Dear NABO Council,

Thank you for sending me your informative bulletins and the always excellent NABO News.

Rarely do I comment on boating matters, but I do believe it is essential for all boaters to be members of NABO, particularly now that CRT are becoming more aggressive regarding cruising distances, especially with regard to boaters like me who choose not to have a home mooring because we prefer a nomadic lifestyle.

It is my considered opinion that CRT are acting illegally in their interpretation of the 1995 Act which does NOT specify any distance but merely requires us to move from one "place" to another unspecified "place " after a maximum stay of 14 days. Neither does the Act mention any period of absence from a "place" before a return can occur. It merely requires us to bone fide navigate, which simply means to manage or direct a course ( Oxford Dictionary ).

My further opinion is that the majority of CRT staff know nothing about the practicalities of living on a boat, and have little or no regard for our chosen lifestyle. They seem to want all boats to be berthed in marinas, out of the public view, except when they look pretty attending festivals in the summer months. CRT conveniently ignore the fact that we are the eyes and ears of the canal system who report problems as soon as possible; also that we pay their wages and for much more besides. Without committed boaters the canals would simply be muddy ditches, and CRT  would not exist.

Finally, I would say the canal system should be managed by boaters for boaters, not by shiney arses pushing paper and misinterpreting the law of the land.

Best Regards,

Graham Holmes

Nb Suits Us.