Neighbours and newcomers
Lindsey, Joel and James are long-time boat dwellers in and around London. In this clip they talk about how the floating population forms communities while constantly changing neighbours.
Note: Boat moorings are divided into residential moorings which are rented, usually in a marina, and visitor moorings where a boat may have to move on after two weeks.
[Lindsay] It's great because you leave somewhere on Saturday, and wake up Sunday with a completely different view and a different area to explore, or one of your favourite areas to explore, and reassociating yourself with the shops, the community of boaters that maybe have got residential moorings round there, the pubs...it's like being on holiday, every fortnight!
[James] There are people you like, obviously, and people who sometimes you don't like. And if you don't like the person, you can move, they can move. And generally with the shuffling around, you end up with people that you like.
[Joel] The beauty of having a boat is that if you don't like where you are, you can untie your ropes and you can move on. If you don't like your neighbours, you move away from them. Or if you REALLY don't like them, you untie THEIR ropes, and you both get new neighbours.
[James] There's been an explosion of boats, so there are issues with it being busy, and obviously at a certain point it will fill up.
[Lindsay] There's a lot more renting of boats, which brings up a whole heap of issues. SO as a community, even though there are more boaters, it's less of a community I feel now.
[Joel] But I think it's the same as anywhere. Good people, I think you have bad people, you have selfish people, you have selfless people...I've met wonderful, kind people on the systems, and I've met some awful people too. All life here.
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