Continuous cruiser facts for kids
A Continuous Cruiser is a special type of boat licence in the United Kingdom. It's for boats that travel constantly on the UK's inland waterways. The Canal & River Trust is a charity that looks after these waterways. They issue these licences. The term "Continuous Cruiser" can also refer to the boats themselves or the people who own them.
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What is a Continuous Cruiser?
A Continuous Cruiser licence is for boats that are always moving around the waterways. This licence is important because boats with it don't need to pay for a permanent place to park, called a "home mooring". Regular moorings can be quite expensive. So, if someone lives on their boat and travels all the time, they don't need a fixed home base.
To get this licence, boaters promise to follow certain rules. These rules are about how much they need to move their boat.
Moving Your Boat: The Rules
The Canal & River Trust says that a Continuous Cruiser boat must always be moving. It needs to make "reasonable progress" between different places where it stops. This means you can't just stay in one spot for too long.
Some boaters might want to stay in one area. This could be to save money or to be close to their work or school. But if they don't move their boat enough, they risk losing their licence. The Canal & River Trust checks on boats. If a boat is seen in the same place too often, it might be "logged". This means the Trust notes its location.
Boaters who try to stay in one area with a Continuous Cruiser licence are sometimes called "Bridge-Hoppers". This is because they might just move their boat a very short distance, like past one bridge, to seem like they are moving.
History of Continuous Cruising
Before 1995, all boats on the canal system had to have a permanent home mooring. This was like having a home port for a ship. Many boaters, however, lived on their boats and travelled all the time. They didn't need a permanent mooring.
These travelling boaters felt it was unfair to pay for a mooring they didn't use. They were basically paying to support other boaters who did use permanent moorings. In 1995, a new law called the British Waterways Act was made. This law allowed for the Continuous Cruiser licence. It meant boaters who travelled constantly didn't have to pay for a home mooring.
The Canal & River Trust took over from British Waterways in 2012. They started to enforce the rules for Continuous Cruisers more strictly.
Current Rules for Continuous Cruisers
The cost of a boat licence depends on the boat's size. It also depends on whether you have a home mooring or not. If you don't have a home mooring, you must sign a declaration. This means you agree to follow the Canal & River Trust's rules for Continuous Cruising.
All boats on the canals, whether they have a home mooring or not, must follow a rule from the British Waterways Act 1995. This rule says you can't stay in one place for more than 14 days. Sometimes, you can stay longer if there's a good reason. However, many boaters without a home mooring feel that the Canal & River Trust's rules are too strict. They believe the rules don't always match the original law.
