Winter moorings

A report by CRT on last year’s sales of winter moorings shows the following numbers of permits sold in each price bracket:

Price per metre          No sold

£6.70                           262

£10.30                         151

£13.90                         150

£16.00                         75

£18.00                         80

Total                           718

The total number of months booked was 2305, raising a total income of £314,149.40.

CRT has ‘rationalised’ the winter moorings on offer for 2019/20, removing sites where no winter moorings were sold last year. Around 100 sites will be available between 1st November and 29th February, compared to 135 in 2018.

There are seven price bands, which reflect each site’s relative attractiveness, such as location and facilities, the level of demand from boaters, and to ensure that prices are in line with private mooring operators and CRT’s own long-term mooring sites. Permits will be charged per metre, per month rate, and boaters can book moorings in increments of one month. The price bands have had a 3% inflation increase applied. 36 sites have moved into lower price bands and 25 have moved into higher price bands; the rest stay the same. Two new price bands have been added this year. The 2019/20 price bands are:

Band 0: £20.00 (new)

Band 1: £18.50

Band 2: £16.50

Band 3: £14.30

Band 4: £10.60

Band 5: £8.50 (new)

Band 6: £6.90

Boaters will be able to look at the sites on the online booking system from Monday 9th September at www.canalrivertrust.org.uk/winter-moorings. Bookings for the moorings through the boat licensing site will open at 6am on 1st October and will be made on a first-come, first-served basis (https://licensing.canalrivertrust.org.uk/Account/Register). For further information, either call customer services on 0303 040 4040 or email wintermoorings@canalrivertrust.org.uk. CRT’s future provision of winter moorings is to be reviewed after consulting the Navigation Advisory Group to consider the longer term options. Do NABO members have any views on whether winter moorings should be provided by marina operators rather than by CRT?