ANNIVERSARY NEWSLETTER

The Story So Far....As Ownashare Cruising Ltd approaches its first birthday on October 1^st  we look back at the challenges, the promises fulfilled, and the verdict of the “VIPs” - our customers!

A cold winter

Once again, winter works were affected by record low temperatures in December which hampered progress. Our “home base” at Bromley Wharf, Staffordshire, remained solid for about 5 weeks! But we eventually overcame the challenge to face the new season.

Brokerage

Early in the New Year we began our brokerage service, at this stage just for owners within the scheme, and we have seen a turnover of above 70% of shares upon which we have taken instructions. Owners have been pleased at having the opportunity to advertise elsewhere if they wish – it is not an exclusive service.

Meeting the public!

We attended the Crick Boat Show in May and the IWA Festival at Burton-on-Trent in July. It was good to see so many “old” faces (in the best possible sense!) at both events and we were encouraged by the interest we received.

Promise fulfilled no 1

In June, we welcomed a member of our scheme to serve on the Company Board as a non-executive director. This was a move that we had promised to ensure total transparency and accountability in our governance.

Promise fulfilled no 2

During August, we conducted a survey of our owners to see how they thought we were doing. Of those responding, we were pleased to see that 59% regarded our service as “Good” or “Very Good” (the latter being the top category) If we include “Satisfactory” the figure jumps to 97%, and that is the percentage of respondents who would recommend us to a friend. No time for laurel-sitting, and we recognise that there is always room for improvement – we were grateful for the constructive comments that we received – but overall a good start, we felt.

An unwanted test...

In August one of our fleet became hung up by the bow in a staircase lock due to apparent failure of a paddle. Thankfully all the crew were unhurt, but the boat had to be floated off at 8am the following morning by BW, under the direct supervision of our Technical Director Dave Taylor, and Local Manager Tom Houston. The boat has since been recovered to Bromley Wharf, the insurance claim has been finalised and the boat is happily returning to service this week. As stated, not a system test we would seek, but fortunately all went well. As many owners in and out of our scheme have commented, how much more difficult would this have been without the help of a management company, both from an administrative and a technical point of view.

Icing on the cake?

We really felt we had arrived when we took delivery on September 1^st of our first brand-new narrow boat “Minuet” which is now in service. Over the weekend of October 1^st/2^nd between 10am and 4pm each day we will be showing her at Bromley Wharf - see "News Flash" on home page.  

So that was the year that was! We can look forward to the completion of Bromley Wharf over the next few months. Two mooring space remain at present – please let us know if you are interested.

The Ownashare Team