It may be coming to that time of year where you are thinking of where to finish your cruising season and moor up for the winter.
What better place to finish your summer than here at Aqueduct Marina? If you are thinking of giving your boat some TLC over the colder months, our workshop facilities are located on site.
With plenty of Winter Moorings available, please get in touch with us to secure your spot. We would advise booking in advance to avoid disappointment.
24TH SEPTEMBER 2022
12.00PM - 4.00PM
Whether you are new to boating or have years of experience, pop down to chat with our knowledgeable team about our wide range of facilities and services and find out how you can enjoy More Time For You and your boat at Aqueduct Marina.
Discuss your winter mooring requirements, let us know of any work you may need doing once the season ends that we can quote for, or get an update from us on the work you are having completed with us.
We look forward to seeing you!
This year’s Crick Boat show proved to be the ideal place for The Yacht Harbour Association (TYHA) to present Aqueduct Marina with the first Clean Marina award for an inland marina. Many of the marina’s staff attended the event at which MD Robert Parton and Jon White, TYHA’s General Manager, spoke after the presentation to staff members of a certificate of compliance and Clean Marina flag.
During the presentation, Jon White praised the team at Aqueduct for the amount of work they put in to gain the award, saying, “They have put a tremendous amount of time, effort and hard work, alongside some financial investment into gaining this award. When we first visited, we provided a report with an action plan, and they went away, committed to the plan and have delivered outstanding results.”
Jon White went on to say that gaining a Clean Marina Award is not a box-ticking exercise. “After the initial assessment, the marina is given an action plan, which may require some investment on their part, communications to berth holders or the introduction of new ways of working. They then have to provide evidence that they have committed to and fulfilled the plan and achieve an 80% score in each of the different components that make up the award.”
Robert Parton, Managing Director, Aqueduct Marina, said, “We are naturally delighted to achieve the new Clean Marina standard here at Aqueduct Marina. The inspection was rigorous, so we had to amend a few activities and embed some company policies, making the exercise a useful project. We are, without a doubt, a better and more environmentally aware marina as a result. Aqueduct Marina has, for some time, had an ongoing focus on reducing its environmental impact. We are delighted to win the accreditation and to be the first inland marina. Having already installed electric car charging, introduced greener products in the Chandlery and now offering HVO diesel, we aim to reduce our carbon footprint even more. And we’re pleased to say our customers are fully engaged and supporting the effort.”
The Clean Marina award was launched in 2021 to help marinas get the basics right such as blackwater capture and treatment, correctly managing segregated and hazardous waste, spill prevention and treatment, wash-down capture and filtration, drain interception, using sustainable products and preventing plastic pollution, and of course, influencing tenants, contractors and boaters to be more sustainable too. Initially launched in Australasia, the award has been gained by five coastal marinas, with a number of others currently looking to achieve the award.
April is usually seen as the start of the season for most people, and this year the team at Aqueduct began the 2022 season with an opportunity for people to come along and meet the team. The event gave visitors the chance to talk to a number of staff members and ask questions about moorings, maintenance and sales.
In preparation, marina staff undertook a spring clean to plant up the flower beds, spruce up areas that needed a lick of paint and even renovate the Elsan point! As a result of the spring clean, the marina was ready to welcome visitors with drinks and canapés.
The event saw good numbers of people participate and take the opportunity to discuss the coming season with staff in an informal setting. Phil Langley (Marina and Operations Director) led the event and said, “The Staff site maintenance day was a great success, giving all the team a chance to do something constructive and different around the marina; we also mixed people up, so we were not working with our normal colleagues, leading to some great inter-team bonding.”
Phil went on to say, “The meet the team day also had a positive impact on our customers who enjoyed seeing office staff out in their overalls. A couple of days later, this was followed by our meet the managers afternoon and marina customers social, which also saw a good-sized crowd attend. As a result, we booked in some extra work as well as gaining a couple of new moorers. It also allowed our existing customers to catch up with their fellow Aqueduct boaters while enjoying a glass of wine”.
These are just the first of a number of events planned throughout the 2022 season at the Church Minshull marina. Details of these will be posted on the marina’s website and social media channels.
