Victor Swift: Canal & River Trust

Canal & River Trust—and the most important Freedom of Information Act.

This new transformation of British Waterways will be unlike any other charity, for it will still be very much a business spending millions of pounds as it wishes, with little extra control.

As such it most definitely needs to come under the umbrella of the Freedom of Information Act, and boaters everywhere should take the opportunity to inform the Charity Commissioners of the fact, whilst they still have chance.

Just looking at the ever increasing numbers of requests for information shows more than anything how those in charge of British Waterways are so cunning at hiding important information, for its once much vaunted 'openness and accountability' policy has long perished.

Canal & River Trust—British Waterways under another name, is to be watched very closely with its suspect spending—with the Freedom of Information Act our only weapon.  Don't lose it.

More marinas not wanted

So yet another marina gets the boot from a planning authority, this time at Lapworth, that like others does not accept the well out of date claim by British Waterways that there is a 'shortage of quality marinas sites' and that 'boating has grown significantly in popularity'.

It really is about time that British Waterways stopped trying to flog its now obsolete policy that more marina berths are needed, but take pity on those that fell for its claim,  stop making it worse for them, so they can have some chance of filling their many empty berths.

For not only is there not a demand for marinas berths but boating has most definitely not grown significantly in popularity, as anyone cruising this year will have plainly seen.

Anyone taking a trip along the Trent & Mersey Canal can soon see that that particular policy of encouraging people to invest in marina development has long passed its sell by date.

British Waterways don't want to see it, but at least the various planning committees aren't so thick.

Piling up

The number of rejected marinas is really piling up, with our Allan Richards pointing out that two other developments have already been rejected in the area, at Knowle Locks on the Grand Union at Stripes Hill Farm and Jacobean Lane.

And work stopped two months ago on the little 20 berth marina near the Black Boy pub about a mile south of Knowle Locks and most of the plant has been moved off site.

I wonder. Will the bods at Ivory towers eventually get the message?

Going down

Last week, being well into November, with virtually no boat movement, I did my usual annual count of the empty berths at British Waterways Marinas Ltd Sawley Marina.

Oh dear!  190 empty berths out of a total of 545 berths, up from 151 last year, and just to think that it wasn't so many years ago when a friend wanted to bring his boat back to the marina yet was told there was 'at least a six months waiting list'.

Last year the percentage was 28% empty but now it's 35% empty, and I reckon it will be the same throughout all its marinas.  Mind you, as they don't put any of its profit back into the waterways, I don't expect it really matters.

The number of berths available does not include the three quarters of one jetty that is let out to Canaltime or most near the bank that are too shallow to moor.  Which leaves 545—easily checked on Google Earth.

The last time

It's definitely the last time we are going to buy common or garden leisure batteries for the boats' services—they have just managed to last three years.  Mind you, they have not been holding much charge for a while, so out they come.

I know that normal starting batteries are no good as they are designed for an hefty occasional discharge, and certainly not up to regularly being virtually run down then fully charged.

So this time it's the well regarded deep cycle batteries, that it is claimed will discharge and charge around 500 times—as against 150 for the cheaper normal leisure type.  And a further advantage is that they are not affected by vibration, that perhaps is another reason why the cheap ones don't last.

Okay, they are more expensive, but like many other things, you get what you pay for.

Don't ask!

Our esteemed editor is getting rather annoyed at the now many requests for swapping website links, with cheeky people just attempting to start something or other and wanting a link in narrowboatworld, and of course willing to do the same for us.

Cheeky indeed, wanting free publicity in the biggest circulation waterways website in the country built up over 11 years, and in return a link in one with most likely a circulation of a few dozen.

If they want to succeed, then they do it the hard way by sheer graft over the years, not expecting to do it on someone else's back.

In fact our Thomas is even having second thoughts of the people who send in press releases, expecting free publicity, yet doing nothing in return...  Mind you, I personally think that is a step too far, for it's all news.

Can't do a thing

The idea of the Missing Peoples' charity, of people who drink too much being given 'some sort of device' to carry, so they can be located when they fall in either a canal or river, is a non starter.

Who does the charity think will accept such a device—the men thus admitting they are incapable of looking after themselves?  And once they fall in, what the hell will such a device do to help them?  Not a lot!

And putting up the much requested notices; the miles of fencing; or refusing to serve more alcohol, will make not a blind bit of difference. It boils down to the age old problem—people just have to take responsibility for themselves.

Victor Swift