goba newssummer 2011

GOBA NEWS (SUMMER 2011) 1

NEWSSUMMER 2011

GOBAGreat Ouse Boating Association

2 GOBA NEWS (SUMMER 2011)

FROM THE HELM

February 2011 - I can’t believe it’s almost a year since becoming Chairman of GOBA. This last year has been enjoyable, interesting

and I have to say, at times very chal-lenging.

I reported in my last contribution that we would have a decision on whether the Environment Agency would join with British Waterways to become the new Waterways Char-ity, but alas at this point in time we are still none the wiser. Although the whole situation is in a state of flux, committee members have been attending meetings to find what it would mean to all of us if it went ahead. (We may have news on 28 February.)

The Cam Conservators’ new charging proposals have proved to be controversial and unwelcome to motorboat owners who moor on the Cam. GOBA has written to the Conservators laying out our mem-bers’ concerns and we continue to attend at Cam Conservator meetings as observers.

We continue to hold regular liai-son meetings with the Environment Agency. January saw – Dr Geoff Brighty (Area Manager) and Nathan Arnold (Team Leader – Great Ouse and Stour Waterways) attend our committee meeting to update us on the winter maintenance and repair programme. Also on the Agenda was a discussion of concerns and expec-tations for the future of our rivers and the impact on the Environment

GOBA NEWS SUMMER 2011

From The Helm 2 Waterways harmonisation 3 NEWS... News... News... 4 to 7

St Ives Council debates GOBA input 4Problem water supplies on Great Ouse 4Don’t rain on our parade 5Happy new members 6GOBA wins GOLD 6Work at Clayhithe and Baits Bite lock 7Propellor accident 7New Hartford Marin manager 7Appleyard & Lincoln skipper meeting 7

General Secretary’s Report 8Dragonfly day at Wicken Fen 9Editor’s Piece 10Car in the iver 11Mutilisation of the waterways 11GOBA AGM 12Moorings Report 13Complaints: moorings/fires/locks 13It’s all white 14Hemingford’s regatta: 110 not out! 16EA News 17Cub News:

Bedford Boat Club 19Cambridge Motor Boat Club 20Denver Cruising Club 20OVRC 21Seamaster-The Fens & Great Ouse 22Upware Boat Club 23

Advertisers’ pages 24-31Back Page 32

CONTENTS

COPY DATE FORNEXT

GOBA NEWS(WINTER 2011)

The date for sending copy and pics for the Winter issue:

30 October 2011Please send stories, comments, or questions to:[email protected]

This year, our AGM was held at the OVRC and my thanks go to the Com-modore and members for

allowing us the use of their excellent facilities. The meeting was well attended and I had great pleasure in meeting so many of our members.

The AGM went smoothly and after the business part of the meeting concluded many of us stayed on for what was a very enjoyable social event, including an excellent meal at a very reasonable cost.

During the month of May ‘Jones River Gala’ took place for the first time and it proved to be a very successful event. Jones Boatyard, the staff and volunteers, are to be congratulated on their hard work be-hind the scenes. GOBA was offered space for a stand of which we were more than happy to take advantage. I was more than pleased to help man

the stand on the Saturday along with other committee members as these type of events are invaluable to us; hearing your views and concerns and your feedback is very impor-tant. Everyone I spoke to expressed the hope that this would become an annual event. I hope the proprietors have heard this and take the idea on board. GOBA was asked to organise the boat jumble at this event and this helped to provide some very useful income for our organisation.

By the time GOBA News goes to press I will have attended Ely Aquafest which will be another chance to gauge your views and opinions on boating issues as well as being an enjoyable day out for all.

As budgets get squeezed further we are beginning to see service/main-tenance cutbacks. We were forced to write to the EA over its intention

COVER: Memories from May’s successful Jones River Gala -could it become a bi-annual event?


to extend winter opening hours at Hermitage Lock, I am pleased to say that normal summer hours have now been re-instated.

The EA has failed to carry out the dredging promised at Hemingford and Godmanchester. Following discussions it was agreed by EA management that the shoaling prob-lem would be rectified by June. This has not taken place and, as a result of a very strong worded letter and conversations, we have now been promised that these works will be completed by July. So, hopefully, by the time you read this the issue should be resolved.

We continue to hold our regular liaison meetings with the local waterways’ team at which we strive to resolve navigation issues and on the whole we are successful. These meetings give us a better under-standing of constraints the EA is working under and importantly give the EA a feeling of our members’ expectations as licence payers.

WATERWAYS CHARITYMembers of the committee continue to attend meetings relating to the formation of the new charity, We feel it is important to keep track of its progress; although the EA will not be included until 2015 it is essential that we are involved at all stages of the process.DEFRA published a consultation document earlier in the year regard-ing the charity; we formed a sub committee and have submitted our response to 29 questions posed. Our submission can be viewed on the GOBA website.

Finally, I hope you enjoy all that remains of the 2011 boating season.

Waterways harmonsation? Not the one proposed by the government but the mutual involvement of marinas, navigation authority, boat hirers, boat owners, associations, boat builders and others interested in the Great Ouse which culminated in a glorious weekend of water-ways fun.

This was the river gala initiated by Mick Jones and his sons Ben and

Sam which brought together a mixture of boating events, associations, ac-tivities and enthusiasts over the bank holiday weekend of 28 to 30 May at England’s oldest inland marina. Jones Boatyard at St Ives in Cambridgeshire was thronged with visitors vying to see various activities on and around the water and to have the chance to sample many different ways of enjoying the nation’s fourth ‘Best Loved River.

GOBA committee members were there, presenting the benefits of mem-bership and explaining the waterways charity. With new members being signed-up this was probably our most success-ful participation in an event and made the time provided by the committee worthwhile. A boat jumble was organised by Ni-gel Handscombe of GOBA; new boats were shown by repre-sentatives from Jeanneau... the EA and the

RNLI participated... rigid and inflatable canoes and kayaks – and the chance to try them – were displayed... paddle-board sessions were enjoyed... there were displays of classic powerboats and steam and electric boats - which also paraded through the town... trips from the marina into historic St Ives with The St.Ives Electric Boat Company gave people a taste of what the Great Ouse and St Ives have to offer... boat hirers introduced themselves... the Kingfisher Boat Handling School gave mooring ad-vice... Anglia Afloat exhibited and was represented by editor Steve Cox and ad manager Duncan Abel.

With a barbeque, hog roast and beer tent - manned by Nigel and staff from The Axe & Compass – in operation each day, the folk band made the Saturday evening even more special for all who attended.

This event was extremely successful and many people expressed an interest in it becoming a regular activity. Per-haps it could be the start of a bi-annual gala to match the one in Bedford?

Well done to the Jones’ boys, and girls, and to Nigel and all the GOBA com-mittee members who gave of their free time.

A selection of the classic, electric and steam boats in Jones Boatyard

John Bevan and his wife manning the GOBA stand

Nigel Handscombe as harbour master – one of his many roles at the gala

Waterways harmonisation


NEWS... NEWS... NEWS... NEWS... NEWS... NEWS... NEWS... NEWS... NEWS... NEWS... NEWS...

St Ives Town Council Amenities Committee has debated questions from GOBA concerning future development of riverside facilities.

St Ives Council debates -and actions- GOBA inputIts response was positive and all

members agree that the river and the visitors it brings into the town are very important to the economic vi-brancy and that more should be done to encourage boaters to visit.

Actions have already been taken on two subjects GOBA raised. The fresh water tap on the Quay is to be replaced. As this is the responsibility

GOBA’s general secretary, Alistair Reid wrote to Anglian Water in June to bring to its attention a problem of concern both to members and to vis-iting boaters.

This is the lack of fresh water sup-plies along the Great Ouse and spe-cifically the turning-off of the long-established riverside water supply on the visitor moorings alongside the Priory Centre, St Neots.

As a result of this action by St Neots’ Town Council, apart from a few private marina or club facili-ties, which are not generally open to all boaters, there is now no riverside water supply available anywhere be-tween Huntingdon and Bedford, one of the busiest sections of river.

Alistair stressed to the director of corporate affairs, that GOBA is aware of Anglian Water’s commit-ment to the community generally through its leisure and environment programmes and that GOBA gives practical support and publicity to the

of HDC the Amenities Committee has asked them to replace it.

The Amenities Committee is also in communication with the Environ-ment Agency regarding the feasibil-ity of installing a ‘pump-out’ either on The Waits or in Nobles Field.

We applaud St Ives Town Council for these actions and await further developments with interest.

Problem water supplies for boaters on Great Ouse

excellent ‘Rivercare’ project wher-ever possible.

As both St Neot’s Town Council and the Environment Agency seem un-able or unwilling to address this situ-ation Alistair has asked for assistance in finding a satisfactory solution. He has suggested that, although water points are urgently required at other places on the river, re-instatement of the tap at the Priory Centre would ap-pear to be the most practicable and immediate solution. The pipework infrastructure is still in place and with provision of a simple lockable cabi-net accessible via an EA navigation key the tap could be secured against vandalism or water wastage. There is no reason why the tap could not be shut-off during the worst winter months outside of the main boating season. The overall amount of water used annually should be fairly low.

Alistair is awaiting a response and we will report on this in the next is-sue and/or in one of the Bulletins.


NEWS... NEWS... NEWS... NEWS... NEWS... NEWS... NEWS... NEWS... NEWS... NEWS... NEWS...

Don’t rain on our paradeThanks to the efforts of committee member Nigel Handscombe at the end of June, there were 28 boats registered to participate in the illuminated boat procession which will pass through St Ives on Saturday 27 August.

Moorings are reserved for participants at Nobles Field from Friday 26 to Sunday 28 August. If you intend mooring there that weekend please take note of the reserved signs and/or the ‘harbour master’. This parade will be part of the programme of events arranged by FEST (St Ives Music & Arts Festival) during the week. On the Saturday the Huntingdon Male Voice Choir will per-form at the Quay and this will be followed by the illuminated boat parade

around 9pm. FEST are providing the safety boat and a PA system which will not only allow the GOBA com-mentator to introduce the participants in the parade to the audience but will also provide some light banter. More info on the parade from Nigel at: [email protected] or on the FEST event at: http://festivalev-entsstives.vpweb.co.uk or contact Sue on 01480 388928

Pics and copy will appear in the next issue. Mean-while, here’s a picture from last year’s parade


NEWS CONTINUED ... NEWS CONTINUED ... NEWS CONTINUED ... NEWS CONTINUED ... NEWS CONTINUED ... NEWS CONTINUED ...