Aqueduct Marina Newsletter – Spring 2022
Aqueduct Marina are delighted to be able to publish our Spring 2022 newsletter.
We hope you enjoy reading our latest updates and news of the marina, here’s to a fantastic summer ahead!
Click on the document below to view your copy of the Spring 2022 Newsletter.
RIVERS Project underway again at Aqueduct MarinaThe COVID pandemic halted many projects over the past two years, and those that did continue did so at a much-reduced pace. Such was the case at Aqueduct Marina when work began on an important project funded by the European Regional Development Fund just before the first lockdown.
Working with partners across the EU, Aqueduct and the Canal and River Trust embarked on constructing a workboat testbed to allow various power systems to be trialled in real-world situations. The projects aims are to reduce or eliminate the pollutants from conventional internal combustion engines. The objective is to achieve this by using Oxy-fuel combustion technology for diesel engines and capturing and storing all CO2 emissions. It is also hoped that as a result, fuel consumption could be reduced by up to 15%. The project’s goal is to design, develop, and integrate dedicated carbon capture and storage systems into inland waterway vessels, both commercial and leisure.
However, despite the test boat’s construction getting underway some time ago, work had to stop when lockdowns were imposed; even after lifting restrictions, progress has been slow due to supply chain issues. However, work on the project, including vessel adaptations, has commenced with a tilt test recently taking place at Aqueduct Marina.
As well as undertaking the practicalities of the preparatory work, progress has also been made on the funding and timeline of the remainder of the RIVERS project. Funding is now all in place to complete this project by December 2022. With that in mind, the team at Aqueduct are on track to complete the work on the boat by April 2022. This will then allow enough time to fit all of the testing equipment. This equipment has arrived at the workshops in Cheshire in preparation for installation onto the testbed boat.
With the world’s attention focused on the COP26 conference over recent months, it is timely that this important work is underway once again. The hope is that it will help develop new modes of propulsion and the capture and storage of carbon and other damaging gasses. Hopefully, these developments will eventually see their way into mainstream use in the not too distant future.
*Featured in Towpath Talk
Aqueduct Marina Newsletter – Winter 2021Aqueduct Marina are delighted to be able to publish our Winter 2021 newsletter.
We hope you are still all well and keeping safe and have a brilliant Christmas with your family, friends, and boat of course!
Click on the document below to view your copy of the Winter 2021 Newsletter.
South Cheshire Chamber Award WINNERSWe are absolutely delighted to announce that we WON the South Cheshire Chamber Business Award for “Excellence in Customer Service”.
All of our team have worked so hard to achieve this award and to be recognised for the thorough customer journey we provide is an honour.
As a business, we would like to say a huge thank you to the South Cheshire Chamber who shortlisted us in the awards. We would also like to thank KPI Recruiting (sponsors of Excellence in Customer Service), in particular, Amanda Heywood and Andrew Wragg for visiting Aqueduct Marina at the judging stage and then presenting us with the award on the evening.
Keynote speaker, Simon Weston, was so inspiring and it was a joy to listen to him. Simon spoke of all of the struggles he has faced throughout his life including his life-changing injuries and how he has managed to overcome them. Simon reminded us of how we as businesses should learn to do the same in this “new world” we are living in post-pandemic and make the most of every opportunity.
We had an excellent evening and on behalf of all of Aqueduct Marina, we would like to say congratulations once again to all of the finalists and winners.
We’re look forward to seeing what the next year holds for us as a business and will strive to keep delivering an outstanding service to all.
Aqueduct Marina are delighted to be able to publish our Autumn 2021 newsletter.
We hope you are still all well and keeping safe and have had a fantastic summer with your family, friends, and boat of course!
Even though the end of the season is looming, it is still extremely busy here and we are making lots of plans for next year. Watch this space!
Click on the document below to view your copy of the Autumn 2021 Newsletter.
Midland Marinas Collaborate to Raise Awareness for TYHA Gold Anchor SchemeA sunny late September Wednesday saw a hive of activity in Cheshire for The Yacht Harbour Association (TYHA) Marina event.
