that easy, he could suddenly appear as you approach a bend or bridge or the towpath may be such that mooring would be a bit tricky and time-consuming. Certainly worth bearing in mind in the right circumstances though.

Don't even need to stop, just sound the relevant horn signal and pull over tight on the towpath whist maintaining minimum way. Let the bugger sort himself out, if you are tight on the towpath then there is no chance of it  getting between you and the towpath ;)

 

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41 minutes ago, Loddon said:

Don't even need to stop, just sound the relevant horn signal and pull over tight on the towpath whist maintaining minimum way. Let the bugger sort himself out, if you are tight on the towpath then there is no chance of it  getting between you and the towpath ;)

 

I'd guess that less than 5% of canal boaters know the common horn signals. :wub:

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51 minutes ago, Iain_S said:

I'd guess that less than 5% of canal boaters know the common horn signals. :wub:

But sounding it  gives you the "get out of jail free" card, of course you could just wave a Blue Flag or hoist a Blue Board 🤭

Edited by Loddon
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