Contents: Branch Committee p3 Chairman’s Corner Friends of River Nene p5 Letters to Editor p6 River Cam News River History RNLI Book Review Branch News River News from EA AGM Appendices Ouse News - Spring 2015 The Great Ouse Branch Newsletter covering the Great Ouse and tributaries Campaigning for the conservation, use, maintenance, restoration and development of the Inland Waterways. The Inland Waterways Association The views expressed in this publication are not necessarily those of the Inland Waterways Association or of the Great Ouse Branch. They are, however, published as being of interest to our members and readers. p12 p7 p25 p16 p13 p11 p15 p4 Why not come along to our February meeting? An illustrated talk by Welney Wetland Centre Photo: David Featherbe
Transcript
Contents:
Branch Committee p3
Chairman’s Corner
Friends of River Nene p5
Letters to Editor p6
River Cam News
River History
RNLI
Book Review
Branch News
River News from EA
AGM Appendices
Ouse News - Spring 2015The Great Ouse Branch Newslettercovering the Great Ouse and tributaries
Campaigning for the conservation,use, maintenance, restoration and
development of the InlandWaterways.
The InlandWaterwaysAssociation
The views expressed in thispublication are not
necessarily those of theInland Waterways
Association or of the GreatOuse Branch. They are,however, published asbeing of interest to ourmembers and readers.
p12
p7
p25
p16
p13
p11
p15
p4
Why not come along to our February meeting?An illustrated talk by Welney Wetland Centre
Photo: David Featherbe
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Members:Stephen Foote14 High Street, ChrishallRoyston, SG8 8RPTel 01763 [email protected]
The winter weather is now hopefully behind us and we can begin to preparefor a busy cruising season in the coming months. Our rivers have not faredtoo badly throughout the past winter, with no major problems apart fromthe customary imposition and subsequent withdrawal of Strong StreamAdvice Notices every few weeks. Luckily, most of the problems havebeen caused by heavy rain in the upper reaches rather than on the navigablesections.
The discussions regarding overnight moorings at Ely rumble on and on, withall 48-hour restrictions having to be withdrawn in October due to a suc-cessful legal challenge. It is, therefore, now a free-for-all on Ely waterfront,with absolutely no time restraints whatsoever! The East CambridgeshireDistrict Council is, therefore, now consulting stakeholders such as ourselvesin order to determine what form any new restrictions should take. As theDistrict Council is prohibited from enacting a relevant byelaw, they are ex-ploring a potential alternative solution based on contract law, which wouldallow the length of stay to be enforced by issuing a ‘mooring charge notice’to boaters who breach any condition (such as overstaying a specified pe-riod of visitor mooring). Following the consultation exercise, the Commer-cial Services Committee of the District Council will meet on the 3rd March2015 to make a decision. It is hoped that the preferred option will be im-plemented by the summer of 2015. The District Council does not intend tomake a profit from mooring fees, but intends to cover the cost of enforce-ment by charging boaters for either the whole of their stay, or for over-staying a specific period (to be decided by the consultation process). Youcan be assured that your committee will be making its views known to theDistrict Council and will be promoting the interests of the genuine boater.
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You will find enclosed/attached the usual advance copies of the agenda andreports for the branch AGM to be held on Thursday 26th March. TheAGM will be followed by an illustrated talk by the managers from the Envi-ronment Agency, outlining work carried out over the past year and detailingplans for the future. Please do try and attend.
You will note the absence of the usual paperwork for the Eastern RegionAGM. This is due to the fact that as there is no Regional Chairman, theregional committee has not met during the past year. Anybody who feelsthe calling please step forward! Keith Alderton
In the middle of November 2014 I went to help as they cleared the bank atWoodford. It had been raining hard the day before so was very wet and theriver was 12" above its normal level.About 24 people of all ages werethere and within a few hours it wastransformed into lovely looking moor-ings. We have always wanted to moorat Woodford; this mooring is a shortstroll to the village which has a realale pub, PO/shop and a chip shop.