Overwater Marina and Aqueduct Marina came together to co-host the Midlands-based event that celebrated the TYHA Gold Anchor award scheme.
Attendees of the event spent the morning at the heart of the Shropshire Union Canal at Overwater Marina near Audlem. Guests enjoyed a tour of the Marina led by the marina owners Angus and Janet Maughan, with an exclusive viewing of their new touring caravan site and luxury glamping wagons, with a presentation from TB Electrics on their newly installed electric car charging points. This stimulated a group discussion on diversifying marina income and attracting new leisure customers.
The Aqueduct Marina team greeted over twenty guests including TYHA’s Jon White, Gold Anchor Assessor Tony Dwyer, and attendees from Wave International, Havenstar, Swanley, Walcon, Barrus, Savills and more.
A buffet networking lunch was followed by brief talks from Jon White on the newly launched Clean Marina programme and Tony Dye on the Certified Marina Managers course and training for staff.
A discussion on electric boats, alternative fuels and the future of sustainable boating was initiated by Phil James of Barrus while Darren North from Rolec highlighted his experience in electric car charging and the impact of boating on the marina infrastructure.
Aqueduct Marina MD and owner, Robert Parton commented on the day “We were delighted to be able to give the group a tour of our facilities including the service jetty, new chandlery and showcase what goes on in our busy workshops.
“I was especially pleased to be able to show everyone the steps we have made to be more environmentally aware and sustainable with our wash-bay feature that catches excess water and any debris coming from the boats.
“The day was a terrific opportunity to meet fellow gold anchor winning marinas and the supply chain businesses associated with our sector of the industry. Being onsite at both Overwater and our Marina gave us all the opportunity to showcase our USPs, raise more awareness for the Clean Marina scheme and nurture discussions on the future of clean, green propulsion.”
For all of your narrowboat needs, please do not hesitate to get in touch with us by calling 01270 525040 or emailing info@aqueductmarina.co.uk.
How green is your narrowboat?Use eco-friendly alternatives in the galley and bathroom. Avoid products containing chlorine, bleach and phosphates – they can be harmful to aquatic life.
Ensure your engine is maintained and serviced regularly to avoid unwanted leaks. Extract oil from your bilge before pumping out – install an inline bilge filter or tray.
Secure loose items such as bottles and cans to prevent them falling or blowing overboard.
Choose your site carefully, try to avoid areas where animals and birds may be resting, feeding, breeding or with young. Use designated tow-path bollards and rings.
Good use of the throttle and keeping a safe, reasonable distance from the banks will help to avoid unnecessary movement of water that can erode banks and disturb wildlife.
Aquatic invasive plant and animal species can cause damage to your boat and equipment, restrict navigation along waterways and harm our local environment. To help ensure we do not introduce or spread them around our UK waters, follow these steps:
Keep ropes, fenders and other equipment out of the water where possible to prevent invasive species attaching to them.
Check for any visible biofouling on your boat and equipment before leaving a mooring, remove and dispose of in a bin.
Clean your boat, bilge and equipment etc. as often as you can with fresh water to remove biofouling.
Dry all boating equipment and clothing for as long as possible. Species can survive several weeks in damp conditions.
For more helpful information on what you can do to contribute to the waterways visit: www.thegreenblue.org.uk
Buying or selling a boat? We can help!As we settle in to a second summer affected by COVID-19 restrictions, Robert Parton, MD of Aqueduct Marina, has been reviewing the pattern of our brokerage boat sales across the years. He took a specific look at our brokerage pipeline after the post-lockdown rush of May completions.
While the run rate is currently stable, looking forward it would appear our normal numbers of boats are now selling across the Brokerage. It is apparent that standard 58ft or less narrowboats are proving popular and are going under offer very quickly.
We are also seeing that these boats are also going from ‘offer accepted’ to ‘completion’ in less time, though thankfully nearly all boats are still having full surveys. This highlights that these buyers are very keen to be on the water this season. The side effect of this results in very few boats showing for sale at any one time on our website, giving the impression there are not many boats are available, which isn’t the case at all.
