Soundings
The RBOA Newsletter, Soundings, is sent free to members six times a year.
It is also available to non-members for £1 (+ £1.20 P&P).
From the Tiller
March/April, 2013
The RBOA continues to be strong in terms of membership and funding. Nevertheless, at the risk of being accused of repetition, I write this in the belief that such repetition sometimes does become necessary.
RBOA Committee as a whole and RBOA Committee members individually only do what we do because we ourselves are dedicated to living afloat. We are not all owners of expensive boats based in top of the range marinas (not that there is anything wrong or that deserves criticism towards those that can afford and choose to live that way). We have our own continuous cruising representative who is a genuine continuous cruiser. Others amongst us spend the major part of the year continuously cruising. Of course, we cannot claim to represent all live aboards because not all live aboards are members of RBOA. What we can legitimately say is that we are the only national organisation in the UK dedicated solely to promoting and protecting the live aboard lifestyle however and wherever that occurs, providing rules, laws and byelaws are not being broken.
Within the present Committee of RBOA we are fortunate in having a wide range and many years of skills and experience available to us. RBOA has campaigned responsibly and steadily over the past fifty years in promoting the live aboard lifestyle we all enjoy. Without RBOA, I suspect that living afloat would be a far more challenging and far less enjoyable experience than it now is. So, you might well ask, why am I repeating all this again?
Well, having striven hard towards and having achieved an ever improved working relationship with CRT, as outlined within the jointly signed Memorandum of Understanding, I recently read a comment that RBOA has “cozied up to CRT”. Not only is such a remark untrue; it is offensive and proves that the writer has no understanding whatsoever of how things work. RBOA remains resolutely opposed to the moorings auction system; RBOA declared its opposition to the original moorings strategy proposals for the London, Lee and Stort waterways; and we have now lodged our objections to the SE moorings proposals. RBOA and CRT in each other’s pockets? – I think not! To its credit, CRT has let none of these differences in views get in the way of our honest, real and meaningful working relationship.
RBOA is one of very few organisations that actually supports CRT’s proposed, as an interim measure, introduction of long stay moorings designed specifically to assist those that have been allowed over the years to develop a live afloat lifestyle without a home mooring, but outside the spirit of the continuous cruising licence agreement. For years, too, we have worked with the Environment Agency on navigation and moorings matters and you will see elsewhere that we are steadily moving towards strengthening a similar working relationship with the Port of London Authority.
The navigation authorities are not our enemies but they do have very difficult tasks to perform under various pieces of Central Government legislation. Their failure to do that would risk serious consequences for them corporately and possibly for the individuals involved. Our task is always to advise, negotiate and reasonably argue to obtain the best deals we can for all who live in floating homes.
Just lately, there have been meetings between various groups of formally “un-associated”continuous cruisers and CRT. RBOA sincerely hopes those talks have a positive outcome but, personally, I can’t help thinking that more would be achieved if the non-associated contingent in those groups of boaters were to join RBOA or other established boating organisation and latch in to the years of experience that we have amongst our ranks. They should join us, influence us and help drive us forward. I know of no waterway based association that is a “closed shop” but there can be no doubt that there would be added strengths in greater size and boater unity.
As an RBOA member reading this, of course, you are already supporting what we do and hopefully agree with most of it. Please tell us if you don’t, and please help us continue to spread the RBOA word.
As ever, my sincere and very best wishes go out to every one of you.
The RBOA continues to be strong in terms of membership and funding. Nevertheless, at the risk of being accused of repetition, I write this in the belief that such repetition sometimes does become necessary.
RBOA Committee as a whole and RBOA Committee members individually only do what we do because we ourselves are dedicated to living afloat. We are not all owners of expensive boats based in top of the range marinas (not that there is anything wrong or that deserves criticism towards those that can afford and choose to live that way). We have our own continuous cruising representative who is a genuine continuous cruiser. Others amongst us spend the major part of the year continuously cruising. Of course, we cannot claim to represent all live aboards because not all live aboards are members of RBOA. What we can legitimately say is that we are the only national organisation in the UK dedicated solely to promoting and protecting the live aboard lifestyle however and wherever that occurs, providing rules, laws and byelaws are not being broken.
Within the present Committee of RBOA we are fortunate in having a wide range and many years of skills and experience available to us. RBOA has campaigned responsibly and steadily over the past fifty years in promoting the live aboard lifestyle we all enjoy. Without RBOA, I suspect that living afloat would be a far more challenging and far less enjoyable experience than it now is. So, you might well ask, why am I repeating all this again?
Well, having striven hard towards and having achieved an ever improved working relationship with CRT, as outlined within the jointly signed Memorandum of Understanding, I recently read a comment that RBOA has “cozied up to CRT”. Not only is such a remark untrue; it is offensive and proves that the writer has no understanding whatsoever of how things work. RBOA remains resolutely opposed to the moorings auction system; RBOA declared its opposition to the original moorings strategy proposals for the London, Lee and Stort waterways; and we have now lodged our objections to the SE moorings proposals. RBOA and CRT in each other’s pockets? – I think not! To its credit, CRT has let none of these differences in views get in the way of our honest, real and meaningful working relationship.
RBOA is one of very few organisations that actually supports CRT’s proposed, as an interim measure, introduction of long stay moorings designed specifically to assist those that have been allowed over the years to develop a live afloat lifestyle without a home mooring, but outside the spirit of the continuous cruising licence agreement. For years, too, we have worked with the Environment Agency on navigation and moorings matters and you will see elsewhere that we are steadily moving towards strengthening a similar working relationship with the Port of London Authority.
The navigation authorities are not our enemies but they do have very difficult tasks to perform under various pieces of Central Government legislation. Their failure to do that would risk serious consequences for them corporately and possibly for the individuals involved. Our task is always to advise, negotiate and reasonably argue to obtain the best deals we can for all who live in floating homes.
Just lately, there have been meetings between various groups of formally “un-associated”continuous cruisers and CRT. RBOA sincerely hopes those talks have a positive outcome but, personally, I can’t help thinking that more would be achieved if the non-associated contingent in those groups of boaters were to join RBOA or other established boating organisation and latch in to the years of experience that we have amongst our ranks. They should join us, influence us and help drive us forward. I know of no waterway based association that is a “closed shop” but there can be no doubt that there would be added strengths in greater size and boater unity.
As an RBOA member reading this, of course, you are already supporting what we do and hopefully agree with most of it. Please tell us if you don’t, and please help us continue to spread the RBOA word.
As ever, my sincere and very best wishes go out to every one of you.
Alan Wildman
Chairman