Message from the helm...
4th June 2021
Dear MNCC Members,
The latest set of minutes (7th May) are now online along with the latest financial report.
The site is looking wonderful at the moment and thanks to everyone for playing their part with the grass cutting and site maintenance.
The bar team and events team are becoming far busier, and we all owe them a vote of appreciation. Following 2 splendid consecutive weekends at the club, with children playing, people smiling and boating a plenty; can we be lucky enough for a 3rd consecutive weekend? We’ll be there in eager anticipation! A quick plea from the bar team – please respect the measures we have put in place to comply with C-19 security; please don’t try and place orders directly at the bar and don’t try and help by putting empties back at the bar. Hopefully it won’t be too long before we can relax a little more.
You may notice that one of our members is building a pizza oven on his mooring and this is a timely reminder that if anyone wishes to modify a club mooring in any significant way, then permission needs to be sought through the harbourmaster and committee. Routine maintenance and ‘like for like’ repairs should not come into this category, but if in doubt then simply ask – please remember that the moorings belong to the club, and we are merely custodians.
It’s lovely to see so many members out on their boats, but please remember to use low power and minimum speed around all of our moorings, including our riverbank moorings. The severed pontoon mooring line we recently suffered was probably just a freak accident, but a propellor did cause the clean cut of a 25-millimetre rope. Thanks to all those who helped with such a speedy repair, including Shambles helping to pressure wash the concrete weight!
Many of you will be aware of the recent chequered history of Osprey. Now everyone needs to be aware that the new owner of Osprey is one our most recent new members. He and a friend have salvaged the boat, started renovating her and are arranging to clear the rubbish left near the upstream weir by the previous irresponsible owner. Please welcome Osprey’s new owners to the club and congratulate them for what they have done.
Our bonfire has not been lit since 2019. Before we light it again, we will be taking measures to protect any wildlife that may have taken up residence. It is intended as a bonfire – not a fly tip. Members should not be dumping stuff on the bonfire without seeking permission from the site manager. A question that should be asked is, ‘would you try and burn that sort of stuff in your own back garden?’ We are all aware of what is acceptable and what isn’t, and we certainly wouldn’t expect toxic fumes to be a part of our next bonfire night celebration!
We are always looking for suggestions to improve the site, facilities and equipment. This can range from noticing that a hose pipe needs replacing to we would like a sauna and jacuzzi! Bruce – you can’t have a JCB! If you have any ideas, be they big or small, then please talk to us about them. Serious proposals will get serious consideration.
13th May 2021
Dear MNCC Members,
As usual the latest minutes are available on our website.
The club continues to come to life. We can now cruise the various waterways and stay aboard our boats. Our bar is open again and our events team are working hard to plan events for us all to look forward to. We are opening the toilet facilities again and will re-engage the cleaner we used prior to Covid. It will help greatly if we all take much greater care in keeping the toilets both clean and sanitised. Please leave the toilets spotless; gentlemen, please take special care with your aim around and under the toilets.
We would also like to thank all those of you who managed to pay the membership fees so promptly, and especially those who paid electronically. This has eased the administrative and accounting burden, and hopefully we can get even closer to 100% next year. Our overall membership numbers have remained stable, and we welcome all of the new members who have joined during the last year. The next stage of the security review should start to become apparent around the club. New signs will hopefully make it clear that we are a private club, and the use of chains will delineate our premises to passers-by. We will still make visitors very welcome but will be encouraging them to try and let us know they are coming beforehand. There is also an updated guide about visitors being prepared that will hopefully be self-explanatory.
We thought it would be useful to start a regular site inspection to check the overall conditions around the club. This will include the Site Manager and Harbourmaster, and we will check that boats, moorings and facilities are being properly maintained. The first site inspection will be in the next month or so. If there is anything you would particularly like us to look at then please let us know. I have previously expanded on the reasons behind some of our rules and following our most recent committee meeting I will highlight a couple more of these.
FLOATING PONTOON The Floating Pontoon is a mooring facility. We do our best to maintain it in a safe and serviceable condition. It is narrow, it moves and is potentially hazardous if abused.
Please read the following extracts from our rule book: 30.d All moorings shall be maintained by occupiers and kept clean, tidy and free from clutter. 32. No facilities of any kind for boat owners shall be available on the Club site except for the sole use of boat owning full members. 47. Members may fish from the club site provided; b. There is no interference with the use of boats or other users of the club site.c. In the event of conflict between the use of boats and fishing the rights of boat users will prevail. Hopefully you will understand that we have decided to put up signs to stop fishing from the floating pontoon, except for members fishing from their own boat and this still needs to respect the above extracts.
CHILD SUPERVISION This is one of the topics that regularly comes up for discussion. Unfortunately, this time it has been prompted by damage, including deliberate breakages that have been caused to playground equipment within the children’s play area, and in the children’s hut. Please consider Rule 38 concerning Children and Child Safety: a) Subject to subparagraph b, children of members or Junior Members [JM] under the age of 18 shall not be allowed on the Club site unless under the strict control of their parents or other Responsible Adult [RA]. Such adult will be held directly responsible for the safety and conduct of the person under 18. b) The Committee may in some circumstances approve an application by the parent or RA for a JM over the age of 17 to be allowed on the Club site unsupervised. Such adult must be satisfied that the JM understands the need for acting with care while on the Club site and near water, and that it is safe for the JM to be on the Club site unsupervised. Such adult will still be held directly responsible for the conduct and safety of the JM. c) Child safety in the vicinity of water is the direct responsibility of the parent or RA. It is expected that any child under 12 years old, in the vicinity of the water, shall wear a life jacket. The parent or RA of a person between 12 and 18 may, entirely at their own risk, decide to dispense with the need for that person to wear a lifejacket. d) No visitor under the age of 18 shall be allowed on the Club site unless under the strict control of a parent or other RA. Members must draw this to the attention of their guests. We think it unlikely that the extent of the damage would have occurred had paras a) and d) been complied with. Equally, we hope that any adult witnessing unacceptable behaviour would have tried to stop it and would have reported any damage so that it could be properly repaired. In practical terms, we ask that parents (or other responsible adults) please arrange to keep an eye on what their kids are doing and curb any excesses in behaviour. In the short term the children’s hut will be kept locked, although you will be able to borrow the key from a committee member. Thanks to all of our members for improving the use of life jackets with children. As we approach the hot and sunny months remember that a quick guide to where children should wear a life jacket is to think, ‘if they trip or stumble, could they end up in the water’? If the answer is ‘yes’, or even ‘maybe’, then they should be wearing a life jacket
10th March 2021
Dear MNCC Members,
Since the last update there is a chink of light at the end of the tunnel! Presently the club is still closed for all but essential maintenance, but we are looking to get the show on the road in line with government regulations. There are a couple of decent guides on Facebook, and of course there’s always the UK Gov guide at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/covid-19-response-spring-2021/covid-19-response-spring-2021
With all this guidance it would be nice to think there are clear guidelines on what we can do on the social side. Unfortunately, the water gets a little muddier here with only a few examples of what is and isn’t allowed at various locations. Hopefully some clearer information will be forthcoming soon.
An Events list is now on the Events page, kindly produced by our latest events coordinators – The Seery Twins – thanks to Amy and Linda! You will immediately notice that the March Work Party has been cancelled. Dave W has a series of jobs that need doing and he will arrange various small teams to carry these out from early April. One of those jobs will be the erection of the Marquee, spread over 2 weekends due to the restriction in team size and distancing requirements. We will let people know nearer the time when any help is required.
You will see that the first events we are trying to arrange are around 29th May. This is where the difficulties start in interpreting what we are and aren’t allowed to do. Rest assured that if we think we can legally put together an event while keeping it a practical proposition, then we will. More details on the rest of the year will follow in time, but at least you should now have some idea what we’re trying to do.
We hope to be able to start using the bar around the 1st May, located in the Marquee. Full details will follow but it will have to be table service, using the envelope system, with tables of 6 maximum and no mixing. Drinks will only be available from bottles and cans. We hope to run the bar on Friday evenings, Saturday evenings and Sunday lunchtimes, with an option to open on Saturday lunchtimes (spirits willing!). Now the important bit. WE NEED VOLUNTEERS TO RUN THE BAR – THE LIST WILL BE UNDER THE WORKSHOP. That said, we do understand that a number of our members fall into the more vulnerable category. Should you have any doubts about whether to volunteer for bar duty, there is no doubt, your health must come first.
You may be aware that we have a problem with the narrowboat slip. The wheels are in a very sorry state and need to be repaired/replaced. Action is in hand to fix the issue, but the committee don’t believe that it is safe to use the slip in its present state. If you have your name down for the narrowboat slip in the next couple of months you will be contacted to try and make alternative arrangements. We will almost certainly have to ask members to try and do their work in one week again, weather and personal circumstances permitting, until we catch up. The narrowboat slip trolley is about 30 years old and is a testament to the skills of those members that made it and have kept it going for so long. Assuming we have to pay out now to keep it going then that will be money well spent on one of our great club assets.
