howardang

The International collision regulations have a signal which consists of 5 short and rapid blasts. This is an excerpt from the regs, which explains why you may have heard it in Pompey Harbour:- ..... (d) When vessels in sight of one another are approaching each other and from any cause either vessel fails to understand the intentions or actions of the other, or is in doubt whether sufficient action is being taken by the other to avoid collision, the vessel in doubt shall immediately indicate such doubt by giving at least five short and rapid blasts on the whistle. Such signal may be supplemented by a light signal of at least five short and rapid flashes. ..... It might also be worth mentioning that the popular misconception about "steam giving way to sail" is also a fallacy. There are number of exceptions to this in the collision regulations. Howard

I have a feeling that it's only a matter of time....... Howard

Allan, you can "interpret" your understanding of the rules as long as you like but it is wrong to say what you did, and also misleading. I do understand that you are trying to help people with little knowledge of the subject but IMHO it is better to help people to learn the correct meaning. Lets face it, it,s not the theory of relativity your trying to get across! An example of where "rules" have been interpreted to eventually give very misleading results can be seen every day on the roads where people flash their lights to indicate "please go ahead" or "i'm giving way to you" when the Highway Code is quite clear that it is there to augment the horn and is a warning signal. This has lead to misunderstandings and accidents. Howard

Sorry, but this is just wrong. The signals are quite clear; 1 blast does not mean pass on the usual side and 2 blasts does not mean pass on the wrong side. Signals such as those in the By Laws or in the Col Regs are written in a way that they can have only one meaning to avoid any confusion or misunderstanding and your interpretation only covers one situation - i.e. end on. The signals are there to indicate clearly that a boat is altering course in the direction indicated by the signal - clear and unambiguous. Howard

If they hang up and detach, they are quite often not recovered and another boat may well get it through the propeller. If they detach in a lock, they can jamb between the bottom of a gate and the cill causing unnecessary expense and delays. If the lock is tight they can easily cause a boat to jamb in the lock, either in a narrow lock, or if two boats have them rigged, in a wide lock as well. While cruising, they swing at the end of their ropes eventually rubbing off thje paintwork. While cruising, they don't give any anti collision protection from other boats. If they do hang up and the boat is moving the force generated can cause accidents to onlookers; I saw one recently which flew around 8-10ft into the air after fouling a boltheat on some loose piling. Apart from the above, it just looks untidy. HTH Howard

No- they are definately for barn owls. See the post above. Howard

On the Locks and Quays TV programme featuring Mathew Corbett, there was one episode which had an interview with a wildlife bod from BW who spoke about these boxes which had been installed to provide habitat for Barn Owls. I think they have been up for about 2 years or so. I'm sure BW in Leeds will be able to give more details. Howard

The waterways are such friendly places; filled with happy go lucky people who really enjoy the benefits of fresh air and fun. Where a friendly hello and a helping hand to those who need it are the watchword, and when the cruising is done, the friendly banter in the canal side pub! For goodness sake, chaps, lighten up! Howard

Not quite the same, but I know of at least 2 coastal marinas built on a communal basis - one at Swansea, the Swansea Yacht & Sub Aqua club and the Humber Cruising Association marina in Grimsby http://www.sysac.org.uk/index.htm http://www.hcagrimsby.co.uk/news.php If I remember correctly, both were started as co-operative ventures with help from the RYA and may be able to give you some advice about pitfalls etc. Howard

There is no such thing as a CC licence. There are CC guidleines which are not binding in law, in which BW ask those who Cc to move evry 14 days on a progressive journey i.e. from A to B to C - not from A to B and then back to A again unless this is after reaching the termination of a waterway. Howard

It's also, dare I say it, good seamanship (a dirty word, sometimes on this board?) Howard

I would agree - this will give you a great feel for what is to offer in either direction from Skipton. Unless you are eally hooked on going in the Leeds direction I would strongly recommend the other direction. The scenery is magnificent and good pubs at Gargrave, East Marton and Salterforth if you get that far. Have a good holiday Howard

