CRT Spotters

[roland elsdon]

Surprised checkers don’t count moving boats. I’ve had several shout what’s the number as I’ve boated past.

Unintentionally I have many times given them the wrong one. Our number is dangerously close to an old bank account sort code. Imputing that probably got them the hsbc.

[beerbeerbeerbeerbeer]

4 hours ago, Alway Swilby said:

I got chatting to a moorer near Pewsey on the K&A who told me gleefully how to moor for two weeks on a 48 hour visitor mooring. They had it sussed. They had sussed that the checker comes every Tuesday at around 11AM without fail. So you moor up on the 48 hour mooring on the Tuesday morning just after the checker has departed. You can then stay on the 48 hour mooring until around 10AM on the Tuesday two weeks later. As long as you've gone by the time the checker arives. The checker will have seen you on the intermediate Tuesday but as they only ever come on a Tuesday they only know that you moored sometime after last Tuesday so you might well have been there less than 48 hours. No wonder there was nowhere for us to moor there.

But they hadn’t sussed that this time of year a 48hr becomes 14 day ? And they could get about 20 days there?

 

[Tracy D'arth]

24 minutes ago, Detling said:

In the winter most checkers seem to patrol marinas and mooring areas with tarmac. Easy pickings. In summer they do indeed spread theirs wings or dust down the bike and travel much further, but generally into areas where there are several boats. So moor on a muddy towpath in the middle of nowhere with nobody moored within half a mile and if you get checked more than twice in a year you have been unlucky

 

My point, thank you.

[Midnight]

One checker I met this year told me he walks those moorings once a fortnight on Tuesdays but sometimes does a random check. A checker visits our boat club in summer but many boats are away cruising. Each September I receive an email from CRT asking me to check their list against those boats that actually moor at the Club. There's usually one or two I've never heard of and a definitely not mooring members' boats. On the other hand it's been known for C&RT to change a cruising member's license to 'continuous' when the boat has been away for six months or so and been spotted around the system. I believe the checkers do a reasonably good job. Judging by the number of overstayers on visitor moorings it's the follow up that seems to be the weak link.  Having said that I don't see a big issue with those who overstay in the middle of nowhere.

[LadyG]

2 hours ago, Midnight said:

One checker I met this year told me he walks those moorings once a fortnight on Tuesdays but sometimes does a random check. A checker visits our boat club in summer but many boats are away cruising. Each September I receive an email from CRT asking me to check their list against those boats that actually moor at the Club. There's usually one or two I've never heard of and a definitely not mooring members' boats. On the other hand it's been known for C&RT to change a cruising member's license to 'continuous' when the boat has been away for six months or so and been spotted around the system. I believe the checkers do a reasonably good job. Judging by the number of overstayers on visitor moorings it's the follow up that seems to be the weak link.  Having said that I don't see a big issue with those who overstay in the middle of nowhere.

I don't quite get that, the boat keeper tells the CRT where he has his home mooring, how can the CRT change that to cc, which is a casual term for boaters with no home mooring, he may not be at the home mooring 

[doratheexplorer]

2 hours ago, Midnight said:

One checker I met this year told me he walks those moorings once a fortnight on Tuesdays but sometimes does a random check. A checker visits our boat club in summer but many boats are away cruising. Each September I receive an email from CRT asking me to check their list against those boats that actually moor at the Club. There's usually one or two I've never heard of and a definitely not mooring members' boats. On the other hand it's been known for C&RT to change a cruising member's license to 'continuous' when the boat has been away for six months or so and been spotted around the system. I believe the checkers do a reasonably good job. Judging by the number of overstayers on visitor moorings it's the follow up that seems to be the weak link.  Having said that I don't see a big issue with those who overstay in the middle of nowhere.

What does this mean?  The licence is the same.  There's no continuous cruiser licence.  You either declare your home mooring or you declare that you are a continuous cruiser.  A declaration is not a licence.

[LadyG]

Yep, when I am in a marina, even for a few weeks, I register it as a home mooring, and then change to no home mooring when I leave, I assumed that was the way to do it. 

