Playground for the Rich

[system 4-50]

46 minutes ago, Mike Todd said:

we all have to share the same locks (and elsan places!)

No way.  Some of us are civilised.

[enigmatic]

1 hour ago, Mike Todd said:

That said, there is one place where such does not hold - the Thames, where lock keepers are surprised if you want to talk to them rather than gesture from a flybridge half a mile overhead. Bit worried that people in Westminster think that all waterways are like that (and they don't realise that it is not CaRT's waters!).

That's an interesting point. I wonder how many politicians spend much time in or around inland waterways, and how much of that time is devoted to very exclusive events.

 

Then again, the bit of the canals which is even closer to Westminster than shiny boathouses on the Middle Thames is the long lines of it's-the-only-house-in-London-I-can-afford boaters on Regents Canal...

[lampini]

I think some would like it to be.. 

imho it’s utterly unrealistic to expect anything other than a continued increase in economically motivated liveaboards - unless of course someone waves a magic wand over the housing crisis of course.. 
On the other hand, it looks like the drop in funding is going to make summer cruising a pretty challenging “playground”! 
 

 

[ditchcrawler]

3 hours ago, Mike Todd said:

My experience is that the canals are a great leveller - we all have to share the same locks (and elsan places!)  

Some have butlers to do that.

[Jen-in-Wellies]

5 hours ago, ditchcrawler said:

Some have butlers to do that.

Quite beneath a butlers dignity to empty a toilet cassette. That's what the boats under servants are for. There are important distinctions below stairs on a rich persons canal boat that are guarded fiercely.

[Chris Lowe]

Do CRT have the Russian oligark funds to upgrade the cut to fit some of these then?

[koukouvagia]

3 hours ago, buccaneer66 said:

Do CRT have the Russian oligark funds to upgrade the cut to fit some of these then?

 

Somebody (CRT?) must be making a fortune in mooring fees on this super yacht belonging to a Russian oligarch.  It's been tied d up at Canary Wharf since March 2022.. 

 

 

I know we all like to have a go at CRT. (Heaven knows, I've done my fair share of criticism in the past).  However, allowing for inflation, I'm paying almost exactly the same amount for my present mooring as I did thirty years ago.  It was expensive then and it's expensive now.

[Bacchus]

Looks as if there is a meeting of the Linssen Owners club on the Thames somewhere - I have seen upwards of a dozen going upstream today, mainly French, Dutch, and German flagged, and these are the big shiny buggers, not the little 30-40' jobbies that "only" cost £2-300,000.00. I would be surprised if any of them were less than half a million, so there are definitely some rich man's playthings out there.

 

Also a young bloke on a little Shetland who looked very happy and waved, so not just a playground for the rich.

[ditchcrawler]

1 hour ago, koukouvagia said:

 

Somebody (CRT?) must be making a fortune in mooring fees on this super yacht belonging to a Russian oligarch.  It's been tied d up at Canary Wharf since March 2022.. 

 

 

I know we all like to have a go at CRT. (Heaven knows, I've done my fair share of criticism in the past).  However, allowing for inflation, I'm paying almost exactly the same amount for my present mooring as I did thirty years ago.  It was expensive then and it's expensive now.

Do you think anyone is paying moorings on that

[David Schweizer]

On 11/07/2023 at 09:56, MtB said:

 

My comment was very tongue-in-cheek. Mainly because I'm as poor as a church mouse myself compared to some on here, and like some prime ministers I don't even have even one little country mansion at my disposal.

 

Not a Mansion, Just this little place in rural Great Bedwyn

 

 

 

Edited July 13, 2023 by David Schweizer

[beerbeerbeerbeerbeer]

19 minutes ago, David Schweizer said:

 

Not a Mansion, Just this little place in rural Great Bedwyn

 

 

 

Lovely

Fit for any retired PM

 

[Momac]

On 11/07/2023 at 09:36, Goliath said:

Are the Inland Waterways a ‘playground for the rich’?

It depends how you define 'rich'.

Is rich having enough income or cash to 'buy' and , just as importantly, 'keep' a boat.?

If so what value of boat and up keep cost would you say defines the owner as rich?

 

 

 

 

[beerbeerbeerbeerbeer]

2 minutes ago, MartynG said:

It depends how you define 'rich'.