Chris, I hope this is of help. The news referred to is in item 4 of the draft minutes - this mentions the fact that the day before the meeting BW had be told that they would retain the property portfolio which would help to maintain funding rather than cause a radical rethink if the BW property went elswhere. I think the implication was that some projects might have been scrapped if the decision had gone against BW. Re Vince Morans comments on dregding, he was asked a question about the way BW prioritise dredging and his reply was that although there is a detailed methodology in place he didn't have that to hand for the meeting but will produce it at a later date. Regarding your final question, certainly one organisation that was present published a report. NABO had a detailed written and verbal report at the next Council meeiting and a shorter version was published in the May Edition of NABO News. Howard Anguish

To quote a specific amount of anchor chain (or chain/rope combination) for rivers etc is not the end of the story. The nature of the bottom should also be taken into account, and if this varies sufficient chain/rope should be carried to cope with changing holding ground on the river concerned. I think there is a general misconception around that when anchoring a set length is deployed and that is it. However, a better plan is to have more than you might need in ideal conditions to allow for the anchor dragging when you can then pay out a bit more. This quite often solves the dragging problem. The rule of thumb of 3 times water depth for chain etc is for ideal conditions and does not allow for any resere in case of problems. it's a bit like the other anchoring question "what size anchor for a boat? " Some books will tell you that a specific anchor weight is sufficient when it should really be "as heavy an anchor as you can handle", and even thn it might not be big enough for all situations. An anchor isn't a talisman carried to guarantee a trouble free passage. It is there to potentially save your life and/or boat. Howard

Fine, if that is the comparison you prefer. The point I was trying to make was the gross over generalisation in the remarks. I remember watching a boat approaching a marina entrance some time ago standing next to someone else. As the boat slowed down for the approach the steerer gave a small squirt on his bowthruster. The chap next to me immediately launched into a diatribe about how this chap should learn how to handle a boat etc. almost suggesting that he shouldn't be allowed out unless accompanied by an adult! What he didn't know was that the chap in question was a very experienced boater with many years under his belt, and aditionally was also a Master Mariner. Howard

I'm sorry, but to say that bow thrusters compensate for a lack of skill is utter twaddle and a gross over generalisation. You might just as well say that electric lights are just for those who haven't the skill to use oil lamps! Thrusters, bow or stern are aids to navigating a boat and if someone wants to use them it is a personal choice, not a measure of their skill. Howard

According to BW's licence checker the boat has licence.

With wide hatches and good access to the hold these barges are suitable for a wide range of cargoes - bagged and bulk grain, coal, sugar, sand and gravel, barrels and drums, chemicals and anything else apart from bulk liquids. Howard

Here are two more sites which you may find useful. http://www.bbc.co.uk/weather/coast/tides/ http://www.pol.ac.uk/ntslf/tidalp.html Most ports aropund the coast also provide tide information - the larger ones via their VTS systems. As an example, here is the one for my local one - ABP Humber. http://www.humber.com/ I hope this is useful. Howard

Appley Bridge & Apperley Bridge on the same canal - L&L Howard

You may be able to pick up a few anchor handling tips tips from this video - starts about 19 seconds in:- http://www.youtube.com/watch?gl=GB&hl=...feature=related Howard

For what it's worth, at Hull Docks the lock paddles are called "clews" Howard

Trimming refers to the angle a boat takes in a fore and aft direction i.e. along the boat. Trimmed by the bow therefore means the bow is lower than the stern. Trimmed by the stern means the boat is lower at the stern than the bow. Alternatives are "down by the head" and "down by the stern" respectively. Some people confuse trim with list which is the angle a boat takes from side to side i.e. listing to port (leaning to the left) and listing to starboard (leaning to the right) HTH Howard

The figure of three times the depth for the scope for chain is often quoted but this is an absolutely bare minimum and a better scope is nearer 4 to 5 times water depth. You don't have to use it all when anchoring initially, but if the anchor drags you will then have the opportunity of paying out a bit more to stop it. If you have only three times the depth on board and you deploy it you then don't have a second chance to get out of trouble. It's probably worth saying that this is for rivers and relatively sheltered waters. The numbers get bigger in more exposed locations. Howard