[MtB]

40 minutes ago, doratheexplorer said:

What does this mean?  The licence is the same.  There's no continuous cruiser licence.  You either declare your home mooring or you declare that you are a continuous cruiser.  A declaration is not a licence.

 

The bit of paper you display is different. There is a code printed on it which differs according to your class of home mooring or if you have no home mooring.

[matty40s]

16 minutes ago, MtB said:

 

The bit of paper you display is different. There is a code printed on it which differs according to your class of home mooring or if you have no home mooring.

It's not really, it is a series of digits like GU- 87-003... a home mooring location code or BW-065-007 if there is no home mooring location, there is no difference other than the actual licence number itself.

 

Not forgetting that Mr Parry told me and countless others that we wouldnt have to display it any more.. in 2013...

Edited December 22, 2021 by matty40s

[john6767]

10 minutes ago, matty40s said:

It's not really, it is a series of digits like GU- 87-003... a home mooring location code or BW-065-007 if there is no home mooring location, there is no difference other than the actual licence number itself.

 

Not forgetting that Mr Parry told me and countless others that we wouldnt have to display it any more.. in 2013...

I renewed the boat licence yesterday, the licences no longer include the code showing mooring location.   There is just the boat index number and another number presumably the licence number.  

[MtB]

41 minutes ago, matty40s said:

It's not really, it is a series of digits like GU- 87-003... a home mooring location code or BW-065-007 if there is no home mooring location

 

Err isn't that (almost) exactly what I said?

 

57 minutes ago, MtB said:

There is a code printed on it which differs according to your class of home mooring or if you have no home mooring.

 

[dmr]

Just renewed our licence and it shows the boat name, index number and expiry date, no other numbers at all.

 

This just might be because we have a roving trader licence???

[JamesWoolcock]

11 minutes ago, dmr said:

Just renewed our licence and it shows the boat name, index number and expiry date, no other numbers at all.

 

This just might be because we have a roving trader licence???

They have been issuing licences without the mooring code for some months. Probably because this and other information about us and our boats is stored on their spotters' gadgetry. 

Shame, it was sometimes good to see where some folk came from.

[Midnight]

2 hours ago, LadyG said:

I don't quite get that, the boat keeper tells the CRT where he has his home mooring, how can the CRT change that to cc, which is a casual term for boaters with no home mooring, he may not be at the home mooring 

 

2 hours ago, doratheexplorer said:

What does this mean?  The licence is the same.  There's no continuous cruiser licence.  You either declare your home mooring or you declare that you are a continuous cruiser.  A declaration is not a licence.

 

 

A few years ago one of our mooring members went off cruising the system from March to October. When I received the list of boats with home moorings at the Club from C&RT that boat was missing. When I enquired they told me they had it listed as a 'continuous cruiser ' on the license data.  The boat owner knew nothing about it until I contacted him. It wasn't a problem C&RT rectified the error immediately after I pointed it out.

[David Mack]

I have had a continuous cruiser licence, but taken a short term paid for mooring at a (different) boatyard each winter. I have never (knowingly) changed my licence status from continuous cruiser to home moorer in the autumn and back in the spring.  I have assumed that if I am on a paid for private mooring for 4 or 5 months I won't be identified as overstaying. Should I be notifying CRT and involving them in extra admin to no real purpose?

Edited December 22, 2021 by David Mack

[Alan de Enfield]

3 minutes ago, David Mack said:

Should I be notifying CRT and involving them in extra admin to no real purpose?

 

They do request that you do so.

[dmr]

18 minutes ago, David Mack said:

I have had a continuous cruiser licence, but taken a short term paid for mooring at a (different) boatyard each winter. I have never (knowingly) changed my licence status from continuous cruiser to home moorer in the autumn and back in the spring.  I have assumed that if I am on a paid for private mooring for 4 or 5 months I won't be identified as overstaying. Should I be notifying CRT and involving them in extra admin to no real purpose?