Friends of the River Nene
Membership costs £10 per boat and a form is available from their websitehttp://www.friendsoftherivernene.co.uk/ or on their Facebook page “Friendsof the River Nene”. Peter Webb
The River Nene is a lovely river, but desperately needsnew moorings and better facilities. In September 2014a new group was formed with the aim of improvingthe facilities along the river. They’ve begun by secur-ing access to, and clearing three moorings so far atIslip, Ditchford, and Woodford with several more inthe pipeline.
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Rick Avern
What is happening to the Ely Riverside? As I walk from the A142 roadbridge to Lavender Green all I see is moored boats. Many of them aremoored for long periods of time without moving, despite the fact that signsare up restricting mooring to 48 hours. A few years ago the banks wouldbe deserted in the winter and even midweek in summer there would hardlybe a boat. What makes it worse is the fact that some boats are now havingshanty huts growing up beside them making the banks look terrible. Thesmoke from the engines and noise of generators must be upsetting for thelocal house owners.
How do visiting boats who need to moor for supplies and visiting our won-derful city cope? The tourist attractions and local shops must be losing agreat deal of trade due to long-term moorers taking up valuable mooringspace.
It is not helped by having the far bank now disfigured by a hideous tarpau-lin covered craft and lots of building machinery; it used to be very attractivewhen it was Ely Marina. Hopefully by next summer steps will have beentaken to restore the riverside back to its previous beauty.
Letters to the Editor
Ely Resident
I was interested to learn about the updating scheme along our riverside, ofwhich I am all in favour.We have a lovely riverside front and it’s alsowonderful to see the life that has been brought to it by the new cocktail barat the Maltings. Such a shame though that a monstrous ‘dry dock’ has beenmoored right opposite. Surely the Council are not going to allow this tostay!!
Also the eyesore at the end of Lavender Green is unbelievable. Mooredboats just camped out and looking for all the world like a dumping ground.Can’t anything be done about this?? Should you be fortunate enough tohave the time to sit for a while on one of the benches on Lavender Green -I don’t think you’d stay long, because of the noise of a generator just acrossthe river that seems to run tirelessly for most of the day!!
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It has been a busy few months on the River Cam. We’ve hada lot of work on the ground, the rowing season in full swingand our usual mix of the unexpected. Here’s a few things ofinterest:
River Crew - You are probably aware that we are unique as anavigation authority by being entirely self-funded – we receive no grants fromgovernment and rely solely on our income from registration and our property.The primary use of this income is to employ the crew that work to keep theriver navigable. Over the past few months the team has completed a widerange of bank repairs, spot dredging, treeworks and obstruction clearance.We’ve been paying particular attention to trees along the Cam and believewe’ve made significant improvement here. If you do come across any trees orother obstructions in the Cam, please report them to us so we can addressthem.
River Cam News
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Making the most of our property - The income from our property is animportant factor in our ability to work on the river. We own 3 fields, 6 propertiesand long stretches of river bank. We’ve been working on plans to increase theincome from our property. For example Baits Bite lock office will soon berented out to new tenants and we are reviewing proposals to convert JesusLock house into a restaurant. We’re also investigating whether we can increasemooring capacity by making use of our fields as there is huge demand formanaged moorings in Cambridge with a waiting list of over 220 people.
Incidents - What keeps this job interesting is that you never know what willhappen next! To give you a flavour; we’ve had reports of unlicensed animaltraps, media requests about our court cases (our latest was in the high court),videos of dangerous boating to investigate, the installation of oxygen sensorsand the first motorized trips up the Backs. This last item I would recommend toany boater to try and do at some point – even if just for the look of surprise onthe face of punters! We’ve got a guide on navigating the Backs on our website.It is possible between 1st October – 31st March.
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A home for ‘Jester’ - A small piece of good news – we finally found a homefor Jester. Jester was abandoned by its former owner in 2009 and recoveredby us in September that year. Over the next few years we tried to find a newhome for the boat and also discovered some of its history. It was originally builtin 1923 for the East Anglian Cold Storage Company as an ice wherry and is onthe Lloyds Ship Register. An ice wherry was a sailing vessel that was used totransport ice for commercial sale. Jester is believed to be the last survivingwherry built for this purpose and is listed on the Historic Ships Register.
