A season's cruising

OUR rather outspoken contributor, Peter Ponting, has just finished five and half months cruising the system, and shares his experiences:

We have just returned to the Gloucester & Sharpness Canal after five and a half months cruising the canal network, and it has not been the best year weather-wise. We were held up in Huddersfield for five days due to flooding on the Calder & Hebble, then another five days in Leeds due to the Aire & Calder flooding.

Pleasant experience

However, it has been a very pleasant experience, and one we will do again.

Like every boater, we have our complaints, as readers of narrowboatworld will know I have been vocal, but it is important to inform people of problems and concerns.

Paul Griffin

This brought about a meeting between myself and Paul Griffin (Head of Enforcement) that was a very informative and constructive meeting.

Let me assure readers CaRT know the problems, and are trying to tackle them, but they have to prioritise.

Apart from the breaches on the Trent & Mersey, which did not affect us, the canal system is good. Generally all CaRT employees have been very keen and respective, helping as much as they can.

Hire boaters listen

Hire boaters are very helpful and listen to advice if they are stuck. And they do slow down to moored boats, unlike the majority of private boaters. We have met Americans, Australians, New Zealanders, Swedish, Norwegian and Japanese hirers, and they love the system. Explaining that the system is 200 years old, and pointing out structures to them, is very enjoyable.

The canal system is very unique and something we should be proud of.

The main offenders using the system are private owners, as everybody knows. Speeding, continuous mooring, etc, etc. We have heard it time and time again. So what do we do?

Hijacked by IWA

We have no say on the CaRT Board, because that was hijacked by Inland Waterways Association.

A simple way forward would be to issue a simplified book of rules, issued every time you renew your licence. Not like the boaters handbook, but the rules identifying the specific problems, also giving emergency contact numbers. If a boat was continuously speeding, and a number of complaints were raised along its journey, it could soon be picked up and the owner cautioned.

Likewise, if a boater every day had suspicions of a continuous moorer, and rang the details through every day, within 36 hours CaRT would be aware that a boat on a 48 hour mooring had overstayed.

Need a system

We need a system like this to stop the decline caused by private boaters, who disregard the system, and think that 'because they own a boat, paid a licence fee, they can do what they want'.

My advice to the offenders is simple: If you want to rush—catch a bus.