 An example of what a boat used as a CCer may look like when moored. Mooring a CCer is the act of securing a mooring line (rope) between the boat and the bank, so the boat does not move away. Continuous Cruiser (CCer) is a term used for both a lifestyle, as well a class of license fees for boats used in that lifestyle on the inland waterways of the United Kingdom. It specifically denotes a narrowboat that has no permanent home mooring. Image File history File links Download high resolution version (1844x732, 275 KB) Narrowboats moored up near tardebigge, England. ...
Image File history File links Download high resolution version (1844x732, 275 KB) Narrowboats moored up near tardebigge, England. ...
Look up bank in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ...
For canals of Northern Ireland see the Canals of Ireland article // History See History of the British canal system for a more detailed history. ...
Moored narrowboats near Tardebigge, Worcestershire, England A narrowboat is a boat or small barge used on narrow beam canals in Britain. ...
An illustration of a mooring A mooring (also moorage) strictly speaking, refers to any device used to hold secure an object by means of cables, anchors, or lines though most often it is specifically a device to which a boat can attach so that it can remain in the same...
History Prior to 1995 all narrowboats on the canal system were required to have a permanent base for their boat, known as a home mooring. Some boaters used the system 'continuously', living on their boat as they travel around the country, without the need for a home mooring. A change in the rules, starting in 1995, allowed these boaters to cruise the canal system without meeting the home mooring requirement.
Potential changes At present (2005) a Continuous Cruiser pays the same license fee to use the waterway as a boater with a home mooring, but it appears this may change soon. British Waterways (BW) has proposed an increase in the cost of the CCer's license to 2.47 times the cost of a normal leisure boaters license. For example, the license fee for a 57 ft narrowboat would increase from £608 to £1501 ($1064 to $2625 at an exchange rate of approx £1 = $1.75). Naturally CCer's are concerned by this proposal. British Waterways sign near Gas Street Basin on the BCN. British Waterways is a government body sponsored by the Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs (DEFRA) and the Scottish Executive in the United Kingdom. ...
Leisure boaters currently paying for a home mooring may think this change is only fair. The license fees paid by both CCer's and home moored boaters to British Waterways provides both types of licensees equal access to the canal system, but payment for a home mooring is separate charge, and can cost many additional thousands of pounds.
Cynics point out that it is common for part of the home mooring fee (which is paid to a mooring provider) to be passed on to British Waterways, so by taking action to either require a home mooring or a CCer license, BW gives the appearance that it is simply trying to insure that it receives either direct or indirect revenue for mooring related activities, regardless of any other justifications given.
Clarification: For a given size narrow boat there is only one licence fee. For example a 57 ft narrowboat pays £608 whether he is home moored or a CCer. The difference is that when paying for their licence a CCer has to sign a declaration that he will abide by the rules of the CCer as laid down by British Waterways.
Official justification Some people register as Continuous Cruisers as a way to avoid paying for a home mooring. There are rules for CCer's that include requirements that they must be on a progressive journey around the system (or at least a large part of it), never staying in one place more than 14 days. Those who register as a CCer simply to avoid mooring fees will commonly not meet these requirements, but instead spend many weeks, months or even years in the same general area.
CCer's who follow the rules often feel that the "bridge hoppers", as those that abuse the system are commonly called, give CCer a bad name, and do not represent the community as a whole
Other implications This issue may reveal a more general social-economic and cultural clash between these three types of boaters. The so called "bridge hoppers" are more commonly younger, lower middle-class (or even poor) individuals and families, who most likely have work or school commitments that do not allow for frequent long-distance travel. The "genuine" CCers are commonly aging upper middle-class retirees, who may have few permanent land based connections, allowing for a more disconnected and carefree lifestyle. Leisure boaters with home moorings are often members of a more wealthy class than either of the types of CCer's mentioned here, and may not fully appreciate the positions of either of the other two groups.
See also Traditional working canal boats // Early history Evidence suggests that the first British canals were built in Roman times, often as irrigation canals or short connecting spurs between navigable rivers, such as Foss Dyke. ...
Since 1946 the Inland Waterways Association (IWA), a registered charity, and its over 17,500 members have campaigned for the conservation, use, maintenance, restoration and sensitive development of Britains canals and river navigations. ...
The National Association of Boat Owners (NABO) is a British inland boating organisation consered with promoting the interests of private boaters on Britains canals, rivers and lakes[1]. It was formed in 1991, by a group of boat owners who felt that none of the existing organisations adequately put...
External links - British Waterways' Introducing the Trial Moorings Code: Consultation April 2003 (35KB PDF)
- British Waterways' Mooring guidance for continuous cruisers (covering letter) April 2004 (72KB PDF)
- British Waterways' Mooring guidance for continuous cruisers April 2004 (68KB PDF)
- British Waterways' Fee Structure for Boat Licences in England and Wales: A Consultation June 2005 (76KB PDF)
- British Waterways' Fee Structure for Boat Licences in England and Wales: White Paper following public consultation July – Sept 2005 (111KB PDF)
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