CANAL CHARITY MAKES KEY APPOINTMENTS TO REALISE FULL POTENTIAL OF WEST MIDLANDS WATERWAYS

[pete.i]

17 hours ago, dogless said:

I repeat, if C&RT are not there to permit our working boats to go about their business, what ARE they for?

The rest is just hobby boating isn't it?

Rog

First off C&RT are there for everybody who pays a legitimate licence, insurance and BSS. Whilst I agree that you pay a bit more because you are a working boat you wouldn't be able to work if it wasn't for leisure, livaboards and "hobby" boaters.

 

 

17 hours ago, dogless said:

Sad but true I'm afraid.

It's time for us all to let C&RT know that it's not good enough, individually and collectively.

Rog

I agree but instead of whining about it on a forum organise something and don't forget us boaters up North because we also exist on the canals of UK.

[Tuscan]

Should have gone to CRTs AGM today and asked them perhaps. Tried to leave Debdale marina today but unfortunately the long pound from Harborough through Foxton to Kibworth was low so we couldn’t get off the bottom and out the marina. First time we’ve been stuck here. 

[TheBiscuits]

12 minutes ago, pete.i said:

don't forget us boaters up North because we also exist on the canals of UK.

This is true, but the OP is a press release about the appointments for the West Midlands region ...

[alan_fincher]

9 minutes ago, Tuscan said:

Should have gone to CRTs AGM today and asked them perhaps.

The only 2 CRT AGMs I have attended said very little about boating, and did not give any realistic chance of asking open questions from the floor that were likely to get a satisfactory answer.

[matty40s]

16 minutes ago, Tuscan said:

. Tried to leave Debdale marina today but unfortunately the long pound from Harborough through Foxton to Kibworth was low so we couldn’t get off the bottom and out the marina. First time we’ve been stuck here. 

What do you expect, it hasn't rained for 3 days and they have to preserve water for Crick Show 2019.?

[dogless]

36 minutes ago, pete.i said:

First off C&RT are there for everybody who pays a legitimate licence, insurance and BSS. Whilst I agree that you pay a bit more because you are a working boat you wouldn't be able to work if it wasn't for leisure, livaboards and "hobby" boaters.

 

 

I agree but instead of whining about it on a forum organise something and don't forget us boaters up North because we also exist on the canals of UK.

I have made my protest direct.

I take IIt you have also. Or have you just been whining?

If you had read my posts you would have noticed I was complaining on behalf of working boats, not because I operate one.

Rog

 

[matty40s]

6 hours ago, dogless said:

 

If you had read my posts you would have noticed I was complaining on behalf of working boats, not because I operate one.

 

Gonna say, I have never seen you operate it, your other half uses the tiller well though.

[dogless]

I like to say I taught her all she knows.

It's not true ... but I like to say it

Rog

[X Alan W]

On 25/09/2018 at 23:21, alan_fincher said:

Whilst shsring most of the same frustrations as many of you, it is worth remembering that our use of the canals as boat owners is heavily subsidised by anybody who pays income tax.

 

Whilst we make some considerable contribution to the cost of running the canals through  our licence monies, it is nothing like enough to balance the books, and we only enjoy our hobby at current licence cost levels because money taken from all tax payers is making a major controibution.  If I had to pay my full share, I certainly couldn't afford it.

 

If we want the government to keep granting CRT those moinies, they must be able to demonstrate that the canals benefit more than just boatrowners..........
 

 

(Having said all that, I do agree that CRT seem to be increasingly hard to even admit that they are a navigation authority.)

Nothing's changed they have been handing out positions to folk that have zero knowledge or interest in government funded set ups for decades the workers with some "knowse"of the running of such enterprises were either ignored, over ruled or moved from post to post got fed up & retired or handed in notice disillusioned & thoroughly discouraged& the know nowt's bumble on spending on useless unneeded things & the problems get passed over ignored until it becomes impossible to ignore & then as with breaches a plea goes out for extra contributions that could have been covered with not spending funds on non essential things thinking signs, change of colour schemes etc  I don't think the towpath walkers will care if the breaches get fixed if it's possible to get past My often thinking is where do they get who thinks up these hair brained schemes

Edited September 27, 2018 by X Alan W

[Jerra]

5 minutes ago, X Alan W said:

  I don't think the towpath walkers will care if the breaches get fixed if it's possible to get past 

So all these boaters who keep saying "the public want boats on the canal to add interest" are wrong?   Also a good number of the towpath walkers will be naturalists they will want water for the biodiversity, perhaps not boats but they will still want the canal to contain some water.

[MtB]

7 minutes ago, X Alan W said:

My often thinking is where do they get who thinks up these hair brained schemes

 

I thought they got them from Network Rail.

