Treated as continuous cruisers

A NUMBER of contributors have complained recently about being regarded and treated in the same way (that is, being sanctioned in various unwelcome ways by CART) as continuous cruisers, despite having a registered home mooring, writes Suzanne MacLeod.

Very surprised

Yet I would be very surprised if any disinterested observer were to interpret the law and regulations in such a way as to exempt boaters with home moorings from general cruising restrictions which are surely intended to:

(a) keep the system fluid and casual moorings available to anyone at least every 14 days and

(b) untie cruising boaters from local authority obligations (such as the collection of council tax, provision of public services, maintenance of the electoral register and so on), deeming a de facto resident any person dwelling in a single place for more than a fortnight at a time.

These two conditions would need to be satisfied regardless of whether a given boater does or does not have a 'home mooring'.

Not to be tarred

Perhaps there's a wish not to be tarred with the stigmatising brush, too. However, a disinterested observer wouldn't be able to tell the difference between a continuous cruiser and home moorer spending a spell or a season in the guise and manner of a continuous cruiser. If you moor like a water-gypsy, then you are a water-gypsy!