--- In [email protected], Steve Wood <st...@...> wrote: > > As a Continuous Cruiser for the best part of 10 years it makes me sad > that this sort of discussion comes up from time to time as bits get > taken out of the thread and used to justify a general condemnation of > continuous cruising. > > We all know that there are people out there who actually don't want to > continuously cruise but don't want to pay for a mooring in one place and > who push the limits to see what's the least they can get away with to > achieve this objective. To my mind - using the example quoted - moving > for half an hour, of for that matter 5 x half an hour is not usually > continuous cruising, though there are times when it is. For example last > year I did it a fair number of half hour journeys between villages on > the Thames and this year I did the same on the Llangollen. In both cases > it was because I wanted to properly visit places and spend time > effectively living there. Mooring for a day or two, or even a fortnight > in some places is just not enough to see them properly. I spent over two > months on the Llangollen and Montgomery this year but I now feel I know > them well, having never done them before. Next summer I'm planning to do > the same on the Severn, Avon and G&S. I have no doubt in my own mind > that I was/will be continuously cruising on all these journeys. > > As it happens I've been on my current mooring for 17 days for various > reasons that are nothing to do with boating (I was not on board for most > of the time) but will be heading off tomorrow to another mooring that is > a full day's cruising cruising away and stay there for a couple of days > as I want to see some people in that area. I will then head back through > the location I'm in now and travel a full day in the opposite direction. > I plan to stay there for a week then move for 2 days to another location > three (not one!) days away from where I am now. I've no plans after that > as yet other than an intention to spend Christmas in a particular place. > > I'm fortunate in that I'm not tied to any one place these days but I was > tied to the Cannock area by work for 8 of the last 10 years so made sure > that I was generally in a restricted area around there - say an hour in > any direction by car (NOT boat.) This gave me an area with maybe 200 > miles of canal to play (yes I know there is more canal than this within > an hour of Cannock but I don't like leaving the boat in various midlands > locations.) > > I've stayed in places for an extended period on two occasions with BW > permission, once after the fire on board (3 months) and once after a > fall that put me on crutches (6 weeks) both occasions being in winter > and in rural locations. Can't say I've ever had any dealings with local > wardens except to say hello from time to time but I've never stayed > anywhere long enough to get to know them so can't comment on their > favouritism of one boat over another. > > Continuous cruising and working are not easy things to do at the same > time but it can be done if you have a flexible employer and is a > rewarding lifestyle. I moved onto land for 18 months whilst Bream was > refitted and moved back because I enjoy it. There is a real irony that > people who actually do want to stay in one place but don't want to pay > for it might force those of us who don't want to stay in one place to > pay extra to carry on moving around.
> It is not the continuous cruisers that I see as the problem. It is the continuous liveaboard moorers that take over a canal bank as though they owned it. They should be banished to marinas specifically permitted for permanent liveaboard occupation. Regards Pete www.thecanalshop.com