Carol and John Marsh joined GOBA when they visited the Great Ouse. They sent this

account of their time on our naviga-tions.

“We have a 45ft narrowboat, and its name is Mr Micawber. On our visit we travelled all of the River Great Ouse from Denver to Bedford, and its tributaries, not forgetting the River Cam. Our memories are of the big skies, and the contrast between

the isolation of places like Wicken Fen and the bustle of the waterfronts at Ely and Cambridge. A particular highlight was arriving in Reach on the occasion of their May Day Fair (apologies to the crew of the cruiser stuck behind us on the Lode as we crawled along in a reducing depth of water!).

We enjoyed the whole trip, espe-cially the lovely GOBA moorings. Keep up the good work! Of course, the warm, dry weather in April and May helped, and if GOBA arranged that too then we are very grateful.”

Happy new members:

“KEEP UP THE GOOD WORK!”

Illustrations of the contrasts: Reach Lode (above) and the bridge at St. Ives (below) - both from the foredeck of Mr Micawber

Mike Mackay, former GOBA News editor (left) , and John Pridmore, pres-ent editor (right), with the shield and the engraved glass trophy and win-ner’s shield. The cheque for £100 was paid into the GOBA account

GOBA wins GOLDGOBA News was presented with the Gold Award for Best Special-ist Magazine presented at the Community Magazine Awards 2010 in Cambridge on Wednesday 27 April. The award, judged by a mixed panel of professional people, was based on editorial quality, business commitment, community con-tent, local information, design, general presentation and sign post-ing. The judges also took into consideration the size of the commu-nity the magazine serves. The Gold award in the form of an engraved glass trophy, winner’s shield, and a cheque to GOBA for £100 was accepted on behalf of GOBA and former editor Mike Mackay by present editor John Pridmore. The event is organised and sponsored annually by Cambridge Building Society supported by Cambridge News and Marshalls of Cambridge, where the presentations were held. There were over 40 entrants in the various categories stipulated.John says that the reasons the judges made their choice were: “GOBA news is a glossy magazine that is well presented and has interesting news and articles for its members and also contains excellent photographs.”


NEWS CONTINUED ... NEWS CONTINUED ... NEWS CONTINUED ... NEWS CONTINUED ... NEWS CONTINUED ... NEWS CONTINUED ...

Clayhithe depot from the Bridge Ho-tel in Waterbeach

WORK BEGINS AT CLAYHITHE

AND BAITS BITE LOCK

Drake Towage, of Wisbech, has been awarded a civil engineering contract by the

Conservators of the River Cam to refurbish the river frontage and slip-way at Clayhithe and downstream landing stage at Baits Bite Lock. The concrete structures at both sites have reached the end of their lifespan.

Works at Clayhithe Depot, opposite the Bridge Hotel in Waterbeach, will commence on 4 July for a period of six weeks. The team will then relo-cate to Baits Bite to remove the exist-ing landing stage and replace it with a new two-level structure to accom-modate both motor-boat and small craft users.

Works at Baits Bite are expected to start in early September for a period of five weeks. A temporary landing stage will be moored near the lock entrance so that navigators can con-tinue to use the lock. Both projects will involve the use of a pile-driver. As a consequence, there will be some unavoidable noise associated with the placing of the steel piles during working hours (weekdays, 8am to 5pm).

For further information, please con-tact the River Manager, Baits Bite Lock, telephone 01223 863785, e-mail [email protected]

Propeller accident A 65 year old man from Stevenage

fell into the river in Eynesbury and his foot was amputated by the propel-ler. Apparently the hire boat he had been on reversed to pick him up!

The Magpas Helimedix team flew in and were able to provide the pa-tient with the care needed preventing him from losing more blood and re-lieving his pain.

If someone falls into the river from your boat, do not reverse if you are close to them. Throw a lifebuoy on a line to them. Cut your engine until they are safely aboard.

On the first of March Duncan Simmons became the new Marina Manager at Hart-

ford Marina. Many of us know Dun-can from River Mill at Eaton Socon where he was manager, MD and shareholder for 16 years before the business was sold in 2003. Duncan told GOBA News:

“I then had a sabbatical for 18 months, followed by 12 months of property renovating and then four and a half years setting up and run-ning a delicatessen in St Ives, before being asked by owner Barrie Perry to take over at Hartford.

As you know, there are numerous issues to be resolved here that are not really boating related but which de-tract from the principal focus of the business. Therefore, these need to be settled as soon as possible and this is being worked on hard at the moment. Meanwhile, I am very keen that the business needs to go back to basics by rebuilding relationships with its

customers, welcoming visitors and planning for the future.”

We will include more on the chang-es that have taken place at Hartford Marina in the next issue and will also have an update on its plans. In the meantime we wish Duncan every success.

New Marina Manager at Hartford Marina

Denise Troughton of Orchard Delight (formerly Brouhaha) is planning the first-ever Appleyard and Lincoln skipper get together on 28 October 2011 in Ely.

This, hopefully, will be followed in 2012 with an Apple-yard and Lincoln get together. Ex-work-ers of Appleyard and Lincoln started having a reunion a few years ago at the Ely Beet Club and Denise hopes that they can amalgam-ate the current skip-pers and crew with the people that designed and built the boats.

Anyone wanting more information can contact Denise via her email:

[email protected] or at her home number: 01234 831201. Details are also posted on the web-site: www.orcharddelihgt.co.uk

We will publish more details on these events as they develop and info

will be included in relevant Bulletins.

Denise has also pro-vided contact details for Hugh Easton who designed and helped build her Appleyard & Lincoln cruiser and many others. Hugh went on to de-sign GRP boats of

many types and he has promised an article – and many pictures of a by-gone era - on his experiences which will be featured in a future issue.

APPLEYARD AND LINCOLN SKIPPER GET TOGETHER

A ‘taster’ pic showing Appleyard and Lincoln’s 1959 hire fleet


GENERAL SECRETARY’S REPORTMutualisation is the big topic

running through the last few months. The proposal is that

a charity is formed on a similar basis to the National Trust and that this body will run our inland waterways or most of them. British Waterways will become the first body to be incorporated in the new organization sometime in 2012, however Environment Agency con-trolled waterways will not be included until 2016 if the economic conditions are right. The GOBA committee will support the new body assuming that it is set up in a fair way for all concerned. To this end we wrote to the Secretary of State asking that we be included at an early stage in any consultation and we were assured by him that we would. Subsequently we completed a consul-tation document issued by the Govern-ment concerning the proposals for this new body and a copy of the returned document is published on the GOBA web site for members to read. We also asked the membership as individuals to complete the consultation docu-ment as we were assured that individ-ual comments carried as much weight as those submitted by organizations. GOBA committee members have been invited and attended meetings on mu-tualisation held by other organizations including the IWA, RYA an “All Party Parliamentary Group” and the national Navigation Users Forum. It has also been suggested that we represent the organizations on the River Nene which we are prepared to do. Updates will be posted on the GOBA web site.

Meetings with the Environ-ment Agency Waterways team continue as usual with

the most contentious issue being the delay in the dredging of the shoals at Hemingford and Godmanchester locks. The most up to date information we have is that the work at Hemingford will commence on the 27th of June and at this time work will be carried out to repair the guillotine gate on the lock.Other more positive outcomes have been the operation of Hermitage Lock during the winter with the restricted opening time causing few problems. There was a worry that the summer opening times for the lock would be delayed due to lack of manpower

however despite the fact that a new lock keeper had not been employed, the relief lock keeper having a heart attack and Karen Paterson one of the river inspec-tors moving on the summer opening commenced on the date it should have. This was due to the sterling efforts of currently depleted Waterways team. The new traffic light system at Cardington lock warning of “Strong Stream” is now in operation and has met with approval by the members who have seen it oper-ate in trial conditions. This system will be extended to other locks used for dis-charge when the river levels are high. It is also proposed that a new warning system will be operated which will au-tomatically issue a warning when river levels are approaching “Strong Stream” levels. This will be followed by a fur-ther warning when “Strong Stream” is in force. The warnings will come off in two stages the first between Bedford and St Ives and the following one between St Ives and Hermitage. The waterways team is also identifying for GOBA areas of bank that may be suitable for moorings where the EA at present do not have funds to construct their own moorings. Other ongoing discussions are on the removal of walk-ways on locks where the gates are being replaced and where it is possible to fit jockey wheels to the gates to stop them drifting apart and where there is easy ac-cess to the other side of the lock. It has also been agreed that the EA will buoy off the mooring at the Ferry Boat Inn at Holywell where there is limited depth of water. The time is now right to ad-just our relationship with the Waterways Team and support them where we can as their funding is extremely tight. This is demonstrated by the cost of the dredg-ing at Hemingford which alone exceeds the total dredging budget for 2011. The new winding gear for the slackers which was installed at Houghton has now been cascaded to the other locks and where before it took almost sixty turns of the winding handle to operate them it now takes less than twenty.

The London Angling Association has now changed its policy on allowing mooring on land where

they have the fishing rights and we are now in discussions with them to procure a mooring. New moorings are still dif-

ficult to find on the system with the exception of the area between St Ives and Brownshill where we have been offered a number of new sites. It is at the opposing ends of the river we are in need of more areas to rent for moor-ing. As always if anyone thinks they have identified a potential mooring site please let us know.

The AGM in April went very smoothly and thanks are once again due to the committee and

members of OVRC for their excellent hospitality. No contentious issues were raised but the committee was slightly disappointed by the low number of members attending.

Next year GOBA will not have an official presence at the Bed-ford River Festival as it was

considered an unjustified cost for the benefit gained. At the other end of the scale our attendance at L H Jones & Sons gala over the late May bank holi-day produced over 20 serious enquires for membership and a constant steam of people who were all boaters coming to talk to us. GOBA will once again be represented at Ely Aquafest on Sunday 3rd of July.

Another event to look forward to is the illuminated boat parade on the August bank holiday

weekend at St Ives which was seri-ously curtailed by the heavy rain and high water levels last year. Despite that the event was considered a great suc-cess and we have over twenty boats al-ready registered for this August. Surely the weather will not interfere this year. Application forms can be downloaded from the web site or provided by a com-mittee member.

