'It's only going to get worse': Fears for canals amid drought threat

[Ray T]

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c934yqlz54xo

[Russ T]

Pretty sure that is the same link @cuthound posted yesterday in the Low water level roulette thread.

[robtheplod]

So, if the cruising season splits into spring and autumn, with boats laid up over summer as they cant move, should this be reflected in the CRT licence?    

[Tony Brooks]

28 minutes ago, robtheplod said:

So, if the cruising season splits into spring and autumn, with boats laid up over summer as they cant move, should this be reflected in the CRT licence?    

 

No, because you can still live on your boat if you want to (even if it is sitting at a funny angle) and in the case of CCers it is still sitting on CaRT property so it is reasonable to expect to pay them rent.  You could always have it lifted out and placed on someone else's land, then you would not pay CaRT, but unless it is on your own land you would still have to pay rent.

[Rob-M]

1 hour ago, robtheplod said:

So, if the cruising season splits into spring and autumn, with boats laid up over summer as they cant move, should this be reflected in the CRT licence?    

The licence allows you to keep your boat on CRT waters, doesn't mean you can move it.

[Alan de Enfield]

6 minutes ago, Rob-M said:

The licence allows you to keep your boat on CRT waters/mud, doesn't mean you can move it.

 

Amended to suit the existing conditions.

[Signwriting by Coop]

We could tarmac the canals and put wheels on the boats in summer?

[Llamedos]

Perhaps CRT should move all or some of the winter maintenance programme to the summer months? After all if the canals are shut anyway due to lack of water it's the ideal time. We can then cruise unrestricted in the months when there's plenty of water around.

[MtB]

1 hour ago, robtheplod said:

So, if the cruising season splits into spring and autumn, with boats laid up over summer as they cant move, should this be reflected in the CRT licence?    

 

Can we have a bit less of this "Cruising Season" stuff please?

 

If we must have a "Cruising season" at all, I propose it starts on January 1st and ends on December 31st every year. 

 

 

[Arthur Marshall]

I think it's fairly certain that if this happens again next year, which is more than likely, a lot of leisure user boats will come on the market. Not much point paying thousands to CRT and your marina if you can't have a summer (or even an autumn) holiday, and if you do try to get out in spring any trip is interrupted by stoppages as the infrastructure collapses.

I think I've managed six weeks this year, which is not a really a good return on my investment, but is still probably better than most leisure users.

[Col_T]

2 hours ago, robtheplod said:

So, if the cruising season splits into spring and autumn, with boats laid up over summer as they cant move, should this be reflected in the CRT licence?

Currently, the ‘cruising season’ splits into winter and summer, so there has been no change.

[cuthound]

What I find particularly galling is watching lots of boats cruise past whilst I can't get off my mooring.

 

If I asked a passing boat to help pull me off the mooring there would be little chance of me getting the boat back onto the mooring... ☹️

[Tony Brooks]

40 minutes ago, Arthur Marshall said:

I think it's fairly certain that if this happens again next year, which is more than likely, a lot of leisure user boats will come on the market. Not much point paying thousands to CRT and your marina if you can't have a summer (or even an autumn) holiday, and if you do try to get out in spring any trip is interrupted by stoppages as the infrastructure collapses.

I think I've managed six weeks this year, which is not a really a good return on my investment, but is still probably better than most leisure users.

 

When my son was looking for a boat he signed up to be notified of ex-hire boats coming on the market, yesterday he emailed me to ask why there suddenly seemed to be a glut of them, and I suspect the private boat market has dropped as well, for the reasons under discussion. Actually he bought a camper van instead that suites him very well, and I get the impressions other members have made that switch and that more might follow.

[Ewan123]

32 minutes ago, Tony Brooks said:

 

When my son was looking for a boat he signed up to be notified of ex-hire boats coming on the market, yesterday he emailed me to ask why there suddenly seemed to be a glut of them, and I suspect the private boat market has dropped as well, for the reasons under discussion. Actually he bought a camper van instead that suites him very well, and I get the impressions other members have made that switch and that more might follow.

Yes I noticed the other day that ABC are having a bit of a clear-out, eight of their hire boats on the duck.

ABC have also taken the day-boat away from New Mills (Peak Forest) to use somewhere else. Apparently despite being one of the most frequently booked day-boats they have, it's not financially viable as there have been too many periods of low water and the boat getting stuck behind fallen trees etc. recently.

