Another mad scheme not thought through

Published: Sunday, 14 October 2018

NEW MOORINGS at Islington on the Regent's Canal in London for visitors show that its developers are not in the real world.

Coming on line next October, after which there will be a transition period then no use of diesel engines, generators or stoves will be permitted on site, and a progressive encouragement for boaters mooring there to move from burning solid fuels to electricity for their heating and cooking.

This means that visiting boaters will have to use electricity for heating and cooking, so must obviously have both electric heaters and an electric cooker to comply!

No one involved with this mad scheme seems to realise—and it is headed by Cart—that cruising boaters are limited to the amount of 240 volts that can be generated, and certainly not enough to drive both heaters and a cooker, which is why virtually all boats are fitted with a gas oven and either a stove or Mikuni or Erberspacher for heating.

Most of course have no 240 volts generating capacity but rely on the normal 12 volts that is unable to drive electric heaters or cookers. And needless to say there are virtually no mains outlets on the waterways to encourage the use of mains electricity.

So, my friends.  If you want to moor at those new eco-friendly moorings on the Regent's Canal, you will have to first install a mains electric cooker and electric heaters! Which you will be unable to use anywhere else on the system!

Is that mad or what?

For God's sake get someone capable

Yet again we boaters have to suffer another of Cart's ridiculous stoppage notices, that again does not inform as it should.

And again it concerns the Macclesfield and a 'leak' as breaches are now called.  This time the workers had it plugged in just a day, which was good work indeed, that makes it more of a pity that those in charge of stoppage notices could not carry on the good work and tell us the exact situation.

Instead of which they just tell that 'The Bosley Flight will re-open on restricted passage times of 8am - 1pm on   Saturday morning, 13th October'.

But was that just for the one day so that work could be later completed?  Or was it until when? Or did the restriction come off after the Saturday?

Surely whoever is in charge could have told...

How many?

We are told that the Waterways Ombudsman handled 252 complaints concerning Cart during a 12 months period, but before a complaint gets to the Ombudsman it is first considered by Cart itself, then either handled 'in-house' or passed on to the Ombudsman for attention.

Which begs the question—just how many actual complaints where received?  A damn sight more than the 252 that's for sure.

Victor Swift