JennyMorgan

I'm mindful of a case regarding a houseboat at the excellent Waveney River Centre. A one time 'harbour master', a man called Allan, lived on a houseboat there. He refused to pay his toll, claiming that he was not using the Broads, that he was moored in a private marina. He referred his case to the High Court twice I think it was. He finally lost his case, the Judge awarding in favour of the Broads Authority. I don't remember the fine detail but basically it was down to upholding the 'intention of the Act'. We can go deep into the semantics of it all but I suspect that if any of us were brave enough to make a stand then we would probably lose on this one!

Neither his wife nor Boris can keep him off the streets! Rest assured your fleet is well tended and all the strings are neat and tidy and the boats well fendered, so long as we don't get a Westerly hoolie!

Welcome, I'm pleased that you have taken the plunge!

Thank you, Paladin,that is my understanding of the Act so it's good to have it confirmed. Where perhaps we differ is in interpretation, namely that I don't read it as applying to the business of supplying a mooring, e.g. as in a marina for example. At least that is my understanding as regard the intention of the Act. Granted that the Act is poorly worded, in part, but in this case I don't see it as being a loophole in this unusual circumstance. No, I don't agree with the 'adjacent' water clause, but that is another debate.

Thank you, Paladin, for putting me right! I thought it a well worded and truthful press release, now I know otherwise! Seems that we are no further forward. Just to be clear though, doesn't a private boat have to be having work done on it, or be up for sale, rather than just being stored?

30% to 40%, as has been officially admitted, goes towards BA overheads. In my opinion this has probably freed up grant money for purposes other than the more usual overheads, if you get my drift. Critical hat off, a well worded press release and perhaps an overdue acceptance that in the long run it definitely pays to tell the unadulterated truth. A corner turned? I hope so, high praise to the BA if that is the case. Perhaps we can all be friends again.

https://www.edp24.co.uk/news/politics/broads-authority-calls-for-urgent-support-after-pausing-hire-boat-tolls-1-6585644 No mention of the BNP!! Perhaps we are listened too.

Which of the growing fleet is that then?

My local sailing club has also cancelled racing, I suspect it will be the same across Broadland: http://wobyc.com/?fbclid=IwAR1MbzeFnvqoaQK-j8vSvLohVFDYZ_3EhoZLAaH9ejpVsIuhvTh7a4qLt40 It's going to be a strange summer!

I note that the speedboat club has very regretfully postponed a world championship that was due to be held in July. https://www.lobmbc.online/

Was doing a spot of gardening down by the water today. My neighbour is a keen speedboat racer and seeing his boats just sat there caused me to ponder. Three months close down takes us up to the end of June with no guarantees that restrictions will be lifted even then. It will surely be a late start, if at all, for the speedboats this summer. I wonder, will the Three Rivers Race take place this year? I've checked the 3RR website, no suggestion that it's been cancelled or postponed until later in the year but the 30th of May is surely suspect. I can't imagine a summer with no regattas but it's looking increasingly likely.

They should take a holiday in Suffolk so that they can survey the A12 and be guaranteed of finding many potholes which will be a great deal deeper than one and a half inches deep!

There sure was, most of them worked at the local print works but when that died so did the team. Mind you, a lot of them also got married and succumbed to the demands of the Petticoat Government.

Same reason we have the Hickling Broad Cave Rescue Service. For many years I belonged to Dodo Rescue International , we met every Wednesday for training!

Fifty something. I don't think he was helped by being somewhat overweight. Only met him once, super bloke.

Social distancing between boats, at least at the stern! No allowance for swinging bows perhaps?

Lots of mole hills looking for a purpose . . . . . . .

Bugger, and my model was almost complete, I shall burn it tomorrow.

No hills then? Thanks for the memory, many was the time that I scrounged a trip home in the early hours aboard the Milk Train.

Said daughter has self isolated, for an hour or two anyway, gone for a long walk over the marshes. At least the snow and sleet has gone.

It is sleeting and hailing at the moment, apt really. A friend of daughter number three, a fellow musician, has just died of Corona Virus. Suddenly it's getting very real and horribly near to home.

Amen.

Google suggests that editors have so far chosen to ignore the BA's press release: https://news.google.com/search?q=Broads Authority&hl=en-GB&gl=GB&ceid=GB%3Aen

This in reference to folk who's homes are boats. The Authority has had some bad press lately, justified I might add, and I can appreciate their efforts in trying to paint themselves as being the Good Guys. The Authority has, at best, regularly shown complete indifference to residential boaters. Now, all of a sudden, having ignored them all winter, they are keen to keep them safe! Let's be charitable, perhaps a corner has been turned! On the other hand, an opportunist bit of spin, but I can't blame them for that! We are in this together, and in the nicest possible way may that continue long after the virus has been conquered. It's a long time since we have been 'in it together' on the Broads, possibly since the days of Aitken Clarke and Charles Collier.

Andrew, I will point out the obvious, the Broads will be around long after the Corona Virus has been tamed. In this instance it was the Authority that chose to use this virus to promote their objectionable NP agenda. Had they not done so then all would have been quiet on the Eastern Front, so to speak. It was a crass comment at an inappropriate moment, hardly our fault. Like you, and others, at this moment I have more important matters to worry about, like my family.