Boat sightings

[Stroudwater1]

I’m gutted, can’t sneak out for a few days without the Mrs who’s away on holiday knowing about it any more 🤣 

 

There does seem to be a possibility of data breach here though what if you don’t want someone to know where you are/ someone, an ex or near ex  is stalking you?
 

Perhaps a delete or hide the data facility should be possible 

[Arthur Marshall]

20 minutes ago, Naughty Cal said:

We often requested a copy of NC's sightings from CRT when we renewed our licence. 

 

By far and away the most common sighting was on our marina mooring despite us spending so little time on there.

 

It always surprised us that even though the manned locks recorded index numbers these were never added to the sightings records. It surely shouldn't be difficult to add those to the system?

 

It was on one trip to Nottingham that we were sighted every day for a week. The spotter must have followed us up river and back down again 🤣🤣🤣

I was a bit surprised that Harecastle or Anderton Lift passages weren't logged as boat movements . Just seemed completely inefficient when the data was there for it not to be compiled.

[haggis]

26 minutes ago, Stroudwater1 said:

I’m gutted, can’t sneak out for a few days without the Mrs who’s away on holiday knowing about it any more 🤣 

 

There does seem to be a possibility of data breach here though what if you don’t want someone to know where you are/ someone, an ex or near ex  is stalking you?
 

Perhaps a delete or hide the data facility should be possible 

I think we can only see details of our own boats but I expect if a boat is jointly owned both parties could have their own log in details and see sightings of the shared boat.

[Naughty Cal]

43 minutes ago, Stroudwater1 said:

I’m gutted, can’t sneak out for a few days without the Mrs who’s away on holiday knowing about it any more 🤣 

 

There does seem to be a possibility of data breach here though what if you don’t want someone to know where you are/ someone, an ex or near ex  is stalking you?
 

Perhaps a delete or hide the data facility should be possible 

You would need to have the boats licence page log in details to access the log of the boat movements. It isn't public information. 

[Rob-M]

43 minutes ago, Stroudwater1 said:

I’m gutted, can’t sneak out for a few days without the Mrs who’s away on holiday knowing about it any more 🤣 

 

There does seem to be a possibility of data breach here though what if you don’t want someone to know where you are/ someone, an ex or near ex  is stalking you?
 

Perhaps a delete or hide the data facility should be possible 

Don't give them your username and password.  You can only see your boat data when logged in to your account.

[Mike Todd]

5 hours ago, Arthur Marshall said:

I've spent three months this year away from my mooring, and been spotted away twice, both in May. Doesn't indicate that their spotters cover the entire network every week, which I think is what they used to claim.

You might well suspect that (I thought it was actually every two weeks, not one) but it does not prove anything - it is easy to propose a movement pattern that just misses them every time, especially those who work to a fixed pattern.

 

Just to add to the amusement factor - two of our listing were half an hour apart!

 

 

3 hours ago, Goliath said:

I’ve had 3 sightings on the BCN over 18 months. 
The trick is to sit still for 14 days to be sure. 
 

Mine reads like I am very active,

I’m quite surprised 😂

 

 

I’m not sure it’s a good idea to have these sightings so easily/readily available, might encourage me to play the system a little bit (more).

Not sure how the past data will allow you to game the future?

52 minutes ago, Stroudwater1 said:

I’m gutted, can’t sneak out for a few days without the Mrs who’s away on holiday knowing about it any more 🤣 

 

There does seem to be a possibility of data breach here though what if you don’t want someone to know where you are/ someone, an ex or near ex  is stalking you?
 

Perhaps a delete or hide the data facility should be possible 

It is only available after you log in

[Rob-M]

We've had very few sightings, in the last couple of years we have been on the Llangollen twice, the Montgomery, the Shroppie, the Staffs and Worcs, the T&M, the BCN, the Coventry, the Oxford, the GU and nearly all our sightings are either in the marina or mostly around Great Haywood.  Only one sighting that wasn't on the T&M.

 

 

[Mike Todd]

54 minutes ago, Arthur Marshall said:

I was a bit surprised that Harecastle or Anderton Lift passages weren't logged as boat movements . Just seemed completely inefficient when the data was there for it not to be compiled.

It does not seem clear whether the checkers log moving boats or not. In any case, there is not a clear case under GDPR for doing so, legally. In the case of moored boats it is much clearer as there are restrictions on mooring but not, in general, no requirement o do a minimum or a maximum number of hours cruising.

[dmr]

4 minutes ago, Mike Todd said:

It does not seem clear whether the checkers log moving boats or not. In any case, there is not a clear case under GDPR for doing so, legally. In the case of moored boats it is much clearer as there are restrictions on mooring but not, in general, no requirement o do a minimum or a maximum number of hours cruising.

 

We have been logged 6 times this year since leaving our home mooring. Two of those were while we were moving, and one of those was in a lock.

The logging system is really designed to identify the really naughty boats that hardly move at all.

Until recently we were declared as CC'ers so getting logged was highly desirable, and in the summer we would be moving most days for most of the working day so getting logged while moving was essential.

[beerbeerbeerbeerbeer]

31 minutes ago, Mike Todd said:

Not sure how the past data will allow you to game the future?

😃

not rocket science to work it out 

[Momac]

3 hours ago, steve hayes said:

Only had our current boat since the start of the year, but we’ve been out for about 8 weeks in total, many places.

we have two sightings, one at the marina and one on the Servern by a Lockie.

I’m certain that we have been logged on at least two other occasions, but no reference to them.

I go through manned locks on the Trent  quite  a few times every year (don't keep a tally). The boat name and index are always recorded . But these lock passages do not appear as sightings.

