FEDUP

[anthony]

Clive, stop paying your license in protest mate.

Just an idea.

[Sir Nibble]

I think that wreck looks quite picturesque too, (not that I would want to have to steer round too many of them). I just thought it would be interesting to know who was the longest over stayer, or more like what the record is.

If you are anything like me then you can be surrounded by non payers and over stayers for years whilst you wonder about enforcement, only to have your boat craned out and crushed and your family sold into slavery the day after your own licence expires.

[JohnT]

Round up the posse I feel a hangin comin on!!

 

The situations regarding licensing, mooring and poor parking has direct comparisons with the car world, where the last thing to be dealt with (in any determined way) is unlicensed and or uninsured vehicles/drivers.

This element of our society generally live outside the law (regarding vehicles) and in the main get away with it even when stopped/caught by the Police, they generally dont turn up at court or fail to pay (in all too many cases pitiful levels of fines, "as im unemployed govenor"). We, in recent years have seen the deployment of very effective speed cameras and fine collection system but only so far as the law abiding people of this fair(?) land are concerned. If you are effectively outside of the law or are European then the system ignores you!!

Ok if you have read this far you will probably be ahead of me, if we shout long enough and hard enough the above scenario's will be applied to the canal/rivers with all the same vigour, and of course youve guessed who the losers will be, the law abiding folk.

Why is it that I allways feel I cant win?

 

(Soap box kickked from under him and he returns to his suppressed/depressed world)

 

JohnT

[nbtafelberg]

Yes, but it doesn't make it right!

 

There is a boat at the moment ON SOMEONE ELSES MOORING - the guy with the mooring "Tim" has not got his boat down yet but it will come next week.

 

That's like renting a house and coming back to find someone else has parked their car on your drive so you cannot get in.

[Bones]

Yes, but it doesn't make it right!

 

There is a boat at the moment ON SOMEONE ELSES MOORING - the guy with the mooring "Tim" has not got his boat down yet but it will come next week.

 

That's like renting a house and coming back to find someone else has parked their car on your drive so you cannot get in.

 

It happens everywhere, when someone is in my mooring and they ought not be I just tell them to move on... or move their boat along for them. They are only doing harm when I return.

 

or is that not the point?

Edited March 28, 2006 by Bones

[David Schweizer]

...I just thought it would be interesting to know who was the longest over stayer, or more like what the record is.

 

 

I know someone who was mooring his boat illegally on the Southern G.U. towpath in 1965, and had already been there quite a few years before I got to know him. He has changed his boat since then, but was still there three years ago. BW eventually gave in and made it a permanent mooring.

[Rob Dean]

Yes, but it doesn't make it right!

 

Paul,

Hear, Hear!

You're not getting much sympathy from other posters here. But I understand your irritation. I also find myself inclined to tackle those who believe the waterways were restored in order to enable their free-wheeling, non-contributing lifestyle. Fortunately for me, my wife prevents me from turning into an aquatic Victor Meldrew, pointing out (quite rightly) that it is unlikely to make me (or anyone else) any happier.

 

At the end of the day, it's down to BW to enforce the navigation, licensing and mooring rules. And it's in all our interests that they do so. So we should nag and nag again when they fail to do so. We should probably also recognise that they have a pretty thankless task though.

Rob

[John Orentas]

"Aquatic Victor Meldrew".

 

That's brilliant I wonder how many of us that description could apply to.

[David Schweizer]

Hi Clevett

 

I realise that my first rather smug posting was not very constructive, so I will try to make amends. Have you spoken to the Moorings Officer about the problem? There was a similar situation last year on my moorings where some boats were overstaying for serious periods of time. I contacted the Moorings Officer, whom I have always found to be very helpful, and suggested that it was becoming irritating to those of us who are paying for moorings to have others staying for periods of up to several months without paying anything. He informed me that he was aware of the situation, and the next time I visited my boat the offending boats had gone. It may not work in your area but it may be worth a try.

Edited March 28, 2006 by David Schweizer

[Nige]

Just a slightly tongue in cheek suggestion here, but something that I would be VERY tempted to do in your circumstances.

 

Decide to do a LOT of cruising, each and every time necessitating the use of the winding hole. turn up with your boat and all, request politely, grinning ear to ear, that you require them to please move so you can turn round !

I bet the freebie mooring will wear thin if they are constantly being asked to move...

 

Nige

[nbtafelberg]

Ok

 

David - Yes I have sent 3 emails to British Waterways Brentford Office to the person in charge of moorings.

 

They have not even BOTHERED to respond.

 

Nige - Funnily enough I've been told a number of boats have deliberately hit this guy's boat, but he just sits there, maybe his engine IS busted.

[Keeping Up]

Ok

 

David - Yes I have sent 3 emails to British Waterways Brentford Office to the person in charge of moorings.

 

They have not even BOTHERED to respond.

 

Nige - Funnily enough I've been told a number of boats have deliberately hit this guy's boat, but he just sits there, maybe his engine IS busted.

Time to escalate the emails to higher management, I guess.

 

Maybe you should do this guy a big favour then, and tow him out to somewhere more suitable for engine repairs.

 

Allan

[Christine]

How about a sticker along the lines of 'I slow down for horses'....but.. .'I don't slow down for licence dodgers'?

[David Schweizer]

Ok

 

David - Yes I have sent 3 emails to British Waterways Brentford Office to the person in charge of moorings.

 

They have not even BOTHERED to respond.

 

 

Ah ha That could be the the problem, I did suggest phoning, My local Moorings officer appears to hate reading letters and emails, but is very helpful when I manage to get him on the phone.

