Continuous Cruisers Doing The C&rt A Favour?

[Capt.Golightly]

I would have thought that Continuous Cruisers were doing the C&RT a favour by using the system as it was originally intended, surely the wash from moving boats keeps the Canals from silting up and becoming overgrown? If everyone sat in a marina watching telly they would very quickly close up and C&RT would spend a fortune on maintenance in a losing battle to keep them open?..not that I'm having a chip at those who prefer to sit in marinas...its a free Country and each to his own.

Edited July 21, 2013 by Capt.Golightly

[DeanS]

The canals are a wonderful UK heritage from the industrial age. The fact that they are still "in action" and people can see them being worked "for real by real boats" is so important in the big picture. The moment the canals become devoid of CC-ers, and only see boat movement close to where marinas are, the poorer we all shall be. I have to return to our marina in Nov, but it's just a pit stop so we can start cruising again in Feb

[Guest]

I would have thought that Continuous Cruisers were doing the C&RT a favour by using the system as it was originally intended, surely the wash from moving boats keeps the Canals from silting up and becoming overgrown? If everyone sat in a marina watching telly they would very quickly close up and C&RT would spend a fortune on maintenance in a losing battle to keep them open?..not that I'm having a chip at those who prefer to sit in marinas...its a free Country and each to his own.

 

Whilst no doubt boats moving is good for the system the down side of course is that it also causes wear and tear on the system - I would guess (but don't know) the cost of maintenance of the infrastructure is in no way offset by any benefits of boats moving.

[Capt.Golightly]

100% agreement here Tony....as I said each to his own and live and let live is my motto thanks mate.

Good point Martin, speed limits are an essential observance in my book...

[Guest]

100% agreement here Tony....as I said each to his own and live and let live is my motto thanks mate.

Good point Martin, speed limits are an essential observance in my book...

 

I was thinking more about the maintenance of locks, bridges etc rather than the canals themselves, if boats weren't passing through they wouldn't need as much maintenance but because they do they wear out.

[magpie patrick]

I would have thought that Continuous Cruisers were doing the C&RT a favour by using the system as it was originally intended, surely the wash from moving boats keeps the Canals from silting up and becoming overgrown? If everyone sat in a marina watching telly they would very quickly close up and C&RT would spend a fortune on maintenance in a losing battle to keep them open?..not that I'm having a chip at those who prefer to sit in marinas...its a free Country and each to his own.

 

In principle I agree: one point I sometimes make is that there is a live aboard community on the Basingstoke Canal at Byfleet, that canal was un-navigable for many years and these boats couldn't go anywhere: it wasn't a problem because they didn't want to! This is not a dig at liveaboards by the way but at boats that don't move.

 

Whether CCers are doing CRT a favour is another matter, these pesky boaters mean the canal system can't just be closed to navigation, which would be much cheaper to manage.

[alan_fincher]

I would have thought that Continuous Cruisers were doing the C&RT a favour by using the system as it was originally intended, surely the wash from moving boats keeps the Canals from silting up and becoming overgrown? If everyone sat in a marina watching telly they would very quickly close up and C&RT would spend a fortune on maintenance in a losing battle to keep them open?..not that I'm having a chip at those who prefer to sit in marinas...its a free Country and each to his own.

What evidence do you have that the typical CC-er covers a greater mileage than some leisure boaters though.

 

We are leisure boaters, but seriously reckon out typical annual milage far outstrips that covered by most CC-ers.

 

Can we stop the "us and them" stuff, and just treat everybody as "boaters" please?

[cotswoldsman]

What evidence do you have that the typical CC-er covers a greater mileage than some leisure boaters though.

 

We are leisure boaters, but seriously reckon out typical annual milage far outstrips that covered by most CC-ers.

 

Can we stop the "us and them" stuff, and just treat everybody as "boaters" please?

Certainly more than I do

[mayalld]

I would have thought that Continuous Cruisers were doing the C&RT a favour by using the system as it was originally intended, surely the wash from moving boats keeps the Canals from silting up and becoming overgrown? If everyone sat in a marina watching telly they would very quickly close up and C&RT would spend a fortune on maintenance in a losing battle to keep them open?..not that I'm having a chip at those who prefer to sit in marinas...its a free Country and each to his own.

