A Recent Press release from NABO stated :-
NABO welcomes the recent changes to CRT’s communication strategy as recently announced by CEO Richard Parry and the recent project update issued by Sally Ash Head of Boating.
It is to be welcomed that after the recent flawed SE Visitor Mooring Consultation and subsequent workshops that CRT are now taking stock and engaging fully with the boating organisations (private and trade), Partnerships and the Navigation Advisory Group to define the strategy and vision for visitor moorings going forward.
NABO looks forward to positively contributing to this discussion and hopes this will also be an opportunity to examine the legitimacy of the “no return” rules together with the scale of any overstaying penalty charges. Ultimately we hope this leads to an increase in the number and availability of visitor moorings the number of which has if anything reduced in the last 10 years despite the increase number of licensed boats.
NABO supports the recent initiatives in greater communications with new and existing continuous cruisers particularly in urban areas which with the increased staffing levels lead to the majority of boaters complying with the requirements of their license.
However NAB0 has concerns that CRT’s desire to prevent “haggling over expensive enforcement processes and their legal underpinning” * means that CRT is at risk of exceeding their existing legal powers.
An example of this would be the introduction of Roving/Community Mooring permits. NABO believes that under the current proposals CRT are re interpreting the definition of home mooring for a separate group of boaters. CRT has recently stated that they are concerned about the extent of moorings of convenience i.e. which do not actually exist yet in this instance CRT are selling them!
We hope that CRT keep in mind the need to be consistent in their application of policies relating to navigation, enforcement, charges and mooring regimes across the network such that a licensed boater can easily have an understanding of the rules and regulations that are applied nationally across the system
