I've highlighted for several years the moorings at Engineers Wharf in West London, and more importantly, given CRT's inability to keep the moorings fully let, the apparently inflated reserve prices that had been maintained, one suspects to help justify keeping prices up for other moorers locally.
It is more than three years since I first highlighted this, and for much longer than that, there have been persistent vacant berths (and lost income) at Engineers Wharf. (Link to 83 no. closed vacancies/adverts and prices at Engineers Wharf since 2010! )
Well as of today there are no less than seven berths advertised as Buy It Now vacancies and the price for a 70' berth has been set at £5880 (up from £5292 as the reserve this time last year.)
Curious too that in the interim similar berths were the offered only three months ago with a reserve of £4998? So if you want, you can buy it now for £900 more than the reserve price when it was last auctioned - Any takers?!
What the heck is going on here!?
It seems that despite the good intentions set out in the outcomes of the Moorings Sales Consultation, CRT are still in this case setting prices at pretty much at random. If anyone can make sense of these price variations, do let me know!
And of course it remains to be seen if the current vacancies will let.
Wednesday, 27 May 2015
Tuesday, 26 May 2015
Hi Brenda R
Hi Brenda. Just saw your comment on the last post. As this is about your personal circumstances I haven't published it, but if you want to get in touch please do so through the NABO website; NABO contact list
Saturday, 23 May 2015
The latest smoke-screen
The consensus seems to be that NABO's hard hitting stance against the CRT licence changes as set out in their open letter has had some effect. CRT have dropped some of the more extreme and ridiculous proposals. (My favourite silly idea was the draft clause which taken at face value would have meant you could only change home mooring on the day of your licence renewal.)
It also seems that someone has re-read the Data Protection Act and realised that handing out personal details of licence holders to anyone who asked was probably not such a bright idea after all!
Nonetheless some dubious terms and conditions remain. As ever we will see in due course which of these stand up in Court if they ever come to be tested in that way.
It also seems that someone has re-read the Data Protection Act and realised that handing out personal details of licence holders to anyone who asked was probably not such a bright idea after all!
Nonetheless some dubious terms and conditions remain. As ever we will see in due course which of these stand up in Court if they ever come to be tested in that way.
Monday, 18 May 2015
Problems ahead
A pretty short one today but just to highlight Mick FitzGibbons' article today on Narrowboatworld. Many of the themes Mick raises chime with my own thinking on this and much as per my previous post on trust between boaters and CRT (or the lack of).
It is interesting that the URL to Mick's piece includes the phrase 'problems ahead' - a sentiment I wholly agree with.
It is interesting that the URL to Mick's piece includes the phrase 'problems ahead' - a sentiment I wholly agree with.
Friday, 1 May 2015
Who are the Freeloaders?
The comment about continuous cruisers being 'Freeloaders' made by a representative at the Birmingham open meeting has poured petrol on the social media flames again. But of course this is an old claim that many have debunked in the past.
The Canal World Forum trolling society particularly rounded on one Meg who tried to offer an honest and open view of what happened. They also went off on a whole range of conspiracy theories about the National Bargee Travellers Association. Never let facts get in the way of a 'good' argument.
All this has highlighted how a small minority can spoil the vibe for all. If anyone is a freeloader, it's the people who pour out their bile and hate against people they don't know who simply offer a different view in good faith. Most of those doing so when pressed have admitted they were not even at the meeting! These boaters do more to divide and harm the boating community than the very few Continuous Cruisers who take the piss out on the cut.
However the most interesting thing to me is that CRT seemingly failed to challenge the 'Freeloader' assertion during the meeting.
If they had done so they would have cut the whole thing down to size in a few words. The fact that the meeting was heated thereafter therefore comes as no surprise and just adds fuel to the claims that CRT are anti all continuous cruisers.
A missed opportunity for CRT to make some peace with many boaters they have recently pissed off.
The Canal World Forum trolling society particularly rounded on one Meg who tried to offer an honest and open view of what happened. They also went off on a whole range of conspiracy theories about the National Bargee Travellers Association. Never let facts get in the way of a 'good' argument.
All this has highlighted how a small minority can spoil the vibe for all. If anyone is a freeloader, it's the people who pour out their bile and hate against people they don't know who simply offer a different view in good faith. Most of those doing so when pressed have admitted they were not even at the meeting! These boaters do more to divide and harm the boating community than the very few Continuous Cruisers who take the piss out on the cut.
However the most interesting thing to me is that CRT seemingly failed to challenge the 'Freeloader' assertion during the meeting.