 

What on earth makes you think that covers cruise more that those with permanent moorings

[matty40s]

Because people with covers can cruise in the rain...

What on earth makes you think that covers cruise more that those with permanent moorings

[carlt]

 

What on earth makes you think that covers cruise more that those with permanent moorings

Put that wine glass down Dave...It's a school night.

[Jerra]

Can we stop the "us and them" stuff, and just treat everybody as "boaters" please?

I have run out of greenies or I would give you a one! Well said.

[Pete of Ebor]

For CC'ers in this post, you could equally well read Hirers - Just look at the size of some hire fleets - those boats don't usually sit about unused, leasteways not in the cruising season. If they were unused they'd soon get rid of them.

 

shields up

tin hat on

popcorn anyone..

[mayalld]

Put that wine glass down Dave...It's a school night.

 

Damned kindle autocorrect!

[RickH]

If you don't use it , you lose it . I think that applies to many things and also the canal . Whether you are a liveaboard CCer , marina weekend warrior , or a newbie on a hire boat , the system is to be enjoyed by us all equally When we start counting the cost and decide that it's cheaper not to use the canal , we will lose it .

[Capt.Golightly]

I agree Rick, the more the merrier in my book (to an extent) and how they enjoy their boat is their own business and all to the good of the general picture. I am not one for creating artificial distinctions and we all have the same thing in common...boats. Alan fincher makes a good point as I intend to spend at least as much time fishing as actually in transit as I will have all the time in the World to move around

Edited July 22, 2013 by Capt.Golightly

[Mick and Maggie]

 

I was thinking more about the maintenance of locks, bridges etc rather than the canals themselves, if boats weren't passing through they wouldn't need as much maintenance but because they do they wear out.

Hi Martin.

 

If boats were not passing through, then why would we need the canals at all, other than as drains. It would be much cheaper to ignore them and let them fall back into disuse. A series of linear wildlife ponds slowly silting up. I can remember sections of canal that were in that state. In some cases gates were removed and a weir installed. Most were just left to fall apart and the local population used the canal lock as a convenient place to dump rubbish. No one who enjoys the canal, wants to see a return to those days.

 

The name 'canal' was used in a derogatory sense for years and years. 'Chuck it in the canal', was how people described getting rid of something that was unwanted. After all they were not a nice place to be. They were a blight on the landscape and that memory has not been eradicated yet. We all love to see a pristine section of canal. We notice the difference in an instant. What with no graffiti, no shopping trolleys, clear water and full of wildlife. There are still sections of canal strewn with rubbish that colour peoples judgement, that encourage fly tipping and will do for some time to come.

 

There is a long way to go and underspending on canal maintenance and drifting backwards no matter how slowly will not change that aspect any time soon. Poems on lock gates will not stop people from dropping litter. Money spent of the provision of waste bins and a schedule of emptying them would be a start. Its easy to knock the trust and I think it is a good thing to try and prod and cajole them in the right direction.

 

I hope the new bloke can give some positive direction to a tired, uninspired and lack lustre team. He has a big job on his hands changing the ingrained ethos and its going to be a long hard slog. But neither can we drop our guard, it could still be another same old, same old way of working. Bonus, pensions and pay having more priority than everything else.

 

BTW we will be passing your mooring in the next few days. I'll give you a toot.

[churchward]

What evidence do you have that the typical CC-er covers a greater mileage than some leisure boaters though.

 

We are leisure boaters, but seriously reckon out typical annual milage far outstrips that covered by most CC-ers.

 

Can we stop the "us and them" stuff, and just treat everybody as "boaters" please?

Quite right we need to be less divisive in our attitudes.

 

I agree with others usage of the canals (responsibly) is a must however thinking only CCers are doing this and boats in Marinas never go anywhere is muddled thinking.

 

Last year we did just under 300 hours of cruising from our Marina berth and we are looking set to exceed or at least match that this year.

 

I for one moor in a Marina as it is near us and cheaper or at least no more than an online mooring in the same area. No fancy club house or shower blocks but we do have fresh water and electric on tap.

[Guest]

BTW we will be passing your mooring in the next few days. I'll give you a toot.

 

Missed this earlier - we'll look out for you but we might not be on the mooring so you may miss us.

Edited July 26, 2013 by The Dog House