Slowing down for moored boats, corners, bridges etc.

[Captain Pegg]

15 minutes ago, frahkn said:

 

Not naughty at all.

 

If a boat is approaching then fine but if it is 'parked' by the lock then, if it doesn't have crew on the lock (crew just standing around looking vacant will do) I assume they are moored and ignore them.

There’s no need to make assumptions. A boat with a centre or back end line round a bollard or through a ring on a lock landing is waiting to use the lock. Doesn’t matter if you can’t see the crew, they could be single handed and using the opportunity to make a brew or dispose of the one they made earlier. A boat that is fully moored with two lines shouldn’t be on a lock landing and isn’t waiting to use the lock.

 

I think it’s a bit churlish to close a gate on a boat you genuinely believe is wanting to use the lock just because they didn’t do something that ultimately isn’t theirs to do (and I do agree that it is sometimes annoying when folk clearly have the means and opportunity to help).

 

Nonetheless @Boater Sam‘s response doesn’t seem rational to me so maybe he’d like to clarify what forgetting his manner’s literally means?

 

JP

[carlt]

6 minutes ago, The Welsh Cruiser said:

I'm wondering if this being shouted at for going too fast is more of a southern thing?

 

When I was moored at Salcombe the Marines were doing manoeuvres in the estuary late one night.

 

They were moving quite quickly but nothing too dramatic...8 knots or so by my estimate. Then, about 3am, I was literally thrown out of bed landing quite painfully on the floor by one of their boats blasting past.

 

I did shout but I doubt anyone heard or cared.

 

[howardang]

1 hour ago, cuthound said:

 

Sounds like it but it isn't. It was dry last summer and we haven't had much rain recently. There is a "tidemark" on the piling which I use to check the depth of water to wier level.

I think you misunderstand me. I was trying to say that the water depth has diminished under your boat. That indicates either an increase in boat draft or a build up of silt, which seems to be the most likely, and indicates why you can't get your boat properly alongside. I would take soundings all round your boat, and along the berth, and compare with your draft.

 

Howard

 

 

 

 

 

[cuthound]

27 minutes ago, howardang said:

I think you misunderstand me. I was trying to say that the water depth has diminished under your boat. That indicates either an increase in boat draft or a build up of silt, which seems to be the most likely, and indicates why you can't get your boat properly alongside. I would take soundings all round your boat, and along the berth, and compare with your draft.

 

Howard

 

 

 

 

 

 

I have, with the water level up to the tidemark, and therefore unaffected by drought or lock usage, the depth readings gradually change from 2 foot 10 at the boundary of my property with my next door neighbour, to 2 foot 8. It then rapidly drops to around 1 foot where the bank angles towards the bridge which forms the other boundary of my property.

 

These readings with the level of the canal up to the tidemark are unchanged since I moved here 5 years ago.

[The Welsh Cruiser]

6 hours ago, haggis said:

I have been known to close a lock gate when we leave if the younger fitter folk on the waiting boat just watched me. When they say/shout that they are coming into the lock I smile sweetly and say "oh, I ? you had moored up for lunch" and I still shut the gate. 

Oh I am naughty doing that ?but it might make them think a bit about locking 

Haggis 

 

 

Pathetic.

[Chris Williams]

 

31 minutes ago, The Welsh Cruiser said:

and I still shut the gate. 

Walking up Farmers Bridge locks a few years ago.  boat has just left the lock, girl starts to close gate. I say to her "Leave it, There's a boat just coming out of the next lock", the other boat is quite visible.  "You have to shut the gate" she says, as to a small child.  As I pass the other boat I call "I tried to tell her"  He says "Happens all the time".

[TheBiscuits]

4 minutes ago, Chris Williams said:

 

Walking up Farmers Bridge locks a few years ago.  boat has just left the lock, girl starts to close gate. I say to her "Leave it, There's a boat just coming out of the next lock", the other boat is quite visible.  "You have to shut the gate" she says, as to a small child.  As I pass the other boat I call "I tried to tell her"  He says "Happens all the time".

Bringing a friends party trip boat up Wigan a few years ago, there was a boat following us.  We had a crew of 16, he had his wife, so we thought we would assist them by drawing paddles to reset the locks for them. 

 

That evening he was ranting on Farcebook that the trip boat lot were very irresponsible as they(we) had not locked up all the handcuff locks and had left a paddle open on every lock.

