Ever wondered what a particular acronym stood for? Well, if it’s related to the waterways, you might find it here:

AINA
Association of Inland Navigation Authorities
Promotes matters in common between the navigation authorities, e.g. consistent signs

ABP
Associated British Ports
Navigation authority for tidal reaches of the Humber and Ouse navigation

ANT
Avon Navigation Trust
Navigation Authority for the Warwickshire Avon (formed in 2009 from a merger between LUANT and UANT)

APCO
Association of Pleasure Craft Operators
Trade body for hire and hotel boat operators

APM
Annual public meeting
CRT speak for for annual dog and pny show.

APPGW
All Party Parliamentary Group for Waterways
Parliamenrary group for the inland waterways

ARA
Amateur Rowing Association
Does exactly what it says in the title

AWCC
Association of Waterway Cruising Clubs
National body with cruising clubs rather than individuals as members. Otherwise with a similar brief to NABO

BCU
British Canoe Union
As it says on the tin

BHCF
British Hire Craft Federation
Trade body for hire boat operators

BM
British Marine – wa British Marine Federation
Trade body for coastal and inland boating businesses

BSC
Boat Safety Certificate
Certificate issued by the BSS

BSS
Boat Safety Scheme
The boat construction safety requirements for an increasing number of British navigations, mainly aimed at reducing fire, explosion, pollution and third party risks

BSSAF
Boat Safety Scheme Advisory Forum
Committee of user and trade representatives to give feedback to BSSMC. Has NABO rep.

BSSMC
Boat Safety Scheme Management Committee
Does what it says in the title

BSSTF
Boat Safety Scheme Technical Furum
Committee that discusses the ‘nuts and bolts’. Has examiners, boffins and NABO on it.

BW
British Waterways, now CRT
The main canals navigation authority in Great Britain (i.e. not including Northern Ireland)

BWAF
British Waterways Advisory Forum now defunct
Has waterway interest and user groups as members, links with BW at Board level. Independent chair

CBA
Canal Boat Builders Association.
Exactly what it says on the can

CBOA
Commercial Boat Operators Association
What it says in the title

CC (CCer)
Continuous Cruiser
A boat/owner with no permanent mooring who is truly itinerant and complies with BW’s Guidelines

CM
Continuous Moorer
A boat/owner with no authorised mooring who does not comply with BW’s Guidelines

CSS
Customer Service Standards
BW initiative, includes MSS, Minimum Safety Standards

CSF
Customer servce facility
CRT speak for a sluice / shower / toilet

CSSAP
Customer Service Standards Advisory Panel now defunct
Group with individually invited members including users, trade and BW employees to advise on CSS

CRT
Canal and River Trust
The charity whcih operates the canal system

DBA
The Barge Association
Once stood for Dutch Barge Association. For owners of bigger boats and smaller ships here and abroad.

DCLG
Department for Communities and Local Government
Government department overseeing development and regeneration, a possible alternative home for waterways

DEFRA
Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
Government department overseeing waterways. Has only 3 or 4 civil servants with direct waterway involvement.

EA
Environment Agency
Generally refers to the Navigation and Recreation department which is the navigation authority for the Thames, Medway and Anglian rivers

EAHF
Environment Agency Harmonisation Forum
A dormant body arm of the NNUF set up to get consistency between EA navigation regions, if and when EA gets the powers it needs. See TWAO

EFRACOM
Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee
Select Committee of MPs from all parties which investigates affairs of DEFRA

GOBA
Great Ouse Boating Association
Self explanatory

HBS
Horseboating Society now defunct
Does exactly what it says in the title

HNbOC
Historic Narrowboat Owners Club
Does exactly what it says in the title

IWA
Inland Waterways Association
A long-standing charity promoting conservation, restoration and use of waterways. Does not claim to represent members as such, nor emphasise
boating over any other use.

LANT
Lower Avon Navigation Trust
Navigation Authority for the lower Warwickshire Avon (merged with UANT in 2009)

MAIB
Marine Accident Investigation Board
Investigates on fresh waters too

MCA
Marine & Coastguard Agency
Increasingly wanting to regulate inland boating

MLC
Middle Level Commissioners
Navigation Authority for the Middle Level Navigations

MSCC
Manchester Ship Canal Company
Navigation Authority for the Bridgewater Canal and the Manchester Ship Canal

NABO
National Association of Boat Owners
Represents boat owners on inland and estuarial waters – You should know that by now!

NINF
National Inland Navigation Forum
The forum fo rall the user group chairs to meet

NNUF
National Navigation Users Forum
EA’s formal link with national boating user groups

NT
National Trust
Navigation Authority for the River Wey

PLA
Port of London Authority
Navigation Authority for tidal reaches of the Thames and its estuary

RBOA
Residential Boat Owners Association
Precisely what it says in the title

RFERAC
Regional Fisheries, Ecology, Recreation Advisory Committee
Advises EA regions. Members appointed as individuals. Navigation only part of recreation part.

RTA
River Thames Alliance
A wide ranging group of interests concerned with the future of the Thames, includes EA and NABO

RYA
Royal Yachting Association
Promotes all boat related activities in and around the UK

SOW
Save Our Waterways now defunct
A non-aligned pressure group for general waterway promotion

TBA
The Boating Association
Once stood for Trent Boating Association but claims to represent all river boaters

TBTA
Thames Boating Trades Association
As it says on the tin

TWAO
Transport and Works Act Order
A means to get statutory powers. EA tried to use one to replace and harmonise powers it inherited from individual rivers authorities. See EAHF

TWF
Thames Waterways Forum
EA user group for the Thames

TWT
The Waterways Trust
Charitable body overseeing museums and other waterway interests, e.g. the Rochdale Canal

TYHA
The Yacht Harbour Association
Includes inland marinas

UANT
Upper Avon Navigation Trust
Navigation Authority for the upper Warwickshire Avon (merged with LANT in 2009)

UGM
User Group Meeting
More local meetings arranged by CRT Units

WO
Waterways Ombudsman
Independent ‘arbitrator’ for unresolved individual BW complaints involving maladministration but not policy or legal matters.

WOC
Waterways Ombudsman Committee
Committee to appoint, oversee, facilitate and ensure independence of the Ombudsman

WRG
Waterways Recovery Group
Exactly what it says in the title. Arm of the IWA

WU
Waterway Unit
Geographical division of CRT in England and Wales which replaced the Business Unit in 2009

WUSIG
Waterway User and Special Interest Group
Involves waterway interest and user groups, links with BW at Director level. BW chair. More specific and less strategic than BWAF

WWG
Waterways Working Group
A Thames EA consultation group

And if you think we have missed any, please let us know.