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Cambridgeshire Continuous Cruising


BenJames

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If you move your boat from one mooring to the next it could easily be a 20 mile walk to get the car. especially if you have to cross the river

Edit to add a map to show the problems https://drive.google.com/open?id=1HqYqb0TjgLs8ccHpUnvWsd56aW6tTefu&usp=sharing

Edited by ditchcrawler
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A possible middle way would be to look at some of the moorings that enterprising landowners have put in place, eg half way up the Lark, near Stretham pumping station. They are pretty basic (though some of the latter do have hookup) but do have road access. No idea re price, but you could do that for a bit, while you do some exploring and find a friendly farmer.

There are a number of single boats that are moored at the end of a field, very remote, and have been there for several years, so presumably with landowner's permission. 

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On 2/15/2018 at 12:36, Scholar Gypsy said:

On sea toilets, yes I think this does mean that you are allowed to empty your Elsan into the river. I've no idea how many people do. I guess the amount of bird and cow poo in the river rather swamps any human contribution....


What you mustn't do is add any chemicals to your loo beforehand - ie adding raw sewage is fine, but Elsan blue is not.  It's also rather frowned on in some of the smaller channels eg the Cambridgeshire Lodes.  

The last boat I discussed this issue with had a pump out, with a valve after the macerator that could divert the output either into the holding tank or direct into the river (just forward of the propellor, for further dispersal!).

This is similar to how our boat is set up. Our toilet always discharges to the holding tank but then there is either the choice of it being pumped out or with the opening of a valve and the pressing of a switch the contents are ejected from the tank via a pump. 

I would agree 100% though that disposing of toilet chemicals into the river is a big no no. 

It amazes me that people still use the stuff :wacko:

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5 minutes ago, Naughty Cal said:

This is similar to how our boat is set up. Our toilet always discharges to the holding tank but then there is either the choice of it being pumped out or with the opening of a valve and the pressing of a switch the contents are ejected from the tank via a pump. 

I would agree 100% though that disposing of toilet chemicals into the river is a big no no. 

It amazes me that people still use the stuff :wacko:

A similar set up on our cruiser* - but - on 'the cat' there is a diverter switch so when you flush it either goes directly overboard or into the holding tank.

* Being built to meet Med specifications our cruiser also has the same system for the grey water.

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3 minutes ago, Alan de Enfield said:

A similar set up on our cruiser* - but - on 'the cat' there is a diverter switch so when you flush it either goes directly overboard or into the holding tank.

* Being built to meet Med specifications our cruiser also has the same system for the grey water.

We have a grey water tank but it isn't plumbed in!

We keep saying we will remove it as it is just taking up space and adding weight but have never got around too it :rolleyes:

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1 minute ago, Naughty Cal said:

We have a grey water tank but it isn't plumbed in!

We keep saying we will remove it as it is just taking up space and adding weight but have never got around too it :rolleyes:

Our tanks sit along / inside the keel - 900 litre potable water, 250 litre 'grey water', 250 litre 'Black water' & 1000 litre diesel. The other two 'wing' diesel tanks are 900 litres each and sit between the engines and the hull sides.

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13 minutes ago, Alan de Enfield said:

Our tanks sit along / inside the keel - 900 litre potable water, 250 litre 'grey water', 250 litre 'Black water' & 1000 litre diesel. The other two 'wing' diesel tanks are 900 litres each and sit between the engines and the hull sides.

Your holding tank is bigger then our fuel tank :lol:

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1 minute ago, Naughty Cal said:

Your holding tank is bigger then our fuel tank :lol:

Ours is a wee bit bigger cruiser having 3 bathrooms / showers.

The 2900 litres of fuel gives us a safe cruise range of 2000 miles.

We 'pay the price' with a beam of 14 feet - scraping the sides of Torksey lock & a draught at 4' 6" which is why we couldn't get past Saxilby.

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No I havent visited the fens. I was making some assumptions that between the rivers Cam, Nene, Wissey, Great Ouse, Little Ouse, Lark and any other canal networks that I could get enough places over the period of a year that I could do it as a continuous cruiser if I travel around and find the right places and then use GPS and maps to remember them for future use.

I would hope that I could pick my spots to be the more manageable places and that I could find enough of them to plan a nice route throughout the year.

I was originally thinking of Reading, Windsor, Oxford areas having lived there when I was younger but my brothers have both moved that way in the last three years and so now I am looking for info on that area.

I plan to have a look and maybe hire a boat for a holiday but am just trying to get z feel for what to expect. At the moment some people say it is doable and some say not so I am unsure.

I am going to come up in mid-March to check some places out and see what I think.

Ben

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3 minutes ago, BenJames said:

No I havent visited the fens. I was making some assumptions that between the rivers Cam, Nene, Wissey, Great Ouse, Little Ouse, Lark and any other canal networks that I could get enough places over the period of a year that I could do it as a continuous cruiser if I travel around and find the right places and then use GPS and maps to remember them for future use.

