Suspicions have been aroused that BW is now ideally packaged for privatisation but CEO Robin Evans flatly denies that this is BW's - or the government's - intention.

Along with this restructuring, BW has grouped its marina ownership into a separate company, which it says will compete on a level playing field with the private sector.

This subject has been much aired in Boating Business pages, particularly by Tim Coghlan of Braunston Marina, and the operation of this BW company will have to be open and transparent to satisfy the critics of its marina acquisitions and operations.

The estimate that the number of boats on the waterways will double over the next 10 years does mean that around 15,000 new berths will be needed and there are 85 new off-line mooring proposals in the pipeline.

But, even with BW's backing, planning permission is often the problem. BW is also to carry out a review aimed at creating a national mooring strategy.

Waterside development continues apace and BW is looking to this and other commercial opportunities - such as going into a partnership on operating canalside pubs - to become less reliant on government funding of the waterways.

There is the possibility that it will not always be there.

Within waterside regeneration schemes, Robin Evans has said that BW will take greater account of the requirements of boaters and other users, even if it means loss of revenue and finding more appropriate sites to locate boatyard facilities.

Government funding is however required to continue the work to overcome the backlog of maintenance and - although great strides have been made already - Robin Evans is pressing for the front loading of the rest of the grant so that safety work on major structures can be brought forward. Also on the maintenance side, BW is streamlining its repair yard operation to increase production of lock gates and shorten waterway closure time.

It is also replacing its maintenance fleet with a new design of boat: a good contract for some boatbuilder.

Robin Evans has promoted a greater willingness within BW to listen to users and others over the past year - even waterway journalists! Long may it continue.

On the restoration front, we are unlikely to see anything in 2004 like the raft of reopenings and increase in the network that has taken place over the last two years. Maybe the odd lock and short length of canal.

Money from sources like the Heritage Lottery Fund seems to be getting tighter, but we can probably expect the announcement of funding towards one of the major schemes, such as the Cotswold Canals route from the Thames to the Severn.

Following its adoption of a BW-style management structure for its rivers, the other main navigation authority, the Environment Agency, has also taken a much more aggressive marketing stance.

A whole range of new publications has been produced and further initiatives - particularly on the River Thames and Fenland waterways - announced.

However, we have yet to see a lot happening in the way of major physical improvement and development of navigation on EA waterways. The agency still has much more to do to convince users that navigation has a bigger priority within its many responsibilities.

The IWA's National Waterways Festival at Beale Park undoubtedly boosted the Thames, although the excellent concept of a Thames-based annual boat show is still struggling for public attendance.

Perhaps yet another new look is required for 2004?

In contrast, the BW/ Waterways Trust organised Crick Boat Show goes from strength to strength and is becoming the premier inland waterways show for both public and trade: a position once firmly occupied by the IWA National event, which is back in the Midlands, at Burton-upon-Trent in 2004.

The National Boat Caravan & Leisure Show at Birmingham's NEC also continues to be very good show case for inland waterways.

Perhaps the inland show surprise of 2003 was the one in Scotland at the spectacular Falkirk Wheel. Past shows in Scotland cannot really claim to have been much of a success, but it looks like this has broken the mould and will become an annual event.

The one that is really awaited though is the waterway section at the Schroders London International Boat Show when it moves to the new ExCeL venue.

The Waterscape. com Inland Waterways feature - a pub surrounded by narrowboats, wide-beam cruisers and other craft - will be the first time that waterways have been given major promotion since 1991, when they had the central pool feature at Earls Court.

Organisers are also hoping for a number of inland craft on the water next to the exhibition centre. A £2 million promotional budget will aim to bring 200,000 visitors to the new Docklands venue?? The inland boatbuilding industry continues to thrive.

With an expanding number of boatbuilders showing full order books for up to and over a year. Despite prices of some live-aboard narrowboats - in steel and aluminium - being quoted at over £100,000, canal boats remain very good value, compared to other craft. One wonders if some builders calculate their overheads correctly?

There is also so much modification and repair work around that some yards are just specialising in this. Dry docks and heavy slipping facilities are mostly fully booked for professional and do-it-yourself hull work.

Optimistic for 2004 The holiday hire industry has had a good year and is optimistic for 2004. John Griffin of family-owned company Wyvern Shipping told us that bookings were the best since 1997, but with more English hirers and less from the USA.

Rob Bell of multi-based company Viking Afloat, operating 60 boats, said that it was a brilliant year, with a 29week booking average and forward reservations 7% up. He confirmed the lack of Americans but said that other foreign visitors didn't seem to be put off by international problems.

Ken Gaylard, of agency Hoseasons Holidays, said that its booking on canals were poor, which he also said was due to the Iraq war, those on the Broads just fractionally down and on the Thames about the same. The Internet seems to have been an increasing source of lastminute bookings The Association of Pleasure Craft Operators (APCO), now part of the British Marine Federation (BMF), and representing companies on the main waterways network (not Broads and Thames) celebrates its Golden Jubilee.

It has produced a souvenir holiday promotion booklet, also outlining APCO's history, to be launched on the waterway feature at the London show and more widely distributed throughout the year.

Legislation that could affect self-drive hire boats is currently being considered by the Maritime & Coastguard Agency (MCA), mainly because of the fatal accident on a Broads day boat in 2003. The agency is preparing a report that could result in a compulsory national code of practice for these boats.

The effect of the legislation regarding alcohol afloat, both in the licensing of bars on passenger boats and the consumption by private boat crews, still seems a matter of debate and lobbying by the main user organisations.

BSS quiet On the Boat Safety Scheme (BSS) things have been rather quiet, except for revisions in regulations on diesel engine spill racks and room sealed gas appliances. Although the BSS is currently looking more carefully at certain aspects of equipment like solid fuel stoves after accidents involving carbon monoxide poisoning.

A code for casual mooring on BW waterways is still really "on test", with user experience and reaction to the quite complicated structure being requested. The occupation of prime overnight and casual moorings for long periods by live-aboard continuous cruisers is still something of a bone of contention among users and a problem for navigation authorities.

There is a difference of opinion among user groups on the regulation of BW and other navigation authorities. The National Association of Boat Owners (NABO) is lobbying for a waterway regulator and the matter has been raised in parliament.

But the bigger Inland Waterways Association has campaigned for, and is supporting, a better openness and awareness policy for BW, which basically involves a more streamlined complaints system, wider terms of reference and independence for the Waterway Ombudsman and a national consultative committee of users with direct access to senior management.

Finally, 2004 could be another good year for the waterways, providing there is enough water to float the boats. With good husbanding of water supplies, only part of the canal network in North West England suffered restrictions right at the end of the cruising season in 2003. As you will all have seen from the recent figures issued by the Environment Agency, current national water resources are not good.

So pray for a really wet winter.