Is rich having enough income or cash to 'buy' and , just as importantly, 'keep' a boat.?

If so what value of boat and up keep cost would you say defines the owner as rich?

 

 

 

 

🤷‍♀️

 

or is rich being able to afford a to buy a boat, keep a boat and then forget you have a boat?

 

 

[Momac]

8 minutes ago, Goliath said:

or is rich being able to afford a to buy a boat, keep a boat and then forget you have a boat?

I couldn't afford to do that so does that mean I escape your rich list ?

 

[magnetman]

On 11/07/2023 at 11:04, Nightwatch said:

The rich were probably rich prior to moving onto the waterways.

 

I was rich when I was younger. This was defined as having a boat and being able to spend every hour of my time doing whatever I wanted when i wanted which included a lot of boating. 

 

No houses, no cars just time and a small allowance and a nice narrow boat. 

 

 

 

 

 

Then I fell onto a woman and had children ! oops !

[Alan de Enfield]

3 minutes ago, magnetman said:

Then I fell onto a woman and had children ! oops !

 

 

You should have kept your trousers on !

[beerbeerbeerbeerbeer]

14 minutes ago, MartynG said:

I couldn't afford to do that so does that mean I escape your rich list ?

 

I can put you on my rich list if you like?
 

You’ll be the only one on it. 
 

😃

[magnetman]

5 minutes ago, Alan de Enfield said:

 

 

You should have kept your trousers on !

 

I'm a breeder and to be fair did do well in this regard as I have two angelic daughters. 

 

But yes. Good point. 

 

 

[Momac]

14 minutes ago, Goliath said:

I can put you on my rich list if you like?
 

You’ll be the only one on it. 
 

😃

No lists please.

 

So what do you think. Should boaters pay for the upkeep of the inland waterways ?

I think the inland  waterways are a public resource and boaters pay more than enough already.

 

[IanD]

3 minutes ago, MartynG said:

No lists please.

 

So what do you think. Should boaters pay for the upkeep of the inland waterways ?

I think the inland  waterways are a public resource and boaters pay more than enough already.

 

 

Boaters can't possibly pay the total required for the upkeep of the canals, see other thread. They are a public resource so "the public" (meaning taxpayers, meaning the government) should pay part of the cost -- and more than today. Boaters pay relatively little for what they get, many think they should pay more especially given the CART funding shortfall, and it seems this is what CART are planning to do.

[magnetman]

If you had 100 people visiting a canal for a pleasurable walk I wonder how many of them would think boats were important. I bet more of them would think the wildlife was the main thing and one factor with moored boats is they block the view of the wildlife. 

 

Canals don't need many boats at all to survive as pleasure grounds for the masses. 

 

 

 

[beerbeerbeerbeerbeer]

43 minutes ago, MartynG said:

No lists please.

 

So what do you think. Should boaters pay for the upkeep of the inland waterways ?

I think the inland  waterways are a public resource and boaters pay more than enough already.

 

Yes, as a boater I should pay towards the up keep. 
And I will and do gladly pay my £. 

And yes, the waterways are a public resource in many ways so yes taxation should pay for them too. 

We boaters pay enough already. I reckon you’re right. 

Here’s what I think: the government should pay for the whole lot. 
It’s peanuts in the scheme of things. 

They can recoupe some money with boat licenses, moorings and whatevers for a bit of a slush fund. 
On the whole the waterways should be funded top to bottom by taxation. 
 

And if you wanna boat on it, buy a license and go 

 

 

 

Edited July 13, 2023 by Goliath

[Rob-M]

Plenty of gongoozlers stand around Haywood lock watching the boats go through and distracting boaters.

[ditchcrawler]

35 minutes ago, magnetman said:

If you had 100 people visiting a canal for a pleasurable walk I wonder how many of them would think boats were important. I bet more of them would think the wildlife was the main thing and one factor with moored boats is they block the view of the wildlife. 

 

Canals don't need many boats at all to survive as pleasure grounds for the masses. 

 

 

 

Especially scruffy ones

[beerbeerbeerbeerbeer]

1 minute ago, ditchcrawler said:

Especially scruffy ones

They drop turds on them. 
While dancing the Monkey.