Boaters’ Update August 2010

IWA National Festival & Boat Show

The Inland Waterways Association’s (IWA) National Festival & Boat Show at Beale Park is just round the corner, taking place over the Bank Holiday weekend, 28 - 30 August 2010.

Buy an advance ticket and save £2.50 on the £12 per adult gate price. In addition to the discounted entry, advance ticket purchases will also receive 10% discount on the entry to the Didcot Steam Railway and will be automatically entered into a waterways holiday prize draw.

Accompanied children come in FREE so by booking early, a family of two adults and up to three children can come into the Festival for only £19. Advance tickets can be ordered via the IWA’s on-line
www.waterways.org.uk

BW directors Nigel Johnson and Simon Salem will be at the show hosting Customer Meetings on the Saturday at 10.30am and Monday at 12.30pm in the main Festival Theatre. This is an opportunity to hear about the plans to establish a ‘national trust’ for the waterways or to ask about any waterway operational matter.

Read more about what’s happening at the IWA National Festival & Boat Show

BW workboats to go under the virtual hammer

BW is auctioning over 40 redundant workboats in an online sale. The auction, which closes on 29 September 2010, includes workboats and hoppers (a number of which have particular heritage value), boat engines and more.

GoIndustry DoveBid has been appointed to handle the auction and the full auction lot will be available to view online at www.go-dove.com. Lists of craft to be auctioned will also be available on waterscape at the beginning of September.

A card about the sale has been posted to people who have already expressed an interest and previous purchasers notified by email. Inspection of the boats is strictly by appointment and must be booked through GoIndustry Dovebid

Read more about BW’s latest workboats online auction

BW and EA announce new Gold Leisure Business Licence

BW and the Environment Agency (EA) are making available, with immediate effect, a new Gold Leisure Business Licence enabling hire and hotel boats to visit both BW and EA waters without needing to organise short term licences on each occasion.

Susie Mercer, from BW’s boating trade team, comments: "We know that for private pleasure boaters a Gold Licence can be far more economical than separate licences from the different navigation authorities. I am pleased to say that the new arrangement simply brings this into line for our leisure business customers too."

Read more about the new Gold Leisure Business Licence

Boat checker update

During July, website users reported 93 sightings of unlicensed boats via the BW website. Of these, 14% have subsequently relicensed and a further 51% were already in BW’s enforcement process. 16% resulted in new cases being opened for action, and the remaining 19% were boats which were not identifiable through a valid boat index number but the details have been passed to BW’s enforcement teams for further investigation.

Visit the online boat checker

Winter Moorings 2010

Winter moorings are a convenience to boaters whose regular home mooring cruising options may be affected by stoppages; and for continuous cruisers they offer the opportunity to put down roots for a few months when the weather is less pleasant. waterscape offers a comprehensive search facility that lists all mooring providers around the network – simply use the search tool that appears on every waterscape page, or go try www.berthsearch.com. Most moorings operators are happy to arrange moorings for a few months.

BW designates up to 50% of the space at many of its visitor moorings for winter moorings and the process for allocating these for the 2010 season will make use of its mooring vacancies website. If you would like to receive an email notification when registration for the new system opens, please log your name and email address at www.bwmooringvacancies.com
If you’re not an internet user, telephone 01923 201451 to request a postal registration form.

Testing of this new part of the site will be taking place during the first week of September and if you have time and would like to help with this, please send an email to siobhan.collins@britishwaterways.co.uk.

BW’s winter stoppages programme

The scheduling of this year’s winter stoppages has benefited from more direct input from boaters than ever before. BW has been sharing first and second ‘cuts’ of the winter works plans since early May, providing comment logging and response services. The latest version was then further considered by representatives of boating groups at a four-site video meeting on 17 August 2010.

The plan will be firmed up by the end of August. Thereafter, changes will only be made for emergencies and updates will be made to notify where re-opening is achieved earlier than planned.

Look out for BW’s 2010-11 winter stoppage programme live on waterscape.com at the end of August 2010.

Stoppage details will continue to be maintained exclusively on waterscape.com which greatly reduces the risk of making cruising plans on the basis of out-of-date information. If you need a paper copy of the plan at any time over the winter, simply send a stamped addressed envelope marked ‘stoppages’ to BW Customer Services, 64 Clarendon Road, Watford WD17 1DA. Postage amounts are as follows: A4 envelope 1st class = 50p, A4 envelope 2nd class = 40p, A5 envelope 1st class = 36p or A5 envelope 2nd class = 25p.

‘Don’t get caught in a trap with no way out’ warns the Boat Safety Scheme

Some sobering correspondence arrived at the Boat Safety Scheme (BSS) this month. It began, ‘My wife and I are increasingly noticing the number of boaters who lock their stern cabin doors with a padlock from the outside whilst still onboard the boat…’

It’s prompted Rob McLean from the BSS to post some thoughts in his first ever blog about why, even if you feel that external security is crucial, you should only use it when you’re away from the boat. He says you’ll need to be able to open any door from the inside if fire breaks out, nothing should block or hinder your escape. See Rob's blog.

Green boating - be alert when pumping out your bilges

The increasing value of canals for wildlife is testament to their improved water quality. Many species thriving today such as kingfishers and otters require clean water which hosts their primary food source.

If you see pollution of the waterways by oil or anything else report it on 0800 807060 to the Environment Agency and the Scottish Environment Protection Agency.

Green Blue boating guides offer more detailed information on environmental topics relevant to boating.

Similarly, if you see oil in the pumped water check your engine compartment and ensure the drip tray is in place and has been emptied correctly - see page 37 of The Boater’s Handbook.

BW declares axis of weevil in biological warfare

BW has enlisted the help of 2mm-long weevils in its battle against a particularly problematic North American water weed. The creatures are to be released into the Bridgwater & Taunton Canal at Maunsel Lock in Somerset in order to eat the invader weed - water fern (Azolla filiculoides).

Although individual water fern plants are only around 10mm long, they are voracious growers and can multiply rapidly, covering the surface of a waterway with thick mats in a matter of weeks. This reduces light and oxygen levels in the water, killing fish and other wildlife.

BW’s ecologist, Robert Randall, explains: "As the warm weather continues, there’s a danger that it will take over completely, so introducing weevils to the canal acts as a natural pre-emptive strike in getting rid of this weed. The weevils breed extremely rapidly and only eat water fern so are very effective in destroying the plant without causing further damage to other species. If we don’t act now there is a danger that birds may inadvertently transfer the weed to the rest of the canal. Then it will be much harder to contain the spread."

Last year, BW had to spend more than £400,000 on clearing water fern and other aquatic weeds from the network.

Read more about the use of weevils to control the spread water fern.

Register now for the Boaters' Update

Sign up for your free monthly boaters’ e-newsletter, the weekly waterscape newsletter or stoppage alerts by clicking on www.waterscape.com/signup

Last updated: 23/08/2010