To improve communications with the membership a link has been set up to the forum where mem-

bers can easily gain access to minutes and other decisions made by the com-mittee. It is hoped that this will keep the membership better informed about the work the committee carries out on their behalf.

ALISTAIR REID


Dragonfly day

at Wicken FenSummer is the time of year on the river when you can’t

miss the fast graceful moves of dragonfl ies and damselfl ies. As an active canoeist and sitting low in the water there are times when your surroundings are alive with colour and activity. But a few years back on a trip along the Basingstoke canal, when we were asked if we had seen a specifi c species, both my girlfriend Pam and I realised we really didn’t know anything

about these creatures. Buying a couple of books and reading about their life cycle stages was interesting. But as summers passed we never got any better at identifi cation. They are just too small and too fast, was my opinion.

But this year Philippa Noon, River Manager for the Cam Conservators mentioned in passing that there were dragonfl y days at Wicken Fen. We turned up to an introduction day in June just before lunch and joined the guided tour. This was a short walk from the

Dragonfl y Centre, stopping and observ-ing at a number of clearings. This was an interesting but informal session. Hey, that small damselfl y does have red eyes and is therefore a red-eyed damselfl y.

The dragonfl y with four spots on its wings is a four-spotted chaser. Unfortu-nately they aren’t all that easy so I was pleased to hear that you would nor-mally use binoculars. The top tip was to use binoculars that have a short focus distance. Now we could see more detail and whilst many damselfl ies are blue there are markings that look like bow

ties, wine goblets and snooker pockets!The tour concluded with us returning

to the centre and the attempted feeding of a live larva under a microscope and an explanation of how their jaws work.

Fortunately there was a recording as the larva wasn’t hungry.

Following our lunch break we went explor-ing the fen armed with our book, binoculars and camera. Our con-fi dence was growing with more sightings of red-eyed damsel-fl y and four-spotted chasers. I was pleased with photographs I had taken with a telephoto lens but we couldn’t identify one chaser that appeared to have additional markings to those in the book. As we fi nished off the day we returned back to the centre and showed the photos to our guide. The mysteri-ous chaser was a male scarce chaser. He had mated and the marks had been caused by the female as she held him!

Plenty more to learn then, but this was a very enjoyable taster session. There are

more detailed courses running in July and we plan to return. In the mean time we need to remember to look where we are paddling and not at the Odonata.

GLENN BATES

The GOBA moorings at Wicken Fen are at Monks Lode, accessible via Upware Lock and Burwell Lode. For further information about events at the NT Wicken Fen visit http://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/main/w-vh/w-visits/w-fi ndaplace/w-wickenfennationalnaturereserve.htm


I have noticed over the last few years a growing tendency for some people to be discourteous to their fellow boaters. This lack of manners seems (to a Grumpy Old Man) to manifest itself in certain ways and in specific places. Especially at locks, at moorings and even in marinas.

MARINA MANNERSThe marina where we moor has a splen-did back drop to most moorings of grass, trees and other boats. New boaters used to be advised that when arriving they were expected to drive their cars to the moor-ing, offload their cargo and then move to a hardstanding. This is within 50 metres. (Stop press: The marina management have now placed a sign advising new boaters of this rule.) Of course, if the ground is mud-dy and vehicle movement would chew-up

the ground, com-mon sense would prevail and driv-ers would stay on the parking area and carry goods to the boat. You would think! By following these simple

guidelines, neighbouring boaters would be ensured an enjoyable, and a clear view of the boats, grass and trees. The marina management has, many times over the years, relaid mangled mud, reseeded the land and put up barri-ers to stop vehicles. However, there are a number of people who still ruin the grass with their cars, vans and 4x4’s and spoil the views of

EDITOR’S PIECEJOHN PRIDMORE COMMENTS

their neighbours. How inconsiderate. After one recent wet spell a boater invited a visitor with a caravan to park on the grass by the boats, quite friendly and normal – but it was towed by a 4x4 which created even further rutting of the ground and destroyed any chance of the grass re-growing this season. And with five vehicles parked up, not a good view for anyone having a family barbecue nearby. (Yes, me and mine!)And all of this before we get on the river! And what do we find here? Boaters speed-ing and ruining the river bank and the homes of wildlife. These are the same people who complain about the river depth! And you know – and will read below - that dredging of this river is still not happening. St Neots town have worked with the EA to catch and fine boaters speeding through the town!At locks the absence of etiquette, or just plain old courtesy, is apparent. GOBA provides a guide to lock etiquette on its website, on its notice boards and to boat hirers. You wouldn’t know it! This year a narrow boat was caught under a sluice gate because he was running his engine in Hemingford lock and did not have his lines held fore and aft to give the control needed. He nearly sank his boat and the EA had to come out to fix the gate. I saw another incident with a nb at Godmanchester lock. First the gate was closed on me as my boat was approaching! Then he ran his engine and had one frail old man on the bank hold-ing just a centre line, free from the bollard. The cruiser in the dogleg looked worried! But

Editor John Pridmorereceiving the Gold Award for Best Specialist Magazine as awarded to GOBA News

Mud and caravan


Anne and David Beach were sitting on ‘Tide Dancer’, their Shetland 27, at The Dolphins’ mooring in St Ives when this strange yellow vehicle ap-peared. This is a Gibbs Aquada a revolu-tionary high speed amphibious ve-

hicle which has undergone extensive safe-ty testing and complies with appropriate ma-rine and road safety regula-tions.

EDITOR’S PIECE

it was the lock gate that had the prob-lem. The steering arm of the nb caught under a strut on the walkway and bent it and pulled it from its weld! The nb own-er still kept engine running, “to control his boat”! The role of GOBA – and all like minded Aboaters – is to guide other boaters in these situations. I tried with this visitor. Not always an easy task on the river for a GOM! However, I did persuade him to become a member!

MOORINGSYou will read elsewhere in the mag about fires being lit on the ground at moorings. DO NOT.

DREDGING – OR NOTOn the subject of river depth the naviga-tion authority for the Great Ouse (the EA) appear to believe that dredging is a nasty word. They prefer to call it re-pro-filing and not to do it at all! The build-up of shoaling of silt & shingle after each winter creates problem areas along the river, especially at locks. Many boat-ers have run aground and some have lost their props. For many years boaters and GOBA have complained about this situation and indeed, GOBA raised it at a committee meeting attended by EA management. Promises were made – but to date have not come to fruition? GOBA sent a strongly worded letter to EA management and we were advised that work was to start at Hemingford on 27 June for 5 days whilst the lock is closed for repairs. Apparently the problem was worse than the EA first thought and they appointed a contractor

Entry to the water is via slipway, beach, directly from the water’s edge. Once afloat, the transition from road vehicle to high speed amphibian is effortlessly achieved. Simply press a button and drive into the water. The wheels automatically rise and, as the accelerator is depressed, nearly a ton of thrust pushes the Aquada onto the plane. The whole process takes less than 12 seconds and the Aquada can plane at over 30mph and is powerful enough to tow a water skier. But not on the Great Ouse.And one can be yours for just £150,000!

CAR IN THE RIVER

GOBA, the IWA, and many other or-ganisations as well as individuals have provided responses to the Government’s consultation document on the proposed National Waterways Charity (NWC).

A GOBA sub-committee reviewed the document and, after taking into account members’ comments, presented its find-ings to the GOBA committee. In prin-cipal the GOBA committee support the inclusion of the EA’s navigations. How-ever, it has stressed:

1) the importance of the finances re-quired to sustain such a venture and the needs of our members;

2) that governance arrangements must encourage community involvement so that ‘ownership’ leads to tangible bene-fits for boaters on the Great Ouse as well as other local stakeholders;

3) that planning of the integration of the EA navigations, by 2015/16, must involve GOBA and other relevant asso-ciations.

It also queries, and will keep a close watch on, how all aspects of the water-ways – specifically the Great Ouse - will be dealt with to meet the charitable pur-poses of the body in a manner that sus-tains and enhances existing usage. The final document is on the GOBA website.

A summary of all responses will be

placed on the Defra website at: http://www.defra.gov.uk/corporate/consult/.

Until a decision is made on whether it will be included in the charity, the EA has declared its intention to focus on cer-tain priorities. These include: continuing to perform its navigation duties and re-sponsibilities within available funding, working closely with British Waterways and subsequently the new charity to en-sure a complementary approach, explor-ing ways of involving civil society more in the delivery of its navigation activi-ties.

Defra plans a review in 2014 to assess the progress and achievements of the NWC and will consider options for the transfer. The transfer will be dependant on the performance of the Trust, whether it is affordable and, of course, whether the Charity Trustees want it to happen.

which also removed the large amount of spoil and disposed of it off site. This meant the contractors working for a further period down stream of the lock and boaters having to take care around the entrance/exit . NB A boater I met at Hemingford’s

Regatta advised me that the shoaling hasn’t been totally removed as his boat’s prop snagged on the bottom as he came into the jetty below Hemingford Lock. I have asked our committee to raise this with the EA.

JOHN PRIDMORE

Mutualisation of the Waterways

Ed comment: With the agreement, reached in principle in June, for The Waterways Trust to merge operations with the planned new waterways charity, it will be interesting to see how the EA navigation authority’s role – and its financial commitments and ability (or not) for fund raising – will be viewed in 2014 by what should be by then an active and financially healthy charity!


SEALING OF TOILETSThis year’s boat renewal document contained inaccuracies. It

stated that sea toilets should be sealed. GOBA asked the EA to clarify this statement and they have confirmed this is not the case. To have holding tanks fitted in all vessels is an aspiration of the EA but the sealing of sea toilets cannot happen until adequate pump out stations are installed and the relevant legislation is in place.

INCREASE OF TENDER COSTSGOBA have corresponded with the EA on many issues, Tender

charges gave us cause for concern. The EA had reclassified them for 2011 which meant if you have a tender with an outboard of less than 4hp the cost was raised by a staggering 300%. We have been able to obtain some concessions and by now everyone should have received a rebate.

HERMITAGE LOCKA week before summer hours were due to start we were issued

with a restriction notice stating that winter hours were to be ex-tended through April and possibly into May, the committee found this unacceptable and wrote to the EA with a positive result. The EA cancelled the imposed restrictions and the lock is operating normal summer hours.