 

 

 

 

[PD1964]

On 25/09/2018 at 23:35, peterboat said:

You are right Rog,Mike and Arthur, Last weekend was the Sheffield canal festival, they moved boats of the visitors moorings to put ...............fishing lessons on them!! They wanted me to move as well, but when I pointed out that where they wanted me would cause difficulty for the trip boat, they decided to let me stay put. Clearly people wanted to see boats but when boats arnt really made welcome, it gets hard to make the effort to go up Tinsley flight, to be treated like third class citizens of the canal world 

Once again totally wrong, it was a Waterfront Festival, not a canal festival, It was for the people of Sheffield to enjoy the Victoria Quay's area, it was not a boat specific festival. You weren't asked to move as moving you may of caused an issue, one boat was moved back to allow the fishing demo to take place, there were no other visitor boats expected due to the river Don being in flood, so the moorings were allocated for the demo on the day. You always complain about Sheffield so why do you keep returning?

[alan_fincher]

7 hours ago, Mike the Boilerman said:

 

I thought they got them from Network Rail

 

Too cryptic for me - care to explain?

[Neil2]

I feel the same way about canal boating as I do about cycling.   I rarely ride a bike on public roads these days because I can remember a time when roads were quiet,  car drivers were considerate and there were a lot more roadside pubs..   I suppose you could say the same about motoring, time was when folk used to go for a drive just for the sheer novelty of it - surely no-one drives for pleasure these days.   So I'm just glad I was around in an era when it was possible to truly enjoy these activities.

 

The canals are in decline, and this years drought has thrown in to sharp focus just how unimportant boaters are.  We maybe have another decade, possibly less, before some waterways lose their status - it seems unthinkable at the moment but I can see a time coming when the trans pennine canals will be seen as more trouble than they are worth and it will just be a case of keeping the 5 rise open as a tourist attraction.   All we can do is enjoy the network while it lasts, it seems a very negative attitude but active boaters are just too small in number these days to have any sort of clout.  

 

 

[Alan de Enfield]

24 minutes ago, Neil2 said:

The canals are in decline, and this years drought has thrown in to sharp focus just how unimportant boaters are.  We maybe have another decade, possibly less, before some waterways lose their status - it seems unthinkable at the moment but I can see a time coming when the trans pennine canals will be seen as more trouble than they are worth and it will just be a case of keeping the 5 rise open as a tourist attraction.   All we can do is enjoy the network while it lasts, it seems a very negative attitude but active boaters are just too small in number these days to have any sort of clout.  

Agreed - maintaining the canals fit for boats is too expensive against the income it derives.

 

I think the main parts of the canals will last in excess of the 10 years, but much like Europe the peripheral areas (Portugal, Greece, the old Eastern areas) start to break down and cost too much.

 

I started my move off the Canals 3 years ago, its now rivers with sea capability with one boat and full ocean capability with the other.

 

Double the licence fee and we may have a chance.

[MtB]

25 minutes ago, Neil2 said:

I feel the same way about canal boating as I do about cycling.   I rarely ride a bike on public roads these days because I can remember a time when roads were quiet,  car drivers were considerate and there were a lot more roadside pubs..   I suppose you could say the same about motoring, time was when folk used to go for a drive just for the sheer novelty of it - surely no-one drives for pleasure these days.   So I'm just glad I was around in an era when it was possible to truly enjoy these activities.

 

The canals are in decline, and this years drought has thrown in to sharp focus just how unimportant boaters are.  We maybe have another decade, possibly less, before some waterways lose their status - it seems unthinkable at the moment but I can see a time coming when the trans pennine canals will be seen as more trouble than they are worth and it will just be a case of keeping the 5 rise open as a tourist attraction.   All we can do is enjoy the network while it lasts, it seems a very negative attitude but active boaters are just too small in number these days to have any sort of clout.  

 

 

 

I think you're broadly right. People will be just as happy to walk up and down the Five Rise and imagine what it was like when there were boats using it, aided by some nice and tasteful signs and information boards with sepia photos, as they are now seeing the boats for real. I'm reasonably sure CRT's unspoken task is to manage the change from a system maintained for narrowboats to a system maintained for duck feeding, angling, cycling and all the other recreational uses that cost trivial sums of money to maintain. 

 

I think you're wrong about the timescale though.  I think it will be at least 25 years before the most common craft of the cut are once again canoes, rowing skiffs and little motor boats drawing 15", just like 40 years ago.

[MtB]

10 minutes ago, Alan de Enfield said:

Double the licence fee and we may have a chance.

 

Possibly, but I suspect doubling the licence fee will halve the number of boaters paying it, so back to square one.

