Minutes for the GGCUA AGM 9th April, 2011.

"The chair provided his report for the previous year detailing the achievements of the Association including:"

"Land management of the canalside banks being sympathetic with the plant and wild life found along it"

But this year they cut down the bluebells... IN JUNE!!!

Might be worth a watch

Thought you might like to know that the Caledonian Canal will be the first waterway featured on the new BBC4 series featuring Julia Bradbury about canal walks. It starts on Monday 2nd May, no idea of time at the moment.

I found this nugget of info on the Great Glen Canal Trail Facebook page, well worth a look.

Latest News From GGCUA

Minutes for the GGCUA AGM 9 April 2011
Venue: Barge Loch Ness, Seaport Marina

Introduction

Attended by 23 members, apologies from 10 members.
The Chair offered thanks to Nicky and Adrian for offering the barge Loch Ness to be the venue for the meeting.

Report from the Chair

The Chair provided his report for the previous year detailing the achievements of the Association including:

• British Waterways fitting speed awareness banners on the lock gates at Dochgarroch, which has proved effective in slowing vessels along the canal and particularly when passing moored craft.
• Land management of the canal side banks being sympathetic with the plant and wild life found along it.
• Working together with British Waterways to address the views of the Association.
• Increasing membership to almost double the previous year.

Report from the Treasurer

The Treasurer reported that current balance of funds is £309.55, with membership renewal fees still being received.

Appointment of new Treasurer

As the current Treasurer, Paul Homer, wishes to step down from his position, Jim Mall nominated himself and was seconded by Tom Kent to take over the role. As Jim was unable to attend the meeting the appointment has been provisionally agreed and will be confirmed in the coming days.

The Chair passed on his thanks for Paul for is time in the Treasurer’s role.

Appointment of new Chair

Due to personal commitments the Chair also expressed a desire to stand down.

As no nominations were made, the Chair offered the possibility that other members of the Association take on responsibilities for organising events or taking on specific tasks during the year. This will allow the Chair to continue until such time as a nomination to take on the role is received.

Events for 2011

Suggestions for events in 2011 included:

• A quiz night, possibly involving both GGCUA members and British Waterways staff.
• Boat Jumble on a British Waterways site, and include Findhorn and Cromarty boat clubs.
• Boat flotilla to Foyers, bbq, music and overnight stay.
• Bonfire Night gathering.
• Gala Day, following the success of the one held in 2010.
• An event to coincide with the arrival of approx 40 Danish boats in early July (4 - 6 tbc).
  

These will be reviewed and sub committee’s set up to co-ordinate and organise each event.
End of minutes

Operational Changes during the Summer Season

The following message was issued by British Waterways -Scotland on 1 March to users of the Caledonian Canal. It has been reproduced here for your informaiton.

On behalf of Russell Thomson

Dear customer

Caledonian Canal - Operational Changes during the Summer Season

As you will know, earlier this month, the Scottish Parliament approved the national budget for April 2011 to April 2012. As a result, we now know that our own grant in aid will suffer from a significant £1.5m reduction on the current year, or 13%. We will also need to meet the further 3% efficiency savings which the Scottish Government has charged all public bodies with making.

Altogether, this means we are entering an extremely challenging year and I wanted to write to you before the season begins in earnest to outline how this may impact on you as a regular user of the Scottish canals.

As a boat owner, I am sure you will appreciate that with reduced resources available, our utmost priority will, and should be, to fulfill our core public purpose that of maintaining the two hundred year old infrastructure in safe condition and a navigable route across the waterways.

By necessity, we will therefore reduce our seasonal workforce and focus our existing operational resources tightly, particularly on planned preventative maintenance work.

In essence, this means that some of you may notice a reduction in the frequency of grass and scrub cutting, litter picking and removal of fly tipped rubbish. Tree management will also be limited to those works required in the interests of safety.

Some of the current bankside services and flexibility we provide may also change as we focus in on planned maintenance works. As each waterway has its own unique character and boating traffic, these changes will vary from canal to canal.

Whilst, the opening hours on the Caledonian Canal will remain the same*, you should bear the following in mind before planning a trip:

o You should have an adequate number of competent crew onboard – British Waterways Scotland will have a reduced ability to assist leisure craft with only one member of crew, which may result in delays

o If you have a large private or commercial craft, you should have operating mooring ropes in place on the ‘working side’ of the lock, i.e. the side on which the lock control boxes are situated, to ensure swift transit. You should also have crew available to handle your mooring ropes through the flights of locks

o Your timings should allow for:

o potential lock flight closures over the lunch period

o that you might not be able to benefit from a double locking or cross-over through the locks

o that flexibility outwith the official opening hours will only be available in extenuating circumstances

As a regular user of the Scottish canals, I hope you can appreciate that making the above changes will be vital if, with reduced budget available, we are to prioritise our activity to those works which help sustain the waterways for everyone to enjoy. We have always worked hard to deliver a high standard of customer care and we will continue to do so, helping everyone to adjust to the changes as and when they are introduced.

I wish you all the best for an enjoyable summer season.