NATIONAL ISSUE At national level British Waterways are to be converted into a

charity not dissimilar to the National Trust model. This will give BW the opportunity to raise extra income through membership and commercial ventures. It is proposed that EA navigation will join the charity in 2015-16 subject to funding being available. The GOBA Committee support this move, as we believe it is beneficial to be in-volved with the early stages of negotiation. More on this elsewhere in GOBA News.

Plans for Kings Lynn Marina have been put on hold. A feasibility study into a lock in the tail sluice of the relief channel has taken place, but is unlikely to proceed. On a positive note, pontoons are due to be installed at Kings Lynn, South quay in the very near future.

OUR PRIORITIES – MOORINGS AND GOBA NEWSMooring continues to be a high priority for GOBA. Our mooring

officers have been active over the winter identifying possible new sites and we will of course inform you of any new moorings when negotiations are complete.

GOBA News is another of our priorities. There was a change of editor at the beginning of last season, but we are still producing what we believe is a high quality magazine. Our new editor, John Pridmore, who has great experience in magazine production and was a previous editor of GOBA News, also produces copy for An-glia Afloat on a regular basis as well as issuing the monthly Bulletins from April to October.

COMMITTEEBob thanked all the committee who work extremely hard on be-

half of members as well as other volunteers who give up their time to support GOBA, particularly Jim and John who regularly cut the grass at Waterbeach, and Peter Barrett of the Little Ouse Group.

TREASURERS REPORTMike Mackay produced the audited Financial Statements for the

year ended 31st December 2010. He went through the report and invited questions from the floor.

Someone asked if GOBA News could be forwarded to mem-bers electronically, if given the option, as this may help reduce the cost. This is an option discussed regularly by the committee. At the moment it is not viable. Advertising revenue has increased and has been regulated more strictly with the result that we have no debtors.

GENERAL SECRETARY’S REPORT Alistair Reid advised that since last year’s AGM we have seen a

year of changes and postponed changes. Many subjects are covered in his column in GOBA News and

elsewhere in our magazine. But one subject he covered is that the committee numbers 13, still 3 short of a full complement. If you would like to join the committee or know of anyone who would, please contact any committee member.

Great Ouse Boating Association

GOBA AGMThe GOBA AGM was held on Sunday 17 April 2011 in the OVRC Club House in St Neots and 53 mem-bers attended. Here is a resume of the proceedings.

The Commodore of OVRC, Vic Driver, opened the proceedings by welcoming all present and then handed over to the GOBA Chairman, Bob Wells.

Bob Wells bid a good morning to and welcome everyone to the AGM. He then thanked Vic, the commit-tee and the members of the OVRC for the use of their excellent facilities.

Bob stated that his first year as Chairman had been enjoyable and interesting, if at times challenging. He also informed everyone that members of the GOBA committee, including himself, had attended a wide range of meetings on local and national issues in support and behalf of members.

He covered some points on certain issues including; the fact that the Cam conservators had proposed changes to their pricing structure for boat registration but after opposition from many user groups and in-dividuals, including GOBA, they delayed the introduction of revised charges subject to a thorough review.

Bob reminded everyone that the committee continue to work and negotiate with the EA at regular liai-son meetings to achieve our mutual goal of ensuring the smooth operation of our waterways. There have, however, been a few issues on which we have had to take action. These include:


MOORINGS REPORTHere we go again, two thirds of the way through summer and some fair weather to come – I hope. Went to my local butchers today and they have 2 week turkey chicks in preparation for Christmas!The majority of our moorings seem to be holding up well and most, well those cut by our contractors, are fairly tidy. I do try and get around some of the other moorings to cut them and of course, I am grateful to the Little Ouse Group for looking after the River Little Ouse and two of our members who cut Water-beech. The new mooring at Stretham, on the Old West, appears quite popular. It’s a good, quiet spot, with plenty of space and a pleasant walk up to the village, if you feel so inclined.Roy Wood is still negotiating with the EA for a mooring on the Little Ouse, close to Hockwold. We are hopeful he will be successful and something up and running by next year. Roy is also trying to indentify somewhere close to 10 mile bank. We are still confi dent of a new mooring close to Hemingford. Unfortunately the mooring at Gentles Hole, on the Little Ouse is proving a bit of a problem. The ground is very soft and horses, also renting the fi eld, do not respect our GOBA signs. Consequently they have damaged the bank and ground quite severely. We have considered fencing off the mooring and re-profi ling but it is quite expensive and not a good use of GOBA funds, so we may have to give it up.Roy and I have looked at and considered other sites offered as moorings, plus sites suggested by some of our members. Unfortunately they have been unsuit-able or owners were not willing to rent to us. However, please keep looking and forward any information about a river bank you might think suitable.I am afraid we have had a couple of instances, where fi res have been lit on moorings and damage caused. I must emphasize that fi res MUST NOT be lit on moorings and BBQ’s must shielded from the ground, so as not to cause dam-age. The moorings are rented to us, in good faith and we could end up losing them because of a careless action. Whilst having a moan, will boaters please take their rubbish with them. Unfortunately, we do not get refuse collections and bags of rubbish become unsightly and opened by animals and birds. There are plenty of places on the river to dispose of rubbish at locks and other places. Please treat the moorings with respect.Many of you are probably aware that the ‘Anchor PH’ at Tempsford has changed hands and a change of use. The mooring is still available but should be used sensibly. There is no access to the building, as it is now a Private Members Club. The grounds are also ‘out of bounds’. Provided boaters keep to the rules, I am led to believe, the owner is happy for boats to moor only.Please be aware this could change.Enjoy the rest of the season.

STUART TURVEYROY WOOD

FIRES!The GOBA mooring and the farmer’s fi eld close to the Ferryboat have been abused by some moorers. Ground fi res are NOT allowed. Some boaters have even raided the hedgerow for fi rewood and the size of the fi res has caused con-cern for locals as well as other boaters.

The GOBA mooring next to the Pike & Eel has also had fi res laid resulting in damage to the ground. DO NOT light ground fi res.

THE FERRYBOAT INN The EA has stated its intent to place buoys at the shallow end of the bank in front of the Ferryboat. GOBA continue discussions with the Parish Council and the EA.

HEMINGFORDS & NOBLES FIELDSChris Cunnell of Morning Mist sent an email stating disappointment, earlier in the season, when he saw that the GOBA moorings at both Hemingfords and St Ives (Nobles Field) were overgrown and

looking a ‘tad’ the worse for wear.Chris said: “As I am slightly unsteady on my feet I need to have a clear line for where my feet are going when I get off the boat, this was impossible for me at St Ives

Damage to ground at P&E by fi re

OMPLAINTS:. • Moorings

• Fires! • LocksC

CONTINUED

Hemingfords


as the bank is very irregular and over-grown as was the fi eld itself. Heming-ford was a real shock after so much work was done on it to make such alarge mooring space, to fi nd it so overgrown with weeds fi ve feet high and the water so shallow in some parts that children could stand waist high six to eight feet from the bank was extraordinary.”

Ed: Both moorings were cut and tidied up early July. The farmer takes the silage from Nobles Field in return for cutting and Hemingfords was cut for the Re-gatta.

Chris also says, ‘Boaters beware’:“We had a narrow escape at the lock in St Ives. We had helped a solo boat go through the lock whilst my husband Richie handled the gates. We then got aboard our boat to enter the lock via the open gate, only to discover that some idiot was actually lowering the gate as we were approaching. This as you canimagine caused alarm and some dis-quiet to us. We were able to alert said persons who then stopped the gate and raised it. On getting into the lock, I asked had they not seen us and the boat behind approaching, to be answered by the adult, it was the kids fault as he had not bothered to look. They offered no apology. Luckily we saw the gate was coming down in time and no damage was sustained, but I would not want to go through that again.”

LOCK ETIQUETTEEd: The GOBA poster on lock etiquette is displayed at most locks and is available on the GOBA website. A leafl et is also made available to all boat hirers providing boaters with guid-ance to lock, navigation and mooring etiquette.

Nobles Field mooring at St Ives

Mr Jolliffe retired from GOBA earlier this year, having been a member since 1976. He is not our longest serving mem-ber, that honour goes to Brian Carter. Mr Jolliffe sent his copy of “the White Book”, which all mem-bers received on joining, and his early membership cards to membership secretary Mike Mackay. Sections of the book are reprinted here for historical reference.We wish Mr Jolliffe a long and happy retirement.

It’s all white


It’s all white


Hemingfords’ Regatta: oldest uninterrupted village rowing regatta:

110 NOT OUT

Shared by Hemingford Grey and Hemingford Abbots, the Hemingfords’ Regatta is the oldest village rowing regatta in the country. Traditionally the Regatta day is held on the second Saturday in July. This year it took

place on 9 July and was watched not only by what appeared to be most of the inhabitants of both villages, but also by a num-ber of GOBA members on boats moored on the ‘wall’. The Regatta comprises a day of racing in double and single coxed pleasure rowing boats, canoes and punts. The entry is largely restricted to the villagers, and there are races for chil-dren, adults and veterans. For fi ve weeks prior to the Regatta, the rowing boats which are owned by the Regatta are available each evening for practice and training. Children are given the opportunity to learn how to row and cox.It is a very popular village event for both spectators and par-ticipants. There is a short break in the afternoon for tea when a Tug-of-War between teams from the two village pubs – The Axe and Compass and The Cock - takes place across the river. The fi nals of each event are held in the late afternoon, and

early evening, after more than 160 races, the Regatta ends and the prize-giving takes place.The Regatta was founded by the Vicar of Hemingford Grey, the Rev. Byrom Holland, and his friend the artist Walter Dendy Sadler. Between them they gathered the support of the infl u-ential families in both Hemingford villages to donate trophies, lend their boats and use their expertise to set up a Regatta on August Bank Holiday Monday so that everyone could enjoy friendly competition on the river.The Regatta was an instant success and was so well-loved that it has continued uninterrupted (except for the war years) for a hundred and ten years. Rev Holland donated a pair of silver oars,‘The Vicar’s Sculls’, as the trophy for a men’s double sculling race which would end at Hemingford Grey Church when the Church bells would ring and coloured rockets be fi red from the Church tower. Today this is traditionally the last race of the day. But not the end of the day. A bar, food and live music contin-ued until 11pm.