 

The fee does strike me as too low though, and below the 'sweet spot' where income is maximised. I think a LOT of boaters would moan a lot but ultimately swallow a 50% rise tomorrow if CRT had the balls to implement it. When tradesmen like me can afford to run several boats it must be too cheap really. 

 

 A by-product of a swinging licence fee rise would be a slowing of the avalanche of widebeams being launched that never so anywhere. 

 

Oh hang on, I think a penny is dropping....

 

 

 

 

Edited September 28, 2018 by Mike the Boilerman
Add a bit.

[Alan de Enfield]

9 minutes ago, Mike the Boilerman said:

A by-product of a swinging licence fee rise would be a slowing of the avalanche of widebeams being launched that never so anywhere. 

Maybe it should be the other way around (goes against the grain) but if a boat doesn't move, it doesn't need locks, bridges, even much water. Boats that move a lot should pay more.

I have suggested before (to much derision) that instead of a licence fee make it a £1 a mile  charge* monitored by trackers** - those that use the infrastructure the most pay the most.

 

(Like tax on fuel - use the most fuel, pay the most tax) 

 

* Or a sliding scale !st 500 miles £1 / mile 500-750 miles £50p/mile Over 750miles  £0.10/mile

** yes I know all of the suggestions - take the tracker off and leave it with friend etc etc.

Edited September 28, 2018 by Alan de Enfield

[MtB]

14 minutes ago, Alan de Enfield said:

I have suggested before (to much derision) that instead of a licence fee make it a £1 a mile  charge* monitored by trackers** - those that use the infrastructure the most pay the most.

 

I agree with this. It would make the heaviest users pay for the wear and tear they cause on the system and would create a proper incentive to get a mooring. A by product would be to stop boats being seen as a cheap way of living instead of a house. All the 'cheap accommodation' brigade would then decamp into motorhomes and live in CRT car parks lol. More seriously, I notice this happening already. Two liveaboard vans been in the car park by the sewage works at Great Bedwyn for months on end now, possibly a year or more, and another been several weeks at Froxfield. CRT car parks an easy win,with no hassle from Mr Plod I suspect. 

 

 

 

Edited September 28, 2018 by Mike the Boilerman
Oops pressed SEND too soon

[matty40s]

CRT press release, June 26th 2019.

 

Following the severe weather and collapse of 2 of the historic locks at Foxton last November ,  CRT is proud to announce the opening of its new interactive laser hologram showcase of how this historic flight used to work.

Visitors can marvel at the simulations of old working boats traversing the lock flights and ask our volunteers how it used to be when real boats could pass through the flight.

There are several JustGiving tablets around the site where you can donate or become a friend in order for us to try to raise funds to rebuild the flight for future use.

[MtB]

21 minutes ago, matty40s said:

CRT press release, June 26th 2019.

 

Following the severe weather and collapse of 2 of the historic locks at Foxton last November ,  CRT is proud to announce the opening of its new interactive laser hologram showcase of how this historic flight used to work.

Visitors can marvel at the simulations of old working boats traversing the lock flights and ask our volunteers how it used to be when real boats could pass through the flight.

There are several JustGiving tablets around the site where you can donate or become a friend in order for us to try to raise funds to rebuild the flight for future use fill in those locks and make them safe to walk past.

 

Corrected that for you Matty.

 

 

[Athy]

1 hour ago, matty40s said:

CRT press release, June 26th 2019.

 

Following the severe weather and collapse of 2 of the historic locks at Foxton last November ,  CRT is proud to announce the opening of its new interactive laser hologram showcase of how this historic flight used to work.

Visitors can marvel at the simulations of old working boats traversing the lock flights and ask our volunteers how it used to be when real boats could pass through the flight.

There are several JustGiving tablets around the site where you can donate or become a friend in order for us to try to raise funds to rebuild the flight for future use.

Er, you must be a clairvoyant. 2019?

[matty40s]

4 minutes ago, Athy said:

Er, you must be a clairvoyant. 2019?

Glad you think there's nothing untoward about the content then..

[MtB]

3 minutes ago, Athy said:

Er, you must be a clairvoyant. 2019?

 

Its a forecast. Wake up.

 

And they let you be a moddy, flippin 'eck!! 

[Athy]

2 hours ago, Neil2 said:

it seems a very negative attitude but active boaters are just too small in number these days to have any sort of clout.  

 

 

I think it does, yes. I have no statistics, but I get the impression that boatbuilders are very active at the moment, so how would the number of boats decline? It's rare that a narrowboat is withdrawn and scrapped. I suggest that the number of boats on our waterways is increasing, not declining.

1 minute ago, Mike the Boilerman said:

 

Its a forecast. Wake up.

 

And they let you be a moddy, flippin 'eck!! 

Yes, we're an observant bunch, hence I noticed the date.