You will have noticed that our finances are healthy at the moment, however we can’t afford to be complacent. We have planned expenditure that has had to carry over from the last financial year. We are still awaiting our landlords to present the new (increased) rent and insurance bills. The repair to the narrowboat slip could be expensive and unless the EA have a major change of heart, then sorting out the small pool will not be cheap. We are still confident that our overall financial plan remains stable, and we will know where we stand once members have paid their renewal fees. Please remember that the payment deadline is the 31st March, and we would really urge you to pay using bank transfer. Cashing cheques now requires journeys to the bank, which is not ideal. In the unlikely event that you haven’t received payment details then please get in touch with Mim as soon as possible. We can all help to spread the word about payments to our fellow club members to help stop anyone falling through the cracks.
Another theme that has been featuring on Facebook is to do with security. Over the next couple of months, we should hopefully start to see a number of security enhancements. There is little doubt that the general public will continue to try to access the river through our club. Please stay vigilant and make sure you always lock our gate and containers, as well as your own possessions. Be cautious in approaching any suspicious looking stranger; if you are not entirely happy to challenge them, then please look for help from other members. You can always call me or any of the committee for advice.
On a slightly different tack, I’ve just received my registration charges from the EA and was pleased to see them state that they had not increased their fees. On the face of it this may be true, but surely if we now have to pay additional fees to access the Cam and Middle Levels, then they have increased fees through the back door? Maybe we need to watch for the next rising political star to emerge from within the depths of the EA bureaucracy!
Finally, looking ahead and staying optimistic! If the C-19 recovery plan stays on course, we can start using our boats in a limited way from 29th March. If things remain on track, we should be able to stay overnight on our boats from 12th April. Throughout the following weeks and months, the sun will shine every day, and it will only rain during hours of darkness! Our club will continue to thrive, and much fun will be had by all of us.
Chin up and stay safe,
Dave Piper
8th February 2021
Dear Members,
The January 2021 minutes have been published today and are also on this website. Hopefully you will also find the monthly financial summary added. You will see that our finances are quite healthy, but please bear in mind that we strive to ring fence enough money to cover 3 years of rent, rates and insurance, in order to help protect our trustees. As part of our lease, we have to nominate Trustees, and these are the individuals who carry the financial and legal burden should the club get into difficulties. Trustees are volunteers from within the club and I am sure you will all understand why we need to protect them financially. You will all soon receive annual membership renewal details, and this will include more details about the club’s finances and plans.
Sadly, the club and facilities have to remain closed for the time being, apart from those living close enough to enjoy local exercise and anyone involved in essential maintenance. We will reactivate our facilities as soon as we can, but the timing is not in our hands. We are also looking at producing an events list for the year, although much of it will be a little speculative.
There has been an excellent suggestion that we try and hold an online ‘coffee morning’ every few weeks, using Zoom. This will be entirely informal and will give us all a chance to ‘meet’ and chat with our mates. All you need to do is get a cuppa, a chocky biscuit and follow this link! 13th Feb between 10.30 and 12pm. https://us02web.zoom.us/j/87578745301?pwd=K205QnJ5YndCdXlMeFNUWEhlYlRZZz09
Meeting ID: 875 7874 5301
Passcode: 455947
There will be a fun quiz on 20th Feb, starting at 7.30pm. This will be hosted by Mim and me, and we promise to keep it very friendly! We’re hoping that enough people will turn up so that we can split into teams during the event, allowing you to confer with more than just your own household.
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/82714528487?pwd=UU5aZklMei9SektjdFVPSFk4S2t0UT09
Meeting ID: 827 1452 8487
Passcode: 225704
Here’s hoping you are all staying well and looking forward to seeing you before too long.
Best Wishes
Dave Piper
10th January 2021
Dear Members of MNCC,
Just a short update this month to accompany the December minutes. We had our latest Zoom committee meeting on Friday evening. We had two new membership applications that were both successful, resulting in our membership numbers being at least as high as they have been for a number of years. I am confident that, when we are able to return to more normal club activities, we will soon see the vibrant and enthusiastic atmosphere we have all come to expect.
Hopefully most of you will be aware that around 150 saplings were planted just before Christmas and will eventually provide yet another area of the club that we will all be able to enjoy. Additionally, initial preparations have been made for a new wildflower area and it will be lovely to see this progress through the year.
Although our normal social activities have been stopped, we ran a pretty well attended new members evening just before Christmas. We hope to run a Zoom quiz in a few week’s time, including a method of allowing several families to get together as ‘Super Teams’! Watch out for further notices about this as it will be a new twist to our online quiz experience. Also watch out for the 2021 Events Diary, which will give you some fixed club dates, and an idea about how we are hoping to reinstate social activities through the coming year.
As previously explained, all of the club facilities are currently closed, and we have felt obliged to turn off the water since we are not able to monitor potential leaks as closely as we would normally expect to do. Additionally, the generator will only be run on Saturday mornings until the current travel restrictions are lifted.
I have added a link to the latest government guidelines to help you decide if you think you can visit the club while complying with this guidance.
www.gov.uk/guidance/national-lockdown-stay-at-home
Best wishes to you all, stay safe, and hopefully see you again before too long.
Dave Piper
Commodore
Middle Nene Cruising Club
31st December 2020
Dear Members of MNCC,
Well, what a year that was! I’ve certainly not had the sort of year I anticipated as Commodore. It’s been interesting most of the time and quite challenging some of the time. The previous and current committee have performed a splendid job in very difficult circumstances. We’ve had to improvise with new ways of doing business and cope with constantly changing goal posts. We’ve had to try and strike a balance between keeping members happy while having to comply with government legislation. The site appearance and infrastructure has been maintained, and we have done our best to keep some sort of social life going. Through the period the committee has continued to look after all of our interests. Their level of enthusiasm and commitment has helped keep the club going and done the best to ensure a bright future. I’m sure you’ll all join me in thanking past and present committee members for all they have done and rising so positively to the particular difficulties faced this year.
I’d love to say that we have a great 2021 to look forward to, and earnestly hope it will be so. About the only thing I can promise is that we will try to make our club the best it can be. We’ve had a lot of new members join in the last year and they’ve yet to see the club in full swing. Let’s all hope for a big improvement over the coming months so that we can all get the maximum benefit of our boats and our club.
Thinking a little more over the last year, one of the big lessons for me has been how much we rely on other people. I think most of us would have praised care workers before any of this started. Events made us really value them and we were able to show them our appreciation. Even an old cynic like me went out and clapped on a Thursday night, and enjoyed seeing more people out there each week. Then we very quickly came to realise how much we relied on so many other groups of people, from delivery drivers to shop workers, or from scientists to charity workers. We saw a lot of people go out of their way to support others, some making a big difference locally, while others made international news. MNCC had its opportunity to play a part in helping others, when the 4 youngsters capsized their boat in the lock. The swift and generous help they received from us made a big impression on them and I believe they learned much from the experience. We’ve often seen the best in people during the year and I really hope this is maintained through the difficulties we still face.
We’re already starting to look ahead to see how we can improve things at the club next year. We will soon be considering the type of events we can plan over the year, especially as 2021 is the club’s 75th anniversary. We’ll get this information out as soon as possible but will have to ask for your patience and understanding as this will be quite a complex procedure. I hope to get the ‘bare-bones’ of the calendar dates released next month, although purely social events will be quite speculative.
Finally, I’d like to thank all those of you that have helped me over the year. Practical advice on our new boat (and some physical assistance!) has been invaluable. Members talking to me with your observations and concerns about the club has made me question some of what we do and why we do it. The willingness of so many of you to go that extra mile has never ceased to impress me. And most importantly, I really value the friendship and support I’ve received from all of you.
Mim and me hope you have been able to make the most of this very unusual Christmas period and that the New Year will be better for everyone. Please stay safe and hoping to see you soon.
Dave & Mim Piper
4th October 2020
Dear MNCC Members,
The minutes from September 2020, which was the last meeting of the previous committee are now available. Please read these minutes and if you have any questions about them get in touch with me. I’m sure you would all wish me to thank each one of the old committee on your behalf for the work and dedication they have shown through a particularly difficult year.
Despite everything, membership numbers have increased and we only have a few moorings still available. This, plus careful stewardship of our expenditure, means that we are in a pretty healthy financial position. The club is looking very good, if a little wet after this weekend. We have all been able to use our boats and enjoy using our own bar, largely thanks to Dave Brooke and the bar committee. None of this is a happy accident; it happens as a result of people being prepared to go above and beyond. Thanks to all those on the committee and just as important, those not on the committee who put in a great deal of extra time and effort behind the scenes.
The new committee convened last Friday and I have every confidence that they will continue the good work. If you have any questions or suggestions that you think might benefit the club then please talk to any of us.