I have only been spotted on one occasion in 2023 which I knew about as I had spoken with the spotter

 

No sightings in the marina. They don't let spotters in.

 

Edited September 12, 2023 by MartynG

[cuthound]

I just checked mine but couldn't find "Sightings" under "My Boats".

 

I did find this message which suggests CRT have temporarily withdrawn the "Sightings" option.

 

 

[Lily Rose]

Yep, I'm getting that as well. They must have been inundated today with CWDF members complaining about their sightings (or lack of).

[MtB]

9 minutes ago, Lily Rose said:

Yep, I'm getting that as well. They must have been inundated today with CWDF members complaining about their sightings (or lack of).

 

Yep my first thought on reading about the "Sightings" tab was they're gonna regret that, as it will generate an avalanche of questions and complaints. Probably enough to crash their phone system as thousands of boaters call to quibble about the data being trivially wrong or to ask banal questions such as "Why have I  been logged in the same place on two consecutive days?"

 

 

 

 

[Stroudwater1]

2 hours ago, Naughty Cal said:

You would need to have the boats licence page log in details to access the log of the boat movements. It isn't public information. 

Agree but passwords like life together is shared then sometimes separated.
 

It’s hard to sometimes imagine what ex partners can do. Friends ex had control of the app for her central heating for a year. Nightmare of extreme heat then cold. Quite wierd.
 

Data even innocent can be misused or give our lives we don’t wish to be known about away Im afraid. I imagine that’s why iPhones can delete messages phone calls with old numbers blocking  etc. I don’t think CRT thought this through fully 🤣☹️
 

Anyhow can I claim the  two most glamorous sightings? Star City and Ventnor marina when we moor near rugby? 🤣

[Scholar Gypsy]

Ah, I was wondering if I couldn't see this data as I have a gold licence and my home mooring is on an EA waterway. But I see that's not the case as the option has been withdrawn.

[Mike Todd]

14 hours ago, dmr said:

 

We have been logged 6 times this year since leaving our home mooring. Two of those were while we were moving, and one of those was in a lock.

The logging system is really designed to identify the really naughty boats that hardly move at all.

Until recently we were declared as CC'ers so getting logged was highly desirable, and in the summer we would be moving most days for most of the working day so getting logged while moving was essential.

I doubt if checkers know (although they may suspect) that a specific boat has no home mooring until they log it (even then, do they have access to that info?).

 

The only reason for throwing away data, which is always expensive to collect in any system, is to comply with GDPR. In general, it is cheaper just to accumulate (and buy more storage) than to cull. One is automatic and the other usually is not.

 

Remember that if the sightings data is to be used meaningfully, it will be reviewed a number of times: initially by the Licence Support Officer and, if it then progresses to legal action, by senior staff and legal bods. During that time, any outliers will be spotted (hopefully!) and explanations offered. Otherwise there is a good chance of it undermining a perfectly good court case which has already cost a load of dosh. Any evidence that it breaches GDPR will be seized on by defence lawyers, I bet!

Edited September 13, 2023 by Mike Todd

[Nightwatch]

I have followed earlier instructions. Can’t find the link. Found where the link should be but that particular line is missing.

[MtB]

27 minutes ago, Nightwatch said:

I have followed earlier instructions. Can’t find the link. Found where the link should be but that particular line is missing.

 

As mentioned upthread, it seems CRT introduced this tab for sightings then withdrew it about a day later. No reason given but speculation is they were overwhelmed with calls from boaters saying their sightings record was wrong so they fixed than by taking it away again.

[steve hayes]

16 hours ago, MartynG said:

I go through manned locks on the Trent  quite  a few times every year (don't keep a tally). The boat name and index are always recorded . But these lock passages do not appear as sightings.

I have only been spotted on one occasion in 2023 which I knew about as I had spoken with the spotter

 

No sightings in the marina. They don't let spotters in.

 

Martin 

Thinking back to the Serven, we obviously did a number of locks (Stourport to Tewksbury) but as we were to enter Diglis lock a patrol boat with three spotters (yes three) came out, this was confirmed by the lockie as spotters. So it was probably them who spotted me.

As others have said why on Earth don’t the river sighting get added to the record, dead easy and cost cart nothing  to do.

this probably is the reason why a few years ago I got a letter about overstaying a mooring, even though we’d been down the Severn in the period and were recorded at every lock.

[Momac]

I guess the  lock keepers record boat names and index primarily  to show the traffic usage.

But their records are on paper so perhaps too much effort to transfer  to a computer or tablet.

 

I guess lock keepers don't get tablets as they might be stolen while the lock keeper is distracted with lock operations or other tasks.

The spotters I met the other week certainly had a tablet.

[Alway Swilby]

1 hour ago, MartynG said:

I guess the  lock keepers record boat names and index primarily  to show the traffic usage.

But their records are on paper so perhaps too much effort to transfer  to a computer or tablet.

 

I guess lock keepers don't get tablets as they might be stolen while the lock keeper is distracted with lock operations or other tasks.

The spotters I met the other week certainly had a tablet.

On Monday the lock keeper at Torksey had a pc in his office that he was entering data on.

[Tony1]

 

I had a look at my sightings yesterday, and was amused to learn that my boat was spotted near Nantwich and also halfway along the L+L, on the same day last year.

Even the Haggises can't do that sort of speed. 

 

[Mike Todd]

4 hours ago, Nightwatch said:

I have followed earlier instructions. Can’t find the link. Found where the link should be but that particular line is missing.

Clear your browser cache and start again?

 

Forget - it's gone!

Edited September 13, 2023 by Mike Todd

[cuthound]

30 minutes ago, Mike Todd said:

Clear your browser cache and start again?

 

Forget - it's gone!

 

As I reported about 12 post earlier!