When I took over as River Manager in May, I made a new effort to find a homefor Jester - although at that stage she was close to being derelict. I advertisedonline everywhere I could think, got it in boat magazines and even had a specialistfrom the Dutch Barge Association take a look. Even trying Freecycle onlymanaged to find people willing to take a few bits and pieces off it. I was just atthe point of giving up and asking my team to get out the chainsaws when a newinterested owner came to light through a contact and is actually close by atUpware Marina. So a happy end in what we hope is a new beginning for theold ice wherry.
Jester leaving Clayhithe
Jed Ramsay
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At our October meeting we were once again treated to another dose oflocal history by Cambridge Researcher Mike Petty. Mike’s talk on thisoccasion related to the history of the rivers Cam and Great Ouse betweenCambridge and Ely. It was sad to note that the proposed link between theCam at Cambridge and the River Stort at Bishops Stortford never came tofruition. Such a link avoiding the east coast tidal journey between King’sLynn and London would have been invaluable both then and now.
Mike outlined the importance of river traffic as the prime means of movinggoods to and from Cambridge and the major port of King’s Lynn. Thevolume of goods transported via the main rivers, tributaries and lodes wasquite remarkable. I was particularly impressed by the thought that therewere sufficient quantities of the fertiliser coprolite (fossilised dinosaur dung)being transported from the Bottisham area to warrant the development ofBottisham Lode for navigation. Coal was hauled by horse-drawn lightersand, latterly, by steam tugs from the docks to feed factories and pumpingengines throughout the Fens and also to Cambridge gasworks.
Initially there were very few bridges, forcing the local inhabitants to makelarge detours or use the many dangerous chain ferries that provided theonly access across the often flooded rivers. Many of these ferry pointswere served by an inn. As Chesterton expanded it was proposed that thevillage combined with Cambridge and a new road bridge was proposedavoiding the long trudge to Magdalene Bridge. Victoria Bridge as it cameto be known was completed in 1890. However, Chesterton and Cam-bridge did not become united until 1912. Likewise, another toll bridge wasbuilt at Clayhithe in 1875 and subsequently rebuilt in 1938 when it wastaken over by the Council.
Throughout the evening Mike regaled us with many historical anecdotesand tales about events on the rivers and the colourful characters involved.As usual, Mike provided a most entertaining and informative evening thatwas enjoyed by all. Keith Alderton
October Meeting - River History
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November Meeting - Royal National Lifeboat InstitutionOn the 27th November 2014 the branch meeting was “royally” entertainedwith an illustrated talk by Geoff Heathcock on the history and work of theRNLI. He had some fascinating pictures of early boats and equipment whichto our eyes would appear incredible that any rescue would be possible! Inthose days there were no engines, the crews being reliant on oars! As aseafaring nation, the UK has always had the spectre of shipwreck not faraway from activities on the waves. The first boats specifically designed tosave life at sea were launched in the late 18th century and in 1824 Sir WilliamHillary founded the first organisation to manage the boats and crews. At thattime it was known as the “National Institution for the Preservation of Lifefrom Shipwreck.” Not a particularly snappy name and it was in 1860 thatthe Institution gained the royal patronage of Queen Victoria and became theRoyal National Lifeboat Institution that we know today. Many people willhave heard of the iconic Grace Darling and her heroic feat of bravery to savethe crew of the stricken “Forfarshire” in 1838 which remains as a beacon inthe annals of RNLI history.
Contrary to some opinion, activities are not now restricted to rescues at sea.In fact the busiest station is “Tower” on the River Thames at London. This,in addition to providing beach lifeguards (where local authorities no longerfulfil that function) as well as inland duties when flooding occurs.
The Institution is funded entirely by voluntary contributions and receives noUK Government help at all. Most of that comes from legacies, with furtherfunds being raised from contributions and merchandising. For a short periodin the early 20th century (about 5 years) the UK Government did provide alarge proportion of the funding but placed so many restrictions that it wasalmost impossible to run the organisation! As a result the decision was takento become fully independent from the UK Government and has (under-standably) worked successfully ever since. So much for Government “help!”The RNLI operates around all the coast of the UK and Ireland, the Isle ofMan and Channel Islands, with no charge to those rescued.
John Hodgson
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Book Review by Stephen Foote
It must be something to do with the Northampton-shire air. In the last edition of ‘Ouse News’ we re-viewed a novel by Geoffrey Lewis, a Northampton-based narrowboat owner. This time we take a look at a novel by anotherNorthampton-based narrowboat owner, Leo McNeir.