TREASURER
At the moment we have an acting treasurer for a limited period. Many thanks to Gail for not leaving us in limbo. Gail has been putting a record of her treasurer activities on Facebook. They amount to between 1-2 hours a week and should be within the capabilities of anyone who manages their own finances. If you are a full member of the club and think you might be willing to put in a bit of extra work to benefit us all then please get in touch. I promise you will not be thrown in at the deep end!
HARBOURMASTER
We need a Harbourmaster. In essence this requires keeping a register of boats and moorings. Some experience and common sense is required to make sure that boats are allocated to suitable moorings. You need to be able to offer basic guidance to new and inexperienced members. You need to be willing to be an initial point of contact for any visitor wishing to bring their boat to the club. The paperwork and procedures are already in place. You do need a good understanding of the club rules and procedures. There are plenty of us who will guide you through learning the more subtle aspects of the job. It is a very interesting job and should not be too time consuming. There are plenty of ex-harbourmasters in the club – talk to them to get more of an insight. There are lots of you that have the ability to do this job so please step forward. Again, you will not be thrown in at the deep end.
Treasurer and Harbourmaster are 2 jobs that have to be filled. They are not beyond the capabilities of the majority of members. If you think you might be able to help then please get in touch. If you know someone who you think would be a good candidate then please talk to them, sometimes it’s just a bit of encouragement and support that’s needed.
BAR PROCEDURES
Please find attached the latest set of guidelines for using the bar on the Rules and Guidelines page. Please do your best to comply with this guide. The bar is currently opening on Saturday and Sunday lunchtimes. Given the nature of Covid-19 procedures, these guidelines are liable to change at very short notice.
Best Wishes
Dave Piper
Commodore
Middle Nene Cruising Club
MNCC AGM 27th SEPTEMBER 2020
LETTER FROM THE COMMODORE
In the normal scheme of things, I would be saying the following to you in our Marquee on the 27th September. However, this year has dictated some changes to what we normally do.
And it all started so well! A great laying-up supper, some spectacular fireworks and lovely food, despite the rain and an entertaining Christmas party. We had the New Year’s party, helped Trudi ‘come of age’, played various games and we even sang to each other over a Cornish pasty! Most of this took place during a protracted period of rain, with the SSA stopping us using our boats for 5 months. Despite this we splashed around the site, partied hard, slept rough and kept smiling. Just when it looked as if we might think about using our boats again look what happened. An International Pandemic that knocked us all for six and put the world and what’s really important into true perspective. It was, and still is, too tragic an event for millions of people around the world to make light of and I’m sure all of us are hugely grateful to all of our key workers for helping us through it so far.
MNCC, in common with most of the country, went into lock down and waited to see how the situation would develop. All of our plans were put on hold, but the committee started to consider what options were available to maintain effective management of the club. We opted to try out Zoom and found it relatively straight forward to continue our meetings. This helped us to keep control of club finances, property and equipment; all to give the membership the best chance of returning to boating when allowed. A small and dedicated team kept up essential maintenance so that, as we were gradually allowed to access our boats, we weren’t faced with a jungle and nothing working. We developed safe methods of putting the slips and paint dock back into action despite all of the Covid-19 restrictions. The bar has been made available due to the ideas and efforts of the bar committee. July 2020 saw many of us getting back into boating with a semblance of our clubs’ social culture returning.
Other changes have been forced on us. We have tried to keep a good flow of communication going, making more use of Facebook, our website, our entrance notice boards and emails. We have had to change the way we conduct reviews and process membership applications. We are holding a ‘modified’ AGM. All of this is being done while doing our very best to maintain the principles and standards that have made MNCC the club we all enjoy. We are now considering how to modify the way we complete our work parties.
You will see that there have been some changes under the Election of Officers. My sincerest thanks go to David Gent who stood in as Vice Commodore at the last AGM and has given us so much assistance and good advice over the year. His circumstances are such that his focus needs to be elsewhere at the moment. I would also like to thank Adrian Cleave for putting himself forward as the Vice Commodore this year and, given his experience and knowledge of the river, I have no doubt he will be a very effective Commodore when he commences his ‘watch’. Anita Bruce has stepped up to take over as our Secretary which should relieve some of the workload on Mim, who has performed above and beyond as both Secretary and Membership Secretary for the last year.
You will also have noticed that the General Committee has seen several changes, with 3 new members. I would like to welcome all 5 new committee members and thank them for volunteering to help with managing MNCC; I can promise them some interesting times to come!
I would like to thank all members of the previous committee for all of their hard work through considerable adversity. I would particularly like to thank the following. Wayne, who followed his 6-year stint as Vice Cdre, Cdre and Rear Cdre with another year as our Harbourmaster. He has earned a well-deserved rest after some 16 years of committee duties, but we will hopefully continue to see Gaye and Wayne making full use of the club. Gail has worked wonders as our treasurer, and I know that she will do all she can to help our new treasurer. Steve has been my ‘go to man’ for all things club related and special thanks to him for helping to prevent our new boat from sinking! Dave’s W and B do so much around the club there’s no real way to do them justice; so simply ‘THANK YOU BOTH’.
In addition to the committee we still have a Monday night team who do much essential work. We have a number of grass cutters who help keep up appearances, with Tony being a standout example to us all. Our generators, electrics and general services frequently see us calling on the experts from within our own ranks. Where would we be without you all? Well it certainly wouldn’t be MNCC as we know it.
At last year’s AGM I said that I’d like to hear people speak positively about our club. Despite everything that’s happened this has generally been the case. I also asked that anyone with doubts, concerns or ideas about the club should come and speak to me or any committee member; that offer is still very much open.
Finally, I hope to see lots of you at the Zoom AGM; details to follow. It will give us a different experience and should allow me to bring you up to date with any more recent information.
Best Wishes
Dave Piper
MNCC - UPDATE FOR AUGUST 2020
Dear MNCC Members,
A copy of the July 2020 Minutes has been uploaded and can be read on the Minutes page. I have added a few notes below concerning the recent boat capsize in Titchmarsh Lock, the AGM, some thoughts on our quiet and peaceful location at MNCC, and a reminder about guests visiting our club.
THE BOAT CAPSIZE
On the evening of the 3rd August a small boat with 4 youngsters capsized just after they entered Titchmarsh lock. Fortunately for them, their shouts of distress were heard, and our club sprang into action. They were cold, wet and in shock. They were given towels, clothes, hot drinks, and sympathy. Their overturned boat was towed out of the lock and secured just inside the small pool entrance. With no possessions, they were taken to a local hotel, fed and their two rooms paid for.
Just 4 days earlier Joe had invested virtually all his savings on a dream; to enjoy living on the water. Did he research what he needed to do to live this dream? Did he seek advice? Did he think it through? Did the boat seller offer any words of wisdom? Did Joe or his friends realise how quickly things can go badly wrong on the water? Of course not. His dream was of freedom, friendship and to put it bluntly, spending as little as possible. He was naive and possibly a little foolish. However, he was now wet, cold and in shock. His home and scant possessions were in the Nene.
MNCC heroes didn’t try and moralise how the 4 youngsters had got into that situation. They didn’t try and legalise any possible ramifications of securing the boat. They did the right thing. They acted spontaneously, wisely and generously. I would like to think that I, or any of us, would have done the same.
The following day an EA worker also did the right thing. He helped them right the boat and move it to a safer location near our water point. The boat was still submerged, and Joe formed a plan for re-floating his home. More generosity was shown by one of our members sourcing another room for the second night. On Wednesday a tarpaulin was placed round the windows, a cushion was used to block the entrance and a large pump was used to good effect. The submarine became a boat again and the youngsters set to work drying and cleaning the boat. They did all this themselves.
Over the following couple of days, Joe was advised how to put ballast in his boat, he was helped with reviving the outboard, and helped with rigging a proper steering bracket. They slept on the boat, moved it to the 48-hour mooring and continued their journey towards London on Friday!
I think it’s fair to say that all those of us who got to know them, believed them to be fundamentally sound and likeable individuals. They were resourceful and got stuck in themselves. They really didn’t ask for anything but were overwhelmed with the generosity and manner in which they were treated. Before they left, they thanked all those present who had helped them. They went on their way a little wiser about boating and how generous strangers can be.
Over the coming weeks we will reflect on the events surrounding this incident and may even take on board a few lessons. In the meantime, I would like to formally express my thanks to all of you who helped throughout the week. THANK YOU.
AGM
Just a quick reminder. The nomination sheets for the new committee are in the open workshop inside the main gate. They will be taken down at 7.00pm on 4th September, in time for the committee to deal with (rather than 9.00pm as stipulated in our rulebook). I believe several new names may appear and would encourage any full member to consider being a part of our MNCC committee.
PEACE AND QUIET
We stayed on our new boat a few nights ago. Other members were in residence nearby. We enjoyed a couple of bevvies and chatted quietly, conscious of not wanting to disturb the peace and stillness. As the evening lengthened, we started to become paranoid as every door or cupboard closure, normally a gentle click, assumed thunderclap proportions. It seemed that operating the toilet pump would be heard in Thrapston. The gentle squeak of the fenders amplified to the squeals of a banshee. Needless to say, in the morning, our neighbours reported us for being such a noise nuisance. Well not really!!! They actually said they didn’t hear us.
