continuous cruising

[kendo50]

hi, I'm curious as to the situation with cc's if in winter the canal freezes and they are stuck unable to move do they incur penalties? from bw? with re moorings.

[alan_fincher]

hi, I'm curious as to the situation with cc's if in winter the canal freezes and they are stuck unable to move do they incur penalties? from bw? with re moorings.

In a word, "No" !

 

It is accepted in such circumstances that movement is not possible, so if we had a repeat of 1962/1963 then you could stay wherever you happened to get iced in until the ice melts, (if you have the stamina!)

 

It's not just weather. BW operate an extensive winter stoppage program, often with parts of the canal closed for weeks at a time. If you turn up at a lock flight just after it has closed for a three week stoppage, that is also a perfectly accepted reason for not moving on after 14 days.

 

Some CCers jump through hoops to try and keep going, and miss the stoppages, so as not to get holed up in one location.

 

Other's work very hard at coinciding with them, giving themselves a perfect reason why they can't move on for several weeks, so are perfectly able to stay static.

 

It's your choice which you do, and nobody can complain about either, in my view.

[Lady Muck]

hi, I'm curious as to the situation with cc's if in winter the canal freezes and they are stuck unable to move do they incur penalties? from bw? with re moorings.

 

No of course not - they do have *some* common sense. There are usually stoppages (repair work where certain locks, bridges etc. are closed) scheduled for the winter season so you can't often boat that far anyway and you won't be penalised if you are stuck for that reason either.

[Natalie Graham]

if we had a repeat of 1962/1963 then you could stay wherever you happened to get iced in until the ice melts, (if you have the stamina!)

 

If you were iced in like '62/63 I think you'd be staying put regardless of how much stamina you could muster.

[alan_fincher]

If you were iced in like '62/63 I think you'd be staying put regardless of how much stamina you could muster.

I like boats, but I think I'd be pretending I didn't have one, and be heading instead for the Salvation Army hostel!

[cotswoldsman]

No of course not - they do have *some* common sense. There are usually stoppages (repair work where certain locks, bridges etc. are closed) scheduled for the winter season so you can't often boat that far anyway and you won't be penalised if you are stuck for that reason either.

 

Ice would certainly not cause a problem. As far as stoppages are concerned I can only speak for the Llangollen Canal where I have spent the last 2 winters, BW had posted signs at all the locks that were due for closure clearly stating that closures would not be accepted as a reason for over staying and boaters doing so would be charged winter moorings. As an example I was moored with one other boat above Grindley Brook(closed for repair) in January this year in the snow (No ice) there is enough room for about 10 - 15 boats on these 48 hour moorings on the fourth day we were moved on by local mooring officer who lived nearby. This is the only time in 3 years that I have ever fallen foul of mooring officer!! I should add that I was not planning to stay for long was just waiting for snow to clear.

[Dawnie]

Is that just because the moorings officer was local do you think? Have others seen similar signs at other stoppages?

[Hobbler]

Ice would certainly not cause a problem. As far as stoppages are concerned I can only speak for the Llangollen Canal where I have spent the last 2 winters, BW had posted signs at all the locks that were due for closure clearly stating that closures would not be accepted as a reason for over staying and boaters doing so would be charged winter moorings. As an example I was moored with one other boat above Grindley Brook(closed for repair) in January this year in the snow (No ice) there is enough room for about 10 - 15 boats on these 48 hour moorings on the fourth day we were moved on by local mooring officer who lived nearby. This is the only time in 3 years that I have ever fallen foul of mooring officer!! I should add that I was not planning to stay for long was just waiting for snow to clear.

 

I would assume the Mooring Officers thinking was that as there is a considerable lock free length of canal above Grindley Brook it could not be claimed the stoppage was preventing boats from moving . Not sure what the situation would have been had boats been moored below the locks and if there was also a stoppage on the next locks towards Hurleston as the boaters options would have been limited , unless of course the notices were intended to stop boats deliberately putting themselves in that situation to get round the regs.

[cotswoldsman]

I would assume the Mooring Officers thinking was that as there is a considerable lock free length of canal above Grindley Brook it could not be claimed the stoppage was preventing boats from moving . Not sure what the situation would have been had boats been moored below the locks and if there was also a stoppage on the next locks towards Hurleston as the boaters options would have been limited , unless of course the notices were intended to stop boats deliberately putting themselves in that situation to get round the regs.

 

Sorry don't want to turn this into a discussion about my experience with one mooring officer. I had no intention of staying at Grindley Brook and using the stoppage as an excuse, I overstayed because of the snow, my choice as it was very cold!! Was just pointing out that even in the snow I was moved on, ok I had overstayed by 48 hours but there were only 2 boats on moorings where there was enough room for 10 - 15 boats and due to stoppage at lock there was no chance of the number of boats increasing.