[ditchcrawler]

10 minutes ago, Chris Williams said:

 

Walking up Farmers Bridge locks a few years ago.  boat has just left the lock, girl starts to close gate. I say to her "Leave it, There's a boat just coming out of the next lock", the other boat is quite visible.  "You have to shut the gate" she says, as to a small child.  As I pass the other boat I call "I tried to tell her"  He says "Happens all the time".

I have had the, "the boat yard told us to make sure we close all the gates behind us."

[matty40s]

38 minutes ago, The Welsh Cruiser said:

Pathetic.

Not at all.

I was single handing down Buckby and came towards lock 11, I could see no water so moored and trotted up to lock where it was almost empty. Seeing a boat mooring on the lock landing with centre line, I emptied the rest of the water out and opened the gate, nipping back to put kettle on. 

5 minutes later, there was still nobody visible at the lock. I walked back down and no boat in lock. Looking under the bridge I could see the crew with a food filled table on the towpath and dog running round.

Grrrrrrrrrr.

Reversed the lock, boat in, and opened the bottom gate paddles up full. The boat below started to move away with the flow having not been tied very well.

I exited lock and on being admonished for spoiling their lunch gave it the full asterisk laden advice on why a lock landing has its name.?

[Boater Sam]

Having being warned off this topic and my posts removed because a mod thinks my comments to be too strong I will not say as someone else has said, "pathetic"  but I don't think a strong comment to Haggis  was uncalled for.

 

I think in this case moderation was uncalled for, I was not commenting to be offensive, rude, or discriminatory.

 

Some boaters really think that they are the bee's knees when they are just bolshy.

[Captain Pegg]

1 minute ago, Boater Sam said:

Having being warned off this topic and my posts removed because a mod thinks my comments to be too strong I will not say as someone else has said, "pathetic"  but I don't think a strong comment to Haggis  was uncalled for.

 

I think in this case moderation was uncalled for, I was not commenting to be offensive, rude, or discriminatory.

 

Some boaters really think that they are the bee's knees when they are just bolshy.

I don’t. Your comment was out of order. Since you evidently don’t do self moderation - you railing against the members is a consistent theme - then you give the mods little choice.

 

it wouldn’t hurt to change your approach, my guess is you’d get more recognition for the helpful stuff you post if you did.

 

JP

[Boater Sam]

3 minutes ago, Captain Pegg said:

I don’t. Your comment was out of order. Since you evidently don’t do self moderation - you railing against the members is a consistent theme - then you give the mods little choice.

 

it wouldn’t hurt to change your approach, my guess is you’d get more recognition for the helpful stuff you post if you did.

 

JP

Sorry to disappoint but I am unique, my own man, my own views. If no-one on here likes it I do not care at all. You are not forced to read my comments nor are you expected to agree or disagree. 

[Murflynn]

7 hours ago, Wittenham said:

and the driver has the same reaction time.  And braking capability.  And six other things the proper physics masters will set out...

My dear old dad used to drive at least 40k per annum as a salesman long before the days of easy driving on motorways.  Before the war he drove a series of sports cars - Frazer Nash, Aston Martin, HE.  He raced at Brooklands and was a very sporty driver, overtaking at every opportunity, and he never had a collision on the open road.  He always told me to imagine meeting yourself coming round the bend in the opposite direction.  Wise advice, and good enough to avoid 99.99% of potential collisions.

[Captain Pegg]

23 minutes ago, Boater Sam said:

Sorry to disappoint but I am unique, my own man, my own views. If no-one on here likes it I do not care at all. You are not forced to read my comments nor are you expected to agree or disagree. 

Everyone here is unique and has their own views. That’s precisely the issue you can’t grasp.

 

JP

[Dave123]

7 hours ago, Mike the Boilerman said:

 

I think you're being grossly unfair here.

 

Newbie boaters tend to be very unsure of themselves, often don't know the etiquette and consequently wary of 'doing it wrong'. So in their position it seems safer to stand back and wait and observe what happens, rather than to approach an obviously experienced boater like you and try to 'help' when you obviously don't need it. 

 

 

 

I agree...on several occasions I have had friends come boating for the first time, and they have just wanted to stand and watch at the first lock to see what happens. I always feel a tad awkward as I know the crew on the other boat are wondering why my friends don't just jump straight in and help...after a couple of locks when they have an idea what to do they do help and enjoy the social aspect of it too!

[jonathanA]

My experience is quite different ... I find newbies respond well to having the basic principle explained and then giving them polite but clear instructions and  get them involved straightaway 

[Arthur Marshall]

Most inexperienced boaters will wander up to the lock to watch and ask questions. But there certainly has been an increase in the numbers who don't but who just stand and watch. Sometimes there's good reasons, sometimes there aren't. Either way, if I'm ending up doing the whole thing on my own I just slow down a bit and take my time. 