The point of this is really to ask for everyone to respect the natural quiet of our location, especially as the evening wears on and alcohol relaxes inhibitions. If you find yourself in a gathering where the noise levels are increasing, then please try and encourage consideration for others who are trying to enjoy the Titchmarsh tranquillity.
GUESTS TO MNCC
There is a Guest Book page on the temporary noticeboard in the open garage by the entrance gate and the book is still under the stairs in the Mill. It is very obvious that some members are not using the guest book. Additionally, probationary members need to arrange for a full member to sign their guests in – these are not new procedures so please try to comply.
Best Wishes
Dave Piper
MNCC – UPDATE FOR 5th JUNE 2020
I consider myself a very lucky person. I retired several years ago and although I have tried to remain quite active, I feel better prepared for the lockdown and current situation than had I been working fulltime. I can barely imagine the uncertainty, stress and suffering that so many people are experiencing. The Coronavirus epidemic has presented all of us with fresh challenges and I thought I would try to update you with some of my views on what has been happening at MNCC.
We initially had to completely close the club, something I suspect has not happened to MNCC before, and although it was inevitable it was still a sad decision to make. Since then we have tried to keep things ticking over and start to restore some of our facilities. A number of members have contributed to the essential site maintenance and, as we have been allowed to revisit the site, we should all appreciate how beautiful they have kept it looking. I think this shows the very best of our club spirit and what makes MNCC a rather special place.
The committee has continued to function, and I would like to thank everyone of them for rising to the challenge and keeping the club management on track. Our Zoom meetings have been lively and productive as we have tried to consider all aspects of reinstating the club and its facilities. The latest work has come to fruition with getting the Slips and Paint Dock back in use again. We are currently challenged with how to deal with membership applications and reviews, as both processes are clearly in limbo at the moment. We are also considering options for how to hold the AGM, since there is little chance that we will be able to use the traditional format. The social aspects of the club are obviously on hold at the moment, although the online quizzes have been fun and a good meeting place. We are considering how we might start some form of outdoor social gathering and will look to put some ideas in action when government guidelines and our own preparations are in place. I commend you to talk to any of the committee with your ideas and observations.
I remain cautiously optimistic about the future of the club. Our membership is strong, and our finances are healthy. Although MNCC is barely half-steam ahead at the moment I believe we have what it takes pull through and have a great future in all aspects of boating.
Dave Piper
Commodore
Middle Nene Cruising Club
MNCC – UPDATE FOR 13th MAY 2020
Following on from the Government’s announcement to allow a return to outdoor activities, we will partially re-open the club from the 13th May 2020. We will have to comply with the guidelines that any activity needs to be alone or with members of a single household. Social distancing and strict hygiene procedures will obviously need to be followed.
The Clubhouse and the Miller’s Table will remain closed and the toilets will not be accessible. Emergency access to the defibrillator will still be possible. When you touch any shared facility, such as door handles and locks, the main gate and lock, the waterpoints or the toilet disposal facilities, please use a sterile wipe after yourself.
It is unlikely that we will be able to supply disinfectant and sterile wipes so please bring your own with you if you visit the club.
Hopefully we will be able to enjoy this opportunity and get aboard our boats again, although the decision on using the river remains with the EA. Although this is not a return to the social activities we enjoy, it is a welcome first step. Please note the extract from the latest Government Strategy Paper that will be emailed to all members.
COMMODORE'S UPDATE: Monday 4th May
Dear MNCC Members,
The minutes from our committee meeting held on the 3rd April are on the website. You will see that we are now using Zoom to conduct our meetings. There’s not the normal amount to discuss at the moment but membership renewals, reviews and new applications have taken a fair amount of our time. We are also keeping club finances uppermost in our minds and trying to be prudent, given the uncertainties ahead. If you would like to raise any issues with the committee then please email me (or any other committee member) and we will try to deal with it appropriately.
Social events have obviously taken a huge hit and we have started considering how we might have a suitable celebration when we are permitted to use the club again. In the meantime, our Facebook page is staying informative and occasionally humorous. Jim and Nicki ran a great FB quiz a couple of weeks ago and we had a Zoom quiz on Saturday 2nd May. There will more quizzes in the near future so please come and join in as it’s a great way of staying in touch. Please remember that we have an excellent website and we are always looking for new material to put on it. Why not get those fingers moving over your keyboards and see how inventive you can be?!
We have around 100 members regularly using the FB page and any club member can join; simply ask another MNCC member and they will post an invitation which is normally responded to very quickly. Please remember that this is only for MNCC club members.
Some limited essential work is being maintained on site and we all owe huge thanks to those who are doing that work, at a very difficult time. Please remember that the club is officially closed. Should you find yourself at the club for any reason then please try to maintain a very low profile and not draw attention to yourselves or the club.
Here’s hoping for better times ahead and wishing you all the best of health.
MNCC VACANCIES
I hope we would all agree that our club provides great facilities, both on and off the water, at a very reasonable cost. We are only able to do this with the dedication and hard work of our membership. Some individuals put in a tremendous effort throughout the year, while the rest of us do our best to help where and when we can. The committee are always looking at ways to improve the running of the club and try to spread the workload as fairly as possible. We have identified three areas where we would ask for some more help.
GRASS CUTTING
We have around 14 acres of grass to cut. The bulk of this is done with the Tractor and Gang mower. However, there are other areas, such as the banks, around the trees and the borders that are cut using hand mowers. We need a Grounds Person who will be responsible for operating and maintaining the Tractor and Gang and coordinating the rest of the grass cutting. If you think you could be this person then please contact Dave Wright.
Quite a few people already help with the grass cutting. It would be good to identify which individuals are already maintaining which areas. If you would like to continue helping with this task or would like to join the merry band of grass cutters, then please contact Dave Wright.
EVENTS COORDINATOR
Historically we had an Entertainments Rep (who could be a committee member) and took on responsibility for coordinating our social calendar, with the assistance of a separate entertainments team. No individual has come forward recently to fulfil this role. In order to maintain the social events that form such an important part of our club the committee and remaining members of the entertainments team continue to hold regular meetings. Entertainments has been ‘re-branded’ as Events, allowing us to incorporate the work parties and AGM into the calendar. This also helps dispel the idea that the entertainments team provide the entertainment for everyone else.
We already have an active Events Team, holding regular meetings and making sure we have a full and interesting Events Calendar. The requirements and running of upcoming events are discussed and we try to identify members who are prepared to coordinate and help run each event. In order to spread the load, we intend to instigate a volunteer list (similar to the work party list) to encourage more of our membership to get involved.
Ideally, we really need someone (or some couple) to assume overall responsibility for coordinating all of our events and liaising closely with the full committee. This would involve attending the events meetings, maintaining the volunteer list and helping to make sure each event has a coordinator and suitable team of volunteers to help at each event. If you think you might be interested in this type of role then please contact Dave Piper or Dave Brooke for more information.
CLUB SECRETARY
The club secretary is the committee member who prepares the Agenda and records/publishes the Minutes for each committee meeting (including the AGM). The secretary is responsible for sending out occasional correspondence from the committee. The secretary also compiles and distributes the information pack prior to the AGM. We are currently sharing this role within the committee, but it would be better to have a full-time secretary. Another alternative would be for someone to make notes at the committee meetings and draft the minutes, without assuming all the secretarial duties. If you are a full member of the club and would be interested in taking on this role then please discuss with any committee member.
Please don’t be shy – we would rather discuss these jobs with any interested member, even if you then decide that the job is not for you.
Even if you are not able to make such a commitment please look out for the volunteer forms and put your name forward to help with individual events. Many hands make light work and mean we can all make the most of our club.
Best Regards
MNCC Committee
December 10th 2019
4th June 2021
Dear MNCC Members,
The latest set of minutes (7th May) are now online along with the latest financial report.
The site is looking wonderful at the moment and thanks to everyone for playing their part with the grass cutting and site maintenance.
The bar team and events team are becoming far busier, and we all owe them a vote of appreciation. Following 2 splendid consecutive weekends at the club, with children playing, people smiling and boating a plenty; can we be lucky enough for a 3rd consecutive weekend? We’ll be there in eager anticipation! A quick plea from the bar team – please respect the measures we have put in place to comply with C-19 security; please don’t try and place orders directly at the bar and don’t try and help by putting empties back at the bar. Hopefully it won’t be too long before we can relax a little more.
You may notice that one of our members is building a pizza oven on his mooring and this is a timely reminder that if anyone wishes to modify a club mooring in any significant way, then permission needs to be sought through the harbourmaster and committee. Routine maintenance and ‘like for like’ repairs should not come into this category, but if in doubt then simply ask – please remember that the moorings belong to the club, and we are merely custodians.
