A towpath licence would seem very sensible, at least for some businesses, but that would still leave others, such as restaurant, hotel and oil/coal boats in the same predicament as you are now - although I guess BW would lose a few quid in their fees, which might be why they would be hesitating...
The very idea of hotel boats with lifeboats on davits, port and starboard, plus boxes of life jackets and a self-inflating life-raft (in a pretty white fibreglass container) on their roof, makes the imagination boggle - the first low bridge and its a cartoonist's dream :) Yup, I know it sounds ridiculous, but I'd lay money that the idea has been considered - because that is their mind-set. It is the very same mind-set that has taken all the little rowing boats off boating lakes throughout the country - its the Elf, and his little pal Safety, legislating against anything, and everything, that *might* cause a problem one day - it will be wet weather gear next, mark my words, because going out when it is wet *might* result in somebody slipping and drowning in a puddle, closely followed by hammers (hitting thumbs and pliers (pinching fingers). The ladies won't get away either; not when they insist on using hot irons, saucepans - and those very dangerous devices called 'kettles' :( Trevor (now in total GOM mode!) Garry George wrote: > I think what happend was that he MCA was given authority over inshore and > inland in 2003, but nobody looked into the inland side of it, saying nothing > is the same as agreeing with it. Then BW woke up, way too late to see that > the MCA are now ruling over their patch. We`re now caught in the middle, with > no direction from either. BW could finish the trade licence for boats and issue a towpath trading licence, which would take us out from under the MCA, back to the control of BW. [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
