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Towpath moorings query


Boisdevie

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Shortly I'll have to make a 5 day trip. I've never done it before. Can you simply tie up for the night by the towpath or do you have to stop at 'official' mooorings? If it's the latter, is there any way of knowing how long you can stay at such moorings. If this question has been asked a million times then my apologies. In the days/weeks to come I'm sure to ask lots of other stupid questions.

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4 minutes ago, Boisdevie said:

So am I OK to just knock mooring pegs into the ground?

Yup - pretty much. Some places are covered in concrete / bricks / other impermeable matter - so you can't get pins in (If 'mooring pegs' mean something like wooden tent pegs, then you may have some challenges...

On some canals - the Oxford for example, the bankside is so boggy and fragile, that I'll only tie up to the Armco type material.

That's possibly more info: that you needed - I don't know what the Lancaster canal is like...

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Look, mooring is a complex art requiring 3 years of study culminating in a degree in Mooring, covering the following issues and more:

  1. Can you get to the bank?
  2. Is there a hard shelf just under you that you can drop onto in the middle of the night that will then bump and keep you awake?
  3. Is there an active railway close by?
  4. Is there a busy road close by?
  5. Is there a sewage farm close by? Note don't go by the smell as the wind direction will change as soon as you have finished tying up.
  6. Is there armco?
  7. Are there mooring rings?
  8. Is the bank exposed to strong wind?
  9. Are you in a short pound where levels can change leaving you aground with a list?
  10. Will you be charged for it?
  11. Near an aerodrome?
  12. Is it a winding hole?
  13. Is it on a sharp bend?
  14. Is it too close to a bridge?
  15. Is it too narrow for other boats to pass?
  16. Is the towpath a swamp?
  17. Is the neighbouring field full of cowpats - and therefore flies?
  18. Is that a loaded muck spreader in the near corner of the field?
  19. Is the towpath due to be mowed at 6am?
  20. Is it near a hump-backed bridge which is regularly hooted by car drivers?
  21. Is it near a noisy pub? (note this can be a good or a bad feature depending on your disposition)
  22. Is it near an amorous corner?
  23. Is it near a pickup point?
  24. Is it near a pig farm?
  25. Is it (or will it be) near unpleasant boaters? (This requires some judgement and also a degree of clairvoyance)
  26. Is it near a distribution depot? (eg Milton Keynes/Wolverton where upto 6 concurrent reversing vehicles can be beeping at the same time)
  27. Is the bank covered in doggy do (unless you intended to add to it)
  28. Is it somebody's long term mooring? (marked or unmarked)
  29. Is a fishing competition due to start here at 06:00?
  30. Is this a picture book hamlet where somebody will leap out of a house and say you can't do that?
  31. Is there submerged/water level armco that your fenders can't manage?
  32. Is it downhill to the pub? (It makes getting back harder)
  33. Is there no pub???
  34. Is there an obscured No mooring notice?
  35. Do there appear to be gates at the front and the back of your boat? (This is called a lock.)
  36. Can you get a network signal?
  37. Is there a tree to fall on your boat?
addenda: 36 onward
Edited by system 4-50
  • Greenie 4
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1 hour ago, OldGoat said:

I'll only tie up to the Armco type material.

This is the strongest mooring if there are no rings or bollards. You can get special bent hooks that go behind the Armco, often called "Nappy Pins" because of their shape, or you can use chains.

If you do end up mooring on pins, angle them so that the top of the pin lays towards the ground i.e. not at 90 degrees to the ground and place the pins outside the length of the boat. This will help to stop the boat swinging backwards and forward when a boat comes by.  Best not to tie a center rope off the roof too.

Phil

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14 minutes ago, philjw said:

This is the strongest mooring if there are no rings or bollards. You can get special bent hooks that go behind the Armco, often called "Nappy Pins" because of their shape, or you can use chains.