It’s lovely to see so many members out on their boats, but please remember to use low power and minimum speed around all of our moorings, including our riverbank moorings. The severed pontoon mooring line we recently suffered was probably just a freak accident, but a propellor did cause the clean cut of a 25-millimetre rope. Thanks to all those who helped with such a speedy repair, including Shambles helping to pressure wash the concrete weight!
Many of you will be aware of the recent chequered history of Osprey. Now everyone needs to be aware that the new owner of Osprey is one our most recent new members. He and a friend have salvaged the boat, started renovating her and are arranging to clear the rubbish left near the upstream weir by the previous irresponsible owner. Please welcome Osprey’s new owners to the club and congratulate them for what they have done.
Our bonfire has not been lit since 2019. Before we light it again, we will be taking measures to protect any wildlife that may have taken up residence. It is intended as a bonfire – not a fly tip. Members should not be dumping stuff on the bonfire without seeking permission from the site manager. A question that should be asked is, ‘would you try and burn that sort of stuff in your own back garden?’ We are all aware of what is acceptable and what isn’t, and we certainly wouldn’t expect toxic fumes to be a part of our next bonfire night celebration!
We are always looking for suggestions to improve the site, facilities and equipment. This can range from noticing that a hose pipe needs replacing to we would like a sauna and jacuzzi! Bruce – you can’t have a JCB! If you have any ideas, be they big or small, then please talk to us about them. Serious proposals will get serious consideration.
13th May 2021
Dear MNCC Members,
As usual the latest minutes are available on our website.
The club continues to come to life. We can now cruise the various waterways and stay aboard our boats. Our bar is open again and our events team are working hard to plan events for us all to look forward to. We are opening the toilet facilities again and will re-engage the cleaner we used prior to Covid. It will help greatly if we all take much greater care in keeping the toilets both clean and sanitised. Please leave the toilets spotless; gentlemen, please take special care with your aim around and under the toilets.
We would also like to thank all those of you who managed to pay the membership fees so promptly, and especially those who paid electronically. This has eased the administrative and accounting burden, and hopefully we can get even closer to 100% next year. Our overall membership numbers have remained stable, and we welcome all of the new members who have joined during the last year. The next stage of the security review should start to become apparent around the club. New signs will hopefully make it clear that we are a private club, and the use of chains will delineate our premises to passers-by. We will still make visitors very welcome but will be encouraging them to try and let us know they are coming beforehand. There is also an updated guide about visitors being prepared that will hopefully be self-explanatory.
We thought it would be useful to start a regular site inspection to check the overall conditions around the club. This will include the Site Manager and Harbourmaster, and we will check that boats, moorings and facilities are being properly maintained. The first site inspection will be in the next month or so. If there is anything you would particularly like us to look at then please let us know. I have previously expanded on the reasons behind some of our rules and following our most recent committee meeting I will highlight a couple more of these.
FLOATING PONTOON The Floating Pontoon is a mooring facility. We do our best to maintain it in a safe and serviceable condition. It is narrow, it moves and is potentially hazardous if abused.
Please read the following extracts from our rule book: 30.d All moorings shall be maintained by occupiers and kept clean, tidy and free from clutter. 32. No facilities of any kind for boat owners shall be available on the Club site except for the sole use of boat owning full members. 47. Members may fish from the club site provided; b. There is no interference with the use of boats or other users of the club site.c. In the event of conflict between the use of boats and fishing the rights of boat users will prevail. Hopefully you will understand that we have decided to put up signs to stop fishing from the floating pontoon, except for members fishing from their own boat and this still needs to respect the above extracts.
CHILD SUPERVISION This is one of the topics that regularly comes up for discussion. Unfortunately, this time it has been prompted by damage, including deliberate breakages that have been caused to playground equipment within the children’s play area, and in the children’s hut. Please consider Rule 38 concerning Children and Child Safety: a) Subject to subparagraph b, children of members or Junior Members [JM] under the age of 18 shall not be allowed on the Club site unless under the strict control of their parents or other Responsible Adult [RA]. Such adult will be held directly responsible for the safety and conduct of the person under 18. b) The Committee may in some circumstances approve an application by the parent or RA for a JM over the age of 17 to be allowed on the Club site unsupervised. Such adult must be satisfied that the JM understands the need for acting with care while on the Club site and near water, and that it is safe for the JM to be on the Club site unsupervised. Such adult will still be held directly responsible for the conduct and safety of the JM. c) Child safety in the vicinity of water is the direct responsibility of the parent or RA. It is expected that any child under 12 years old, in the vicinity of the water, shall wear a life jacket. The parent or RA of a person between 12 and 18 may, entirely at their own risk, decide to dispense with the need for that person to wear a lifejacket. d) No visitor under the age of 18 shall be allowed on the Club site unless under the strict control of a parent or other RA. Members must draw this to the attention of their guests. We think it unlikely that the extent of the damage would have occurred had paras a) and d) been complied with. Equally, we hope that any adult witnessing unacceptable behaviour would have tried to stop it and would have reported any damage so that it could be properly repaired. In practical terms, we ask that parents (or other responsible adults) please arrange to keep an eye on what their kids are doing and curb any excesses in behaviour. In the short term the children’s hut will be kept locked, although you will be able to borrow the key from a committee member. Thanks to all of our members for improving the use of life jackets with children. As we approach the hot and sunny months remember that a quick guide to where children should wear a life jacket is to think, ‘if they trip or stumble, could they end up in the water’? If the answer is ‘yes’, or even ‘maybe’, then they should be wearing a life jacket
10th March 2021
Dear MNCC Members,
Since the last update there is a chink of light at the end of the tunnel! Presently the club is still closed for all but essential maintenance, but we are looking to get the show on the road in line with government regulations. There are a couple of decent guides on Facebook, and of course there’s always the UK Gov guide at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/covid-19-response-spring-2021/covid-19-response-spring-2021
With all this guidance it would be nice to think there are clear guidelines on what we can do on the social side. Unfortunately, the water gets a little muddier here with only a few examples of what is and isn’t allowed at various locations. Hopefully some clearer information will be forthcoming soon.
An Events list is now on the Events page, kindly produced by our latest events coordinators – The Seery Twins – thanks to Amy and Linda! You will immediately notice that the March Work Party has been cancelled. Dave W has a series of jobs that need doing and he will arrange various small teams to carry these out from early April. One of those jobs will be the erection of the Marquee, spread over 2 weekends due to the restriction in team size and distancing requirements. We will let people know nearer the time when any help is required.
You will see that the first events we are trying to arrange are around 29th May. This is where the difficulties start in interpreting what we are and aren’t allowed to do. Rest assured that if we think we can legally put together an event while keeping it a practical proposition, then we will. More details on the rest of the year will follow in time, but at least you should now have some idea what we’re trying to do.
We hope to be able to start using the bar around the 1st May, located in the Marquee. Full details will follow but it will have to be table service, using the envelope system, with tables of 6 maximum and no mixing. Drinks will only be available from bottles and cans. We hope to run the bar on Friday evenings, Saturday evenings and Sunday lunchtimes, with an option to open on Saturday lunchtimes (spirits willing!). Now the important bit. WE NEED VOLUNTEERS TO RUN THE BAR – THE LIST WILL BE UNDER THE WORKSHOP. That said, we do understand that a number of our members fall into the more vulnerable category. Should you have any doubts about whether to volunteer for bar duty, there is no doubt, your health must come first.
You may be aware that we have a problem with the narrowboat slip. The wheels are in a very sorry state and need to be repaired/replaced. Action is in hand to fix the issue, but the committee don’t believe that it is safe to use the slip in its present state. If you have your name down for the narrowboat slip in the next couple of months you will be contacted to try and make alternative arrangements. We will almost certainly have to ask members to try and do their work in one week again, weather and personal circumstances permitting, until we catch up. The narrowboat slip trolley is about 30 years old and is a testament to the skills of those members that made it and have kept it going for so long. Assuming we have to pay out now to keep it going then that will be money well spent on one of our great club assets.
You will have noticed that our finances are healthy at the moment, however we can’t afford to be complacent. We have planned expenditure that has had to carry over from the last financial year. We are still awaiting our landlords to present the new (increased) rent and insurance bills. The repair to the narrowboat slip could be expensive and unless the EA have a major change of heart, then sorting out the small pool will not be cheap. We are still confident that our overall financial plan remains stable, and we will know where we stand once members have paid their renewal fees. Please remember that the payment deadline is the 31st March, and we would really urge you to pay using bank transfer. Cashing cheques now requires journeys to the bank, which is not ideal. In the unlikely event that you haven’t received payment details then please get in touch with Mim as soon as possible. We can all help to spread the word about payments to our fellow club members to help stop anyone falling through the cracks.
Another theme that has been featuring on Facebook is to do with security. Over the next couple of months, we should hopefully start to see a number of security enhancements. There is little doubt that the general public will continue to try to access the river through our club. Please stay vigilant and make sure you always lock our gate and containers, as well as your own possessions. Be cautious in approaching any suspicious looking stranger; if you are not entirely happy to challenge them, then please look for help from other members. You can always call me or any of the committee for advice.
