Against liveaboard boaters

I HAVE only just read Steve Mathews email and he talks about bigoted liveaboards—pot calling kettle black maybe? His email is nothing other than a generalised rant against liveaboard boaters, writes Angela Tibbs.

We live on our boat and travel several miles virtually every day, we do not lean out of our windows shouting insults at hire boats or others and do not place all hire boaters in the same category.

Paid our way

We are not society drop outs nor do we live on benefits. We are retired people who have paid our way all our lives and are now trying to get some pleasure from the waterways. Some people hire a boat regularly and are as good as, if not better, than a lot of the private boaters.

Even if the boater is a novice we have spent many hours with them helping through locks etc and explaining things—after all everyone has to learn. Yes, we have had boats smashing into us when moored up, we have encountered noisy neighbours and noisy boats passing in the wee small hours, but these are not the norm by any means and they are not all hire boats.

My own feeling is that if Steve Mathews feels like this then he should not be using the canals any more.  He is only adding to any aggravation between different parties that may already exist.