How often and how far will you home moorers cruise?

[bassplayer]

Home moorers are one CRT's biggest customers and have (well should have) a lot of influence in the future of it's waterways.

 

My hobby horse is keeping our great national asset connected so we can all enjoy exploring all of the waterways. If we don't use it, we will lose it. Bit by bit, the remote sections may well get shut down due to no maintenence (probably where there are no boat hire companies!).

 

So my questions to home moorers are...

 

1) How often do you think you'll go for a cruise this year?

 

2) What's the furthest you think you'll travel from your home mooring this year?

 

BTW, I used to have a home mooring and found myself pretty much tied to it with the occasional trip up and down the same section of canal.

[Robbo]

I'm starting to use my home mooring more as a winter mooring, and crusing over the summer months.

 

One trip, furthest destination from home mooring will be around 37 miles away.

 

Last year was around 28 miles away.

 

Before that it was the occasional daily trip up and down the sane section of canal, so about 3 miles.

 

I've debated with myself if to go fully CC, but my moorings for the year don't cost much more than CRT winter moorings, and CRT keep changing their mind over winter moorings.

Edited March 4, 2016 by Robbo

[DaveR]

Starting just after Easter having done maintenance, looking at about 500 lock miles and back in time for major maintenance in September.

 

We do not treat the Summer cruise as a race, doing about 10 lock miles ar a time. If it is bad weather then the books come out. The boat is in the Marina, having been winterised, from November until March as I like my comfort at home - and the football is on. UP THE BORO!

 

This is what we have done since we bought our first boat some 12 years ago.

 

Dave R

[Jim Riley]

Moored at Rochdale Canal Summit. A few 4days or so trips, Brighouse, Wakefield. When we can, a longer 3 weeks or so, maybe a trip to Ripon, Northern L&l ring, or Out to Keadby, round Nottingham, Trent and misery, up the Macclesfield to home again. This year want to go to Albert Dock.

[Lady Muck]

Will only cruise the Lea and Stort as we're on a river only license. My partners father is in a care home and has cancer, so we don't want to be more than two days travel from the mooring.

When we're on our home rivers, it's less about the cruising and more about being moored somewhere pretty with better pubs and walks than at our home mooring.

But we will be off the mooring for at least a month at a time. I'm itching to get away, I'd imagine we will be off by the end of the month.

Last year we did six weeks up the Lea and Stort and then four months creeping round the Thames ring.

Next big trip I want to do is to go back up North again, but I can't see that happening for a while.

Most people with home moorings near me don't cruise, many don't have working engines. I'm pleased that we do and that the boat isn't dependent on services, we've had both problems with the shorepower and now no water for several days.

We have leisure boater neighbours next berth to us, they cruise about once a month in the summer for 1 - 2 weeks at a time, but only ever go upstream, up the Lea and Stort. They visit the boat every other week but also treat it the same way you would if you had a caravan, our moorings are lovely, in a nature reserve with a garden, they have friends to stay and barbecues. He tinkers with the engine and she knits.

[junior]

When I first bought Albion I got a 'Home Mooring' and declared so on the licence application.

 

In the first few months I cruised most weeks round to either Uxbridge to the west of Cheshunt to the East. I also went up the GU to Aylesbury, Wendover and beyond. If I had to go to work I would just leave it on the towpath for week and then return and continue my journey.

I soon realised I wasn't using my mooring so when the licence came up for renewal I ticked 'No Home Mooring' and became a CC'er. Before I knew it I was in Manchester having been to Foxton, BCN, Weaver etc along the way.

[Lady Muck]

I could quite happily cc, but I do love the mooring, thats why we keep it. We get a berth sitter if its going to be a long trip.

[bassplayer]

My partners father is in a care home and has cancer, so we don't want to be more than two days travel from the mooring.

 

I'm sorry to hear this LM. Obviously there are more important commitments in life than cruising. I hope things improve for him. We've both got very elderly mums so it's only a matter of time before we have to rethink our boating patterns.

[Phil Ambrose]

Being in the Fens, older and with a wife with health issues our mooring/cruising is somewhat governed for us. We spend the winter tucked up in the marina (we have a lovely garden berth) and during the season cruise the rivers that make up the River Great Ouse system, usually a week at a time. I guess now we are fair weather cruisers, I don't see the point in cruising in the rain to end up somewhere to sit and listen to the rain on the roof reading a book, I can do that on my home mooring, plus being retired means we can please ourselves, so we do.

Phil

[manxmike]

At the moment we cruise about 20 miles a couple of times a year. In 15 months time I retire and intend to spend a couple of months at a time cruising.

 

Sideways thought - the road to hell is paved with good intentions (should that be canal to hell?)

[GUMPY]

Possibly only one trip, didnt do any last year due to shoulder damage.....

That trip will be about 300miles in 3 weeks take in four navigation authorities, one festival and one boat gathering.

[David Schweizer]

We try to do a couple of longer cruises each year with long weekends in between. Last year our main cruise was from Napton to Cheshire and back leaving the boat for a couple of weeks at Venetian Marina, a total round trip of 246 miles and 126 locks.

Edited March 4, 2016 by David Schweizer

[alan_fincher]

No fixed answer for us.