Hemingford boat house and pictures of regatta days from yesteryears


NEWS FROM THE ENVIRONMENT AGENCYIMPROVING THE RIVER CAM FOR BOATERS AND WILDLIFEWe are working with the Conservators of the River Cam to restore an 800-metre section of river bank.

The works, using coir rolls pre-planted with native plants, will repair erosion along a popular stretch of the river just north of Cam-bridge, downstream of Baits Bite Lock.

The erosion has resulted in a steep, muddy edge which is unattract-ive to boaters and has little benefit to wildlife.

Using the pre-planted coir rolls will help to create a more diverse habitat and encourage a healthy river system teeming with fish and invertebrates. The Cam Conservators have already used this method successfully on other stretches of the river.

The native plants, which include species such as purple loosestrife and yellow flag (iris) not only look pretty but, once established, protect the bank and provide marginal habitats to shelter fish and freshwater invertebrates. A recent survey has shown that where this has already been undertaken, there has been an increase in the number of water voles.

For more information, contact: Philippa Noon, [email protected] or Lesley Saint, lesley.

[email protected]

BOATERS WHO FLOUT THE RULES PAY THE PRICEThe majority of our boaters register on time every year – thank you. However, for those who don’t register there can be some serious con-sequences. Last year we prosecuted 34 boaters for non-registration. These boaters have received a hefty fine, on top of their navigation fee, and now have a criminal record.

In addition to prosecutions we have issued formal cautions and warning letters. These can be used in court if the boat is not regis-tered again this year.

All boats kept, let for hire or used on our waterways, including the main river, private moorings, marinas or backwaters must be registered with us. Not only do we receive much-needed income, but as a valid Boat Safety Scheme Certificate and third party insurance is also required to register, it makes boating on our waterways safer.

If you sell your boat, you need to let us know. If you don’t let us know in writing that you have sold the boat and inform us of the new owner, you remain the legal owner and are responsible for registering it.

As a boater, you need to make sure your registration disc and regis-tration number is clearly visible on your boat. This is a requirement of registration, but if you do not show this information on your boat, River Inspectors can waste valuable time checking if you are regis-tered. The fewer boats the River Inspectors have to check, the more time they have to concentrate on those who are not registered.

Starring television role for lock keeperHermitage Lock will be featured on Sky Television. A film crew from TV company Serious Leisure TV visited the lock in April to make a programme called UK Boating TV.Keith Musk, our lock keeper at Hermitage, was filmed putting a number of boats, from cruisers to canoes, through the lock. Our Waterways Patrol boat Ouseabout was also filmed carrying out enforcement duties on the river.Keith found the film crew was very interested in the life of a lock keeper and the role he played within the boating community. The River Great Ouse has a lot to offer visitors and resident boaters alike and the programme will help to put Hermitage Lock and this fantas-

tic river firmly on the UK boating map.UK Boating TV can usually be seen on Sky Channel 203. The programme is usually aired at 7pm on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays and 3.30pm on Sundays.

INCIDENT RESPONSE AFTER BOAT BECOMES STRANDEDThe Environment Agency came to the rescue of a boat which had run aground on the Great Ouse. We received a call to say a narrowboat had become stuck in shallow water and had remained so overnight.

The boaters were visitors to the river and had tried to moor up at Godmanchester Causeway for an overnight stay when they became stuck.

River Inspector Matthew Yallop, assisted by a member of the Fleet Operations team in Brampton, launched our patrol boat near Godma-nchester sluices. He checked on the well-being of the boaters before attaching a rope to the stranded boat.

Hermitage Lock is to be featured on Sky Television. Inset: Lock keeper Keith Musk.

Our Bedford-based Operations Delivery staff then safely winched the boat out of the shallows and back to deeper water.

The rescue was completed within two hours of us being notified of the incident and the boaters were able to continue enjoying their holiday.

We are reviewing the signage in this area and if required will install additional information signs to notify boaters of the shallow water near Godmanchester Causeway.

Stranded boat Godmanchester

CONTINUED


NO NEW KILLER SHRIMP FOUND... BUT VIGILANCE IS REQUIRED

The killer shrimp (Dikerogammarus villosus) was discovered at Grafham Water, Cambridgeshire, in September 2010. Since then, information has been widely distributed regarding the identifica-tion of this species and the steps to take if you believe that you have found it.

The central information point for the invasive shrimp is the GB Non Native Species Secretariat (NNSS) website: https://secure.fera.defra.gov.uk/nonnativespecies/alerts/index.cfm?id=3. This website includes the identification information along with the current bios-ecurity guidance for boaters and anglers.

The killer shrimp is mainly a nocturnal species and hides in dark crevices during the day. Ideal locations are rocky shorelines on lakes and sections of river bank with boulder/cobble substrates. The rapid

invasion of many waterways across Europe has been possible due to the extensive lengths of rock armoured river bank.

The shrimp can also be found in sections of concrete and brick reinforced bank where it makes use of small gaps and cracks in the structures to rest during the day. The shrimp does not like fine par-ticle substrates like sand and silt and has been observed to actively avoid them.

We have established a network of routine monitoring sites in key locations within the Great Ouse system, selecting locations at highest risk of colonisation by the killer shrimp.

Thank you to those of you who have used the alert system to report suspected sightings of the killer shrimp. We have responded to all reports, conducting thorough investigations of the suitable habitats within the sighting area. We welcome your information as we are very keen to respond rapidly to suspected new killer shrimp popula-tions. To date, our extensive monitoring work has revealed no new killer shrimp populations in the Great Ouse system.

The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) has recently launched a Check, Clean, Dry campaign which provides guidance on steps to take to avoid the spread of alien species. The information can be found via the following link: https://secure.fera.defra.gov.uk/nonnativespecies/index.cfm?pageid=337. Please also look out for posters which will be on your notice boards.

RIVER LARK SILT REMOVAL COMPLETE

MUTUALISATION OF THE WATERWAYSGOBA members will be aware that, on 28 February, Richard Benyon (Parliamentary Under-Secretary for Natural Environment and Fisher-ies) announced the Environment Agency’s navigations would not transfer to the New Waterway Charity (NWC) at this time.

The Government has the ambition for our navigations to join the NWC and there will be a further review in 2014. Over the period from 2011 to 2014, we will focus on the following priorities. We will:• continue to perform our navigation duties and responsibilities within available funding;• work closely with British Waterways and subsequently the new • charity to ensure our approaches are complementary;explore ways of involving civil society more in the delivery of our navigation activities.

The review in 2014 will assess the progress and achievements of the NWC and will consider options for the possible transfer of the Environment Agency’s navigations to the New Waterways Charity.

Transfer will be dependant on the performance of the Trust, whether it is affordable and whether the Charity Trustees want it to happen.

We will, of course, continue to work closely with GOBA and other organisations that support our waterways and will keep you updated on progress through our regular meetings.

SAFER AND EASIER LOCK OPERATIONThroughout the spring, we have continued to replace the paddle gear boxes at our lock sites.

We have recently installed the gearboxes at Cardington Lock and St Ives Lock. Throughout the spring, we have continued to replace the paddle gear boxes at our lock sites. We have recently installed the gearboxes at Cardington Lock and St Ives Lock.

The feedback we have received from the boaters we meet has been very positive and we hope to complete the last few remaining sites as soon as possible. =

NEWS FROM THE E.A. - CONTINUED

Please be vigilant and report any sightings of the killer shrimp (Dikero-gammarus villosus) promptly. Picture courtesy of Merino EMG Ltd.

In March 2011 we successfully completed a three-year scheme to remove silt from the River Lark. This included the whole navigable length from Judes Ferry to the confluence with the Ely Ouse.

The scheme was managed by our Operation Delivery team in Ely and completed by contractors.

Silt being removed from the River Lark

OUR STRONG STREAM ADVICE NOW EVEN BETTERWe are improving the way boaters receive information about high flows on the Great Ouse following heavy rainfall. A new green/red signage system will be installed at many of our lock sites to inform river users that Strong Stream Advice (SSA) has been issued and locks are ‘reversed’ to discharge high river flows.

We have also successfully trialled a new warning light system at Cardington lock which informs river craft, at a safe distance on the upstream side, that the lock may be ‘reversed’. We will be looking to install warning lights at other locks across the region in the near future.

Following consultation with GOBA and other user groups, we are improving the procedure for SSA and will be looking to introduce a new lower level advice message (a caution message). This will inform our customers that flows are increasing on the Bedford Ouse. We are also introducing a ‘two phase’ cancellation procedure. This will tell those boaters who have signed up to system that SSA has been cancelled from Bedford to St Ives and then from St Ives to Earith.

We are adding several new sites where SSA flags will be flown dur-ing high flows along the river. This is in addition to the existing sites at Hermitage lock and Hartford Marina.

We are also working closely with the Conservators of the River

New paddle gearboxes have been installed at Cardington Lock and St Ives Lock


PLEASE USE WATER WISELY We are asking boaters to do their bit to save water.River levels across the region are particularly low for the time of year and we officially confirmed drought status for parts of Cam-bridgeshire, Lincolnshire and Northamptonshire with Defra on Friday, 10 June. We are also stepping up our monitoring activities. This means we will quickly be able to identify and respond to impacts on fish and other wildlife.In addition, we are working closely with farmers and other abstrac-tors to find ways of making our water resources go further and there are restrictions on some. There is also advice available on our website to help homeowners save water.Now, we are asking boaters to play their part. One of the ways you can do this is by doubling up when using our locks. lock can use thousands of gallons of water each time it is used and the more boats that can go through in pairs, the more water will be saved. Offord lock uses approximately 28,000 gallons and St Neots lock nearly 130,000 gallons per lockage. Sharing with another boat while using a lock can also share the effort required to operate it, meaning you save your energy as well as us-ing less water.As regular river users, we are also urging boaters to report suspected pollution incidents or distressed fish so that we can respond quickly where there is a threat to wildlife. Our 24-hour incident hotline num-ber is 0800 80 70 60.For more information on how to save water, visit our website: www.environment-agency.gov.uk

The new signs that are being installed at many of our locks

Cam to introduce a similar system on the River Cam as soon as pos-sible.

Please sign up so you can receive Strong Steam Advice (SSA). It is a free service that will send a message to your mobile phone or landline to keep you informed about SSA. Boaters can also sign up to receive text alerts.

