Cruise Moor has proved to be not only popular with the boating community, but with the participating marinas, who have gained more than just new business from taking part. Phil Pickin reports…
A COUPLE of years ago, a small group of independent family-run marinas met up over a glass or two of “warm Prosecco” (their words, not mine) to discuss business, the ups and downs of the marina world. The result of these conversations was Cruise Moor, a scheme that allows waterway boaters an opportunity to enjoy discounted visitor moorings at participating marinas.
At a time when a number of marinas had become part of larger commercial organisations, this group felt that they could offer something different by remaining independent and by being family run, a philosophy they still adhere to. The group in question included Aqueduct Marina, Droitwich Spa Marina, Dunchurch Pools Marina, Overwater Marina and White Mills Marina, sometimes referred to as the ‘fabulous five’. The idea was simple: the scheme gave boaters the opportunity to stay on each of the marinas on a visitor mooring for up to two weeks at a 20% discount. Other benefits included the knowledge that all the participants offered the same high standards, with each member holding British Marine membership.
As with all new schemes, additional features and adaptations need to be made over time, and this year the scheme offers up to one week of free mooring at a participating marina. Anyone considering using one of the marinas and who pays for their home mooring annually can request a Cruise Moor card. This will need to be presented when checking into the chosen marina.
Since its launch, the idea has proved popular with both the boating community and the marinas, with nine now part of the network spread across the network. But what is less obvious is the hidden advantages of participation in the scheme for the marinas themselves. Debbie Skinner from White Mills Marina and Janet Maughan from Overwater Marina agreed that all of the marinas have benefited from the network that has formed between the group, a view agreed by Nick Parkes of Droitwich Spa Marina. This network has provided an opportunity for support and advice to be shared between the members and, on occasions, has proved to be extremely valuable.
According to Janet and Debbie, the scheme wasn’t set up just to benefit the marinas; it was to provide an alternative visitor mooring option to the boating community by using a network that shares the same values and works to provide the highest possible quality services. It is also logical to see that the participating marinas will have extensive local knowledge that can be passed on to visitors, which in turn could well benefit the local economy, so encouraging more visitors to areas they might not otherwise have visited could also be beneficial to the wider community.
If you are interested in making use of the Cruise Moor scheme, visit the website of any participating marinas and look for the logo or link. Currently, the marinas in the scheme are Aqueduct, Droitwich Spa, Overwater, White Mills, Dunchurch Pools, Fenny, Fox Narrowboats, Shepperton and Lechlade.
