Cruising Restrictions How Wide Is the North Oxford? the Top Twenty Bss Faults 2
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The Magazine of the National Association of Boat Owners Issue 3 May 2019 CRUISING RESTRICTIONS HOW WIDE IS THE NORTH OXFORD? THE TOP TWENTY BSS FAULTS 2 The NABO Council Regional Representatives Chair Anglian Waterways Stella Ridgway Vacant The magazine of the National Association of Boat Owners 07904 091931, nabochair@nabo.org.uk East Midlands Waterways Issue 3 May 2019 Vice-Chair Joan Jamieson Vacant 0115 981 2047 emids@nabo.org.uk Contents Next NABO News copy date Treasurer London Waterways Helen Hutt David Williams 4 Editorial Articles, letters, cartoons and photos are most wel come. Images in JPEG 07813 496208 london@nabo.org.uk 5 In the Chair 07831 682092, hontreasurer@nabo.org.uk format please. Please email or post your contri- Middle Level 6 Fly on the wall Legal Affairs and BSS Rep. butions by June 29th 2019. Our email address is Vacant 7 Membership news: Website and email Mike Rodd nabonews@nabo.org.uk North East, Yorkshire and Humber, Shared 8 Around the regions: London & South 07831 860199, mike.rodd@nabo.org.uk East, Wales & South West, North West NABO News Editor Ownership Rep. Cover photo 10 News: CRT Council report Peter Fellows Howard Anguish 01482 669876 yorks@nabo.org.uk, shareowners@ 11 Summer ‘roving rally’ cruise, The This month’s cover photo by the Editor shows 19 High Street, Bonsall, Derbyshire, DE4 2AS charming Macclesfield canal 01629 825267, nabonews@nabo.org.uk nabo.org.uk April storm clouds over the Ashby canal near 12 Cruising restrictions Webmaster, NAG (Operations) and BSS Rep. North Wales & Borders Waterways Hinckley. David S. Fletcher David Fletcher 13 CRT news: New boater surveys, Win a year’s free membership by having your nwb@nabo.org.uk Dredging in 2019-20, National boat photo selected for the front cover of NABO 07719 276659, web@nabo.org.uk count. North West Waterways News. Please email photos as JPEG attachments, Media Officer 14 Boating: Welfare guidance ideally portrait format with a file size of 2MB or Alison Tuck Peter Vickers 16 Mutual benefit larger. 07517157154 macc@nabo.org.uk 07450 108659, alison.tuck@nabo.org.uk 19 Cost of living afloat and boaters’ data River Severn Communications Officer, Moorings Rep. 20 Top-twenty BSS faults Mark Tizard Phil Goulding (details left) 22 Talking points: Modern boating 07818 757676, mark.tizard@nabo.org.uk River Thames 24 Nowhere to turn: CRT abdicates Continuous Cruising Rep. Graham Paterson responsibility on the North Oxford Phil Goulding 0118 986 3959 midthames@nabo.org.uk canal 01271 865340, cc@nabo.org.uk River Trent 27 Techie’s Corner: Diesel bug Regional Reps. Coordinator, Promotion and Vacant 28 Rewind: Issue No 3, 2004 Recruitment South East Waterways 29 Letters, I name this boat Ken Hylins Geoff Wood 07852 911539, kenh@nabo.org.uk 07968 491118 se@nabo.org.uk Minutes Secretary Southern Waterways , Welsh Waterways Vacant Mike Rodd General Sec. (External Relations) mike.rodd@nabo.org.uk Mark Tizard West Midlands Waterways 07818 757676, gensec@nabo.org.uk Alison Tuck NABO News is published by the wmids@nabo.org.uk National Association of Boat Owners Additional Contacts PO Box 7366, Wolverhampton, WV1 9GQ NABO Online Editor: Peter Fellows Production: Chris Pink Assistant for the Disabled National Association of Boat Owners Ken Hylins Whilst every care is taken to ensure that the contents of this newsletter are factually correct, we accept no liability for any direct Mark Tizard 07852 911539, disability@nabo.org.uk or consequential loss arising from any action taken by anyone as a result of reading anything contained in this publication. The Administration views expressed are not necessarily those of the Association. The products and services advertised in this publication are not Twitter @NABO_Official necessarily endorsed by the Association. Vacant David Fletcher CRT Emergency No: 0800 4799947 EA Emergency No: 0800 807060 Contact CRT waterway managers at canalrivertrust.org.uk/about-us/our-regions NABO News Issue 3 May 2019 4 5 The Editor’s Column In the Chair t’s not yet summer and there gas and diesel will eventually happen t my meeting with Daniel and we will see if anything happens. are already boating restrictions and I believe navigation authorities Greenhalgh, the new NW We also discussed the increase in in place because of damaged should be planning now to provide Regional Director who liveaboard boaters, including the I or failed infrastructure and facilities for all-electric boats, so that A kindly came to my boat so challenges, but also the opportuni- low reservoirs, the latter following new craft can be built to this speci- I didn’t have to travel, we discussed ties, that