For more information or to sign up for SSA messages, please contact Mandy Doolan, Environment Agency, Waterside House, Waterside North, Lincoln. LN2 5HA or email [email protected]

Alternatively, call the SSA line for updates at any time. Dial 0845 988 1188 and choose option one, listen to the pre-recorded informa-tion, followed by one of these quick-dial codes:

Great Ouse 033211 Nene 032112 Ancholme 031212

Cardington Lock SSA light CLUB NEWS...

Bedford Boat Club

It’s amazing how the time flies! Already it’s the end of the beginning of the season! Carding-ton lock did finally open at the end of Febru-

ary although much of the promised work was not completed but at least it is operable if with the same degree of difficulty as before.So, the BBC Fitting Up Supper really was that. As

the river was re-opened, so was the Club’s season in this traditional, if symbolic, way on March 5, when an excellent meal was enjoyed in the clubhouse, as is the norm.Unless you usually live on Mars, you will know that

the whole country celebrated the Royal wedding on April 29. On Saturday April 30 club members shared in the national celebrations by having their own “street party” on the moorings. The weather was kind and the whole moorings were able to be used, a bouncy castle being a central attraction for the younger (and probably not so young) members and friends.The late May bank holiday between 28 and 30

May heralded the first cruising week end of the year. Pleasingly this was better attended than has some-times been the case in recent years when 15 boats ventured to the common at St. Neots. Maureen Silson, the event organiser, arranged a kite making and flying competition on the Saturday. The weather was windy which was more than useful. I suspect she has contacts on a higher plane that most of us! There were also quizes, including one involving navigation signs which was certainly different, plus one with a music theme added to a treasure hunt around the common. There’s always plenty to do when Maureen is involved!Fitted in around all of this a major re-furbishment to

the clubhouse has been started. It was known that the downstream end of the building required major works but on closer examination it was discovered that the whole wall needed replacing. The internal covering was removed, the roof supported while the main supports were made safe. Extra concrete up-stands were cast, the exterior wall removed and the


CLUB NEWS... CLUB NEWS... CLUB NEWS... CLUB NEWS... CLUB NEWS... CLUB NEWS... CLUB NEWS... CLUB NEWS... CLUB NEWS...whole replaced, inside and out. It had been intended to make good the wall on the front elevation but again on closer inspection it was discovered

that this also needed to be completely replaced. This was done in similar style to the end elevation. The weather forecast was not good for the following week and so this work was substantially done over just one week end, the interior panelling being done more lei-surely once the main structural work was completed. Describing this briefly in just one paragraph cannot do justice to the huge amount of work involved. Many members were necessarily involved in the project and so it would be incongruous to mention but a few. However, I think I can be forgiven for making special “mention in despatches” and publically expressing thanks to Steve Browning who organised the work

from start to finish and worked long hours in carrying out a lot of it too. There is still a little cosmetic work to be carried out which will be tidied up soon and the plan is then to carry on with the upstream wall so there is plenty left to do but there will be some boating first!Having mentioned that, I hope all have an excellent

year on this fine river of ours and look forward to see-ing as many of you as possible somewhere on the systemPlease keep an eye on our web site at: www.bedford-boatclub.co.uk

JOHN [email protected]

01234 344884

Cambridge Motor Boat Club.“A meeting of motor-boat owners and oth-

ers interested in motor boating was held in Cambridge recently when it was unanimous-ly resolved to form a motor-boat club to be named the Cambridge Motor Boat Club and officers were elected for the ensuing year”

Quote from “the Motor Boat” magazine of 1st June 1911.

CMBC has made it to the century and we celebrated this auspicious event in style with a Champagne buffet on the 17th May

which was the date of the first meeting in The Blue Boar Hotel in Trinity Street Cambridge of a few motor boat owners who started the club. The rest as they say is history and the club is still going strong.A few changes at Cambridge. I have the honour

of being the new Commodore with Geoff Parrish as Vice Commodore and Bernice Morton taking over as Treasurer. Bernice follows Bob Foote who stepped down after many years of keeping track of the money. Thank you Bob! We have now had our major events on the 11th &

12th June with a Centenary Ball with a seven course meal and an eighteen piece band followed by a buffet lunch and members photo on the Sunday. Both of these went very well including a visit from

“Diana” which was a boat owned by the club’s first Commodore. We have a couple of cruises and music events later

in the year and an open weekend in September. So a busy season ahead! I hope to see you on the river during the year and

let’s hope the weather is kind to us.STEVE FELLDream Weaver

Denver Cruising Club

I have just left our mooring with a strong wind blow-ing. On our corner of the river we seem to catch all the wind from the South or North at its worst.

This year’s boating season has started with sunshine and wind. With all this dry weather on the Fens, we are getting more Fen blows this year, which is leaving a fine covering of Fen soil all over our boats.We have just had our spring Bar-B-Q, with all the

fine weather our members and their guests enjoyed


CLUB NEWS... CLUB NEWS... CLUB NEWS... CLUB NEWS... CLUB NEWS... CLUB NEWS... CLUB NEWS... CLUB NEWS... CLUB NEWS...the lovely weekend. The club house was nearly full to bursting on Saturday evening. This event went off without any problems, the weather was great, the food excellent, and the auctioneer had all the mem-bers and guests laughing fit to bust. A great evening was had by all.May was also a very exciting month for some of

our members at the club moorings, with our first cow overboard. The field next to our moorings has cattle in it during the summer months. On a Saturday after-noon a boat was going past the club house, when its crew saw a cow topple into the river. The boat pulled in and raised the alarm with our members. The fire brigade was called and the farmer notified about his cow. Within 10 minutes a fire engine had arrived to rescue the cow. In all, three fire engines, plus a boat arrived to get the cow out of the water. The problem was we could not lead the cow out of the water, as the bank at Southery has shuttering all along it. Our members and the fire brigade were trying to come up with ideas how to manage this without any lifting machinery. In the end after about 20 minutes the cow put its foot up and was trying to climb out by itself, so everyone helped by lifting its other foot and pulling on the rope around its neck, to give it a hand. Out it came, just as Mark the farmer arrived. The cow was checked over and pronounced fit with no last-ing damage. So it went back to the herd without any problems.At this moment in time we are planning the Club’s

40th Anniversary party at the Denver Complex. The Denver Cruising Club started its life in the Jenyn’s Arms 40 years ago, with a few boaters having a drink at the bar and coming up with the idea of forming a new club. This is why it’s called the Denver Cruising Club, after the area where it started. First all the meet-ings were held in the pub and after a while the mem-bers managed to get some land. All the hard work started with building the moorings outside the Ferry Boat Inn at Southery, next came the Club House. Over the years it has been possible to extend these mooring, to our current number of 31. The members would like to give all GOBA members an open invite to any of our events this year.I hope you all have a good boating season on the

Gt. River Ouse.CAROL WARBURTON

Captain Simon

After a bit of a dodgy June, our Cruising Weekend to Barford over the May Bank Holiday now seems a long time ago but it

really kicked off our season with nearly 30 boats in attendance. By the Saturday lunchtime, most boats had arrived, with the majority of crews dressed in the weekend theme of ‘Country Pursuits.’ Our Rear Commodore, Brian and his team had worked re-ally hard to organise games, competitions and other ‘challenges’ for the skippers, crew and children alike. A communal barbecue in the evening was followed by a very entertaining performance in our marquee by magician Ian Keable, with more than a touch

OVRC

DON’T ASK!

CONTINUED


CLUB NEWS... CLUB NEWS... CLUB NEWS... CLUB NEWS... CLUB NEWS... CLUB NEWS... CLUB NEWS... CLUB NEWS... CLUB NEWS...

of comedy. Sunday morning breakfast, cooked by volunteers provided everyone with the energy to walk to the Horseshoes pub in Blunham. Good ale and company made for a very enjoyable lunchtime and after returning to the boats, a game of skittles warmed everyone up for a pub quiz and an evening of song. Well done to everyone who helped make it such a success.I am sure that our members are sick of me bleat-

ing on about the need for new boating members but it’s essential that our Club gently evolves and new blood is an important part of that. Anyway, I think I’ve got my wish. Over the past couple of months I have received more enquiries than ever before and it’s very encouraging that we are continually seeing new mem-bers and their boats at the Club. I can barely keep up! Welcome to all you lovely new members. Don’t be shy, make the most of the summer and make yourself at home. We’re glad to have you.Sadly, sometimes we also have to say a fond

farewell to boaters who have moored at our Club for many, many years. This month, Fred and Val Bun-yan of ‘Valma III’ have decided to retire from boating. Having made an outstanding contribution to our Club, Fred is an Honorary Member so he is a member for life, whether he likes it or not but, inevitably, we will see less of him and of Val. I have heard members say things like ‘end of an era’ and ‘part of the furniture’ and it’s true – if ever anyone dug a hole at the Club,

you could guarantee to find Fred at the bottom of it. Things won’t be the same without Valma III at her moorings, so good luck to you both and please don’t be strangers.Now that our On Shore Day and

Midsummer Barbecue are behind us, the moorings are starting to look more and more empty as members drift off down river, and that’s the way it should be. Some are even getting a bit more adventurous with excursions across the Wash or around the coast to Wells. Whatever you are doing this sum-

mer, be safe and don’t forget to drop in and see us if you are pass-ing. As always, if you are interested in membership, please get in touch. After all, you don’t want to be left out!

MARTIN WILCOXHon. Secretary, OVRC

[email protected]

THE SEAMASTER CLUB – THE FENS AND GREAT OUSE REGION

The weather has been good for us so far and I hope you are all enjoying the river. Our pre-season Luncheon was held at The Dragoon in

Brampton on Sunday 20th March 2011. Many thanks to the 36 members who supported this event and donated raffle prizes for the draw. A very good time was had by all. The first afloat rally was held on the GOBA moorings at the Lazy Otter on the 4th & 5th June. 24 members attended and some boats were rafted up to ensure a mooring. Whilst the weekend was sunny, the wind was blowing well. We had to make sure that the gazebos were securely roped down or they could have disappeared up the river. Both a sweepstake (for Derby day) and a quiz were held as well as the usual raffle. Many thanks to those who donated the raffle prizes. The partying continued well into the night.Our second rally will take place on the 9th & 10th July in the garden of Sylvie & Mike Chase at Sans Souci

The Commodore (left) - quality time with his son!


