Need some cruising advice

[DeanS]

I have a widebeam.

I have a home mooring at New Islington Marina in Manchester.

The marina is located above the Rochdale 9 set of locks, a difficult set to do on a regular basis.

 

When I go cruising, my plan is as follows:

 

1. Leave the marina,go down the locks to Duke 92. Apparently this is defined as a "place" by CRT on the recent places map. It is also the very last piece of CRT water before moving off CRT waters onto the Bridgewater canal.

 

2. I can spend 7 days free on the Bridgewater.

3. I can pay for an extra 7 days @ £40.

4. I presume I can them moor above Dukes 92 for 14days?

 

Can I then go back onto the Bridgewater again. or must I travel up the Rochdale 9 locks, back to my marina, spend a weekend, and then leave the marina, go back down the locks, and cruise the Bridgewater for 7 days?

 

It's a ridiculous set up. In order to be seen at a different "place" on the CRT enforcement system, I gather I have to travel to the other end of the Bridgewater canal, back onto CRT water at Leigh...and wait to be tagged by a CRT tagger. But if I then travel back to Manchester to Dukes 92, and am tagged there, the CRT system may decide I haven't moved.

 

I've raised this before, but it's seriously boggling my brain. Am I expected to go up and down the Rochdale 9 every weekend in order to go cruising. I can't leave Manchester as we have local jobs. I'm not giving up my home mooring. It's just silly that I would need to "return" to my home mooring (5hrs up difficult locks) in order to "be a good boater". I only need to moor in the marina in winter/ice/snow.

 

Advice?

 

(and don't say I should get a narrowboat.)

(and don't say I knew this when I bought a widebeam).

 

There has to be a solution.

 

I've even thought of purchasing a non residential mooring from Bridgewater...(which I will never use because I'd prefer to keep cruising up and down the 40miles of Bridgewater canal) and then buy a short term licence to allow me to move back to my marina mooring for the winter (and use it as a winter residential). ?

 

I dont think I'm too concerned about the Bridgewater enforcement ( I can just pay for an extra week I guess), but more concerned with the CRT enforcement when they keep seeing me at Dukes 92, or Leigh , time and time again, instead of sitting in my marina mooring.?

 

[Alan de Enfield]

If you are registered with C&RT as having a home mooring, you can within the law, leave your mooring do your cruise, return to Dukes and go off on another cruise - there is no requirement to return to your mooring.

 

It doesn't matter if you are seen at Dukes 52 times a year, as long as you have evidence you have been elsewhere in-between times.

[David Mack]

If you are repeatedly spending 14 days at lock 92, 14 days on the Bridgewater then another 14 days at lock 92 this will look very much like the A-B-A-B-A pattern which is not allowed (for a CCer at least). But if you do it once I can't see the problem. You will be no different from someone who stays on CRT waters mooring at the same spot on the way out and on the way back, without being logged in between. But you would be advised to keep some evidence of when and where the boat has been should you be asked to justify your boat movements.

[Alan de Enfield]

........ pattern which is not allowed (for a CCer at least). But if you do it once I can't see the problem.

 

But it is allowed for a boat WITH a home mooring (which Dean has)

[DeanS]

If you are repeatedly spending 14 days at lock 92, 14 days on the Bridgewater then another 14 days at lock 92 this will look very much like the A-B-A-B-A pattern which is not allowed (for a CCer at least). But if you do it once I can't see the problem. You will be no different from someone who stays on CRT waters mooring at the same spot on the way out and on the way back, without being logged in between. But you would be advised to keep some evidence of when and where the boat has been should you be asked to justify your boat movements.

 

If I AM going to cruise permanently, for a few months, am I supposed to travel back up the Rochdale 9, to my marina, take a photo, and then leave the next day, back down the Rochdale 9 to cruise some more?

 

Genuine question.

 

and to pick up on what others said....

 

so WITH a home mooring, I can safely spend 14 days on the BW, and 14 days at Dukes...as long as I show that during my 14days away from Dukes, I have been off CRT waters.....do they then care where on the Bridewater I was, or is that none of their business?

Edited October 2, 2014 by DeanS

[junior]

Were you aware of this when you bought a widebeam?

[b0atman]

When you are on the Bridgewater then you are not on CRT waters so there is no need to move unless the Bridgewater rules say so.

 

Having a home mooring and using it negates CRTs CC rules/guidelines.

[MtB]

 

If I AM going to cruise permanently, for a few months, am I supposed to travel back up the Rochdale 9, to my marina, take a photo, and then leave the next day, back down the Rochdale 9 to cruise some more?