If you do end up mooring on pins, angle them so that the top of the pin lays towards the ground i.e. not at 90 degrees to the ground and place the pins outside the length of the boat. This will help to stop the boat swinging backwards and forward when a boat comes by.  Best not to tie a center rope off the roof too.

Phil

Always put the pin through the armco near where the armco is fixed to the bank or you can bend the armco or get the pin jammed in the armco. 

They can be noisy with passing traffic, etc.

I like the hook version more than the safety pin style.

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2 hours ago, system 4-50 said:

Look, mooring is a complex art requiring 3 years of study culminating in a degree in Mooring, covering the following issues and more:

  1. Can you get to the bank?
  2. Is there a hard shelf just under you that you can drop onto in the middle of the night that will then bump and keep you awake?
  3. Is there an active railway close by?
  4. Is there a busy road close by?
  5. Is there a sewage farm close by? Note don't go by the smell as the wind direction will change as soon as you have finished tying up.
  6. Is there armco?
  7. Are there mooring rings?
  8. Is the bank exposed to strong wind?
  9. Are you in a short pound where levels can change leaving you aground with a list?
  10. Will you be charged for it?
  11. Near an aerodrome?
  12. Is it a winding hole?
  13. Is it on a sharp bend?
  14. Is it too close to a bridge?
  15. Is it too narrow for other boats to pass?
  16. Is the towpath a swamp?
  17. Is the neighbouring field full of cowpats - and therefore flies?
  18. Is that a loaded muck spreader in the near corner of the field?
  19. Is the towpath due to be mowed at 6am?
  20. Is it near a hump-backed bridge which is regularly hooted by car drivers?
  21. Is it near a noisy pub? (note this can be a good or a bad feature depending on your disposition)
  22. Is it near an amorous corner?
  23. Is it near a pickup point?
  24. Is it near a pig farm?
  25. Is it (or will it be) near unpleasant boaters? (This requires some judgement and also a degree of clairvoyance)
  26. Is it near a distribution depot? (eg Milton Keynes/Wolverton where upto 6 concurrent reversing vehicles can be beeping at the same time)
  27. Is the bank covered in doggy do (unless you intended to add to it)
  28. Is it somebody's long term mooring? (marked or unmarked)
  29. Is a fishing competition due to start here at 06:00?
  30. Is this a picture book hamlet where somebody will leap out of a house and say you can't do that?
  31. Is there submerged/water level armco that your fenders can't manage?
  32. Is it downhill to the pub? (It makes getting back harder)
  33. Is there no pub???
  34. Is there an obscure No mooring notice?
  35. Do there appear to be gates at the front and the back of your boat? (This is called a lock.)
 

You missed my main one, No big trees, so many fall over

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In order to moor where ever you want most of us travel with out Mother in Law and/or a teenager.

Then when we spot somewhere we like the look of either or both of them can stand on the towpath and hold the lines.  It's a lot quicker and less trouble than hammering pins and tying knots.

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You can moor for 14 days on a reduced time limit visitor mooring, the reduced time limit is advisory only, and there is no penalty for doing so. If CaRT staff threaten you with a £25 charge agree to it, the one thing they hope you will not do,  ask for the invoice, and when you need to vacate the mooring you have just paid for by, the only answer to that proves the charge does not infer the right to use the "facility", and is in fact a fine, and therefore illegal.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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2 hours ago, Muddy Ditch Rich said:

You can moor for 14 days on a reduced time limit visitor mooring, the reduced time limit is advisory only, and there is no penalty for doing so. If CaRT staff threaten you with a £25 charge agree to it, the one thing they hope you will not do,  ask for the invoice, and when you need to vacate the mooring you have just paid for by, the only answer to that proves the charge does not infer the right to use the "facility", and is in fact a fine, and therefore illegal.

But you will still be £25 per day out of pocket, which is more than I would choose to pay.