[Sir Nibble]

BW eventually gave in and made it a permanent mooring.

That's amazing! I thought there might be some really long term over stayers around the country, but I didn't expect BW to make the problem go away by GIVING them the mooring!

I have formed the opinion, sort of tongue in cheek that anyone willing to put their face into the face of authority and yell "F*CK OFF!" loud enough could get away with anything. Horrors! maybe I'm right!

[speedy]

Mooring fees are basically a different name for rent yes? If so the fact that i pay £4000 a year for a poky 2 bed flat i'd happily pay half that!

[Supermalc]

Mooring fees are basically a different name for rent yes? If so the fact that i pay £4000 a year for a poky 2 bed flat i'd happily pay half that!

 

Sorry I beg to differ (tongue in cheek post) Round here the Romans dug the river and canal, God provides the rain so £10 a year mooring/licence should be more than sufficient.....it is for a livaboard 60ft wide beam on the Ripple.

[nbtafelberg]

Yeah, hangon,

 

I own the flat!

[nbtafelberg]

LATEST NEWS LATEST NEWS LATEST NEWS LATEST NEWS

 

The mooring enforcement people have been out and sorted everything and not only that I had a phone call from the Line manager.

 

WELL DONE BW. The people on the ground are actually doing something!

[Richard Bustens]

I think this last year they seem to be sorting themselves out and making a bit of headway.

[nbtafelberg]

Yes

[Sir Nibble]

I must start by saying that I do not wish to appear cynical in any way, nor do I mean to be sarcastic or cast any doubt on anyones efforts. Please take this entirely at face value.

What do you mean by

sorted everything

Did they issue penalties? physically move boats? or just move the over stayers on to colonise someone elses mooring?

Sorry about the preamble,

I'm just a boy whose intentions are good,

O lord, please don't let me be misunderstood.

[Scratch]

I love my mooring - it took me a long time to get the mooring....so why am I fed up.

 

I pay £1400/£1500 year for a towpath mooring with no facilities. On the same mooring right now behind us is a working boat that should have been given a license ages ago - i know the owner of the boat and they were given a section 8 two days ago.

 

Ok. So at the end of our moorings is a lock. Below the lock is a winding hole. IN the winding hole is a boat that has been there since last november, there are no fewer than 3 other boats there with no moorings. No section 8 has been issued.

 

I cannot turn Tafelberg round in that winding hole and have been unable to since last November.

 

Frankly I want a discount on my moorings. Why should I pay for what others are getting free.

 

And now another boat has moored up on someone elses mooring between me and the next boat.

 

Good afternoon all and particularly Mr Clevett. This will be my first time posting on this forum and what a joy to discover that I am being discussed already. In explanation, myself and my girlfriend are the owners of the 'offending' craft previously moored behind Tafelberg.

I find myself somehwat disappointed that Mr Clevett has chosen to omit the fact that we had a conversation on Tuesday afternoon in which I explained that I was told by another moorer that the spot in question was vacant and that I intended to vacate with all haste. I would also like to add that Mr Clevett told me in no uncertain terms that the gentlemen whose mooring we occupied was in possession of a pair of 'very big dogs'. I do not appreciate the use of intimidation in this way, nor the subsequent postings which make no mention of my absolute transparency and civility in this matter ( I apologised for the error, and assured Mr Clevett that I would move to the nearest visitor moorings prior to his associates return, a result of my own respect for the waterways code and not a result of the canine intimation). Additionally, I believe Mr Clevett's cat may have been responsible for a rather large and odorous urinal deposit on our bedsheets on Sunday night just gone (not his fault, admittedly, but perhaps a sign that Mr Clevett and his feline think as one).

 

In defence of the gentleman moored up on the winding hole, I happen to know that his engine has been in a state of disrepair for some time and that he is partially physically disabled and thus unable to move. Quite apart from anything else, British Waterways have given the gentleman express permission to moor on this stretch so perhaps in the spirit of neighbourly generosity, Mr Clevett might like to offer him a tow to the vacant spot behind his own boat.

 

In conclusion, I would also like to say that the preponderence of craft on Mr Clevetts stretch is at least partly due to the current programme of dredging being undertaken by the wonderful 'Land and Water' on behalf of BW on the other side of the lock, which is requiring craft to vacate linear moorings and move to positions which are not blocking their workboats. A temporary problem which might be helped by the temporary usage of vacant long term moorings until said works are concluded ( I understand this will be today.)

 

Many Thanks for reading.

 

Kindest Regards

 

Scratchy Snippet

[Alastair]

Welcome to the forum, snippet. Where is your mooring, have BW asked you to temporarily vacate it while dredging is undertaken?

[Scratch]

Welcome to the forum, snippet. Where is your mooring, have BW asked you to temporarily vacate it while dredging is undertaken?

 

Hello Alistair,

 

In answer to your question I have recently vacated a nearby long term mooring which was noisy and populated by teenagers with vandalistic tendencies and which was opposite where the dredgers were unloading from 6am onwards creating an unnacceptable level of noise and water disturbance. I moved in the hope that I would be able to continuously cruise unhindered whilst BW attempt to find me another suitable mooring in the region. Unfortunately, the waiting lists in this region are all full and all the nearby visitor moorings were occupied. I also know that BW were actually issuing enforcement notices all along the towpath in the area and not specifically here in response to Mr Clevetts many e-mail missives.

 

It strikes me that if the boat on the turning point has been there for several months, why has Mr Clevett not asked the owner personally why he is there rather than wasting his own time complaining to BW about a problem which they have sanctioned???

 

Best to you, as always,

 

S. Snippet