AWCC

AWCC are pleased to announce that DAVID PEARCE, their former National Chairman, will be the AWCC nominee for the C&RT Council. 

David Pearce, AWCC Candidate for C&RT Council

David has been a member of the AWCC National Executive Committee since 1990 and has a long record of successfully negotiating for boaters; He was AWCC Vice Chairman under Tony Mason for 10 years. He served as AWCC National Chairman for 8 years and is currently the AWCC’s Parliamentary Officer. He was a founder member of the British Waterways Advisory Forum (BWAF) and is currently BWAF Secretary He has put in very much effort over the last three years, together with the other BWAF member organisations, to establish the Trust proposal.  David says – “I am committed to making CRT thrive both nationally and locally in protecting and improving our waterways, with emphasis on navigation through a fully interconnected network.”

Geoff Ashton, AWCC President, commented

“I have known David since I became National Treasurer twelve years ago. He has worked tirelessly at negotiating with the most senior levels in both the navigation authorities and government to ensure boater’s concerns are at the top of the agenda. I know he is well respected by all of them for his forthright but sensible contributions to discussions. He has often willingly spent several days a week in this work. He will be a knowledgeable and significant contributor to CRT Council discussions.”

Paul Le Blique, AWCC Chairman,  said

“David has thorough knowledge of the inland waterways gained through many years of practical boating. He is held in high regard by members of AWCC, other waterway organisations and the boating community for his understanding and will for fair play. David would be a worthy champion for the future of our waterways.”

David expresses his thanks for a broad range of support in this election.

Read his full election statement below:

But remember – tell all boaters – to get out and VOTE!

 NOTICE OF ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING

Notice is given to all Club Representatives that the Annual General Meeting of the Association of Waterways Cruising Clubs will take place at:

Stafford Boat Club
off Maple Wood, Wildwood, Staffordshire ST17 4SG

on

Saturday 17^th March 2012
commencing 11:30am

Resolutions for inclusion in the agenda

Clubs are advised that they are required to submit any resolutions to the National Secretary on or before 7th January 2012.

Nominations for the Executive posts listed below

National Chairman
National Vice Chairman
National Secretary
National Treasurer
National Communications Officer

must be received by the National Secretary by 25th February 2012

Each Club is entitled to send up to two representatives to the meeting.

Each Club is entitled to one vote for any resolutions which require a vote
or to elect National Officers.

All AWCC Club Representatives will receive formal notification of the meeting and booking forms by post and by email on or before 18th December 2011. Please contact the AWCC National Secretary if you do not receive your notification by that date

The AWCC response to the DEFRA consultation on The New Era for the Waterways document is available below as a PDF file.

The response was produced by Geoff Ashton –  AWCC President, Paul Le Blique – AWCC National Chairman, Richard Elder – NEC Member, and David Pearce – NEC Parliamentary Representative (and former AWCC National Chairman), and was approved by the NEC on 26th JUne 2011.

Paul Le Blique acknowledges the time and effort put in by the above members in producing our response.

A New Era for the Waterways – AWCC response

Low-sulphur fuel now being supplied

Since 1 January this year quayside fuel suppliers have been legally required to supply gas oil that contains a sulphur content of no more than 10 milligrams of sulphur per kilogram of fuel (mg/kg).
Fuel supplied to road vehicles has been subject to this lower sulphur limit for a number of years.
The new limit covers all Non-Road Mobile Machinery,  a (EU speak) definition which includes inland water-ways vessels and recreational craft that do not normally operate at sea.

Ask for biodiesel free fuel

The fuel you will be supplied with now will still be red but will be virtually sulphur free dependent on where you normally use your boat. However, it is possible  that the fuel being supplied could also contain biodiesel. It is important therefore that you ask for biodiesel free fuel when you are filling up.
Biodiesel has strong solvent and detergent properties in its pure form and can cause problems during storage and on certain materials used in fuel system components.Furthermore if we don’t ask for low-sulphur biodiesel-free fuel then the fuel industry will not be encouraged to produce and supply it.

Why will fuel now contain biodiesel?

Fuel suppliers had originally planned to meet the new requirements largely by supplying road diesel, which does contain biodiesel, with a red marker dye.
By doing this they could avoid the need to produce a third grade of fuel specifically for inland water-ways vessels and recreational craft which was biodiesel-free and low in sulphur.
Whilst most engines are fully compatible with fuel containing biodiesel in the proportion found in road fuel some fuel system components on older engines, in particular fuel seals and pipes, may not be compatible with biodiesel.
Aware that this was could cause potential problems for many boat owners the RYA and the marine industry spent a number of months lobbying producers and suppliers to produce that third grade of fuel.
As a consequence of this pressure many producers and suppliers have now indicated that they will make available a supply of bio-diesel-free sulphur-free diesel. But we need to be asking for it in order to ensure that it is made available.
You will find that there will be a variation in the specifications of fuel supplied to recreational craft, with high-sulphur biodiesel-free fuel, sulphur-free biodiesel-free fuel and sulphur-free fuel with some biodiesel content all being available on the market.
Supply is not therefore going to be uniform. So it is important that you ask at the pump what specification of fuel it is that you are buying and whether it contains biodiesel.

