Winter moorings 2011

[Alan Saunders]

In case you are not registered for email from BW :-

 

Good afternoon

 

We're contacting you because our records indicate that your boat has no home mooring. If this is not the case, please accept our apology and email your name, index number and details of your mooring location to Boat_licensing_Team@britishwaterways.co.uk so that we can update our records.

 

We wanted to let you know that winter mooring permits at a number of BW visitor mooring sites will go on sale on Monday 17th October, starting at around 3pm. You can browse the locations and prices now at https://www.bwmooringvacancies.com/winter-moorings.php. We know that many boaters find it hard to maintain bona fide navigation when the weather becomes harsher, so the convenience of a longer term mooring makes a lot of sense. There is a postal option for people unable to use the online system – just call 01923 201451 during normal office hours and Siobhan will explain this process.

 

Many private mooring operators also offer monthly mooring agreements. To find mooring providers in your area, search on www.which-marina.com or www.waterscape.com

 

Whilst writing, we'd also like to draw your attention to BW's recently updated guidance for boats without a home mooring. We hope you find this helpful in clarifying what it means to be a ‘bona fide navigator' as required by the conditions of your boat's licence.

 

Frozen rivers, lock closures and winter weather may be reasonable grounds for staying in one place for longer than 14 days, but if you find your movement plans affected in this way, you do need to contact the local enforcement officer to confirm permission to remain longer. If you don' t know who this is, please email Linzi.dean@britishwaterways.co.uk and she will supply the contact details for the area where you're moored at the time.

 

We hope this briefing has been helpful. We have only been able to send it to boaters who have registered their email addresses with us, and we'd be really grateful for your help in communicating the contents more widely amongst others who have not received it. There is a postal option for people unable to use the online system for securing a winter mooring - just call 01923 201451 during normal office hours and Siobhan will explain this process.

 

With best wishes

BW moorings and enforcement teams

[matty40s]

Aye, opened me e-mail and there it was,

 

...would you like to pay silly money to stay on a towpath with no facilities for 5 months.

If there are any spaces left after everyone has bid, you might be allowed to get a crap location for three months only.

 

I can guarantee that at 3pm on the start day, all the Little Venice and Paddington Basin spots will have all gone, leaving about 3.2 metres. Those spots will have been "reserved" already, like they were last year. .......and then a month later, BW will try to fill the ones that someone has defaulted on!!

[Starcoaster]

I know I'm probably missing something obvious, but are literally all of them just towpath moorings? If not, how can you tell which are on marina's or better facilities?

Thanks.

[matty40s]

I know I'm probably missing something obvious, but are literally all of them just towpath moorings? If not, how can you tell which are on marina's or better facilities?

Thanks.

 

BW winter moorings are almost all towpath moorings or basin moorings with no facilities Starcoaster. The rates are ludicrously high for what they are, and I would advise you to shop around the marinas in the south warks/northants region for your first winter aboard if you really want to stay in one place for 5 months.

for example,

where I am now, the River Soar, I can either book Zouch or Loughborough at £6.44 per metre - ie £676 for 5 months

I can stay in Pillings Lock marina with all facilities, Redhill, or Raynesway for less or the same.

 

You are heading for Hillmorton, the cost is £8.10 per ,metre, rising to £10.20 if you want the puddlebanks at Braunston.Neither have facilities.

So...

either do a marina, or CC, until the ice comes and then make the telephone call.

[Starcoaster]

Goddit!

I'm taking the boat into Braunston for the first month, during which I plan to find somewhere else longer term (Braunston being a bit of a Hail Mary panic jobbie!)

[JennyG]

Hi, give www.which-marina.com a try, it takes some digging but there are lots of marinas on there offering winter moorings.

 

Worked for us

[Ange]

As I have a winter contract and we need to stay in one place we did look into BW winter moorings this winter. The price was £9,67 per meter per month, which works out at £493.17 for 3 months to moor on the public towpath with no facilities and no security. We've just paid for 3 months to stay at Beeston Marina, on a secure pontoon with safe car parking facilities, pump out, diesel and water for £577.

 

It seems to me there's a much bigger difference in the quality of the moorings than the pricing reflects. I can't see us ever paying for a BW winter mooring, IMO they are way too expensive.

[Grace and Favour]

As I have a winter contract and we need to stay in one place we did look into BW winter moorings this winter. The price was £9,67 per meter per month, which works out at £493.17 for 3 months to moor on the public towpath with no facilities and no security. We've just paid for 3 months to stay at Beeston Marina, on a secure pontoon with safe car parking facilities, pump out, diesel and water for £577.

