Monday 30 May 2016

A cunning plan (not)


IMG_4553You may remember that a couple of weeks ago we contacted Canal and River Trust regarding a mooring at Rembrandt Gardens in London. There are only two bookable moorings (but room for three boats) and unfortunatly we were told that they were full and there would be no chance of a mooring. They did however say that they would put us on the cancellation list , so that if any boats didn’t turn up they would contact us and give us a place. Luckily though we managed to pick up a mooring in Paddington Basin.
The picture above shows The Rembrandt Garden moorings with only one boat on it and it stayed that way for five days while we were there. In that time loads of visiting boats from outside the London area arrived and could not find anywhere to stop and several of them after travelling for many days just turned and left the city. It’s clear that Canal and River Trust have great problems of controling the moorings in central London. Canal and River Trusts offices are just opposite the moorings in Little Venice so they would just have to step outside the door to see if the Rembrandt moorings had been taken.

In the basin where we were eight out of the twenty boats there at one time had either overstayed or did not display a valid licence or their boat number. Some had CRT overstay envelopes pinned to their boats. Several of them seemed to be so called dumpers, which are boats that are just moved around the system with no people on them for the time they are moored.

In Liverpool they run a very successful scheme where you pre book to moor in the city. We have spoken to so many other visiting boaters to London who have said that they believed a system like that should be introduced into Paddington Basin and most boater’s said they would be prepared and more than happy to pay a fee for a guaranteed visitor mooring.

IMG_4456I did speak to one local boater who told me that If I wanted to over stay and have a longer time in London at this time of year was to get an old tyre and hang it off the side of our boat. Then within a couple of days a Coot would build a nest and lay some eggs. Because the birds are protected the boat can then not be moved for the next month or more… “What a cunning plan” he said .   I THINK NOT !!!!.  Of course I’m sure not all boaters that use tyres for fenders do it for overstaying.

                                                                                                   Happy Days

4 comments:

  1. I read someone's blog recently (can't remember which) who were on Rembrant, went out a few times during the week (so would have looked empty) then moved to a spot in Paddington a few days before their leaving time because they wanted to stay longer and there was a free spot. When we were there the boat next to us did exactly the same, leaving the spot empty for 3 days. Perhaps there could be a sort of parking ticket scheme, if you leave early hand in the ticket to the office then visitors could pop in and see if there was a few days left on the ticket that they could use. It is such a waste to see the space empty.
    Kath (nb Herbie)

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    1. A ticket scheme sounds like a great idea and has to be the way to go. So dissapointing to travel all the way to London and not have a safe mooring ...

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  2. You mention the Liverpool Scheme in the blog, just as a correction there is no charge for mooring in Salthouse dock in Liverpool (or there wasn't when we went last year) and there doesn't seem to be anything about a charge on this years booking form. It's an excellent mooring and all free!

    John
    nb RUNE

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    1. I thought there was a charge , but if there isn't that's brilliant and I have edited the blog to correct it . A similar scheme for
      London has to be the way forward..

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