 

Until we took on our latest major project, the answer was radically different from where we now find ourself.

 

For years we were probably doing about 1000 miles a year, and maybe about 700 locks.

However a surge of activity in 2014 when we failed to find the historic boat we were looking for saw us cover about 1,400 miles and 900 locks.

In 2015, however, we did far less. I don't have exact figures, but certainly under 500 miles.

 

This wasn't just about now having a boat needing major improvement, (and having to prepare for sale, and sell the previous one). It was also about detached retinas, damaged shoulders, and the further deaths of close relatives.

As 2016 is currently shaping up, I doubt we will do even as well as 2015, but it remains an aspiration to put both boats in good order, get all required surgery behind us, and to try and exceed the numbers we were doing a few years ago. It would be nice to see 2017 fall into that category!

[cuthound]

I try to take DQ out at least once a month for a day during the winter months.

 

Then on top of that we try to have a 3 or 4 week cruise in the summer and a few 1-2 week breaks whenever we can.

 

All in all I expect to clock up 500-750 hours a year.

[Athy]

We tend to take Trojan out for half a dozen long (3-day) weekends per year, and to do one or two longer trips. Our longest last year was 63 miles + return.

[Thorfast]

From marina in Cheshire, down to the Thames and then back. Probably in 2 and 3 week stages, then 4 or 5 weeks on the Thames and Wey. We leave in May and get back by mid October. Before that plan to get to Llangollen before it gets too busy.

 

Thinking about it, it is a lot more than many without a home mooring! Often wonder why I pay for the marina when I'm away moat of the summer.

[Keeping Up]

We also tend to use our home mooring as a winter mooring, plus being somewhere to pause briefly from time to time during the summer. Last year despite all our breakdown problems etc we travelled about 1800 miles over 6 months. This year will probably be a lot less, it all depends how well our new dog takes to the canals, so there will be a lot of short trips at first but I'll still be surprised if we don't travel at least 500 miles.

[Athy]

Looking at some of these replies, one can tell which colleagues don't have any work commitments!

[dunfixing]

We are only able to cruise about 90 days a year, but usually cover around 800 miles a year, some just going up and down the same canals, often only short trips. But we enjoy every mile, the only month we don't cruise is December, because of commitments, not the weather.

When we can we will CC but not yet.

[bassplayer]

Looking at some of these replies, one can tell which colleagues don't have any work commitments!

...and family commitments!

[Athy]

...and family commitments!

Yes indeed.

[NickAndAnne]

Work prevents us from cruising as much as we would like, but we still managed 3 good trips last year: Chirk to Great Haywood, up and down the Caldon, and to Stourport and back. In between we visit the boat every weekend, and usually have a two day trip to Stone, Huddlesford or Acton Trussell. When we can't get away for the whole weekend we tend to do Sunday Lunch at Tixall Wide, which has become a favourite short trip.

 

In 3 years and 11 months time I will have finished paying off the mortgage, (I can give you that in days, hours and minutes if you like), and then we will hopefully be free to do much longer cruises!

 

Not that I am counting or anything

[FadeToScarlet]

Not as much as I like to!

 

Used to work in schools, so would have a long summer cruise- being in the Fens, 5 days boating away from the Cut, you need at least 10 days to get anywhere!

 

Previously, we've managed about 400-500 a year.

 

Past few years, not so much, as work gets in the way a bit. I skipper a trip boat, and over the summer in high season, I'm paid to be boating- albeit on the same stretch of river.

 

This year, we hope to manage a couple more weekends away doing about 20 miles out and the same return, and a couple of weeks in the summer. Not out as far as the Cut, but a bit of local cruising, hopefully in convoy with friends.

[Alan de Enfield]

 

Winter tends to be in the marina with maybe short trips out for weekends / mid-week breaks.

Last summer we did 2x 5 week trips + quite a few week (50 mile) trips (probably 700 miles+)

 

This year boat unable to use the canals so will be extended trips on the rivers / sea.

 

On the Motor cruiser we will probably get well in excess of 1000 miles this year (London & back is 600 miles), may even try for 'the continent' towards the end of the year.

 

We will be leaving Croatia (in our new sailing boat) end of March and that's 2000 + miles, we will arrive back here early-mid May - however that won't be on C&RT waters as it has a 23 foot beam.

[KenK]

My wife is a school teacher so we are restricted to school holidays and weekends.

First five years of this boat we were based in Newbury on the K&A, one two week trip at Easter and the long one in

August plus weekends. We covered everything we could reach in our timescales, K&A to Bristol, Thames both ends including the tidal bit, Oxford, GU, Wey etc.

Then we moved the boat to Stone and did the same From there for four years, T&M, Trent, Liverpool, Manchester, Weaver

etc.

Last year we moved the boat back to Newbury as it needs some work and its close to home.

 

This year it won't be used at all but we have already booked two weeks from Lattes to Negra on the Canal du Midi in

August passed the CEVNI test last week so I can add it to my ICC.

 

Retirement looms this year so we may do the Caledonian in September just because we can.

 

Next year its away from April to whenever to do some of the bits we haven't seen so far and revisit some of the ones we have.

 

Ken