[phantom_iv]

8 minutes ago, Ewan123 said:

ABC have also taken the day-boat away from New Mills (Peak Forest) to use somewhere else. Apparently despite being one of the most frequently booked day-boats they have, it's not financially viable as there have been too many periods of low water and the boat getting stuck behind fallen trees etc. recently.

CRT in the North West (which I think covers the peak forest) seem to be incredibly slow to deal with fallen trees compared to other CRT regions. After a storm late last year most waterways were open within a week, but places like the PF were still waiting for contractors to attend three weeks later, and the navigations were officially still closed. However in practice some boaters had cut a narrowboat sized hole in the tree with a chainsaw and carried on in pretty much every case

[EventualBoater]

2 hours ago, Arthur Marshall said:

I think it's fairly certain that if this happens again next year, which is more than likely, a lot of leisure user boats will come on the market. Not much point paying thousands to CRT and your marina if you can't have a summer (or even an autumn) holiday, and if you do try to get out in spring any trip is interrupted by stoppages as the infrastructure collapses.

I think I've managed six weeks this year, which is not a really a good return on my investment, but is still probably better than most leisure users.

I hope this works for me when I get to looking 🤣

 

I think the idea mentioned isn't a bad potential. Summer rather than winter closure. 

Sounds a little better. Figuring out where you're going to summer next year!

 

Flaws with the above of course. Flaws with ever idea.

[Llamedos]

21 minutes ago, EventualBoater said:

I hope this works for me when I get to looking 🤣

 

I think the idea mentioned isn't a bad potential. Summer rather than winter closure. 

Sounds a little better. Figuring out where you're going to summer next year!

 

Flaws with the above of course. Flaws with ever idea.

I think you'll be in a buyers market very soon if not already.

 

There's also the post Covid brigade who thought boating was going to be the fairy tale life that 'Tim and Pru' once portrayed, only to find out the truth very soon after buying. Quite a few of them still selling up.

 

I should start looking now if you still think it's what you want to do. 🙂

Edited July 30 by Llamedos

[EventualBoater]

22 minutes ago, Llamedos said:

I think you'll be in a buyers market very soon if not already.

 

There's also the post Covid brigade who thought boating was going to be the fairy tale life that 'Tim and Pru' once portrayed, only to find out the truth very soon after buying. Quite a few of them still selling up.

 

I should start looking now if you still think it's what you want to do. 🙂

Unfortunately not in the position right now. Gonna be a year or so I think. 

[Llamedos]

3 minutes ago, EventualBoater said:

Unfortunately not in the position right now. Gonna be a year or so I think. 

In a year or so I might be up for selling you mine 😆.

Only joking. (I think 🤔)

[EventualBoater]

43 minutes ago, Llamedos said:

In a year or so I might be up for selling you mine 😆.

Only joking. (I think 🤔)

Who says yours would be good enough for me?  🤣

[robtheplod]

4 hours ago, Llamedos said:

Perhaps CRT should move all or some of the winter maintenance programme to the summer months? After all if the canals are shut anyway due to lack of water it's the ideal time. We can then cruise unrestricted in the months when there's plenty of water around.

indeed, and as the days are longer and warmer they should be able to do twice as many repairs!  

[Llamedos]

8 minutes ago, EventualBoater said:

Who says yours would be good enough for me?  🤣

First rule of boating sir. Never insult another man's boat - especially if you don't own one yourself.

 

Pistols at dawn for you and I now!  

[IanD]

24 minutes ago, Llamedos said:

First rule of boating sir. Never insult another man's boat - especially if you don't own one yourself.

 

Pistols at dawn for you and I now!  

At least it'll be reasonably cool then... 😉 

[EventualBoater]

33 minutes ago, Llamedos said:

First rule of boating sir. Never insult another man's boat - especially if you don't own one yourself.

 

Pistols at dawn for you and I now!  

Can we choose something else?  Lazy eye. Bad aim

 

Haha. All good. Can guarantee it'll be out of the price range I'll have anyway

[Chris John]

4 hours ago, cuthound said:

What I find particularly galling is watching lots of boats cruise past whilst I can't get off my mooring.

 

If I asked a passing boat to help pull me off the mooring there would be little chance of me getting the boat back onto the mooring... ☹️

Perhaps time to move mooring then