What should I do if I have to buy fuel containing biodiesel?

Remove all water from the tanks and check them monthly to ensure that they remain free of water.
Tanks that don’t already have drain points for removing water are likely to need modification.
Examine sight gauges on older fuel storage tanks for signs of leakage and replace any leaking seals.
If you are having tanks serviced before you receive the new fuel it would be advisable to replace fuel seals as a one-off, precautionary exercise.
Replace fuel filters after two to three deliveries/turnover of the new fuel.
Consider fitting dual filters in parallel with a changeover switch in case one blocks.
Ensure the content of tanks is turned over every six months or in any event no more than 12 months to help prevent blockage of filters and fuel pipe.
Users of older equipment should examine fuel systems in the months following the switchover and replace seals or pipes with compatible ones if there are signs of leakage.

Tony Mason

It is with great sadness that we mark the passing of our AWCC colleague Tony Mason on 18 September after a short period of illness, aged 76. Tony was an enthusiastic boater and long term campaigner on many waterways’ issues of the day. But it can be so easy to forget the other side of the man, when one becomes engrossed in the latest canal issue.

Tony was born in Birmingham, but grew up in India and Egypt, where his father was serving as a major in the British Army. He had a passion for many things, but the first to emerge was aeroplanes, engines and the RAF. The family moved to Germany and it was much to his father’s disgust that the 16-year-old Tony took himself off and joined the RAF as an apprentice aircraft technician. Aircraft may have been Tony’s life for 22 happy years in the RAF, but there is an amusing story told by his family at his expense about Tony buying his first second hand car. It was a white Riley 1.5. He immediately stripped and re-assembled the engine and had several parts to spare. Needless to say, the engine soon blew-up!

When he retired from the Air Force he went to work for the navy at RNAY Wroughton. When it closed he went to Shrivenham where he worked for the Army. After Shrivenham he retrained in non-destructive testing of aircraft and went to RAF Kemble to work for the American Air Force. He seemed destined to close bases as after a few years the Americans left and he finished his career working at Brize Norton as a technical author, now writing about engines and other aircraft bits and pieces.

Tony was a keen swimmer in his younger days and founder member of the Wootton Bassett Swimming Club. His interest in boating also goes back a long way. He was a member of the Pewsey Wharf Boat Club for over 30 years; many of them when the Kennet and Avon canal was full of weed and not connected to the rest of the system. He spent many hours helping to tow boats back to base when their engines ceased – these were the really pioneering years. It was with a certain sense of satisfaction that he and just about every other member of the Club took part in the reopening of the canal by HM the Queen in 1991 at Caen Hill. Tony’s big project was then a new narrowboat, which he fitted himself and painted the roses and castles. He greatly enjoyed his family boating and teaching his grand children to steer, with a limited ability to see over the roof.

I first met Tony 21 years ago as a member of the National Committee of the Association of Waterways Cruising Clubs. He became National Chairman shortly afterwards and served for 11 years in the post. It was a privilege to serve under him as Vice Chairman and to eventually take over as Chairman – he taught me a great deal about handling officials. He led with integrity and was respected by all those with whom he had dealings. Tony remained a very active Vice President of the Association until his final illness and over the years he was instrumental in many ways in achieving improvements for boaters.

I well remember Tony saying on his retirement from the civil service, aged 60, that he was going to set himself up in a technical writing business, but first, he had to help out a friend for a couple of weeks … as a funeral director! This caused a certain amount of amusement as a couple of weeks stretched into a couple of months and then a couple of years and more. Tony had the temperament and good grace to deal with all the jibes with equanimity. I recall a hastily arranged meeting of waterways colleagues at Reading services to debate the crisis of the day, when Tony turned up in ‘uniform’, between jobs! I believe that the (empty) hearse may have been outside? Tony was still working for Maslin Funeral Services until a few weeks before his death, so it is not surprising that his former colleagues joined with family and many, both boating and non-boating friends to give him a splendid send off. They read some of his many favourite poems to remember a much-loved friend. Tony leaves a wife, Enid, and son Robert and daughter Nicky and six grand children.

David Pearce