Many materials have experienced a steep pricing increase including steel, wood, and equipment. This will have a direct impact on new boat prices. We believe this will decrease the interest for new boat builds but will drive up or at least maintain the increased second-hand boat prices.
We are now back running at our standard number of boats selling a month. If we are able to carry on at this rate for the rest of this financial year it will mean, we sell around 20% less boats this year (which reflects the locked down period).
It is possible that we may make up the lost COVID months (Dec-March) with an Autumn surge, as boat owners take advantage of the higher prices, meaning we achieve nearer to our normal total number of boats sold through the brokerage. At this current time of writing, we have 3 boats for sale with many more ready to land on brokerage once the final papers have been signed.
With that being said, if you have made the decision to make this summer your last hurrah and are looking to hang up your windlass and sell in the autumn / winter, please get in touch. We know that making the decision to sell your boat has probably not been an easy one. Therefore, we will treat this decision with the utmost respect and give your boat the smooth sale it deserves.
Once we have discussed your initial requirements, we will arrange a free valuation of your boat. Our popular brokerage is never short of boat viewings, which means that your boat has the best chance of being sold here. Many of the boats that have come to us have been sold before they even make it onto the market!
Aqueduct Marina Newsletter – Summer 2021We are delighted to be able to publish our Summer 2021 newsletter.
A lot has happened since our last newsletter, we hope you are all well and keeping safe through these strange times we have been living in for the last 18 months.
There are lots of exciting things happening at Aqueduct Marina and plenty of plans in the pipeline, so keep your eyes peeled!
Click on the document below to view your copy of the Summer 2021 Newsletter.
COVID-19 Update 12/03/21
• Can visit your boat as normal from the 29th March but (No holidays)
• From 12th April you can stay overnight (a group of 6 or two households).
• May 17th, international travel (subject to review).
• June 21st the new normal.
Has been open right through. We ask you to continue to keep physical visits and approaches to all staff to an absolute minimum and continue to wear a mask.
Once all our staff have been vaccinated, we will be happy to return to a more normal pre-COVID-19 approach.
The latest government advice is that toilets and associated equipment can remain open. Our showers will remain open. Our showers are non-communal and a contained space. This will be a facility for users to change, shower, dry and redress.
• The laundry will also remain available, we ask that you do not stay in the laundry area while your laundry is in the machines, and to wipe down all contact points before and after use.
• Please wear a mask at all times in the washrooms, laundry and linked corridor.
• We will re-open providing a takeaway service only 22nd March.
• From 12th April 6 people can sit outside only.
• From 17th May 6 people can sit indoors. Max 30 outside.
• This has continued operating throughout the lockdowns.
• To avoid mixing and contact we will continue to ask owners to not be present on their boat while an engineer is working on board.
• To contact our staff, please do not enter the operations office, but telephone or email reception@aqueductmarina.co.uk
• This will continue as a call and collect service until 15th March So please call ahead as the door will be locked.
• From the 15th of March the chandlery will be staffed 7 days a week, in preparation for customers returning to the marina from the 29th of March, please continue to wear a mask when entering, with no more than 3 customers at a time in the chandlery.
• Now until 12th April, Virtual viewings only, (exception if buying a boat to be your primary residence). We can value and list boats for sale. We can collect boats for sale at Aqueduct Marina under trade conditions. We can sell boats without in-person physical visits, using video viewings.
• After 12th April, we can carry out viewings in person. We intend to continue viewings by appointment only and retain a COVID-19 secure process, such as using the electronic signing of contracts and contactless payments.
• We are accepting bookings from 12th April.
We can’t wait to welcome you all back to the marina!
The Marina is open:
Mon - Sat: 8:00 am - 5:00 pm
Sunday: 9:00 am - 5:00 pm
The Cafe is open:
Mon - Fri: 9:30 am - 4:30 pm
Sat - Sun: 9:30 am - 4:30 pm
The Chandlery is open:
Mon - Sat: 8:00 am - 5:00 pm
Sun: 9:00 am - 5:00 pm
© 2022 Aqueduct Marina Church Minshull.
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