these boaters bring, such the lack of winter and spring rainfall fication. NABO’s role with the Trust and how as increased footfall along towpaths after last year’s record-breaking dry I’ve included a summary of CRT’s we can be a critical friend in assist- and safer areas. summer. In the news section, I’ve Boater Report 2018 in which the ing it. I also mentioned the repairs be- listed a summary of restricted lock Trust explains how it benefits boat- We discussed lack of facilities; ing undertaken along this section opening hours, as of the beginning ers and needs our support. It has there are no showers at all on the of the Peak Forest canal and in the of May, but it can’t be long before also introduced a shortened an- Macclesfield or Peak Forest canals. North West; they have a team that other canals with limited reservoir nual survey of boaters, renamed This may not seem important to is going round doing small repairs. I the ‘Perceptions of the Trust’ sur- some, but the ability to shower for hope it’s the same in other regions as vey, and a new monthly ‘Waterway longer than four minutes is a treat Experience’ survey that aims to ‘get (do let me know if you can shower Warming climate a much clearer picture of what’s af- in less time) and to have the use of Community fecting boaters as it happens and a washing machine for bulky items and relationships? react quickly’ so that CRT can ‘be would be wonderful, particularly as involvement more responsive and target our launderettes become fewer. We also Editor Peter Fellows detects changes that could maintenance and repair work on discussed the transhipment sheds Stella Ridgway meets the North West Regional affect boaters both negatively and positively. the areas that really need it’. All this at both Whaley Bridge and Marple, Director. seems to indicate a shift in attitude and noticed that the Toll House was towards boaters. It may be a coin- open in Marple last Saturday—un- it seems to be working up here. As capacity follow suit. I know that UK cidence, or maybe boaters’ negative fortunately, only open when I was on always, if you report a fault to CRT, weather is notoriously variable, but comments last year on CRT’s logo dialysis, but the photos I saw looked please do everything through the Whaley Bridge scientists say that climate warming is and change to the ‘waterways and good. The planning application for website or by phone to the central transhipment shed, built now a reality. CRT’s Hydrology Unit wellbeing’ Trust, are having an ef- the wharf development at Marple switchboard, so that it gets logged. to transfer materials from has plans to mitigate its effects on fect. Likewise, the NABO Council was refused and I haven’t heard what This brings me to the ongoing the Peak Forest canal the waterways, but we should all be members who are meeting regularly the next steps will be, but I wish ‘Share the Space’ campaign. I asked under the centre arch to or doing more individually, whether by with CRT’s regional directors report that the Trust would concentrate that the form on the CRT website be from the Cromford & High supporting Extinction Rebellion and the meetings to be ‘open, friendly on looking for ways to engage not updated, so that you can report inci- Peak Railway—the two Greta Thunberg’s kids’ campaign, or and positive’ and ‘beginning to show only the land-based community but dents, such as near misses, accidents side arches. reducing our personal impact on the the real benefit of a close working the boating community as well. The etc. I would encourage the use of Illuatration: www.whaleybridge.com environment. Phasing out the use of relationship between CRT and its transhipment sheds offer a unique this so that there are logged reports boating community’. Long may this opportunity to bring the two com- and not merely anecdotal evidence continue. munities together and I hope that of bad behaviour by some towpath Also in this issue, Mark Tizard this is noted. users (be they cyclists, anglers, boat- shares his thoughts on how the boat- Too often, and the new Regional ers). Increased commuting use and ing community is changing, with a Advisory Boards are testament to speeding by a very small section of new category of ‘financial boaters’ this, when I enquired at CRT’s AGM cyclists, who persist in not slow- growing fast, Kevin McNiff details about boaters being on the Regional ing down for anyone, is a cause for problems of widebeam boats on Advisory Group, we were told that it concern. I have also noticed that the narrow North Oxford canal and was on the wellbeing agenda for in- mobility scooters are a worry. Is in- Tony Brooks deals with the dread- clusion of the wider community. This creased signage at access points the ed diesel bug in Techies’ Corner.