No Regrets
Active member
Well that's interesting.
Several years back I had a little Freeman 22 on the River Nene. It was in a private marina and the EA told me on the phone they would turn a blind eye to not having a license while the boat was being done up. However the River inspector had other ideas and sent me a letter informing me to buy a license within 28 days or go to court. I sent a cheque to the EA for the value of the license, but didn't have a BSS. The EA returned my cheque and set a court date. I couldn't get a BSS as the carburetor and most of the fuel system was missing.
Since going to court would result in a criminal record I had no choice than to immediately sell the boat for £500 and accept a caution from the EA. I was mighty peed off as a Freeman in working condition is worth around £5000, even as a project £500 was a bargain.
One thing I can say is the solicitors at the EA are not nice to deal with.
I really can't sympathise mate, you could have had it lifted out for £200 instead of losing the suggested £4500 you opted into.
EA acceptance of your monies would be like the DVLA issuing road tax for a car with no current MOT, and could have lead to them being culpable in the event of your boat catching fire within a lock...
Seriously, thats not how things work!