GOODBYE CRT........

[The Grey Goose]

Well we have been together for 6 long years but today my Decree Absolute came through and I am now with my new partner the EA.

My new licence is nearly £200 cheaper for 2024 meaning that the CRT has just lost my nearly £1700.00 and subsequent years there after.

Having never used CRT waters I was always happy to contribute from my widebeam on The Thames.

Now many narrowboaters may yell good riddance but once us widebeams and other CC ers have gone they will come for the rest of you.

Merry Xmas Richard Parry and a Prosperous New Year.

 

[magnetman]

Its amazing how many wide beans are on the River. I counted 13 on the moorings at Cookham yesterday. 

Henley full as well. It really has changed over the last decade or so. 

 

More to come I expect. 

 

 

Edited December 25, 2023 by magnetman

[The Grey Goose]

Yep and they all have CRT Gold licences which are likely to be lost to the EA permanently.

[magnetman]

Even Lechlade was full of wide beans last time I was up there a couple of yars ago. 

 

 

[Alan de Enfield]

C&RT lost my widebeam licence fee 3 years ago - I'm now on waters with no licence fee and no BSS

[magnetman]

Musical chairs moorings. 

 

I shall wave next time I pass in my little blue motorlaunch.

 

 

[The Grey Goose]

I am truly sad about this , my boat has now got a new registration number that I dont much care for and although I had no intention of bringing my widebeam on to the canal network , I always liked the idea of contributing to the historic network but Richard Parry has made that untennable .

If all widebeams with the EA option do like I have its gonna be a lot of lost revenue short and long term.

[MtB]

1 minute ago, magnetman said:

Musical chairs moorings. 

 

I shall wave next time I pass in my little blue motorlaunch.

 

Yep, the EA lost my narrowboat Gold Licence fee ten years ago when I abandoned the Thames for the canals, partly to escape all them horrid wide beans! 

I'm curious that the OP seems to suggest a Thames wide bean lincence is cheaper now than an equivalent canal licence for the same boat.

 

 

[The Grey Goose]

Ah well enjoy it while you can coz once we're all gone , you're gonna be picking up the tab lol, Merry Xmas.

My boat is 61 square metre and the EA charge is  £24.41 per sq metre , they are charging me £1489 for 2024   the CRT want £ 1691.....as the Yanks say.....do the math.

Thats just for 2024  over the next 5 years with the CRT proposals for widebeams without a home mooring the difference is gonna be huge.

[Momac]

19 minutes ago, The Grey Goose said:

Having never used CRT waters I was always happy to contribute from my widebeam on The Thames.

That was very generous of you.

You could continue to make a voluntary donation to C&RT  if you wish.

[MtB]

4 minutes ago, The Grey Goose said:

Ah well enjoy it while you can coz once we're all gone , you're gonna be picking up the tab lol, Merry Xmas.

 

This is fine with me, I'm more than happy for canal boaters to pick up the tab for our boating. in fact I wish Parry would grasp the nettle and double or triple canal boat licences and stop all this tinkering about at the margins. And do it now instead of constantly delaying with faux consultations and all that shyte.

 

 

[The Grey Goose]

Well its not just about the money , its a protest change also.

If the CRT have a rethink in the future I will come back coz now my money is going direct to Government coffers which I dont like either.

3 minutes ago, MtB said:

 

This is fine with me, I'm more than happy for canal boaters to pick up the tab for our boating. in fact I wish Parry would grasp the nettle and double or triple canal boat licences and stop all this tinkering about at the margins. And do it now instead of constantly delaying with faux consultations and all that shyte.

 

 

Ah , you are clearly a man of means......lucky you.

[magnetman]

The bell ringers are at it again! 

 

 

Interesting times coming up on the River. Its basically gradually filling up and at the same time lower parts are being subjected to things like byelaws and PSPO so there will be some displacement.

 

It will be interesting to see what happens about popular spots being full of residential Boats. Its not new but it is going to get more interesting if there is an efflux from canals. 

 

 

[MtB]

6 minutes ago, The Grey Goose said:

 

Ah , you are clearly a man of means......lucky you.

 

And as a widebeam owner, so must be you! 

 

I see prices of £300k mentioned occasionally now. 

[The Grey Goose]

Yep , but we're not on one of those .

6 minutes ago, magnetman said:

The bell ringers are at it again! 

 

 

Interesting times coming up on the River. Its basically gradually filling up and at the same time lower parts are being subjected to things like byelaws and PSPO so there will be some displacement.

 

It will be interesting to see what happens about popular spots being full of residential Boats. Its not new but it is going to get more interesting if there is an efflux from canals. 