This gentle and engaging mystery story has a vaguely familiar theme. Theheroine is an interior designer who is inveigled into looking after her sis-ter’s London-based narrowboat Sally Ann for a few months while saidsister is abroad on business. The idea of actually using the boat for a longsummer cruise takes hold and the story describes her travels and adven-tures and all manner of skullduggery both en route and back at Sally Ann’shome mooring in Little Venice.
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The plot is ingenious, with many an unexpected twist and turn. Readerswho have navigated the London – Braunston – Oxford – London ring willrecognise Sally Ann’s journey. The author is clearly well versed in boatingand the trials and tribulations of long-distance cruising; this gives the novelan added aura of believability.
One or two aspects may, however, make readers familiar with the journeyraise an occasional eyebrow. There always seems to be a mooring spacefor ‘Sally Ann’ outside every pub on the journey - which on the southernGU in high summer is at best highly unlikely (like there is always a parkingspace for Inspector Morse’s car anywhere in Oxford at rush hour). Dur-ing a stay in Braunston, ‘Sally Ann’ is moved from her mooring outside themarina to the water point for a re-fill – and then moved back to her originalmooring space which no-one has nicked in the meantime………..
But such things do not detract from a novel which, I must say, I thoroughlyenjoyed. The author describes himself as a linguist and lexicographer (yes,I had to look it up as well – it means ‘one who devises lexicons or diction-aries’). He has published numerous crime and mystery novels – includinga sequel to ‘Sally Ann’s Summer’ – which hopefully we will get an oppor-tunity to review in a future ‘Ouse News’.
Sally Ann’s Summer by Leo McNeirPublished by Enigma Publishing, MiltonKeynes at £7.99ISBN 978-0-9531742-5-6www.leomcneir.com
Next time, we will move much closer to homewith a review of a real-life chronicle of livingaboard on the fenland waterways.
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Winter MeetingsBranch News
Members & Visitors welcome.
are at 8 pm on Thursday eve-nings at the Cole’s RoadCommunity Centre, Milton(North Cambridge) CB24 6BL.
THURSDAY 26TH MARCH 2015
Our March meeting will be ourAGM and update from the rivermanagers of the EnvironmentAgency.
SATURDAY 2ND MAY 2015
Barbecue & quiz if sufficientsupport. .
MONDAY 4TH MAY 2015
SUNDAY 3RD MAY 2015
We welcome the following newmembers to the branch. Wehope you will introduceyourselves to us when comingto an event or meeting:THURSDAY 26TH FEBRUARY 2015
Our February meeting will be anillustrated talk by WWT (WelneyWet land Centre) on ‘WelneyThrough the Seasons’.
Gathering of boats at Reach,followed by an evening meal atthe Dykes End. (Book yourplace with Stephen Foote).
Andrew & Margaret Nicol,Holywell, St Ives
Jonathan & Elizabeth Wainwright,Trumpington, Cambridge
Philip Hammond,Santon Downham, Brandon
Members who have movedto the branch:
Nicolas and L Gawthrop,Great Wilbraham
Dean & Margaret Shanks,Balsham
Michael Waggett,Cambridge
Ben Wright,Cambridge
Mr P Crouch,Haverhill
David Walton,North Elmham, Norfolk
IWA stand at Reach Fair.
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River News from the Environment AgencyFollowing feedback from river users, on 29th October 2014 we launched anew amber ‘caution’ phase in our existing system. This will let people knowwhen river levels and flows are above normal on the River Great Ouse.
New signs have been installed at our lock sites between Bedford and Eariththat will display either green, amber or red boards informing customers ofriver conditions.
We are also introducing an amber flag to our existing system.
As part of the improvements we are changing the way we downgrade ourmessages. When levels and flows are falling, a two-phased system hasbeen introduced to let people know the river condition has been down-graded from ‘strong stream’ to ‘caution’. We have updated our phonemessages, texts and email systems to reflect the new phases.
We are planning to introduce similar improvements to the River Nene sys-tem in the near future.
