Mooring on the riverbank.

[Supermalc]

As more and more people choose narrowboats to live on, there are now several on the Witham. Out of 'season' this presents no problems, but yesterday I spoke to a very nice woman who lives on hers, and she had been given a notice for overstaying on the pontoon at Langrick Bridge.

 

Then a short time later I spoke to another (we've met before) and he said he had one for Washingborough, and had only been there a couple of days.

 

Many NOT ME I hasten to add, are moaning about NBs taking up all the mooring space. These pontoons were designed for boat (not necessarily cruisers) with an average length of 30ft. (I'm assuming this after talking to others, BW workers etc) so only 2 60ish ft NBs fill them.

 

The lady was saying there were no facilities for leaving her boat for 14 days, as she is entitled to as a CCer.

 

Now I know mooring is paid by length, so if you pay double you expect to at least be able to moor, even if not have priority, however cannot a NB be moored against the riverbank, with mudweights either end, and a gangplank?

 

As these notices have been issued, I think there must have been someone complaining, instead of just moaning. Cruisers moored at Langrick last year were also asked to move.

 

Yesterday I had a marvelous short cruise. Met some new friends I saw last week at Chapel and invited for a spot of boating. The loved my boat and rang on Saturday. Bit cool early mooring but we met at Southrey, came to Bardney, through the lock to Fiskerton Fen new mooring, for the picnic lunch they had provided. Clever me has a 20ft boat so I fitted in the space between the 2 NBs. Any longer and my boat would not have been fit for purpose

 

Then back to Bardney and around the Old Witham to Trywhitt Arms for a pint, in the now lovely sunshine, before a leisurely cruise back to Southrey.

 

 

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

One answer is to breast the NBs. I don't mean 'Oh I'm happy to move, or breast up if asked'. This is no good to the passing cruiser who daren't stop because there is not enough space. I AM NOT saying you can't moor, or that you should have less right, just because you have a longer boat. Also these moorings are EMPTY for much of the year. So to put a few more pontoons in is not really required for the odd occasion/weekend this is necessary. But this is one solution to a problem that is starting to crop up more and more.

 

Just as drink driving was once a joke 'how far did you make it before crashing' (again not by me) but now is frowned on by the majority, this too could become the 'norm' for NBs when mooring space is limited. If LBC can get 15 boats moored on a pontoon filled by 2 long NBs, I don't see why others can't.

Edited April 30, 2007 by Supermalc

[pearley]

Perhaps us narrowboaters should put signs in the window saying we are happy for cruisers to moor alongside?

[Howard]

The Environment Agency started just such a thing last year ....

 

You should be able to pick up , at pretty much any lock , some A5 sized window stickers which say that you are happy to have others moored alongside you ... the idea is that everyone can look out for these stickers and then there is no risk of a confrontation with someone who may not be happy for you to moor alongside. If they have a sticker, its all good , if they don't , it probably isn't ...

 

http://www.thamesboating.com/Publications/...20to%20moor.pdf

 

The campaign , i don't think , was as successful as it could have been , as we haven't given many stickers away to be honest , but any of you who pass through Teddington Lock or any Thames lock , just ask and we can give you some.

[Supermalc]

Perhaps us narrowboaters should put signs in the window saying we are happy for cruisers to moor alongside?

 

Not me, I'm happy to moor anywhere, but many cruiser owners don't like breasting to NBs. The only thing I can think of in their defence is it is usually far easier to breast a NB than a cruiser.

 

As many cruisers are around the 30ft mark, and many NBs around 60ft, there is often nothing to tie to half way along a NB.

 

I often joke it would be easier to tie the QE2 than my little boat. As she's rounded, if you only tie back and front she tends to swing out, and if you only tie centre rope and fore, or aft the other end swings out.

 

Another thing NBs can do when mooring on limited space is to hang half the boat off the end. Again this could be common practise when there are only pontoon moorings, which would help to solve much of the problem.

[blackrose]

The Environment Agency started just such a thing last year ....

 

You should be able to pick up , at pretty much any lock , some A5 sized window stickers which say that you are happy to have others moored alongside you ... the idea is that everyone can look out for these stickers and then there is no risk of a confrontation with someone who may not be happy for you to moor alongside. If they have a sticker, its all good , if they don't , it probably isn't ...

 

http://www.thamesboating.com/Publications/...20to%20moor.pdf

 

The campaign , i don't think , was as successful as it could have been , as we haven't given many stickers away to be honest , but any of you who pass through Teddington Lock or any Thames lock , just ask and we can give you some.

