CRT Top Tips: best places to moor a boat

[Lily Rose]

Example 1.

Opposite the entrance to a marina.

(note: Ventnor Marina Sunrise basin in this example)

[matty40s]

Doesnt surprise me, they moored across from our marina last year, until shoyted at.(sp)

[john6767]

That is one of Calcutt’s private “picnic”  moorings though, so anyone with Calcutt’s permission could be moored there.  I don’t think is directly opposite the entrance though is it?

[Lily Rose]

18 minutes ago, john6767 said:

That is one of Calcutt’s private “picnic”  moorings though, so anyone with Calcutt’s permission could be moored there.  I don’t think is directly opposite the entrance though is it?

It's a bit to the Calcutt side rather than bang in the middle but you can still see it from inside the marina looking out under the bridge. Probably wouldn't cause a problem going towards or coming from the Stockton direction but it gets in the way of anyone trying to go out towards, or come back in from, the Calcutt direction. Depending on boat length I think you have a choice of hitting the work boat or hitting the side of the entrance judging by watching a 57' foot boat come back in yesterday. I've not seen a boat moored there before in the last 8 years, a little bit further on yes but not at that spot.

[Goliath]

That’s where the man takes his trainees to learn to wind the boat 

Down Calcutt locks, wind there, and back up again. 

[Lily Rose]

8 minutes ago, Goliath said:

That’s where the man takes his trainees to learn to wind the boat 

Down Calcutt locks, wind there, and back up again. 

I'd forgotten about Paul Smith on Orient. He's been away on his winter cruising break and due to re-start his training days in about a month. No doubt it will be gone by then.

[midnight cowboy]

Why not just move it??

[MtB]

There is a whole FarceBook group for stuff like this IIRC, called "Moored like a twat".

 

Contains many far better examples than this! 

 

Even so, I reckon I could steer my 68ft NB in or out of that entrance with ease, without hitting the CRT workboat.

 

 

[IanD]

10 minutes ago, MtB said:

There is a whole FarceBook group for stuff like this IIRC, called "Moored like a twat".

 

Contains many far better examples than this! 

 

Even so, I reckon I could steer my 68ft NB in or out of that entrance with ease, without hitting the CRT workboat.

 

 

I expect you could -- and I expect some other boaters in a 32' boat would manage to hit it... 😉

[john6767]

Had a look yesterday, it is on one of the picnic moorings, so I don’t think you can blame CRT, it is probably where Calcutt told them to put it.  They could have gone a bit further back, but then there would not have been a tree the tie the blue string at the bow to.

 

[enigmatic]

On 18/03/2023 at 16:52, Goliath said:

That’s where the man takes his trainees to learn to wind the boat 

Down Calcutt locks, wind there, and back up again. 

That doesn't sound like a fun place to moor  

 

-

 

As workboat moorings go I've seen worse, they seem to like mooring on lock landings and adjacent to bridge holes more than the average anti social boater.

 

My favourite was the one right in the middle of the Rochdale (not their fault tbf, was necessary due to draft and the shape of the canal) which ended up with one of their staff members going on a half hour wild goose chase looking for the "adrift workboat" some well-intentioned member of the public had rung up about.

Edited Monday at 16:57 by enigmatic

[Adam]

CRT workboats moored on lock landings are a benefit, no need to get right into the side before lining up to the lock. Plus they are one moored boat you don't need to slow down for

[Goliath]

15 minutes ago, Adam said:

CRT workboats moored on lock landings are a benefit, no need to get right into the side before lining up to the lock. Plus they are one moored boat you don't need to slow down for

Nice!

[Grassman]

Having had some experience of this, I know that CRT tend to moor their workboats on Armco (or rings) for 3 reasons.

 

1. Because their boat(s) are often left for a long time the risk is greater of a boat on mooring pins coming adrift.

2. Armco or rings offers the chance to chain and padlock the boat(s) thus reducing the chance of someone moving it and craning off any valuable heavy machinery onboard (such as the wood chipper in that photo) elsewhere. 

3. Most of the CRT workforce are not boaters so haven't a clue (or don't care) about the problems/inconvenience they cause when moored on lock landings, opposite winding holes, marina entrances, narrows, bends etc.

4. Irrespective of the chaos they might cause they will always try to moor near a road access so the workforce don't have to walk miles along the towpath, as this would increase their already extremely long and tiring 4 hour working day!

Oops that's 4 reasons. Duh!