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by the river in Little Paxton. Members requiring moor-ings contacted Mike on the day and he arranged this. I am sure yet again this venue will be greatly enjoyed by all who attend and once again thank you to Sylvia & Mike for their generosity in allowing us to use their lovely grounds.A further afloat rally will be held on the GOBA moor-ings at Brampton over the weekend of 6th & 7th August 2011. The final event of the year will be an end of season Luncheon. The date and venue will be advised to members later.If any Seamaster owners would like to join us, we are a very friendly crowd; please do not hesitate to contact Brian Rowland, Membership Secretary tel: 01689 824531 email: [email protected]. Fur-ther information is also available from the Seamaster website: http://www.seamasterclub.org

SANDRA WOODHAMRegional Co-Ordinator Great Ouse & Fens

The Seamaster Club Rally at the Lazy Otter

UPWARE BOAT CLUB

Since my last report the UBC have held a few events. We held our annual winter cruise at Potters on the Norfolk coast, this is the first

time we have been to Potters as a club, and we all had an excellent long weekend. The food and the accommodation as well as the entertainment and the facilities were excellent, and all 49 of us really enjoyed the weekend. Very good value for money.Our second event was the Commodore’s welcome at Ely on the first weekend in April. The weather was lovely and warm, and a total of seven boats made their way to Ely for the weekend. The Commodore’s welcome was held at the Ely Masonic hall and, with others arriving by car, there were 44 members and guests there. We had a lovely 5 course meal and were entertained by Eclipse disco. As usual lots of people contributed to the Raffle. On the Sunday 20 members went to Strikes for our annual Ten Pin Bowl-ing competition. Winners were Alun from Bon Nuit and Karen from Voltigeur.We then had two Bank Holiday weekends very close together, so Jane and I took advantage of this and had 11 days on the boat. On the Easter bank holiday the Club went to Downham Market, with some of us stopping off at The Swan in Littleport for Lunch on Good Friday. Once again the weather was lovely and after stopping at the Ship at Brandon Creek for some alcohol refreshment we made our way to Denver Complex on the Friday evening and had a meal in the Jenyns. Saturday morning we all went through the lock to Downham Market. On the Saturday morning some of us went to Kings Lynn by train for some retail therapy and in the eve-ning we were joined by several other members and we celebrated St Georges Day at the Castle hotel,

CONTINUED

UBC boats moored outside ‘The Swan’ at Littleport


CLUB NEWS... CLUB NEWS... CLUB NEWS... CLUB NEWS...

and had a very nice meal. On the Sunday morning, after realising everywhere was shut, we all made our way back to The Ship for a BBQ on the bank nestled behind windbreaks, then a few drinks in the Pub.The First May Bank holiday weekend, we had a chill out weekend at the Swan, Littleport. Nine members’ boats were there as well as two prospective mem-bers’ boats. We had a treasure hunt around Littleport and then, because it was cold and windy, we set up some windbreaks and had a BBQ... well, most of us had a BBQ - some sensible members had a meal in the warmth of The Swan. We then retired to the warmth of our boats for a drink.Our next event was, yes you guessed it, another Bank Holiday weekend at the end of May. This was a trip to Brandon village down the very pretty Little Ouse, 2 3⁄4 hours from The Ship. Unfortunately Jane and I could not make this weekend, which was a shame because it is a lovely trip. Some members went down early to secure moorings and the club Marquee was set up. Once again the members had BBQs and a Quiz and a trip was planned to Santon Downham on the Sun-day in the smaller boats. Unfortunately the weather was too windy so the trip was abandoned.

UBC members were invited to the PEBC regatta on the 18th -19th June and those that attended (not deterred by the weather) had a brilliant time, and my personal thanks go to David & Diane Mole and all the members of the Pike & Eel Boat Club for again making us all feel so welcome.Our Flag Ship event The UBC Regatta is being held at The Swan Littleport on the 9th -10th July, and this and other events will be reported on in the next GOBA edition.Thank you for taking the time to read this article and see you on the river soon

TERENCE READ Upware Boat Club Commodore

Members relax at the Littleport gathering

UBC members celebrate St George’s Day at ‘The Castle’, Downham Market

On Behalf of all the Members of the UBC, I would like to express our deep sadness at the very sad news of the death of Malcolm from The Ship, Brandon creek. Malcolm all

made us feel very welcome.Our best wishes go to Michelle and their

family and all the staff.

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UBC members celebrate St George’s Day at ‘The Castle’, Downham Market

Chartered Surveyors

Kindly note - Boat surveys NOT undertakenGet a Home Survey now!

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Surveying properties in the Ouse,Nene, Cam and other local areas for boat and homeowners alike

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WANTED MORE BROKERAGE BOATS... Fixed rates of commission

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30 OCT 2011for the Winter issue

NEXT GOBA NEWSWINTER 2011COPY DATE

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NATIONAL ADVERTISING ON THE TOP WEBSITES

32 GOBA NEWS (SUMMER 2011)��

��• the use of GOBA moorings is free to members and hirers of craft owned by members of GOBA• there is a maximum stay of 48 hours. Boats take priority over fishing for which you will need a licence• moor as close as possible to other boats and close up gaps if necessary. Help fellow members to find space or raft onto your boat at busy times• keep children and animals under proper control. There are often farm animals where moorings are on fields. Do not light ground fires. Pick up litter and dog mess• do not tie your ropes to GOBA mooring signs• members are reminded that the use of GOBA mooring is at “own risk” and you are advised to have third party liability insurance

��General Secretary & for general enquiries: Alistair Reid 01480 493582 [email protected] 15 Willow Green, Needingworth, Huntingdon Cambs PE27 4SWMembership: Mike Mackay 01353 664229 [email protected] Moorings upstream from St Ives: Stuart Turvey 01234 303589 [email protected], Bulletins & GOBA News Editor: John Pridmore 07917 898168 [email protected] problems and liaison with EA: Alistair Reid alistair.reid @ goba.org.ukRiver Situation: EA at Brampton 08708 506506 Floodline 0845 9881188Cambridgeshire BoatWatch: 0345 456 456 4

GOBA News is published by the GREAT OUSE BOATING ASSOCIATION Ltd. which is registered under the Industrial and Provident Societies Act in the United Kingdom. Number 22120RGOBA is run entirely by a committee of seasoned boaters who volunteer their free time for the benefit of the Great Ouse boating community.Opinions and statements of contributors and endorsement of advertisers published in GOBA News are not necessarily supported by GOBA. Reproduction in whole or part is strictly prohibited. GOBA is a registered data user.Application forms for membership can be obtained at most marinas on the Great Ouse, from our website www.goba.org.uk or: GOBA PO Box 244 Huntingdon Cambridgeshire PE29 6FE or email: [email protected]

Old West

River Cam

Lark

Wissey

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12

17 20

EA MOORINGS 1 Sovereign Quay2 Old Mills 3 Great Barford 4 Eaton Socon 5 Offord 6 Godmanchester 7 Houghton 8 The Dolphin, St Ives9 Earith 10 Hermitage11 Stretham (Old West)12 Reach Lode (Upware)13 Burwell Lode 14 Hundred Acre 15 Goldsmere 16 Little Thetford 17 Queen Adelaide 18 Diamond 44 19 Padnal Fen 20 Toms Hole Farm 21 Prickwillow 22 Mile End Farm 23 Sandhills, Littleport24 Black Horse, Littleport25 Brandon Creek 26 Station Road, Littleport27 The Ship28 Little Ouse, Brandon29 Brandon Town 30 Windmill 31 Denver complex 32 Silt Fen Farm 33 Hilgay34 Downham Market 35 Stowbridge36 Wiggenhall St Mary37 Fidwell Fen

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Bedford

St Neots

Huntingdon

Cambridge

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Littleport

Brandon

Stoke Ferry

Downham Market

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LOCKS 1 Bedford 2 Cardington 3 Castle Mills 4 Willington 5 Barford 6 Roxton 7 Eaton Socon8 St Neots 9 Offord 10 Brampton 11 Godmanchester12 Houghton 13 Hemingford14 St Ives 15 Brownshill 16 Hermitage17 Upware 18 Bottisham 19 Baits Bite 20 Jesus Green21 Isleham 22 Brandon 23 Denver 24 Relief Channel25 Salters Lode

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Jude's Ferry

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Middle Level

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Key:GOBA

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LOCKS

2** One night's free mooring

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non-EA Public Moorings are available at Bedford, Huntingdon, St Ives, Ely, Clayhithe and Cambridge

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GOBA MOORINGS 1 Fenlake Meadow 2 Priory Marina** 3 Goldington 4 Great Barford 5 Little Paxton Pits 6 Offord 7 Mailers Meadow 8 Brampton 9 Hemingford 10 Noble’s Field 11 Ferryboat 12 One Pound 13 Pike & Eel 14 Brownshill 15 Aldreth Drain 16 Lazy Otter 17 Spinney Abbey 18 Wicken Fen 19 Reach Lode 20 Waterbeach 21 Railway Bridge 22 Stop Lock 23 Gentle’s Hole 24 Santon Downham 25 King’s Lynn

Buoys

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Old West

River Cam

Lark

Wissey

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EA MOORINGS 1 Sovereign Quay2 Old Mills 3 Great Barford 4 Eaton Socon 5 Offord 6 Godmanchester 7 Houghton 8 The Dolphin, St Ives9 Earith 10 Hermitage11 Stretham (Old West)12 Reach Lode (Upware)13 Burwell Lode 14 Hundred Acre 15 Goldsmere 16 Little Thetford 17 Queen Adelaide 18 Diamond 44 19 Toms Hole Farm 20 Prickwillow 21 Mile End Farm 22 Sandhills, Littleport23 Black Horse, Littleport24 Brandon Creek 25 Station Road, Littleport26 The Ship27 Little Ouse, Brandon28 Brandon Town 29 Windmill 30 Denver complex 31 Silt Fen Farm 32 Hilgay33 Downham Market 34 Stowbridge35 Wiggenhall St Mary36 Fidwell Fen

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Bedford

St Neots

Huntingdon

Cambridge

Reach

Burwell

Ely

Littleport

Brandon

Stoke Ferry

Downham Market

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Jude's Ferry

HundredFoot

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Middle Level

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Key:GOBA

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GOBA MOORINGS 1 Fenlake Meadow 2 Priory Marina** 3 Goldington 4 Great Barford 5 Little Paxton Pits 6 Offord 7 Mailers Meadow 8 Brampton 9 Hemingford 10 Noble’s Field 11 Ferryboat 12 One Pound 13 Pike & Eel 14 Brownshill 15 Aldreth Drain 16 Lazy Otter 17 Wicken Fen 18 Reach Lode 19 Waterbeach 20 Railway Bridge 21 Stop Lock 22 Gentle’s Hole 23 Santon Downham 24 King’s Lynn

Buoys

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• do not light ground fires. Pick up litter and dog mess

Publicity, Bulletins & GOBA News Editor: John Pridmore 07917 898168 [email protected]

GOBA News is published by the Great Ouse Boating Association Ltd. which is registered under the Industrial and Provident Societies Act in the United Kingdom. Number 22120R

Moorings - Conditions of Use• The use of GOBA moorings is free to members and hirers of craft owned by members of GOBA.• There is a maximum stay of 48 hours. Boats take priority over fishing for which you need a licence.• Moor as close as possible to other boats and close up gaps if necessary. Help fellow members to find space or raft onto your boat at busy times.• Keep children and animals under proper control. There are often farm animals where moorings are on fields.• Do not light ground fires.• Pick up litter and dog mess.• Do not tie your ropes to GOBA mooring signs.• Members are reminded that the use of GOBA moorings is at “own risk” and you are advised to have third party liability insurance.