 

I would imagine that most people who are happy for others to brest up alongside, would prefer to use their own discretion depending on the particular mooring and whether this is safe practice, etc. Therefore the stickers should be easy to remove, store, restick & keep clean.

 

Although the EA idea was good, I think that part of the reason the campaign may not have been as successful as it might, could be that many people don't like sticking things to their windows which may become damaged when removed, possibly leaving adhesive on the glass. Although the sticker was reusable, how to store it for reuse was another issue.

 

I laminated my EA sticker and intend to use a small piece of blutak to hold it in place when on the Thames.

Edited May 2, 2007 by blackrose

[mayalld]

The lady was saying there were no facilities for leaving her boat for 14 days, as she is entitled to as a CCer.

She is misinformed.

 

As a CCer, she has no particular entitlement of 14 days.

 

*Every* boater has an entitlement to moor up far a maximum of 14 days;

a) at a location where mooring is not forbidden, or restricted to a shorter period

where mooring is actually possible

c) where mooring will not obstruct the navigation

 

Nothing in any of that implies any obligation on the navigation authority to provide such mooring spaces.

[Supermalc]

She is misinformed.

 

As a CCer, she has no particular entitlement of 14 days.

 

*Every* boater has an entitlement to moor up far a maximum of 14 days;

a) at a location where mooring is not forbidden, or restricted to a shorter period

where mooring is actually possible

c) where mooring will not obstruct the navigation

 

Nothing in any of that implies any obligation on the navigation authority to provide such mooring spaces.

 

So basically this says the Witham is not suitable for CCers unless they are prepared to move frequently.

 

This of course only applies over the busy periods, which based on what I've seen over the last few years are the bank holidays, and the end of July and beginning of August. As these moorings are empty for half the year, no one seems to mind if you moor there over the winter.

 

For the rest of the year you can more or less moor where you want, for as long as you want, especially in the 'closed' season. Although when the lower Witham is lowered (November until April) you are allowed to moor at Boston, and they (EA) don't like moored boats below Chapel Hill.

[Graham Blott]

So basically this says the Witham is not suitable for CCers unless they are prepared to move frequently.

 

Sorry, I'm probably being exceptionally thick this morning, but isn't "moving frequently" inherently part of the definition of continuous crusing?

 

Graham

[Purple Fairie]

Although when the lower Witham is lowered (November until April) you are allowed to moor at Boston, and they (EA) don't like moored boats below Chapel Hill.

 

I think this is for the safety of boat and owner Malc. The flow of water when they let the water out at low tide is incredibly strong! I was chatting to someone a couple of weeks ago who fell into the Slea where we are moored and he was at the mouth of the river before he knew what had happened. It was only that he was caught against a tree branch (that had also fallen in!) and wedged against another boat that his son managed to grab him and drag him out. He said by that time he had no strength left to pull himself out! And that was only the Slea! He wouldn't have stood a chance if it was the Witham!

[Supermalc]

I think this is for the safety of boat and owner Malc. The flow of water when they let the water out at low tide is incredibly strong! I was chatting to someone a couple of weeks ago who fell into the Slea where we are moored and he was at the mouth of the river before he knew what had happened. It was only that he was caught against a tree branch (that had also fallen in!) and wedged against another boat that his son managed to grab him and drag him out. He said by that time he had no strength left to pull himself out! And that was only the Slea! He wouldn't have stood a chance if it was the Witham!

 

Dead right Sam. I think all the sluices are computer controlled. I talked to a friendly young man last year at Bardney, who said he was working on a new computer model for the system. This is why the traffic lights have been installed at Stamp End to the Glory hole.

 

I doubt any of the boats on the river would stand a chance if the sluices opened at Boston and they were not firmly tied up. Tony (Champ Donny) is only allowed to stay at Langrick as his boat is securely chained.

 

Also Graham at Bardney was not allowed to stay on his mooring up Timberland delph in the Winter. It's not the boats, or even people they are worried about, but a boat jamming the flood doors, or a sluice could cause much of Lincolnshire to flood. Apparently they even had the lock doors open on one occasion this year. I was with Ken on Tommy without the lock gates opened, and the Haven didn't drop the last 6 feet. That is SIX FEET OF A WIDE RIVER FOR SEVEN MILES. That's a lot of water. Almost like trying to boat up Niagra Falls

 

 

Sorry, I'm probably being exceptionally thick this morning, but isn't "moving frequently" inherently part of the definition of continuous crusing?

 

Graham

 

The chat with the lady went something like.........there doesn't seem to be facilities for a CCer to leave a boat for 14 days, while away in the car for work........or words to that effect.