The Magazine of the National Association of Boat Owners Issue 4 July 2019 WIDEBEAM SAGA CRUISES ON SURVEY OF BOAT OWNERS’ VIEWS BOATERS’ LIABILITY FOR TOWPATH MOORING 2 The NABO Council Regional Representatives Chair Anglian Waterways Stella Ridgway Vacant The magazine of the National Association of Boat Owners 07904 091931, [email protected] East Midlands Waterways Issue 4 July 2019 Vice-Chair Joan Jamieson Vacant 0115 981 2047 [email protected] 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 format please. 07813 496208 [email protected] 5 In the Chair 07831 682092, [email protected] Please email or post your contributions Middle Level 6 Fly on the wall Legal Affairs and BSS Rep. by June 29th 2019. Our email address is Mike Rodd Vacant 7 Membership news: GDPR and email 8 Around the regions: North West [email protected] 07831 860199, [email protected] North East, Yorkshire and Humber, Shared 9 News: New Waterways Ombudsman NABO News Editor Ownership Rep. Cover photo Peter Fellows Howard Anguish 10 NABO at the User Groups: Meeting of NAG Operation This month’s cover photo is a flowerpot fisher- 19 High Street, Bonsall, Derbyshire, DE4 2AS 01482 669876 [email protected], shareowners@ 01629 825267, [email protected] nabo.org.uk 11 BSS Advisory Committee meeting man on the Staffs & Worcs, spotted by the Editor. Webmaster, NAG (Operations) and BSS Rep. North Wales & Borders Waterways 12 EA’s National Navigation Users Forum Win a year’s free membership by having your David S. Fletcher David Fletcher 13 News: Contacting CRT, CRT West photo selected for the front cover of NABO Midlands changes News. Please email photos as JPEG attachments, 07719 276659, [email protected] [email protected] 14 Latest survey of boat owners’ views. ideally portrait format with a file size of 2MB or Media Officer North West Waterways Update on lock restrictions larger. Alison Tuck Peter Vickers 15 More on the Monty 07450 108659, [email protected] 07517 157154 [email protected] 16 A precedent for towpath cycling Communications Officer, Moorings Rep. River Severn Phil Goulding incidents? Amsterdam to ban petrol and Mark Tizard (details left) diesel powered boats, Marple open again 07818 757676, [email protected] River Thames 17 Environment: CRT Plastics Challenge Continuous Cruising Rep. Graham Paterson 20 Safety: Carbon monoxide latest Phil Goulding 0118 986 3959 [email protected] 22 Talking points: Share the space—what 01271 865340, [email protected] River Trent happens if there is conflict? Regional Reps. Coordinator, Promotion and Vacant 24 The widebeam saga cruises on Recruitment South East Waterways 26 Rewind: Issue No 4, 2004 Ken Hylins Geoff Wood 27 Book Review: Narrowboat Life by Jim 07852 911539, [email protected] 07968 491118 [email protected] Batty Minutes Secretary Southern Waterways , Welsh Waterways 28 Letters, I name this boat Vacant Mike Rodd General Sec. (External Relations) [email protected] Mark Tizard West Midlands Waterways 07818 757676, [email protected] Alison Tuck NABO News is published by the [email protected] 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, [email protected] 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 4 July 2019 4 5 The Editor’s Column In the Chair think most people would CRT claiming that it aims to increase he Marple Flight reopened issues faced on other canals are welcome CRT’s ‘Plastics the number of recycling points, at the end of May, so we mainly anecdotal, so please report Challenge’, launched in June. members’ experiences, reported for have been treated to a great everything, either by phone, email I Visitors to the waterways are many months now, and in Jim Batty’s T deal more traffic as boaters or on the Trust’s web-form. being asked to pick up one piece of letter in this issue, is that waste dis- cross Bugsworth Basin off their tick- I attended CRT’s Council Boaters litter to prevent the half-million plus posal sites are being closed and there list of places to go. Rep. meeting in Birmingham, where pieces of plastic entering the sea are parts of the system that are now We have noticed the speed and we stressed the need for consist- from UK canals each year. ‘facility deserts’. We know that waste lack of boating etiquette that seems ency of language across waterways It clearly chimes well with the costs CRT enormous amounts of to have crept (or is that marched?) authorities, particularly in places Trust’s wellbeing strategy and get- money and there can be serious in over the last few years. When where a canal joins a river. Currently, ting more people involved with problems with fly-tipping and peo- we moved aboard, the person we the Trust uses the height of water to the waterways as litter-picking ple abusing disposal facilities, but it bought our boat from said: “you con- determine safety; not flow, which boils down to spending priorities. sciously need to slow down for the could cause problems. The EA pro- To prevent the new plastics chal- first three days as it takes that long duces data for most rivers and so the lenge being seen as a bit of PR spin, to lose the motorway in your head”. issue is really just about using the More rubbish there needs to be significant invest- We notice that with the boaters who same language and it meaning the Editor Peter Fellows considers the plastics ment in waterside disposal facilities are obviously on a schedule speeding same, no matter where you cruise. to prevent rubbish getting into the past us. I think they don't even no- problem. waterways in the first place. tice the views over the landscape, My thanks to John and Marion which are particularly stunning The motorway in volunteers. It also resonates with Pearse, who have proofread NABO this year. I think they forget that increasing public concerns over News for the last four years, but have it isn't just the destination; it's the your head single-use plastics. However, one of now hung up their windlasses. If you journey that is as important. We the findings in the report didn’t ring would like to help out twice a year to hear boaters complaining about the Stella Ridgway urges boaters to slow down and true to me: “.. the amount of plastics proofread the text over a weekend, shallowness of the canal, but they enjoy the view. and litter along a stretch of waterway please let me know. are trying to cruise at maximum does not relate to the surrounding There’s been a lot going on since speed. (As this was one of the last We talked about the challenge population, levels of deprivation in the May issue: CRT’s latest boat canals to be built in the North West, that the Trust faces with the in- the area or how much the towpath is owners’ survey reflects the discon- costs were key and it was built to an creased cost of rubbish removal and used.” When boating, it is common tent that many members have been average depth of about a metre, so fly-tipping that seems to happen to pass through miles of countryside reporting for months; Mike Rodd it isn't the deepest of canals). But if near to towns. Lack of recycling is and small towns and villages, see- reports that the Government has de- you go slowly and enjoy the scenery, also a challenge for boaters as most ing hardly any rubbish in the water cided to discontinue plans for CRT to it will be a much better experience recycling centres are not next to a or along the banks. Then, within a take over EA waterways—a decision for everyone. canal and are inaccessible on foot. couple of miles of an urban centre, welcomed by NABO; there’s a new Boaters moan about the Canal Perhaps the answer is barges that it’s everywhere. So the report’s ten Waterways Ombudsman (actually and River Trust not doing enough go around collecting recycling and tips for visitors to reduce litter along an Ombudswoman); more problems maintenance and dredging, but rubbish, or bins only available on the towpaths are welcome. This new with widebeam boats on narrow along here they have done dredging offside and emptied via barges? Let initiative is not really aimed at boat- canals, highlighted by Helen Hutt; surveys and taken boaters' feedback me know your thoughts. ers, who, with rare exceptions, take and Mark Tizard reviews NABO’s into account when deciding where Meanwhile, I hope the sum- care to properly dispose of rubbish legal advice about boaters’ liability to dredge.