General Secretary & general enquiries: Alistair Reid 01480 493582; [email protected] 15 Willow Green, Needingworth, Huntingdon, Cambs PE27 4SWMembership: Mike Mackay 01366 501365 ; [email protected] upstream from St Ives: Stuart Turvey 01234 303589; [email protected] downstream from St Ives: Roy Wood 07774 803293 [email protected], bulletins & GOBA News Editor: John Pridmore 07917 898168; [email protected] problems and liaison with EA: Alistair Reid 01480 493582; alistair [email protected] Situation: EA at Brampton 08708 506506 Floodline: 0845 9881188Cambridgeshire Boat Watch: 0345 456 4564

Useful Contacts

Old West

River Cam

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Wissey

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EA MOORINGS 1 Sovereign Quay2 Old Mills 3 Great Barford 4 Eaton Socon 5 Offord 6 Godmanchester7 Houghton 8 The Dolphin, St Ives9 Earith 10 Hermitage11 Reach Lode (Upware)12 Burwell Lode 13 Hundred Acre 14 Goldsmere 15 Little Thetford 16 Queen Adelaide 17 Diamond 44 18 Toms Hole Farm 19 Prickwillow 20 Mile End Farm 21 Sandhills, Littleport22 Black Horse, Littleport23 Brandon Creek 24 Station Road, Littleport25 The Ship26 Little Ouse, Brandon27 Brandon Town 28 Windmill 29 Denver complex 30 Silt Fen Farm 31 Hilgay32 Downham Market 33 Stowbridge34 Wiggenhall St Mary35 Fidwell Fen

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Bedford

St Neots

Huntingdon

Cambridge

Reach

Burwell

Ely

Littleport

Brandon

Stoke Ferry

Downham Market

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Jude's Ferry

HundredFoot

Tidal OuseRelief

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Little Ouse

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Middle Level

St Ives

Key:GOBA

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432**

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GOBA MOORINGS 1 Fenlake Meadow 2 Priory Marina** 3 Goldington 4 Great Barford 5 Little Paxton Pits 6 Offord 7 Mailers Meadow 8 Brampton 9 Hemingford 10 Noble’s Field 11 Ferryboat 12 One Pound 13 Pike & Eel 14 Brownshill 15 Aldreth Drain 16 Lazy Otter 17 Stretham 18 Wicken Fen 19 Reach Lode 20 Waterbeach 21 Railway Bridge 22 Stop Lock 23 Gentle’s Hole 24 Santon Downham 25 Whittington

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King’s LynnBuoys

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��• the use of GOBA moorings is free to members and hirers of craft owned by members of GOBA• there is a maximum stay of 48 hours. Boats take priority over fishing for which you will need a licence• moor as close as possible to other boats and close up gaps if necessary. Help fellow members to find space or raft onto your boat at busy times• keep children and animals under proper control. There are often farm animals where moorings are on fields. Do not light ground fires. Pick up litter and dog mess• do not tie your ropes to GOBA mooring signs• members are reminded that the use of GOBA mooring is at “own risk” and you are advised to have third party liability insurance

��General Secretary & for general enquiries: Alistair Reid 01480 493582 [email protected] 15 Willow Green, Needingworth, Huntingdon Cambs PE27 4SWMembership: Mike Mackay 01353 664229 [email protected] Moorings upstream from St Ives: Stuart Turvey 01234 303589 [email protected], Bulletins & GOBA News Editor: John Pridmore 07917 898168 [email protected] problems and liaison with EA: Alistair Reid alistair.reid @ goba.org.ukRiver Situation: EA at Brampton 08708 506506 Floodline 0845 9881188Cambridgeshire BoatWatch: 0345 456 456 4

GOBA News is published by the GREAT OUSE BOATING ASSOCIATION Ltd. which is registered under the Industrial and Provident Societies Act in the United Kingdom. Number 22120RGOBA is run entirely by a committee of seasoned boaters who volunteer their free time for the benefit of the Great Ouse boating community.Opinions and statements of contributors and endorsement of advertisers published in GOBA News are not necessarily supported by GOBA. Reproduction in whole or part is strictly prohibited. GOBA is a registered data user.Application forms for membership can be obtained at most marinas on the Great Ouse, from our website www.goba.org.uk or: GOBA PO Box 244 Huntingdon Cambridgeshire PE29 6FE or email: [email protected]

Old West

River Cam

Lark

Wissey

24

12

17 20

EA MOORINGS 1 Sovereign Quay2 Old Mills 3 Great Barford 4 Eaton Socon 5 Offord 6 Godmanchester 7 Houghton 8 The Dolphin, St Ives9 Earith 10 Hermitage11 Stretham (Old West)12 Reach Lode (Upware)13 Burwell Lode 14 Hundred Acre 15 Goldsmere 16 Little Thetford 17 Queen Adelaide 18 Diamond 44 19 Padnal Fen 20 Toms Hole Farm 21 Prickwillow 22 Mile End Farm 23 Sandhills, Littleport24 Black Horse, Littleport25 Brandon Creek 26 Station Road, Littleport27 The Ship28 Little Ouse, Brandon29 Brandon Town 30 Windmill 31 Denver complex 32 Silt Fen Farm 33 Hilgay34 Downham Market 35 Stowbridge36 Wiggenhall St Mary37 Fidwell Fen

2

Bedford

St Neots

Huntingdon

Cambridge

Reach

Burwell

Ely

Littleport

Brandon

Stoke Ferry

Downham Market

7

511

15

23

27

14

18

21 22

26

16

19

25

4

6

9

8

1

13

35

36

30

34

33

32

10

29

31

28

Prickwillow


25

16

24

14

15

12

10

2

18

20

19

21

22

17

5

6

3

4

7

8

1

9

11

13

37

Jude's Ferry

HundredFoot

Tidal OuseRelief

Channel

Little Ouse

Great Ouse

Middle Level

St Ives

Key:GOBA

EA

LOCKS


14

11

10

9

6

8

7

5

432**

15

16

17

22

21


23

1

13

23

25

12

18

24

19

20

GOBA MOORINGS 1 Fenlake Meadow 2 Priory Marina** 3 Goldington 4 Great Barford 5 Little Paxton Pits 6 Offord 7 Mailers Meadow 8 Brampton 9 Hemingford 10 Noble’s Field 11 Ferryboat 12 One Pound 13 Pike & Eel 14 Brownshill 15 Aldreth Drain 16 Lazy Otter 17 Spinney Abbey 18 Wicken Fen 19 Reach Lode 20 Waterbeach 21 Railway Bridge 22 Stop Lock 23 Gentle’s Hole 24 Santon Downham 25 King’s Lynn

Buoys

3

Old West

River Cam

Lark

Wissey

23

12

17 19

EA MOORINGS 1 Sovereign Quay2 Old Mills 3 Great Barford 4 Eaton Socon 5 Offord 6 Godmanchester 7 Houghton 8 The Dolphin, St Ives9 Earith 10 Hermitage11 Stretham (Old West)12 Reach Lode (Upware)13 Burwell Lode 14 Hundred Acre 15 Goldsmere 16 Little Thetford 17 Queen Adelaide 18 Diamond 44 19 Toms Hole Farm 20 Prickwillow 21 Mile End Farm 22 Sandhills, Littleport23 Black Horse, Littleport24 Brandon Creek 25 Station Road, Littleport26 The Ship27 Little Ouse, Brandon28 Brandon Town 29 Windmill 30 Denver complex 31 Silt Fen Farm 32 Hilgay33 Downham Market 34 Stowbridge35 Wiggenhall St Mary36 Fidwell Fen

2

Bedford

St Neots

Huntingdon

Cambridge

Reach

Burwell

Ely

Littleport

Brandon

Stoke Ferry

Downham Market

7

511

15

22

26/27

14

18

20 21

25

16

24

4

6

9

8

1

13

34

35

30

33

32

31

10

29

30

28

Prickwillow


25

16

24

14

15

12

10

2

18

20

19

21

22

17

5

6

3

4

7

8

1

9

11

13

37

Jude's Ferry

HundredFoot

Tidal OuseRelief

Channel

Little Ouse

Great Ouse

Middle Level

St Ives

Key:GOBA

EA

LOCKS


14

11

10

9

6

8

7

5

432**

15

16

21

20


23

1

13

22

24

12

17

23

18

19

GOBA MOORINGS 1 Fenlake Meadow 2 Priory Marina** 3 Goldington 4 Great Barford 5 Little Paxton Pits 6 Offord 7 Mailers Meadow 8 Brampton 9 Hemingford 10 Noble’s Field 11 Ferryboat 12 One Pound 13 Pike & Eel 14 Brownshill 15 Aldreth Drain 16 Lazy Otter 17 Wicken Fen 18 Reach Lode 19 Waterbeach 20 Railway Bridge 21 Stop Lock 22 Gentle’s Hole 23 Santon Downham 24 King’s Lynn

Buoys

3

goba newssummer 2011

Documents

goba agm

environment goba news

chairman of goba

cub news

ea news

committee members

happy new members

fens great ouse