 

Genuine question.

 

 

No. You can moor where, when and as many times as you like, subject to the 14 day limit or any signs stating a shorter time limit.

 

Specifically, you may go A to B to A to B to A as much as you like, unlike a CCer.

 

MtB

[Cloudinspector]

When you say dukes 92 do you mean above the lock or below in castlefield basin?

[DeanS]

Were you aware of this when you bought a widebeam?

 

I didn't have a local job when I bought the widebeam.

My wife didn't have a local job when I bought the widebeam.

We were free to cruise all the way to Leeds if we wanted.

but things change, so having local jobs means..we can cruise but not too far.

Luckily we don't have a desire to cruise to far, but at the same time, we dont wan't to spend the rest of our days stuck on the wrong end of the Rochdale 9

When you say dukes 92 do you mean above the lock or below in castlefield basin?

 

above the lock, which is a challenge in itself, as that pound goes up and down . I wouldn't honestly moor there for 14 days, but would do a few days perhaps...

Does anyone know if a widebeam would make it round the bend from Picadilly Village ...onto the Ashton.....up to the first lock. I couldn't go through the lock, so would reverse myself back out again ;-) Apparently that lock on the Ashton is also a "place" ..lol

[Paul C]

Some points on the network are good for cruising opportunities, for example (for a narrowboat owner) Middlewich, Barbridge or somewhere in that area eg Aqueduct marina would be a good location to allow a variety of routes, for example a little trip to Chester and back; up and down the Llangollen a bit; up or down the SU, up or down the Middlewich branch of the SU. Heck, there's even a lock-free day trip (Nantwich and back); or 2 locks, or 4, or 8, or 10 etc etc

 

Conversely, some points on the network are rubbish, in that they're not near a junction so they can only offer 2 routes - and if it were an online mooring not near a winding hole, then it might only offer 1 route and a bit of a trek before the opportunity to wind. And of those routes, might involve loads of broad locks. Basically, that marina is in a rubbish location for cruising. Its probably great for other styles of boating eg staying there for a long time.

[Arthur Marshall]

i think there's a level of paranoia setting in here... I've got a home mooring on the Macc and very often tootle down a few miles, stay overnight and go home again. I go ABA most of the year except in summer when I go for a proper cruise. I wouldn't expect ever to have any trouble from CaRT or BW before that, when I used to moor at Croughton on the Shroppie and go to Chester and back every Sunday. I really don't think CaRt give a toss unless they seriously suspect, and have reason to suspect, you're milklng the system. And yes, they make mistakes (like Cotswold's logging n times on a single day), but that can be sorted.

What's more, I've never heard of any enforcement on the Bridgwater of anything - has anyone? It says no cycling on the towpath there too...

If you pay for a home mooring, and treat it as such (not as a scam), why should there be any problems? It seems some people on here think Cart is out to force all CCers into marinas, and a stack of others think they're trying to force marina moorers into being CCers. Mind you, the playground insults are fun (I'm just a mug according to some pillock or other on here, so what do I know anyway?)

[David Mack]

 

I didn't have a local job when I bought the widebeam.

My wife didn't have a local job when I bought the widebeam.

We were free to cruise all the way to Leeds if we wanted.

but things change, so having local jobs means..we can cruise but not too far.

Dean, You can cruise the Rochdale and Calder and Hebble in your wide boat as far as Dewsbury, and the Huddersfield Broad up to Huddersfield and never be very far from a commuter train service into Manchester.

[john6767]

Dean, unless you know something I don't the whole notion of "places" is not relevant to you as you have a home mooring (which is genuine), so you are paying not to have to work with the constraints that those without a home mooring have to work within. So moor where you like within the bounds of 14 days (or shorter time constraints).

[Erie Canal]

Dean, have you tried phoning your local enforcement office and ask them? I'm not trying to be funny at all, but we can give you a pleatherer of answers when their advice initially is all that will put your mind at rest.

[magpie patrick]

Basic point Dean, when you descend lock 92 you leave CRT waters, at which point where the boat is becomes none of CRT's business from a licensing point of view - I think they are entitled to know it isn't on their water but beyond that...

 

One thing that I suspect is happening is that people are taking the 14 day rule too literally, you must move every fourteen days isn't the same thing as waiting for the 14th day before moving. I do wonder, with these stated A-B-C-A patterns that are talked about, how enforcement would keep up if someone moved every seven days instead of every 14, that is, stuck to the pattern but moved through it in half the time