I would hope that I could pick my spots to be the more manageable places and that I could find enough of them to plan a nice route throughout the year.

I was originally thinking of Reading, Windsor, Oxford areas having lived there when I was younger but my brothers have both moved that way in the last three years and so now I am looking for info on that area.

I plan to have a look and maybe hire a boat for a holiday but am just trying to get z feel for what to expect. At the moment some people say it is doable and some say not so I am unsure.

I am going to come up in mid-March to check some places out and see what I think.

Ben

We had a couple of weeks over that way a couple of years ago and the hire boats from here looked very nice:

http://www.bridgeboatyard.com/boats.htm

They are older boats but they were very clean and tidy.

For what it is worth we really did enjoy our couple of weeks cruising in the area but at that point did notice that there was a problem with liveaboard boaters who were just setting up camp on the limited moorings. I understand that in Ely at least they have clamped down on this.

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5 hours ago, Naughty Cal said:

For what it is worth we really did enjoy our couple of weeks cruising in the area but at that point did notice that there was a problem with liveaboard boaters who were just setting up camp on the limited moorings. I understand that in Ely at least they have clamped down on this.

Heavy fines for overstaying on the Ely moorings have driven the overstayer's way. Fenland Council is to do the same enforcement with both the March and Whittlesea moorings. The Bargee Traveller Association are ranting about this as another attack on the human rights of their members. The new rules will came in to force at the start of April 2018. Free for the first 36 hours with no return in 48 hours, a fine of £70 for every 24hours over the limit. It is aready having an effect, as most have left the moorings and not returned. If you abide by the rules you have no problem.

 

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10 minutes ago, nbfiresprite said:

Heavy fines for overstaying on the Ely moorings have driven the overstayer's way. Fenland Council is to do the same enforcement with both the March and Whittlesea moorings. The Bargee Traveller Association are ranting about this as another attack on the human rights of their members. The new rules will came in to force at the start of April 2018. Free for the first 36 hours with no return in 48 hours, a fine of £70 for every 24hours over the limit. It is aready having an effect, as most have left the moorings and not returned. If you abide by the rules you have no problem.

 

Hopefully we will see some improvement the next time we visit then.

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15 minutes ago, Loddon said:

The idea of CC on the fenland waterways is daft, not only is it going to be very hard work, another shuffler in a NB will just upset the local boaters. Far better you stay on the canals.

Certainly there is a rather large faction of cruisers that don't like narrowboats and vent their thoughts in print in GOBA news but those we have moored alongside or shared locks with have always been friendly. 

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25 minutes ago, pearley said:

Certainly there is a rather large faction of cruisers that don't like narrowboats and vent their thoughts in print in GOBA news but those we have moored alongside or shared locks with have always been friendly. 

My thoughts behind this 'anti-narrowboat' faction is that NBs take up 'twice' the mooring space that cruisers take up, and, where moorings are extremely limited it can become an issue.

If NBs would automatically breast-up leaving more space for other boats then they may be better received.

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When we moored Mr Rusty on the Gt Ouse, plastic boats would understandably not want to share a lock with us,but were generally pleasant.

One couple in a plastic boat was happy to share with us one day as he jumped the queue of three boats waiting behind who had all declined to share with a 70ft ,20 ton boat.

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13 minutes ago, Alan de Enfield said:

My thoughts behind this 'anti-narrowboat' faction is that NBs take up 'twice' the mooring space that cruisers take up, and, where moorings are extremely limited it can become an issue.

If NBs would automatically breast-up leaving more space for other boats then they may be better received.

We often moored with the bows on the moorings and a stern line to the bank so only took up about 8 foot or less of the moorings.

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43 minutes ago, ditchcrawler said:

We often moored with the bows on the moorings and a stern line to the bank so only took up about 8 foot or less of the moorings.

If only there were more like you. On the Witham where mooring pontoons are very short and few and far between with very little other choice , it is most annoying when you find a narrow boat has not only moored fully on the pontoon but usually two cleats from the end :(

Even worse is when two take up a full pontoon that could easily fit four or five boats with a bit of thought. 

52 minutes ago, rusty69 said:

When we moored Mr Rusty on the Gt Ouse, plastic boats would understandably not want to share a lock with us,but were generally pleasant.

One couple in a plastic boat was happy to share with us one day as he jumped the queue of three boats waiting behind who had all declined to share with a 70ft ,20 ton boat.

We have been told off for queue jumping when we agreed to share with a narrowboat but other cruisers had declined!

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1 hour ago, rusty69 said:

When we moored Mr Rusty on the Gt Ouse, plastic boats would understandably not want to share a lock with us,but were generally pleasant.

One couple in a plastic boat was happy to share with us one day as he jumped the queue of three boats waiting behind who had all declined to share with a 70ft ,20 ton boat.

One can pack them in, with a bit of care. dscf8801.jpg.a078898992dfaea16615813834a27c3f.jpg

  • Happy 1
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