OUR FACILITIES
We pride ourselves on the facilities we offer.
The moorings.
The moorings stretch for about one third of a mile along the bank of the canal and go back about 80 yards. We accommodate 130 boats on individually allocated moorings most of which are stagings projecting into the waterway but some are within our own basin.They are fully grassed and a tarmac road runs the whole length of the moorings. The grass is always kept neatly cut by a contractor and and we have members who see it as their contribution to the life of the Club to keep the flower beds neat and attractive. Our policy is to strike a balance between doing work ourselves on the moorings yet making sure that burdens do not fall too heavily on individual members and interfere with their boating activities. We have two work parties at the start and end of the season to keep the moorings up to the standard we wish to enjoy. Members are invited to attend-sometimes bribed with a pea and pie supper- for the weekend and do the smaller maintenance jobs. Grass cutting is contracted-out as is some of the tree pruning. This helps to cut costs down but does not become an onerous task. Indeed some members regard the work parties as an ideal way to meet fellow members. We own our own moorings and so have an interest it keeping them as attractive as possible.
The stagings
Our stagings are "finger" type, i.e. the boats are at right angles to the bank. Fortunately the canal at this point is fairly wide and we do not obstruct the waterway. Some of our moorings can accommodate boats up to 40ft. maximum length but we have a club rule which limits new members to a maximum boat length of 10 metres for the first two years of their membership.
Water and electricity.
Each staging has water and electricity close to hand. There is no charge for this although we do expect members to be reasonable in their usage.
Slipways.
We do not have crane facilities but we have two slipways equipped with purpose built haul out trolleys for members to carry out routine maintenance. The trolleys are hauled on a rail track by an electric winch and have hydraulic arms to stabilise single keel boats. Power washing facilities are available and members can book a full week on the slipway without cost.
Painting Bay.
We also have a covered Painting Bay which can be used by members re-painting their boats. It is under cover and is protected by drop down curtains. The boat remains in the water. There is no charge for this facility.
Childrens' Play Area.
There is a childrens' play area which was built using a donation from a long-term and much loved member of the Club, Bill Attenborough, now deceased.
Headquarters Building.
We do not have a clubhouse or clubroom. We have a portable building which serves as the club headquarters/first aid post and is use primarily for meetings. In the summer months a large awning is permanently erected to the front of the HQ building for use by members as a meeting point and occasional organised social evenings.