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10 hours ago, Muddy Ditch Rich said:

You can moor for 14 days on a reduced time limit visitor mooring, the reduced time limit is advisory only, and there is no penalty for doing so.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Is this true or is it a joke? If the latter, we shouldn't be misleading the O.P. If the former, it's a revelation.

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49 minutes ago, Athy said:

Is this true or is it a joke? If the latter, we shouldn't be misleading the O.P. If the former, it's a revelation.

Onion Bargee is making a point!

It is actually quite a valid one, (whether someone is involved in a long term stand off with CRT or not!).

Many people believe that the necessary acts of parliament do not permit CRT to fine, (or apply a "facility charge") for people who overstay on what they have defined as short stay moorings. (NABO, for example).

Although a few people have paid such charges when invoiced for them, many have not.  CRT do not seem to pursue this point in law, because if you talk to people within CRT on the topic, many will accept they are on dodgy ground, and do not wish to be publicly involved in litigation they realise they may lose.

Various FOIA requests have established that nobody has been pursued in law for these charges I think.  Some may have even been raised by Onion Bargee/Muddy Ditch Ritch himself, I'm not sure, but I have no doubt he could supply the detail, even where those FOIA requests not amongst his own.

It is actually highly arguable that even the 14 day limit applies to those who have a home mooring.  The relevant act that talks about not being anywhere for more than 14 days is pretty clear that it only relates to those without a home mooring.

For the avoidance of doubt, I accept that the 14 day limit is sensible for all, even if not supported in law.  I also try to respect all signed shorter stays, but would certainly not pay an overstay charge if I inadvertently got invoiced for one.  Some of the latest signs to go up near me threaten a possible charge, but don't even detail what that charge may be.  That simply isn't legal - and is a fair indication that it is a threat they never intend to pursue, in that particular case.

8 hours ago, Chewbacka said:

But you will still be £25 per day out of pocket, which is more than I would choose to pay.

Only if you choose to pay it.  If you don't it will be unlikely to cost you anything, I believe.

Edited by alan_fincher
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Thanks, Alan. So the statement that such signs are advisory is not strictly true, but you are unlikely to be prosecuted if you overstay; is that about the long and short of it?

Round our way, some subversive boaters must have thought that new "24 hours" signs were mandatory - as they were soon removed from the wooden posts to which they had been affixed!

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On the point of mooring time limits, what is a 2 day mooring, I knew what 48 hrs meant, if I arrived mid day Monday I was expected to leave mid day Wednesday, easy. But 2 days, if I arrive mid day Monday can I stay Tuesday and Wednesday and leave Thursday or is Monday day one and Tuesday day 2 so I should leave Wednesday morning? Your thought.

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37 minutes ago, ditchcrawler said:

On the point of mooring time limits, what is a 2 day mooring, I knew what 48 hrs meant, if I arrived mid day Monday I was expected to leave mid day Wednesday, easy. But 2 days, if I arrive mid day Monday can I stay Tuesday and Wednesday and leave Thursday or is Monday day one and Tuesday day 2 so I should leave Wednesday morning? Your thought.

Under the Waterways Byelaws a 'day' is defined as

"  “day” means the period between sunrise and sunset",

therefore if you arrive anytime before sunset on 'day 1' that is one day accounted for, you must then leave before sunrise on 'day 3' - if you do not depart until after sunrise then you have taken 3 days.

So  a 2-day mooring =

Arrive mid-day Monday.

You must leave before Sunrise on Wednesday.

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Just now, Alan de Enfield said:

Under the Waterways Byelaws a 'day' is defined as

"  “day” means the period between sunrise and sunset",

therefore if you arrive anytime before sunset on 'day 1' that is one day accounted for, you must then leave before sunrise on 'day 3' - if you do not depart until after sunrise then you have taken 3 days.

So  a 2-day mooring =

Arrive mid-day Monday.

You must leave before Sunrise on Wednesday.

So basically a day and a half and on a one day mooring if you arrive at 3 pm you have to be gone first thing the next morning, maybe 5am ?

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