If they had done so they would have cut the whole thing down to size in a few words. The fact that the meeting was heated thereafter therefore comes as no surprise and just adds fuel to the claims that CRT are anti all continuous cruisers.
A missed opportunity for CRT to make some peace with many boaters they have recently pissed off.
Wednesday, 1 April 2015
Boat teleport trials announced to address new Canal and River Trust cruising rules
In response to the latest boating rules from Canal and River Trust, Dr Milkem Drie in association with Professer Denzil Dexter will today start public trials of their new boat teleport system. Dr Drie says:
Our new teleport system is designed to assist boaters deal with the new rules from CRT. Not only does it means you can move your boat to another part of the country at short notice, thereby complying almost instantly with the new requirements for a minimum movement range during each licence period, but this complex system also provides infallible location data down to the nearest molecule.
Accurate space time location data is an essential part of our design and is available at all times when the unit is active. This data can of course can be provided to CRT should the need arise.
Our new teleport system is designed to assist boaters deal with the new rules from CRT. Not only does it means you can move your boat to another part of the country at short notice, thereby complying almost instantly with the new requirements for a minimum movement range during each licence period, but this complex system also provides infallible location data down to the nearest molecule.
Accurate space time location data is an essential part of our design and is available at all times when the unit is active. This data can of course can be provided to CRT should the need arise.
Thursday, 26 March 2015
Canal and River Trust extends policy of not trusting its boating customers
I
have frequently said that CRT stands for Can't Really Trust'em.
It seems the feeling is mutual. CRT don't trust the boaters either as reflected not only in the latest moves on Continuous Cruising but also in the parallel terms and conditions changes for boaters with home moorings.
According to CRT, from now on, whenever you move your boat, you have to gather enough evidence to prove to them that you are moving and show how far. If you fail to have such evidence available when challenged you could ultimately have your licence removed.
It's a sad state of affairs that CRT's relationship with it's boating customers has descended to the point where we are all suspect, where we all have to worry about proving that we are not liars, when we are almost routinely assumed guilty unless we prove otherwise every time we move our boats? No wonder that trust between boaters and CRT is all but dead.
Has anyone stood back long enough to think how completely mad this all is?
It seems the feeling is mutual. CRT don't trust the boaters either as reflected not only in the latest moves on Continuous Cruising but also in the parallel terms and conditions changes for boaters with home moorings.
According to CRT, from now on, whenever you move your boat, you have to gather enough evidence to prove to them that you are moving and show how far. If you fail to have such evidence available when challenged you could ultimately have your licence removed.
It's a sad state of affairs that CRT's relationship with it's boating customers has descended to the point where we are all suspect, where we all have to worry about proving that we are not liars, when we are almost routinely assumed guilty unless we prove otherwise every time we move our boats? No wonder that trust between boaters and CRT is all but dead.
Has anyone stood back long enough to think how completely mad this all is?
Monday, 23 March 2015
A case study in how to alienate your customers?
Many
people's hopes (including mine) that changes in the Canal and River Trust would lead to better
relationships with boaters have been dashed by recent events. Reflecting
on CRT's recent attempts to take stronger action
against Continuous Cruisers who don't move very far, NABO's open letter to CRT sums up the problems pretty well.
It is difficult to understate how big a failure this episode represents. I think I give no secrets away when I say that colleagues in NABO who have come to Council recently were genuinely determined to try to build bridges with CRT. The presence of new blood, in whom I have great confidence, was a major factor in my feeling able to stand down. Again it is no secret when I suggest that they feel they have been well and truly slapped in the face for their recent efforts.
As a former NABO national officer, the narrative in the open letter comes as no surprise: One sits down in one's own time with CRT/BW, tries to give them constructive advice and feedback on how to implement something difficult and sensitive, taking into account your experience and knowledge of boating and they then do something different, omitting key parts of what you thought you'd just agreed. Seems that the change from BW to CRT has not changed that?
It is difficult to understate how big a failure this episode represents. I think I give no secrets away when I say that colleagues in NABO who have come to Council recently were genuinely determined to try to build bridges with CRT. The presence of new blood, in whom I have great confidence, was a major factor in my feeling able to stand down. Again it is no secret when I suggest that they feel they have been well and truly slapped in the face for their recent efforts.
As a former NABO national officer, the narrative in the open letter comes as no surprise: One sits down in one's own time with CRT/BW, tries to give them constructive advice and feedback on how to implement something difficult and sensitive, taking into account your experience and knowledge of boating and they then do something different, omitting key parts of what you thought you'd just agreed. Seems that the change from BW to CRT has not changed that?
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