Yours sincerely

Russell Thomson
Waterway Manager - Highlands


** Spring and Autumn 8:30am – 5:30pm; Summer 8:00am – 6:00pm

Have we got your correct email address? Help us save money on postage by opting to receive correspondence electronically.

Email us at enquiries.scotland@britishwaterways.co.uk adding ‘Caledonian Correspondence’ as the subject.

Ailsa Andrews
Customer Relations Manager
Caledonian Canal - Best Visitor Experience Highlands and Islands Tourism Awards 2010

End of message

Latest News From GGCUA

LATEST NEWS FROM GGCUA

Here we are again, a new boating season on the horizon!

We would like to bring the following important information to your attention.

1. Caledonian Canal Customer Forum
2. GGCUA AGM 2011
3. GGCUA Membership Renewal 2011/12
4. GGCUA Committee News

Caledonian Canal Customer Forum

Many of you will be aware that the annual “Caledonian Canal Customer Forum“, hosted by British Waterways, was postponed from Saturday 27th November last year due to the dreadful weather.

The Forum has now been rescheduled to take place on Thursday 14th April between 1-2.30pm at the Ramada Jarvis, Inverness and has been billed as “a stimulating and thought provoking event”.

If you want to attend the Forum and have not received your invitation from British Waterways, please contact them at the Canal Office, Seaport Marina on 01463 725500 or email to enquiries.scotland@britishwaterways.co.uk

GGCUA AGM 2011

This year’s AGM will take place on Saturday 9th April commencing at 6.00pm. The venue will be aboard the barge, “Loch Ness”, moored at the entrance to the Seaport Marina, Inverness. Refreshments and parking will be available.

We will be sending out your personal invitation soon and we very much hope you will be able to attend. It should be “a stimulating and thought provoking event!”.

GGCUA Membership Renewal 2011/12

You will shortly receive your membership renewal form for the coming year to April 2012. We are pleased to announce there will be no increase in membership fees and you will continue to enjoy your membership discounts with Caley Marina and McEwan of Inverness.

All new members will receive a complimentary GGCUA burgee as part of their membership package (worth £4.50 cost price). All in all, joining the Association represents great value!

GGCUA Committee News

For a time near the end of 2009 there was some doubt as to the future of the Association, but the year gone by has been one of much consolidation.

Association membership has increased significantly over the last twelve months and currently stands at 15 Individual memberships, 23 Family memberships and 1 group membership.

We have made considerable improvements to our administrative systems, streamlining general administration tasks as well as opening up the GGCUA Blog Site as a full access “notice board” and “voice” for Association members.

In response to your views and opinions, we have successfully campaigned with British Waterways, most notably to raise awareness of the issues of speeding craft. This resulted in speed awareness banners being designed by British Waterways and fitted to the lock gates at Dochgarroch, and we hope that British Waterways will consider placing similar banners at other sites along the canal.

We also campaigned for changes in the way the canal embankments are managed at Dochgarroch. This was directly in response to the majority views of local residents and local boat owners who wished to see a more wild flower and wild life friendly environment, but without compromising British Waterway’s operational need for a managed look at places where appropriate (eg. areas by the lock gates and picnic sites etc.). We look forward to the return of a profusion of wild flowers and plants this year and the changes made will help ensure the safer migration of the many thousands of frogs and toads that emerge from the lake adjacent to the canal.

Thank you again to all who came to last year’s Gala Day and made it such an enjoyable event. We look forward to arranging further events during the year ahead.

And finally we must announce that at this year’s AGM the positions of GGCUA Chairperson and Treasurer will become vacant; both David Bird (current Chairperson) and Paul Homer (current Treasurer) would like to stand down in order to pursue other commitments.

The Association is in good health. It has all of its necessary systems and procedures firmly in place and in all respects is ready to be handed over to a new Chairperson and Treasurer who can give some time and commitment to steer and further develop its aims and objectives.

If you are interested in taking on either of these roles and would like some more information, please do not hesitate to get in touch either by email at ggcua2003@yahoo.co.uk or by telephoning David Bird on 0798 628 2184.

SEA EAGLE SOARS ABOVE THE CALEDONIAN CANAL

The mystery of partially devoured fish on the banks of the Caledonian Canal appears to have been solved by the discovery of a White Tailed "Sea" Eagle who recently took up residence for a few days at Dochgarroch.

Confirmed by the RSPB as a juvenile, the first photograph helps illustrate the enormouse size to which these magnificent birds of prey can grow. Here we see some local crows "mobbing" the eagle in an attempt to drive it away from their territory.

Anyone else with sightings of the eagle or with other wildlife photographs from the canal, please get in touch.

(photograph credit: Dave Bird of the dutch barge Geertruida)

Scottish canal website

Happy New Year everyone (sorry it's a bit late).

Whilst having a look on the Calendonian Canal Canoe Trail Facebook page, to see what's being planned this year, I spotted this web address which you might find usefull.

http://www.scottishcanals.co.uk/our-canals/caledonian-canal

It has some interesting information, things to do, canal events etc, and takes your mind of the cold , dark days we have at the moment.

Have fun :)