 

Good question.

 

I believe we got an overstay warning email whilst moored on the offside at Hebden Bridge, just up from yourself. When I questioned this they said they did not realise we were on the offside.  Its just possible we were spotted on the towpath side both just before and just after using the offside mooring.

 

The CC conditions do say stopping for only 14 days and do not, as far as I know, specify where? or does it say on the towpath?

 

If a CC boat is moored offside then I assume CRT would really need to confirm that its on an approved mooring with the mooring owners permission? In our K&A days we saw a few boats squatting a bit of offside land (and to be fair not just on the K&A). 

 

We hope to be spending some time each year on an offside mooring but don't really want to give up our CC status.

And what about winter moorings???

[beerbeerbeerbeerbeer]

2 hours ago, David Mack said:

I have had a continuous cruiser licence, but taken a short term paid for mooring at a (different) boatyard each winter. I have never (knowingly) changed my licence status from continuous cruiser to home moorer in the autumn and back in the spring.  I have assumed that if I am on a paid for private mooring for 4 or 5 months I won't be identified as overstaying. Should I be notifying CRT and involving them in extra admin to no real purpose?

I used to do similar and would notify them each time I took on a mooring, and again when I moved off it. 
But I’d be taking the boat out several times during that period of having a mooring and usually to the same pub, so I was just covering myself. 
 

I don’t think it’s much bother in the way of extra admin. Just a quick phone call and they alter the notes there and then. 

Edited December 22, 2021 by Goliath

[ditchcrawler]

22 minutes ago, Goliath said:

 

I don’t think it’s much bother in the way of extra admin. Just a quick phone call and they alter the notes there and then. 

You can update your information on line, CRT dont need to do anything

[sueb]

3 hours ago, dmr said:

 

Good question.

 

I believe we got an overstay warning email whilst moored on the offside at Hebden Bridge, just up from yourself. When I questioned this they said they did not realise we were on the offside.  Its just possible we were spotted on the towpath side both just before and just after using the offside mooring.

 

The CC conditions do say stopping for only 14 days and do not, as far as I know, specify where? or does it say on the towpath?

 

If a CC boat is moored offside then I assume CRT would really need to confirm that its on an approved mooring with the mooring owners permission? In our K&A days we saw a few boats squatting a bit of offside land (and to be fair not just on the K&A). 

 

We hope to be spending some time each year on an offside mooring but don't really want to give up our CC status.

And what about winter moorings???

What advantages are there in having a CC status? 

[matty40s]

6 minutes ago, sueb said:

What advantages are there in having a CC status? 

Many, freedom of movement, fresh air, plenty of planning and skullduggery, and......just because you still can...

[dmr]

1 minute ago, sueb said:

What advantages are there in having a CC status? 

 

Probably none, we've lived nomadically and off grid for just about 12 years and I'm quite proud of that, and would be a little sad to become a home moorer who goes boating in the summer.

 

Nigel Moore did raise the interesting point that CC'ers are granted permission to stop for 14 days whilst home moorers have no such permission so with a strict interpretation of the law could be required to move every day 😀 I doubt this will ever happen so don't worry.

[TheBiscuits]

9 minutes ago, dmr said:

Nigel Moore did raise the interesting point that CC'ers are granted permission to stop for 14 days whilst home moorers have no such permission so with a strict interpretation of the law could be required to move every day 😀 I doubt this will ever happen so don't worry.

 

I'm agitating for it.

 

I don't think holiday shiny boaters should be allowed to stay overnight  ...

 

 

[john6767]

2 minutes ago, TheBiscuits said:

 

I'm agitating for it.

 

I don't think holiday shiny boaters should be allowed to stay overnight  ...

 

 

That’s OK all you need to do is go on the web site and update you mooring status each time you come in and out of the marina, simples…

[sueb]

We had more freedom in declaring a home mooring although we were seldom there. It was a disadvantage to declare a no mooring status,, which is why I wondered why Dmr thought a cc status was an advantage