Birmingham for Christmas!

[Phlea]

I think we now have a plan, thanks! Looking forward to it, and being on board again after a very long time :-)

[Stilllearning]

 

Oh it's you is it??? Why on earth do BW allow this? Just because a wedding is on! On more than one occassion I've turned at the mailbox and expected to moor for water/elsan to find that the whole length has been reserved for boats there for weddings. It's not like there aren't other places to moor around the centre.

This was 2 years ago, and we asked BW to guarantee us a mooring in the area, as Christmas is often a busy cruising period. So imagine our amusement and embarrassment on coming round the corner to see nice laminated A4 labels cable-tied to the 4 bollards on the water point....still, our wedding was nice, and only one other boat came round looking for water during the 3 days we were there, and they happily breasted up to us, and congratulated us on our getting married.

[p6rob]

You found Sherbourne Wharf noisy ?

Yep. It had been better recently though. Someone in a flat, who regularly practices cello at 1:00AM was slightly more annoying than the bickering couple and the crying baby.

[Laurie Booth]

Yep. It had been better recently though. Someone in a flat, who regularly practices cello at 1:00AM was slightly more annoying than the bickering couple and the crying baby.

[Dave_P]

This was 2 years ago, and we asked BW to guarantee us a mooring in the area, as Christmas is often a busy cruising period. So imagine our amusement and embarrassment on coming round the corner to see nice laminated A4 labels cable-tied to the 4 bollards on the water point....still, our wedding was nice, and only one other boat came round looking for water during the 3 days we were there, and they happily breasted up to us, and congratulated us on our getting married.

Don't worry, I'm not particularly angry at you, just the stupid decisions made by BW/CaRT. That water / elsan point is heavily used so there is virtually no chance that only one person wanted to use it in three days. What you will have missed is all the other boats who wanted to stop and didn't feel like asking to breast up. I'm assuming there were no free spaces either side of the water point during the 3 days you were there? That way you could have avoided blocking a very useful service station.

[nicknorman]

Don't worry, I'm not particularly angry at you, just the stupid decisions made by BW/CaRT. That water / elsan point is heavily used so there is virtually no chance that only one person wanted to use it in three days. What you will have missed is all the other boats who wanted to stop and didn't feel like asking to breast up. I'm assuming there were no free spaces either side of the water point during the 3 days you were there? That way you could have avoided blocking a very useful service station.

I sort of agree with you, but to be fair there is an alternative facility a few hundred yards away at Farmers Bridge top lock. To some extent it depends on how often this practice transpires. Surely there can't be that many boat owners wanting to get married at that registry office?

[Dave_P]

I sort of agree with you, but to be fair there is an alternative facility a few hundred yards away at Farmers Bridge top lock. To some extent it depends on how often this practice transpires. Surely there can't be that many boat owners wanting to get married at that registry office?

It seems to happen fairly regularly, maybe boaters are especially drawn to it because it's by the canal? What I can't understand I why CaRT can't simply reserve one of the normal VMs. Why do it on the water point? When I leave my moorings in Gas Street Basin, heading south, I quite often do a water fill and elsan empty there just because it's more convenient (I will be this weekend). If the water point is being squatted on by a reserved boat, I have to reverse back and then head over to Cambrian Wharf or wait until I get to either Alvechurch or Yardley Wood, or I can breast up to the offending boat. All of these are possible but somewhat annoying when there really is no reasonable excuse for CaRT reserving the most innappropriate spot on the whole bloomin' canal!!!

You found Sherbourne Wharf noisy ?

I'm not sure the Oozels street loop really has a north side. That would be the mainline? I suspect p6rob is meaning he moored near Bannatyne's on the south east side where joggers don't go much, in preference to the mainline which can be quite heavily jogger-ed!

Edited December 17, 2013 by Dave_P

[Victor Vectis]

I suspect p6rob is meaning he moored near Bannatyne's on the south east side

The moorings before Bannatyre's are our preferred spot when heading into Brum. I've often wondered if mooring is allowed right outside the gym?

 

There aren't any rings there and the towpath is brick, so not the best for banging pins into, but there are columns that a rope could be wrapped around.

 

If one was to do so would someone come along saying "Oi you, you can't do that there here"? <Looks for flat hat smiley>

[Laurie Booth]

The moorings before Bannatyre's are our preferred spot when heading into Brum. I've often wondered if mooring is allowed right outside the gym?

 

There aren't any rings there and the towpath is brick, so not the best for banging pins into, but there are columns that a rope could be wrapped around.

 

If one was to do so would someone come along saying "Oi you, you can't do that there here"? <Looks for flat hat smiley>

Mooring is allowed outside the gym with plenty of rings. Once one of the security guards help us moor.

[Stilllearning]

Don't worry, I'm not particularly angry at you, just the stupid decisions made by BW/CaRT. That water / elsan point is heavily used so there is virtually no chance that only one person wanted to use it in three days. What you will have missed is all the other boats who wanted to stop and didn't feel like asking to breast up. I'm assuming there were no free spaces either side of the water point during the 3 days you were there? That way you could have avoided blocking a very useful service station.

Mrs Stilllearning says that in fact no other boats were moored near us for the duration of our stay there. We only saw about 10 boats moving in the whole round trip from Burton on Trent and back.

On the subject of breasting up at places like water points or lock entrances, if people don't make a point of breasting up to boats moored where they shouldn't be, then they are missing an opportunity to make a point. It's been my practice for years to tie up, walk across and say sorry, all the while smiling sweetly and ignoring any looks of annoyance.

We used the reserved mooring because it would have been churlish of us to refuse, after BW had gone to the trouble of laminating printing and attaching the notices.

[Dave_P]

Mrs Stilllearning says that in fact no other boats were moored near us for the duration of our stay there. We only saw about 10 boats moving in the whole round trip from Burton on Trent and back.

On the subject of breasting up at places like water points or lock entrances, if people don't make a point of breasting up to boats moored where they shouldn't be, then they are missing an opportunity to make a point. It's been my practice for years to tie up, walk across and say sorry, all the while smiling sweetly and ignoring any looks of annoyance.

We used the reserved mooring because it would have been churlish of us to refuse, after BW had gone to the trouble of laminating printing and attaching the notices.

As I said, I'm not particularly cross at you. Having said that, I would have moored further down and removed the notices, since they were clearly put there by someone with no idea about boating.

[p6rob]

 

I'm not sure the Oozels street loop really has a north side. That would be the mainline? I suspect p6rob is meaning he moored near Bannatyne's on the south east side where joggers don't go much, in preference to the mainline which can be quite heavily jogger-ed!

 

Sorry, my bad. I meant I was moored on the main line between the two ends of the Ozells loop.