Another Today
Today is not a good day, my friend The weeping Cross had his bag stolen which had everything in it. Boo Hiss.
I don't have a mooring on the Oxford. There were two moorings available for tender with a recommended bid price and unsurprisingly I didn't get it.
I don't approve of BW tendering out moorings, if they want to put their prices up, I wish they would just do it rather than allowing the rich to put in closed bids of huge amounts. In Surrey I was paying near on 6K for mooring my boat (OUCH!). I couldn't really afford it, but it just shows how the prices vary across the country. BW were suggesting a bid of around 1560pounds (or thereabouts), and although there weren't any facilities at the spot, I don't really need any as I can quite easily manage without electricity so it makes no difference to me. Should I have put a bid in for 4K - it is a bargain compared to the prices I was paying, and a huge increase on the recommended tender. Perhaps I should have, but I am torn with my morals. 4K is a lot of money for a bit of ground to put two pins in, especially compared to what other people on the canal are paying for their moorings. Why should I pay more than others, and why should I be able to. The land should be worth a price which should be set by the owner, in this case BW - surely they know the worth of the area, the money required to maintain it. OR at least I hope they do, far more so than an academic who looks at brains.
What I should have done is asked several of my friends to put the bid in. 1K, 2K 3K 4K and inbetween numbers too and then at least one of us would have won. I suppose the name could be a problem, but perhaps I could change the ownership of my boat to the winner and then back again to my name. At least we know this time that there are people who will play the game and will put in bids over the suggested amount. If boaters don't preserve the price then no-one will. The waterways will be for the rich.... I sense the return of the class system, and it is being activly encouraged.
I find myself being more and more resigned to the boating situation; it certainly feels as though it is slipping away from me and I suspect I won't be on the water for long unless I start breaking the rules like so many already do. I have a couple of degrees, I suppose I am respectable paid up member of the community and I am more than willing to do hard graft to look after an area of the waterways that I may be using (this is what happens in Thrupp which is very well maintained indeed). I am also indecisive, and I don't want to pay more (or less in this case) than the going rate for something, nor do I want to be the person that puts in high bids and outprices those who can't match up.
I have no idea what the final price for these tendered moorings was, but I am certainly someone who will never win anything by closed bid, me and the rest of us boaters. Moorings are a definate problem on the canal - I wish there was an answer, other than to sell my boat.
What would you do?
I don't have a mooring on the Oxford. There were two moorings available for tender with a recommended bid price and unsurprisingly I didn't get it.
I don't approve of BW tendering out moorings, if they want to put their prices up, I wish they would just do it rather than allowing the rich to put in closed bids of huge amounts. In Surrey I was paying near on 6K for mooring my boat (OUCH!). I couldn't really afford it, but it just shows how the prices vary across the country. BW were suggesting a bid of around 1560pounds (or thereabouts), and although there weren't any facilities at the spot, I don't really need any as I can quite easily manage without electricity so it makes no difference to me. Should I have put a bid in for 4K - it is a bargain compared to the prices I was paying, and a huge increase on the recommended tender. Perhaps I should have, but I am torn with my morals. 4K is a lot of money for a bit of ground to put two pins in, especially compared to what other people on the canal are paying for their moorings. Why should I pay more than others, and why should I be able to. The land should be worth a price which should be set by the owner, in this case BW - surely they know the worth of the area, the money required to maintain it. OR at least I hope they do, far more so than an academic who looks at brains.
What I should have done is asked several of my friends to put the bid in. 1K, 2K 3K 4K and inbetween numbers too and then at least one of us would have won. I suppose the name could be a problem, but perhaps I could change the ownership of my boat to the winner and then back again to my name. At least we know this time that there are people who will play the game and will put in bids over the suggested amount. If boaters don't preserve the price then no-one will. The waterways will be for the rich.... I sense the return of the class system, and it is being activly encouraged.
I find myself being more and more resigned to the boating situation; it certainly feels as though it is slipping away from me and I suspect I won't be on the water for long unless I start breaking the rules like so many already do. I have a couple of degrees, I suppose I am respectable paid up member of the community and I am more than willing to do hard graft to look after an area of the waterways that I may be using (this is what happens in Thrupp which is very well maintained indeed). I am also indecisive, and I don't want to pay more (or less in this case) than the going rate for something, nor do I want to be the person that puts in high bids and outprices those who can't match up.
I have no idea what the final price for these tendered moorings was, but I am certainly someone who will never win anything by closed bid, me and the rest of us boaters. Moorings are a definate problem on the canal - I wish there was an answer, other than to sell my boat.
What would you do?
posted by MortimerBones at
12:58 PM
6 Comments:
Get a proper job.Digital Don
and what do you call a proper job digital don, I was under the impression I already had one! How would that resolve my mooring issues?
I think it just shows that boating is becoming increasing subject to the whims and demands of the conventional housing market. With spiralling prices and domination by the rich.
What to do? Decide what you REALLY want. To live on the river despite this issues, or whether it's not worth the candle.
It's a shame that you have the choice between cost and being illegal.
It is a shite state of affairs for those wanting a permanent mooring.
Most of the BW rules are guidlines not laws ( in my eyes at least), so you wouldnt be breaking laws as such as breaking their rules. since they are pretty inefficient at enforcing their rules in a lot of areas I would just go with the flow, continue with living on a boat and do your best to get on with things. moving around often is quite nice actually and not finding a permanent mooring is probably a blessing. You'll only end up stuck with shouty neighbours again!
Stick to your guns you are prepared to pay your way if you have to keep moving while you fight so be it. Within reason of course. All jobs are proper jobs or they wouldn't exist they all fill some need.
What would 'you' do?
I would get all boaters online and then shaft BW's 'outside sources' by putting in bids of pence, not pounds!
See how quickly they'll give up the Platinum, then.
The Lord they say helps those who help themselves.
Come on boaters, lets get together and do just that!
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