On a slightly different tack, I’ve just received my registration charges from the EA and was pleased to see them state that they had not increased their fees. On the face of it this may be true, but surely if we now have to pay additional fees to access the Cam and Middle Levels, then they have increased fees through the back door? Maybe we need to watch for the next rising political star to emerge from within the depths of the EA bureaucracy!
Finally, looking ahead and staying optimistic! If the C-19 recovery plan stays on course, we can start using our boats in a limited way from 29th March. If things remain on track, we should be able to stay overnight on our boats from 12th April. Throughout the following weeks and months, the sun will shine every day, and it will only rain during hours of darkness! Our club will continue to thrive, and much fun will be had by all of us.
Chin up and stay safe,
Dave Piper
8th February 2021
Dear Members,
The January 2021 minutes have been published today and are also on this website. Hopefully you will also find the monthly financial summary added. You will see that our finances are quite healthy, but please bear in mind that we strive to ring fence enough money to cover 3 years of rent, rates and insurance, in order to help protect our trustees. As part of our lease, we have to nominate Trustees, and these are the individuals who carry the financial and legal burden should the club get into difficulties. Trustees are volunteers from within the club and I am sure you will all understand why we need to protect them financially. You will all soon receive annual membership renewal details, and this will include more details about the club’s finances and plans.
Sadly, the club and facilities have to remain closed for the time being, apart from those living close enough to enjoy local exercise and anyone involved in essential maintenance. We will reactivate our facilities as soon as we can, but the timing is not in our hands. We are also looking at producing an events list for the year, although much of it will be a little speculative.
There has been an excellent suggestion that we try and hold an online ‘coffee morning’ every few weeks, using Zoom. This will be entirely informal and will give us all a chance to ‘meet’ and chat with our mates. All you need to do is get a cuppa, a chocky biscuit and follow this link! 13th Feb between 10.30 and 12pm. https://us02web.zoom.us/j/87578745301?pwd=K205QnJ5YndCdXlMeFNUWEhlYlRZZz09
Meeting ID: 875 7874 5301
Passcode: 455947
There will be a fun quiz on 20th Feb, starting at 7.30pm. This will be hosted by Mim and me, and we promise to keep it very friendly! We’re hoping that enough people will turn up so that we can split into teams during the event, allowing you to confer with more than just your own household.
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/82714528487?pwd=UU5aZklMei9SektjdFVPSFk4S2t0UT09
Meeting ID: 827 1452 8487
Passcode: 225704
Here’s hoping you are all staying well and looking forward to seeing you before too long.
Best Wishes
Dave Piper
10th January 2021
Dear Members of MNCC,
Just a short update this month to accompany the December minutes. We had our latest Zoom committee meeting on Friday evening. We had two new membership applications that were both successful, resulting in our membership numbers being at least as high as they have been for a number of years. I am confident that, when we are able to return to more normal club activities, we will soon see the vibrant and enthusiastic atmosphere we have all come to expect.
Hopefully most of you will be aware that around 150 saplings were planted just before Christmas and will eventually provide yet another area of the club that we will all be able to enjoy. Additionally, initial preparations have been made for a new wildflower area and it will be lovely to see this progress through the year.
Although our normal social activities have been stopped, we ran a pretty well attended new members evening just before Christmas. We hope to run a Zoom quiz in a few week’s time, including a method of allowing several families to get together as ‘Super Teams’! Watch out for further notices about this as it will be a new twist to our online quiz experience. Also watch out for the 2021 Events Diary, which will give you some fixed club dates, and an idea about how we are hoping to reinstate social activities through the coming year.
As previously explained, all of the club facilities are currently closed, and we have felt obliged to turn off the water since we are not able to monitor potential leaks as closely as we would normally expect to do. Additionally, the generator will only be run on Saturday mornings until the current travel restrictions are lifted.
I have added a link to the latest government guidelines to help you decide if you think you can visit the club while complying with this guidance.
www.gov.uk/guidance/national-lockdown-stay-at-home
Best wishes to you all, stay safe, and hopefully see you again before too long.
Dave Piper
Commodore
Middle Nene Cruising Club
31st December 2020
Dear Members of MNCC,
Well, what a year that was! I’ve certainly not had the sort of year I anticipated as Commodore. It’s been interesting most of the time and quite challenging some of the time. The previous and current committee have performed a splendid job in very difficult circumstances. We’ve had to improvise with new ways of doing business and cope with constantly changing goal posts. We’ve had to try and strike a balance between keeping members happy while having to comply with government legislation. The site appearance and infrastructure has been maintained, and we have done our best to keep some sort of social life going. Through the period the committee has continued to look after all of our interests. Their level of enthusiasm and commitment has helped keep the club going and done the best to ensure a bright future. I’m sure you’ll all join me in thanking past and present committee members for all they have done and rising so positively to the particular difficulties faced this year.
I’d love to say that we have a great 2021 to look forward to, and earnestly hope it will be so. About the only thing I can promise is that we will try to make our club the best it can be. We’ve had a lot of new members join in the last year and they’ve yet to see the club in full swing. Let’s all hope for a big improvement over the coming months so that we can all get the maximum benefit of our boats and our club.
Thinking a little more over the last year, one of the big lessons for me has been how much we rely on other people. I think most of us would have praised care workers before any of this started. Events made us really value them and we were able to show them our appreciation. Even an old cynic like me went out and clapped on a Thursday night, and enjoyed seeing more people out there each week. Then we very quickly came to realise how much we relied on so many other groups of people, from delivery drivers to shop workers, or from scientists to charity workers. We saw a lot of people go out of their way to support others, some making a big difference locally, while others made international news. MNCC had its opportunity to play a part in helping others, when the 4 youngsters capsized their boat in the lock. The swift and generous help they received from us made a big impression on them and I believe they learned much from the experience. We’ve often seen the best in people during the year and I really hope this is maintained through the difficulties we still face.
We’re already starting to look ahead to see how we can improve things at the club next year. We will soon be considering the type of events we can plan over the year, especially as 2021 is the club’s 75th anniversary. We’ll get this information out as soon as possible but will have to ask for your patience and understanding as this will be quite a complex procedure. I hope to get the ‘bare-bones’ of the calendar dates released next month, although purely social events will be quite speculative.
Finally, I’d like to thank all those of you that have helped me over the year. Practical advice on our new boat (and some physical assistance!) has been invaluable. Members talking to me with your observations and concerns about the club has made me question some of what we do and why we do it. The willingness of so many of you to go that extra mile has never ceased to impress me. And most importantly, I really value the friendship and support I’ve received from all of you.
Mim and me hope you have been able to make the most of this very unusual Christmas period and that the New Year will be better for everyone. Please stay safe and hoping to see you soon.
Dave & Mim Piper
4th October 2020
Dear MNCC Members,
The minutes from September 2020, which was the last meeting of the previous committee are now available. Please read these minutes and if you have any questions about them get in touch with me. I’m sure you would all wish me to thank each one of the old committee on your behalf for the work and dedication they have shown through a particularly difficult year.
Despite everything, membership numbers have increased and we only have a few moorings still available. This, plus careful stewardship of our expenditure, means that we are in a pretty healthy financial position. The club is looking very good, if a little wet after this weekend. We have all been able to use our boats and enjoy using our own bar, largely thanks to Dave Brooke and the bar committee. None of this is a happy accident; it happens as a result of people being prepared to go above and beyond. Thanks to all those on the committee and just as important, those not on the committee who put in a great deal of extra time and effort behind the scenes.
The new committee convened last Friday and I have every confidence that they will continue the good work. If you have any questions or suggestions that you think might benefit the club then please talk to any of us.
TREASURER
At the moment we have an acting treasurer for a limited period. Many thanks to Gail for not leaving us in limbo. Gail has been putting a record of her treasurer activities on Facebook. They amount to between 1-2 hours a week and should be within the capabilities of anyone who manages their own finances. If you are a full member of the club and think you might be willing to put in a bit of extra work to benefit us all then please get in touch. I promise you will not be thrown in at the deep end!
HARBOURMASTER
We need a Harbourmaster. In essence this requires keeping a register of boats and moorings. Some experience and common sense is required to make sure that boats are allocated to suitable moorings. You need to be able to offer basic guidance to new and inexperienced members. You need to be willing to be an initial point of contact for any visitor wishing to bring their boat to the club. The paperwork and procedures are already in place. You do need a good understanding of the club rules and procedures. There are plenty of us who will guide you through learning the more subtle aspects of the job. It is a very interesting job and should not be too time consuming. There are plenty of ex-harbourmasters in the club – talk to them to get more of an insight. There are lots of you that have the ability to do this job so please step forward. Again, you will not be thrown in at the deep end.
Treasurer and Harbourmaster are 2 jobs that have to be filled. They are not beyond the capabilities of the majority of members. If you think you might be able to help then please get in touch. If you know someone who you think would be a good candidate then please talk to them, sometimes it’s just a bit of encouragement and support that’s needed.