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We encourage all riverusers to sign up to re-ceive our free ‘River Ad-vice for Boaters’messaging service for theRiver Great Ouse. We
will call your mobile phone and/or your landline via an automated servicethat can send messages out at any time of day. We can also issue textmessages and emails. If you would like to sign up to receive this free servicefor the River Great Ouse please email [email protected]
You can also call us on 01522 785943 or you can write to us at WaterwaysDepartment, Environment Agency, Waterside House, Waterside North,Lincoln, LN2 5HA.(You do not need to do anything if you are already registered to receive ourstrong stream advice information for the River Great Ouse. You will auto-matically be upgraded to our improved system.)You can call our Floodline Information Service at any time for informationon river conditions for boaters on the River Great Ouse.To do this, follow these simple steps:1. Call Floodline, on 0345 988 1188 – You will be welcomed to
Floodline and offered different touch-tone options.2. Choose option ‘1’ to ‘listen to pre-recorded information for flood
warnings currently in force’.3. Then simply enter the following quick dial number: 033211 River
Great Ouse
The photograph showshow a lock may be usedto discharge flood wateron the River GreatOuse when StrongStream Advice has beenissued.
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Winter Works Update and Programme
Upware Piling
Upware Site Works
Works already completed this winter season include the River Wissey Cut-off Diversion Sluice. Isleham lock on the River Lark has also re-openedafter the gate chains were replaced following a lengthy closure of the lockwhilst new chains were being manufactured. Work at Upware lock toreplace the upstream landing stage has been completed, lifting the naviga-tion restriction that was in place. We co-ordinated and completed the re-placement of trod wheels at Hemingford and Houghton locks so that theywere both closed at the same time to keep disruption to navigation mini-mised as far as possible.
Hermitage Lock has been closed from the 12th November on weekdays toallow for the replacement of the lower landing stage. This work has taken alittle longer than planned due to adverse weather and Strong Stream condi-tions, although the lock is open as normal from 09:00 – 16:00 at the week-ends. As work allows we may also be able to allow others through the lockduring certain windows during weekdays. So, if you need to make passageplease contact the lock to let them know (tel: 01487 841 548) and they willadvise if and when you can be accommodated. The expected weekday re-opening is anticipated from 23rd January, although a restriction will remain inplace until the 30th January to allow contractors to clear the site.
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We are looking to drain St Ives lock this winter period. It is expected to takeplace between 9th February and 1st March to carry out investigative worksto identify issues with the mitre ‘v’ gates amongst other checks. We will alsotake the opportunity whilst on site to make some alterations to the down-stream landing stage floats. We have staggered this work with the Hermitagelock closure so that river users who are located between these locks are stillable to use a good proportion of the river system rather than co-inciding theworks to take place at the same time at these locations.
At Denver we will be replacing some bearing piles on a number of our rentedmooring platforms on the east bank over the winter period; however this willnot impact upon navigation. We are taking the opportunity to replace rubbergate seals at Denver lock whilst Salters Lode lock is closed for works. Thiswill involve closing Denver lock for a five day period which we anticipate willbe from February 9th.
We are looking to complete high level access improvements at various loca-tions this winter including; St Ives, St Neots, Godmanchester, Houghton,Hemingford, Brownshill, Isleham, Brandon and Bottisham.
Design for these works is still being completed and, depending on what isrequired, will determine if any navigation restrictions or closures are required.As soon as it is possible we will issue any necessary notices, but please beassured that the works will be carried out in a way which reduces the impacton navigation as far as is possible. Works to the guillotine gates at St Ivesand St Neots as a part of these improvements won’t affect navigation. Fi-nally hydraulic ram replacements are due at Bottisham Lock which will in-volve a 3 day closure from February 23rd. All of these essential maintenanceworks and improvements will have been made in preparation for the nextboating season getting underway at Easter in early April this year. You canview the latest river closures, restrictions, advice notices and events on ourweb site at: https://www.gov.uk/anglian-waterways-river-conditions-closures-and-restrictions or you can call us on 03708 506 506 to get the most up todate information.
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Enforcement – a very busy year so farSince April 2014 a total of 425 enforcement tickets have been processed;the most tickets we have ever issued. Of the tickets we have issued, 60%have now registered. This equals £110,000 of income that we would nothave received if we had notcarried out enforcement.
