Inland cruising cheats to be targeted by the CRT
Rules to be clarified as the Canal & River Trust plans to crack down on inland cruising cheats.
February 25, 2015
The UK’s inland waterways are broadly split between those with a permanent home mooring and those who are committed to continuous cruising (see Narrowboat or barge? Canal boats explained). However, the tendency of some boaters to disregard their continuous cruising obligations and outstay their welcome in a given area can be a major scourge. So in a bid to better clarify the rules and salve the growing friction, the Canal & River Trust (CRT) has outlined fresh plans.
Some parking spots are more sought after than others.
The Trust will now take steps to ascertain how far a continuous cruiser has moved over the course of its previous licence. Those who fail to move their boats either far enough or frequently enough to meet the requirements of the CRT’s "Guidance for Boaters without a Home Mooring" (based on the British Waterways Act of 1995), will be refused a new licence unless a home mooring is secured. And frankly, that makes a lot of sense...
After all, it is simply not fair that a self-centred minority should be allowed to clog up the most popular parts of our network like a troop of ramshackle malingerers. Neither is it fair that our waterways should be expected to take up the slack for the housing shortage. And while you could argue that there are simply not enough permanent moorings for those who would like to stay put, Richard Parry, Chief Executive of the CRT, seems confident that the new measures are sound: “The right for boaters to continuously cruise is enshrined in law, and I welcome this way of boating. Our new approach does not change any rules, but it does seek to provide greater encouragement to everyone to comply with our Guidance, and spells out the consequences if they consistently don’t.”
Continuous cruisers who consistently break the rules will now have to buy a home mooring.
The CRT will initially focus on the most serious offenders, issuing reminders to any boater whose limited movement is causing concern – and while the new policy is eased into force, it will also issue “short-duration licences”, giving boaters a chance to improve their record of movement.
Let’s just hope that this long-overdue initiative is enforced with sufficient vigour to make it as effective as the rest of us law-abiding boaters would like it to be.