What I do find odd is when there's a queue of five or six boats, and still no one bothers to walk up to the lock. But I wouldn't shut a gate in anyone's face, though I might come out a bit slow. 

[system 4-50]

As a single-hander, I find it irritating that there are often not sufficient bollards for me to tie up to if there are people in front of me waiting for the lock when they don't want to help (and speed things up) and I do.

[Athy]

4 hours ago, The Welsh Cruiser said:

Pathetic.

Yes, just sitting on one's boat watching someone else do the work does not set a good example..

[frahkn]

6 hours ago, Captain Pegg said:

There’s no need to make assumptions. A boat with a centre or back end line round a bollard or through a ring on a lock landing is waiting to use the lock. Doesn’t matter if you can’t see the crew, they could be single handed and using the opportunity to make a brew or dispose of the one they made earlier. A boat that is fully moored with two lines shouldn’t be on a lock landing and isn’t waiting to use the lock.

 

I think it’s a bit churlish to close a gate on a boat you genuinely believe is wanting to use the lock just because they didn’t do something that ultimately isn’t theirs to do (and I do agree that it is sometimes annoying when folk clearly have the means and opportunity to help).

 

Nonetheless @Boater Sam‘s response doesn’t seem rational to me so maybe he’d like to clarify what forgetting his manner’s literally means?

 

JP

Well that's a view.

 

An alternative view is that no crew on the lock side indicates a lack of interest in using the lock. It takes us 3+ minutes to negotiate a lock, if no one has appeared by then I will close the gate.

 

If the crew of the other boat are variously employed making tea and/or moving their bowels, who am I to hurry them in their pursuits?

 

Remember I'm not wasting water, I'm just leaving them with a gate to open, a gate they would have to open if I was not there at all. Which, as far as personal interaction is concerned, they have treated as being the case in the first place.

 

By the way, Haggis has done too much for the boating community to be abused by some (admittedly not you) on this forum.

[TheBiscuits]

54 minutes ago, system 4-50 said:

As a single-hander, I find it irritating that there are often not sufficient bollards for me to tie up to if there are people in front of me waiting for the lock when they don't want to help (and speed things up) and I do.

Breast up to them, then go and help the boat in the lock.  Smile and wave while you do this ...

[Captain Pegg]

4 minutes ago, frahkn said:

Well that's a view.

 

An alternative view is that no crew on the lock side indicates a lack of interest in using the lock. It takes us 3+ minutes to negotiate a lock, if no one has appeared by then I will close the gate.

 

If the crew of the other boat are variously employed making tea and/or moving their bowels, who am I to hurry them in their pursuits?

 

Remember I'm not wasting water, I'm just leaving them with a gate to open, a gate they would have to open if I was not there at all. Which, as far as personal interaction is concerned, they have treated as being the case in the first place.

 

I’m more interested in saving work for myself than creating it for others so those are just the circumstances when I think it’s OK for me to leave a gate open. I don’t consider it my place to be too concerned about what other folk are specifically doing if their boat is in a position where it should only be immediately prior to using a lock. Different people have different priorities.

 

JP

[eid]

7 hours ago, Athy said:

Yes, just sitting on one's boat watching someone else do the work does not set a good example..

Why do you think that someone enjoying their day, on their own terms, has the responsibility to "set a good example"? I will offer my help at a lock, if I am in the mood to do so. Which quite often I am not. I do not owe anyone an explanation for doing what I choose to do, as long as I'm not causing harm to anyone else.  But this is the point isn't it: yourself and Haggis perceive that I am doing harm, by denying you my labour. Which begs the question: why do you feel you're entitled to it?

 

Edited April 19, 2019 by eid

[Athy]

48 minutes ago, eid said:

Why do you think that someone enjoying their day, on their own terms, has the responsibility to "set a good example"? I will offer my help at a lock, if I am in the mood to do so. Which quite often I am not. I do not owe anyone an explanation for doing what I choose to do, as long as I'm not causing harm to anyone else.  But this is the point isn't it: yourself and Haggis perceive that I am doing harm, by denying you my labour. Which begs the question: why do you feel you're entitled to it?

 

Because setting a good example is, in many people's eyes, better than setting a bad one. I did not suggest that I was "entitled to it", as you put it.  Do you not feel that boaters helping each other engenders a pleasant, friendly atmosphere on our waterways?

   Of course, no one can force anyone else to be pleasant, friendly and co-operative if they don't want to be.

[Murflynn]

Thus spake Zarathustra.