So far this year we have issuedtwo formal cautions and hadone successful prosecution. Atthe moment we have a further20 cases that are progressingto court and several more thatare waiting to be processed. Todate 38 warning letters havealso been issued.
Cases are heard in local mag-istrates courts and, if foundguilty, boaters face a fine of up to £1000, a criminal record and picking upthe court costs. We will also take proceedings to recover the outstandingregistration charge.
If you see any vessel that you believe to be unregistered let us know. We willnot be able to discuss any individual vessels with you but will inform ourRiver Inspectors so that they can check that the vessels are registered.
We would also like to give a huge thank you to the vast majority of boaterswho register promptly, as soon as they receive their reminder in February/March. Please remember to always display your registration discs clearly.Your vessel number needs to be displayed on both sides of your vessel.This saves River Inspectors’ time checking that you are properly registeredfreeing it up to concentrate on those who are not.
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Non-native and Invasive Species Spotlight on the Great OuseWe have had confirmation of another non-native species confirmed on theRiver Great Ouse. On this occasion it is ‘Dikerogammarus haemobaphes’a invasive shrimp and related to ‘D. Villosus’ or ‘Killer Shrimp’. It has beenfound in several locations on the riverand is becoming quite established. Thisnon-native invasive species was firstdiscovered in the UK in 2012 on theRiver Severn and populations have sincebeen discovered on the River GreatOuse within the last couple of months.
Around the same time, with the assistance of our River Inspectors, whilstaboard our patrol vessels we have assisted colleagues in surveys of the RiverCam and Ely Ouse for Floating Pennywort which has been particularly evidentthis year on the Great Ouse System. The purpose of the survey was togather evidence to use for a funding bid that would allow for a programme ofFloating Pennywort Control for the River Great Ouse over a number ofyears, to allow a longer term plan of action to be created instead of relyingon available funding on a year to year basis.
For Floating Pennywort control, a combination of measures is most effectivedepending on the amount of growth and location. Each location should beindividually assessed for the most practical solution(s) and environmentalconstraints. Internally we use three control measures either alone or in
combination with each other –mechanical, hand and herbicide(permission is required from theEnvironment Agency for herbicideuse in or near water). When usingmechanical or hand control it isvery important that no smallfragments are released into thewater as these will re-establishfurther downstream.
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Those species mentioned above are just a few of an abundant array of non-native and invasive varieties that are now present on our doorsteps and inour backyards. As such we all have a role to play in identifying, reportingand helping to stop the spread of these troublesome species. Sightings ofnon-native and invasive species should be reported to:[email protected] . Good biosecurity is essential to help slow thespread of these species. You can learn more about what to do to improveyour own boat biosecurity here:http://www.nonnativespecies.org//checkcleandry/index.cfm? The GB Non-Native Species Secretariat (http://www.nonnativespecies.org) provides information on non-native species inthe UK and useful advice on prevention measures you can take to slow andprevent the spread of those species. This is covered by the Check, Clean,Dry campaign. Paul Separovic
The Quagga Mussel (Dreissenarostriformis bugensis) is a highly invasivenon-native species whose arrival in the UKhas been expected for a number of years.Like the now widespread Zebra Mussel(left) this species comes from the Ponto-Caspian region in south-east Europe. Dueto its filtering capacity and ability to pro-duce dense populations, it can significantly
reduce native biodiversity, and alter whole freshwater ecosystems. It feedson the varieties of algae that compete with blue-green algae, often resultingin toxic algal blooms. It is also a nuisance and economic problem whengrowing in pipes of water treatment plants or commercial ships. It is similarto the Zebra Mussel, but possibly even more invasive. It can survive insome places that the Zebra Mussel can’t and can even displace them.
Also hitting the headlines at present, although not evident yet on the RiverGreat Ouse, is the presence of the first UK siting of the Quagga Musselwhich Environment Agency ecologists have found in the Thames catchmentat Hythe End near Staines.
The Inland Waterways Association is a non-profit distributing company limited byguarantee. Registered in England No 612245. Registered as a charity No 212342.Registered Office: Island House, Moor Rd, Chesham, HP5 1WA. Phone No 01494 783453.