BAR PROCEDURES
Please find attached the latest set of guidelines for using the bar on the Rules and Guidelines page. Please do your best to comply with this guide. The bar is currently opening on Saturday and Sunday lunchtimes. Given the nature of Covid-19 procedures, these guidelines are liable to change at very short notice.
Best Wishes
Dave Piper
Commodore
Middle Nene Cruising Club
MNCC AGM 27th SEPTEMBER 2020
LETTER FROM THE COMMODORE
In the normal scheme of things, I would be saying the following to you in our Marquee on the 27th September. However, this year has dictated some changes to what we normally do.
And it all started so well! A great laying-up supper, some spectacular fireworks and lovely food, despite the rain and an entertaining Christmas party. We had the New Year’s party, helped Trudi ‘come of age’, played various games and we even sang to each other over a Cornish pasty! Most of this took place during a protracted period of rain, with the SSA stopping us using our boats for 5 months. Despite this we splashed around the site, partied hard, slept rough and kept smiling. Just when it looked as if we might think about using our boats again look what happened. An International Pandemic that knocked us all for six and put the world and what’s really important into true perspective. It was, and still is, too tragic an event for millions of people around the world to make light of and I’m sure all of us are hugely grateful to all of our key workers for helping us through it so far.
MNCC, in common with most of the country, went into lock down and waited to see how the situation would develop. All of our plans were put on hold, but the committee started to consider what options were available to maintain effective management of the club. We opted to try out Zoom and found it relatively straight forward to continue our meetings. This helped us to keep control of club finances, property and equipment; all to give the membership the best chance of returning to boating when allowed. A small and dedicated team kept up essential maintenance so that, as we were gradually allowed to access our boats, we weren’t faced with a jungle and nothing working. We developed safe methods of putting the slips and paint dock back into action despite all of the Covid-19 restrictions. The bar has been made available due to the ideas and efforts of the bar committee. July 2020 saw many of us getting back into boating with a semblance of our clubs’ social culture returning.
Other changes have been forced on us. We have tried to keep a good flow of communication going, making more use of Facebook, our website, our entrance notice boards and emails. We have had to change the way we conduct reviews and process membership applications. We are holding a ‘modified’ AGM. All of this is being done while doing our very best to maintain the principles and standards that have made MNCC the club we all enjoy. We are now considering how to modify the way we complete our work parties.
You will see that there have been some changes under the Election of Officers. My sincerest thanks go to David Gent who stood in as Vice Commodore at the last AGM and has given us so much assistance and good advice over the year. His circumstances are such that his focus needs to be elsewhere at the moment. I would also like to thank Adrian Cleave for putting himself forward as the Vice Commodore this year and, given his experience and knowledge of the river, I have no doubt he will be a very effective Commodore when he commences his ‘watch’. Anita Bruce has stepped up to take over as our Secretary which should relieve some of the workload on Mim, who has performed above and beyond as both Secretary and Membership Secretary for the last year.
You will also have noticed that the General Committee has seen several changes, with 3 new members. I would like to welcome all 5 new committee members and thank them for volunteering to help with managing MNCC; I can promise them some interesting times to come!
I would like to thank all members of the previous committee for all of their hard work through considerable adversity. I would particularly like to thank the following. Wayne, who followed his 6-year stint as Vice Cdre, Cdre and Rear Cdre with another year as our Harbourmaster. He has earned a well-deserved rest after some 16 years of committee duties, but we will hopefully continue to see Gaye and Wayne making full use of the club. Gail has worked wonders as our treasurer, and I know that she will do all she can to help our new treasurer. Steve has been my ‘go to man’ for all things club related and special thanks to him for helping to prevent our new boat from sinking! Dave’s W and B do so much around the club there’s no real way to do them justice; so simply ‘THANK YOU BOTH’.
In addition to the committee we still have a Monday night team who do much essential work. We have a number of grass cutters who help keep up appearances, with Tony being a standout example to us all. Our generators, electrics and general services frequently see us calling on the experts from within our own ranks. Where would we be without you all? Well it certainly wouldn’t be MNCC as we know it.
At last year’s AGM I said that I’d like to hear people speak positively about our club. Despite everything that’s happened this has generally been the case. I also asked that anyone with doubts, concerns or ideas about the club should come and speak to me or any committee member; that offer is still very much open.
Finally, I hope to see lots of you at the Zoom AGM; details to follow. It will give us a different experience and should allow me to bring you up to date with any more recent information.
Best Wishes
Dave Piper
MNCC - UPDATE FOR AUGUST 2020
Dear MNCC Members,
A copy of the July 2020 Minutes has been uploaded and can be read on the Minutes page. I have added a few notes below concerning the recent boat capsize in Titchmarsh Lock, the AGM, some thoughts on our quiet and peaceful location at MNCC, and a reminder about guests visiting our club.
THE BOAT CAPSIZE
On the evening of the 3rd August a small boat with 4 youngsters capsized just after they entered Titchmarsh lock. Fortunately for them, their shouts of distress were heard, and our club sprang into action. They were cold, wet and in shock. They were given towels, clothes, hot drinks, and sympathy. Their overturned boat was towed out of the lock and secured just inside the small pool entrance. With no possessions, they were taken to a local hotel, fed and their two rooms paid for.
Just 4 days earlier Joe had invested virtually all his savings on a dream; to enjoy living on the water. Did he research what he needed to do to live this dream? Did he seek advice? Did he think it through? Did the boat seller offer any words of wisdom? Did Joe or his friends realise how quickly things can go badly wrong on the water? Of course not. His dream was of freedom, friendship and to put it bluntly, spending as little as possible. He was naive and possibly a little foolish. However, he was now wet, cold and in shock. His home and scant possessions were in the Nene.
MNCC heroes didn’t try and moralise how the 4 youngsters had got into that situation. They didn’t try and legalise any possible ramifications of securing the boat. They did the right thing. They acted spontaneously, wisely and generously. I would like to think that I, or any of us, would have done the same.
The following day an EA worker also did the right thing. He helped them right the boat and move it to a safer location near our water point. The boat was still submerged, and Joe formed a plan for re-floating his home. More generosity was shown by one of our members sourcing another room for the second night. On Wednesday a tarpaulin was placed round the windows, a cushion was used to block the entrance and a large pump was used to good effect. The submarine became a boat again and the youngsters set to work drying and cleaning the boat. They did all this themselves.
Over the following couple of days, Joe was advised how to put ballast in his boat, he was helped with reviving the outboard, and helped with rigging a proper steering bracket. They slept on the boat, moved it to the 48-hour mooring and continued their journey towards London on Friday!
I think it’s fair to say that all those of us who got to know them, believed them to be fundamentally sound and likeable individuals. They were resourceful and got stuck in themselves. They really didn’t ask for anything but were overwhelmed with the generosity and manner in which they were treated. Before they left, they thanked all those present who had helped them. They went on their way a little wiser about boating and how generous strangers can be.
Over the coming weeks we will reflect on the events surrounding this incident and may even take on board a few lessons. In the meantime, I would like to formally express my thanks to all of you who helped throughout the week. THANK YOU.
AGM
Just a quick reminder. The nomination sheets for the new committee are in the open workshop inside the main gate. They will be taken down at 7.00pm on 4th September, in time for the committee to deal with (rather than 9.00pm as stipulated in our rulebook). I believe several new names may appear and would encourage any full member to consider being a part of our MNCC committee.
PEACE AND QUIET
We stayed on our new boat a few nights ago. Other members were in residence nearby. We enjoyed a couple of bevvies and chatted quietly, conscious of not wanting to disturb the peace and stillness. As the evening lengthened, we started to become paranoid as every door or cupboard closure, normally a gentle click, assumed thunderclap proportions. It seemed that operating the toilet pump would be heard in Thrapston. The gentle squeak of the fenders amplified to the squeals of a banshee. Needless to say, in the morning, our neighbours reported us for being such a noise nuisance. Well not really!!! They actually said they didn’t hear us.
The point of this is really to ask for everyone to respect the natural quiet of our location, especially as the evening wears on and alcohol relaxes inhibitions. If you find yourself in a gathering where the noise levels are increasing, then please try and encourage consideration for others who are trying to enjoy the Titchmarsh tranquillity.
GUESTS TO MNCC
There is a Guest Book page on the temporary noticeboard in the open garage by the entrance gate and the book is still under the stairs in the Mill. It is very obvious that some members are not using the guest book. Additionally, probationary members need to arrange for a full member to sign their guests in – these are not new procedures so please try to comply.
Best Wishes
Dave Piper
MNCC – UPDATE FOR 5th JUNE 2020
I consider myself a very lucky person. I retired several years ago and although I have tried to remain quite active, I feel better prepared for the lockdown and current situation than had I been working fulltime. I can barely imagine the uncertainty, stress and suffering that so many people are experiencing. The Coronavirus epidemic has presented all of us with fresh challenges and I thought I would try to update you with some of my views on what has been happening at MNCC.