 

 

The Thames seems to manage itself as many boaters cannot cope with 5 months of red boards and the inability to access facilities in winter time.

32 minutes ago, Alan de Enfield said:

C&RT lost my widebeam licence fee 3 years ago - I'm now on waters with no licence fee and no BSS

A gravel pit ?

[magnetman]

This is true to an extent. I've been coming up and down the River since the mid 90s and it has changed a LOT. 

 

You never used to see places like Cookham church and Henley mill meadows full of wide beam canal Boats. It just didn't happen. 

 

Yes a lot of people can't deal with some of these things but plenty seem to be able to and there are more and more of these Boats all the time. 

 

They even had one in one of the weir gates at Sunbury recently. Fully drawn and elevated river levels. 

Nobody aboard but it does show the general picture. 

 

To an extent it will be self controlling but there will be more and more. and more. 

 

Edited December 25, 2023 by magnetman

[The Grey Goose]

33 minutes ago, Alan de Enfield said:

C&RT lost my widebeam licence fee 3 years ago - I'm now on waters with no licence fee and no BSS

A gravel pit ?

1 minute ago, magnetman said:

This is true to an extent. I've been coming up and down the River since the mid 90s and it has changed a LOT. 

 

You never used to see places like Cookham church and Henley mill meadows full of wide beam canal Boats. It just didn't happen. 

 

Yes a lot of people can't deal with some of these things but plenty seem to be able to and there are more and more of these Boats all the time. 

 

They even had one in one of the weir gates at Sunbury recently. Fully drawn and elevated river levels. 

Nobody aboard but it does show the general picture. 

 

To an extent it will be self controlling but there will be more and more. and more. 

 

Well we shall continue to play the game for as long as possible.

[magnetman]

He's got a sea going boat

Having said that I have seen standard wide bean canal Boats in Ramsgit harbour and also at on the Hamble near Southampton, Tollesbury I am sure there are others. Newhaven. 

[magpie patrick]

24 minutes ago, MtB said:

 

This is fine with me, I'm more than happy for canal boaters to pick up the tab for our boating. in fact I wish Parry would grasp the nettle and double or triple canal boat licences and stop all this tinkering about at the margins. And do it now instead of constantly delaying with faux consultations and all that shyte.

 

 

 

I concur - if we want the canals to survive we're gonna have to pay for them

 

5 minutes ago, The Grey Goose said:

 

Well we shall continue to play the game for as long as possible.

 

The EA will come for their money eventually - they can't run navigation works on zero cash either. 

 

 

[The Grey Goose]

Well I guess its like everthing else in life , you spend your money where your gonna get the best value.

6 minutes ago, magpie patrick said:

 

I concur - if we want the canals to survive we're gonna have to pay for them

 

 

The EA will come for their money eventually - they can't run navigation works on zero cash either. 

 

 

Well thats a point of view , however for those boaters that are struggling to survive with no hope of a home on land this must be worrying times , The CRT could have done this so much better.

[Peugeot 106]

Well good luck Grey Goose. I’m not sure why your £200 is going to make much difference to any one but have a good time on the Thames. Beware If you are a pub goer you’ll  soon spend that £200 on higher beer prices! 

[The Grey Goose]

Well it makes a lot of difference to me especially as I dont frequent pubs.

[MtB]

10 minutes ago, magpie patrick said:

 

I concur - if we want the canals to survive we're gonna have to pay for them

 

 

The EA will come for their money eventually - they can't run navigation works on zero cash either. 

 

I'm surprised how cheap a widebeam licence is on the Thames now. Thames licences used to be notably higher, boat-for-boat.

 

For a notional 57x12 fattie A Thames licence is just £1,513. Not sure if a mooring is mandatory though.

 

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/river-thames-boat-registration-charges/river-thames-boat-registration-and-other-charges-1-january-2023-to-31-december-2023

 

For the same boat CCing on the canals it is £1458, and also £1458 with a home mooring according to the CRT site here:

 

https://licensing.canalrivertrust.org.uk/licenceprices

 

The OP's comment that their Thames licence is £200 cheaper is surprising. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[The Grey Goose]

There's a lot of high rollers out here today , as a self employed person I know exactly how hard I have to work to earn £200.00 so Im not gonna chuck it away easily.

[Peugeot 106]

5 minutes ago, The Grey Goose said:

There's a lot of high rollers out here today , as a self employed person I know exactly how hard I have to work to earn £200.00 so Im not gonna chuck it away easily.

Please stop. You’ll have me sobbing into my Xmas dinner next.