To gamble or not to gamble - going for gold?

To gamble or not to gamble, that is the question
Whether 'tis wiser in the mind to suffer
The slings and arrows of outrageous short term licences
Or to take arms against a sea of navigation authorities
And buy a Gold licence

Its time to renew Herbie's BW licence. This year we hope to do our fenland cruise which means travelling a lot on Environment Agency waters for which we would have to buy short term licences for the rivers. Alternatively, we could buy a Gold licence, costing an extra £190 and go almost anywhere without further charge.

It all depends how long we stay on the rivers. If the weather is good we might easily hang around on the Ouse or Nene then perhaps head back south via the Oxford canal and make a leisurely return down the Thames. Then we'd get our money's worth, especially if we added a short cruise back up the Thames later in the year. If we get a wet summer though, our extra money will go down the drain along with all the extra water because we'll stick to the canals.

I didn't get where I am today by being a gambler, which is why, I tell myself, I'm so desperately dull. Our financial adviser classifies me as risk averse. However a little voice in my head of me says "Bugger it. Get the gold licence and then you won't be inhibited in making route choices." The pot of money we laughingly call Herbie's sinking fund can stand it. Maybe I will.