 

It seems to me there's a much bigger difference in the quality of the moorings than the pricing reflects. I can't see us ever paying for a BW winter mooring, IMO they are way too expensive.

 

(Off topic) - Ah! that's where you are Ange! - - - I hope the new job's ticketty-boo?

[Ange]

(Off topic) - Ah! that's where you are Ange! - - - I hope the new job's ticketty-boo?

 

Hello Yes - settling in really well and enjoying the new job.

 

Just had our first night in the marina bar and a very enjoyable one it was

[mrsmelly]

Aye, opened me e-mail and there it was,

 

...would you like to pay silly money to stay on a towpath with no facilities for 5 months.

If there are any spaces left after everyone has bid, you might be allowed to get a crap location for three months only.

 

I can guarantee that at 3pm on the start day, all the Little Venice and Paddington Basin spots will have all gone, leaving about 3.2 metres. Those spots will have been "reserved" already, like they were last year. .......and then a month later, BW will try to fill the ones that someone has defaulted on!!

 

But surely as a CONTINUOUS cruiser wether or not certain spots are sold easily and quickly by bw wouldnt matter as you can just cruise to another waterway any where else in the country before stoppages and buy one there or some private place if you wish.

[paddy r]

Just paid £600 odd to stay at Bardney lock on line,elec hook up,Bucket and chuck,water.Working in Bardney for winter so better for us.Make's on line on the cut expencive!

Paddy

 

 

 

Glad to see you got there Ange

[jenlyn]

In case you are not registered for email from BW :-

 

would be nice if they could learn to write a promotional letter to inform us, rather than send out what seems to be a threatening intimidating letter

[matty40s]

But surely as a CONTINUOUS cruiser wether or not certain spots are sold easily and quickly by bw wouldnt matter as you can just cruise to another waterway any where else in the country before stoppages and buy one there or some private place if you wish.

 

Indeed. it didn't matter. However, I was moored at Little Venice the day the winter moorings auctions opened and looked out of interest.

They opened not at 3pm, but an hour late at 4pm, every mooring in LV and Paddington was taken. About 3 weeks later , I received a BW letter telling me that I needed a winter mooring and they could fit me in at these two locaions(along with several other boaters I know.

I CC'd, only getting iced in for about 3 weeks, and had enjoyed the whole Lee and Stort in marvelous weather whilst many boaters were still waiting for their booked mooring times to end on April 1st.

I did talk to one couple about how great the trip had been, and they said "our mooring doesn't run out until April 1st, we will be going up that way then...!!"

[mrsmelly]

Indeed. it didn't matter. However, I was moored at Little Venice the day the winter moorings auctions opened and looked out of interest.

They opened not at 3pm, but an hour late at 4pm, every mooring in LV and Paddington was taken. About 3 weeks later , I received a BW letter telling me that I needed a winter mooring and they could fit me in at these two locaions(along with several other boaters I know.

I CC'd, only getting iced in for about 3 weeks, and had enjoyed the whole Lee and Stort in marvelous weather whilst many boaters were still waiting for their booked mooring times to end on April 1st.

I did talk to one couple about how great the trip had been, and they said "our mooring doesn't run out until April 1st, we will be going up that way then...!!"

 

The bw moorings are stupidly priced. There is a guy on a winter mooring on the towpath opposite me here and he is paying nearly as much for his 5 months winter mooring as I pay bw for an entire year

[deletedaccount]

13 a meter round here. Mental.

[cotswoldsman]

13 a meter round here. Mental.

 

Free here as long as I shuffle along every 14 days

Edited November 20, 2011 by cotswoldsman

[Jim Batty]

Free here as long as I shuffle along every 14 days

 

Yes, seems a lot to simply stay on an unserviced public mooring for more than 14 days.

 

Winter moorings are annoying if you do continually cruise as they sometimes leave little/no room for visitors. (Try coming off the Thames at Brentford at dusk and find a place to moor this time of year). Winter moorers are not restricted to particular sections of public moorings, despite what the signs indicate.

 

Also, last year I noticed that winter moorers at South Cowley needed to 'guard' each others moorings when going off for water or pumpout as they might otherwise face a tiring confrontation with another boater on return. How do you weigh the rights of a bona fide gold licence visitor on a visitor mooring with someone who has paid for a winter mooring on the same visitor mooring?