Yet More on CO

David Fletcher has news of a study to monitor CO in boats. Carbon monoxide (CO) continues to kill several boaters every year. The BSS requirement for alarms was introduced last year, accompanied by a significant press campaign, but there continue to be incidents, and the number of boats failing examination on this point continues to […]

Expired BSS certificates extended to 31 July

The navigation authorities have agreed to further extend the current waiver on BSS Certifications to 31 July 2020. As BSS Examinations have been suspended since late March, there is now a considerable backlog of boats needing to renew their Certifications. We strongly urge those boat owners who can, to book their Examinations as soon as […]

CRT launches appeal to support small charities across it’s network

The Canal & River Trust has today, 5 May 2020, launched a fundraising appeal to help support the dozens of small waterway-based charities across its network which have been adversely impacted by the impacts of coronavirus. Launched on Giving Tuesday, the global day of giving and unity, the Waterway Charities Appeal will provide support for […]

CRT annual boat count

The Canal & River Trust’s annual national boat count shows that licence compliance on its waterways remains high with 96.2% of boaters holding a valid licence (2019: 96.4%).  This is the fourth highest compliance figure in the last 10 years and is the eleventh successive year with evasion below 5%. The national boat count sees […]

Thames Navigation Users Forum

On 3rd March, I represented NABO at the above Forum which brings together relevant EA personnel and representatives of a wide cross-section of users of the Thames, including the eight River User Groups (the RUGs) and many other representative groups. Chaired by the Thames Director, Julia Simpson, the very long meeting was valuable and, above […]

Lockage Report for 2019

Lockage Report   CRT has published the annual lockage ranking for 2019 for those locks that are fitted with telemetry. The five most-used locks were in the West Midlands and North West Regions, as was the least-used lock.   Ranking Region Canal Site No lockages 1 West Midlands North Oxford Locks 2 & 3 Hillmorton […]

Boater Reps’ Meeting with CRT

A report from boaters rep, Dave Mendes de Costa. Yesterday the boater representatives on the CRT Council met with Matthew Symmonds (National Boating Manager). Many thanks to everyone who sent me their thoughts. As expected, the main area of discussion was around Covid-19. The tone was positive, there seems to be a desire to support […]

COVID-19 News Boat Safety Scheme Examinations Temporary Suspension

COVID-19 News Boat Safety Scheme Examinations Temporary Suspension Following the most recent announcement from the Prime Minister regarding the UK’s response to the coronavirus crisis, the joint owners of the Boat Safety Scheme (BSS) are allowing a temporary extension to safety certificates for those craft requiring an examination in the period until the 14th April. […]