We initially had to completely close the club, something I suspect has not happened to MNCC before, and although it was inevitable it was still a sad decision to make. Since then we have tried to keep things ticking over and start to restore some of our facilities. A number of members have contributed to the essential site maintenance and, as we have been allowed to revisit the site, we should all appreciate how beautiful they have kept it looking. I think this shows the very best of our club spirit and what makes MNCC a rather special place.
The committee has continued to function, and I would like to thank everyone of them for rising to the challenge and keeping the club management on track. Our Zoom meetings have been lively and productive as we have tried to consider all aspects of reinstating the club and its facilities. The latest work has come to fruition with getting the Slips and Paint Dock back in use again. We are currently challenged with how to deal with membership applications and reviews, as both processes are clearly in limbo at the moment. We are also considering options for how to hold the AGM, since there is little chance that we will be able to use the traditional format. The social aspects of the club are obviously on hold at the moment, although the online quizzes have been fun and a good meeting place. We are considering how we might start some form of outdoor social gathering and will look to put some ideas in action when government guidelines and our own preparations are in place. I commend you to talk to any of the committee with your ideas and observations.
I remain cautiously optimistic about the future of the club. Our membership is strong, and our finances are healthy. Although MNCC is barely half-steam ahead at the moment I believe we have what it takes pull through and have a great future in all aspects of boating.
Dave Piper
Commodore
Middle Nene Cruising Club
MNCC – UPDATE FOR 13th MAY 2020
Following on from the Government’s announcement to allow a return to outdoor activities, we will partially re-open the club from the 13th May 2020. We will have to comply with the guidelines that any activity needs to be alone or with members of a single household. Social distancing and strict hygiene procedures will obviously need to be followed.
The Clubhouse and the Miller’s Table will remain closed and the toilets will not be accessible. Emergency access to the defibrillator will still be possible. When you touch any shared facility, such as door handles and locks, the main gate and lock, the waterpoints or the toilet disposal facilities, please use a sterile wipe after yourself.
It is unlikely that we will be able to supply disinfectant and sterile wipes so please bring your own with you if you visit the club.
Hopefully we will be able to enjoy this opportunity and get aboard our boats again, although the decision on using the river remains with the EA. Although this is not a return to the social activities we enjoy, it is a welcome first step. Please note the extract from the latest Government Strategy Paper that will be emailed to all members.
COMMODORE'S UPDATE: Monday 4th May
Dear MNCC Members,
The minutes from our committee meeting held on the 3rd April are on the website. You will see that we are now using Zoom to conduct our meetings. There’s not the normal amount to discuss at the moment but membership renewals, reviews and new applications have taken a fair amount of our time. We are also keeping club finances uppermost in our minds and trying to be prudent, given the uncertainties ahead. If you would like to raise any issues with the committee then please email me (or any other committee member) and we will try to deal with it appropriately.
Social events have obviously taken a huge hit and we have started considering how we might have a suitable celebration when we are permitted to use the club again. In the meantime, our Facebook page is staying informative and occasionally humorous. Jim and Nicki ran a great FB quiz a couple of weeks ago and we had a Zoom quiz on Saturday 2nd May. There will more quizzes in the near future so please come and join in as it’s a great way of staying in touch. Please remember that we have an excellent website and we are always looking for new material to put on it. Why not get those fingers moving over your keyboards and see how inventive you can be?!
We have around 100 members regularly using the FB page and any club member can join; simply ask another MNCC member and they will post an invitation which is normally responded to very quickly. Please remember that this is only for MNCC club members.
Some limited essential work is being maintained on site and we all owe huge thanks to those who are doing that work, at a very difficult time. Please remember that the club is officially closed. Should you find yourself at the club for any reason then please try to maintain a very low profile and not draw attention to yourselves or the club.
Here’s hoping for better times ahead and wishing you all the best of health.
MNCC VACANCIES
I hope we would all agree that our club provides great facilities, both on and off the water, at a very reasonable cost. We are only able to do this with the dedication and hard work of our membership. Some individuals put in a tremendous effort throughout the year, while the rest of us do our best to help where and when we can. The committee are always looking at ways to improve the running of the club and try to spread the workload as fairly as possible. We have identified three areas where we would ask for some more help.
GRASS CUTTING
We have around 14 acres of grass to cut. The bulk of this is done with the Tractor and Gang mower. However, there are other areas, such as the banks, around the trees and the borders that are cut using hand mowers. We need a Grounds Person who will be responsible for operating and maintaining the Tractor and Gang and coordinating the rest of the grass cutting. If you think you could be this person then please contact Dave Wright.
Quite a few people already help with the grass cutting. It would be good to identify which individuals are already maintaining which areas. If you would like to continue helping with this task or would like to join the merry band of grass cutters, then please contact Dave Wright.
EVENTS COORDINATOR
Historically we had an Entertainments Rep (who could be a committee member) and took on responsibility for coordinating our social calendar, with the assistance of a separate entertainments team. No individual has come forward recently to fulfil this role. In order to maintain the social events that form such an important part of our club the committee and remaining members of the entertainments team continue to hold regular meetings. Entertainments has been ‘re-branded’ as Events, allowing us to incorporate the work parties and AGM into the calendar. This also helps dispel the idea that the entertainments team provide the entertainment for everyone else.
We already have an active Events Team, holding regular meetings and making sure we have a full and interesting Events Calendar. The requirements and running of upcoming events are discussed and we try to identify members who are prepared to coordinate and help run each event. In order to spread the load, we intend to instigate a volunteer list (similar to the work party list) to encourage more of our membership to get involved.
Ideally, we really need someone (or some couple) to assume overall responsibility for coordinating all of our events and liaising closely with the full committee. This would involve attending the events meetings, maintaining the volunteer list and helping to make sure each event has a coordinator and suitable team of volunteers to help at each event. If you think you might be interested in this type of role then please contact Dave Piper or Dave Brooke for more information.
CLUB SECRETARY
The club secretary is the committee member who prepares the Agenda and records/publishes the Minutes for each committee meeting (including the AGM). The secretary is responsible for sending out occasional correspondence from the committee. The secretary also compiles and distributes the information pack prior to the AGM. We are currently sharing this role within the committee, but it would be better to have a full-time secretary. Another alternative would be for someone to make notes at the committee meetings and draft the minutes, without assuming all the secretarial duties. If you are a full member of the club and would be interested in taking on this role then please discuss with any committee member.
Please don’t be shy – we would rather discuss these jobs with any interested member, even if you then decide that the job is not for you.
Even if you are not able to make such a commitment please look out for the volunteer forms and put your name forward to help with individual events. Many hands make light work and mean we can all make the most of our club.
Best Regards
MNCC Committee
December 10th 2019
A message from the helm...
WELCOME TO ALL MNCC MEMBERS
Having just taken on the mantle as your Commodore, I would like to say what a pleasure it has been so far. I never realised what a steep learning curve it would be and still I keep being asked questions that I don’t know the answer to. But that is one of the best things about this club – there’s always someone to ask. Sometimes you even get a sensible answer!
This short note is a massive thank you to Anita, Lynda and Karen for taking on the task of updating our online presence. I hope it will also serve as a future thanks to all of you for supplying new material that will keep entertaining the rest of us.
So, enjoy this ‘spanking’ new website! Professionally put together from within our own membership, as happens with so many other facets of this great club. We will do our best to keep the website up to date with information and you can expect to see more as it develops. Your articles, stories and photos will also help to keep the website more meaningful and of interest to our membership and the wider world as appropriate. Facebook will also continue to be a great method of circulating breaking news and up to date event information. There’s even a ‘blog’, not that I have the faintest idea what that is! So now we have the vehicles for posting ‘instant’ thoughts, in addition to more contemplative items suitable for the longer term. So it’s over to you to have your say.
October 21st 2019
WELCOME TO ALL MNCC MEMBERS
Having just taken on the mantle as your Commodore, I would like to say what a pleasure it has been so far. I never realised what a steep learning curve it would be and still I keep being asked questions that I don’t know the answer to. But that is one of the best things about this club – there’s always someone to ask. Sometimes you even get a sensible answer!
This short note is a massive thank you to Anita, Lynda and Karen for taking on the task of updating our online presence. I hope it will also serve as a future thanks to all of you for supplying new material that will keep entertaining the rest of us.
So, enjoy this ‘spanking’ new website! Professionally put together from within our own membership, as happens with so many other facets of this great club. We will do our best to keep the website up to date with information and you can expect to see more as it develops. Your articles, stories and photos will also help to keep the website more meaningful and of interest to our membership and the wider world as appropriate. Facebook will also continue to be a great method of circulating breaking news and up to date event information. There’s even a ‘blog’, not that I have the faintest idea what that is! So now we have the vehicles for posting ‘instant’ thoughts, in addition to more contemplative items suitable for the longer term. So it’s over to you to have your say.
October 21st 2019