Invading my space

[LadyG]

I think it's a good idea to run the engine in the morning, as by 9.00 am there will be generally noise from traffic, and the batteries will best indicate their state of charge, so you know roughly how long you need to spend charging. Solar panels then trickle a few amps over the rest of the day.

I understand some folks are short of cash, but trying to charge batteries which don't hold charge rather than buying new ones is really not economical.

PS I am currently  moored up in between two or more ongoing stoppages, mostly due to biblical rain. Every day another boat arrives, no sound probs, no generators, but the boat behind has a very smoky engine, not sure how long he is running it, anyway I've moved a CO monitor near my ventilators.

[Alan de Enfield]

3 hours ago, LadyG said:

PS I am currently  moored up in between two or more ongoing stoppages,

 

Now there's a surprise - and its not even November yet !

[kris88]

15 hours ago, nicknorman said:

Got a right one this afternoon. We moored at Kingsbury (bottom of Curdworth) having cruised from Fazeley and thus of course passing miles of piled bank where one could moor. No other boats here, very peaceful (apart from the geese!).

An hour or so later, another boat appears and moors 1/2 a boat length away. No problem, it is quite a popular mooring spot even though it’s not an official visitor mooring. We exchanged smiles and waves.

 

The 5 minutes later, they start up their noisy frame generator. I just don’t get why people would think that is reasonable behaviour especially as places to moor are not in short supply on this stretch of cut,

 

After a short while I go over and ask how long they are going to run it and hint that perhaps it wasn’t really necessary to pass by miles of moorable space in order to moor next to us and share the noise of their generator with us. Needless to say I got outrage and abuse. Apparently I was the selfish one (for expecting peace, presumably) and he was entitled to run his generator within 8 to 8.

 

Personally I would never have a frame generator because they are inherently noisy that just says “selfish” all over it (unless you never run it in earshot of other people).

 

I might have considered moving but was in the middle of an oil change and by the time I’d finished, darkness was approaching.

Shame you don’t take your own advice from this very thread last year.

“It can be a bit annoying. But also there is another side of the coin. Sometimes you have stopped where you have stopped because it is the best place to stop (piling, deep sides, no noisy road or railway etc etc.). It is only empty because no one has yet stopped there that day. Other people know it is a good place to stop too.”

But I suppose it’s different when it happens to you?

[nicknorman]

10 minutes ago, kris88 said:

Shame you don’t take your own advice from this very thread last year.

“It can be a bit annoying. But also there is another side of the coin. Sometimes you have stopped where you have stopped because it is the best place to stop (piling, deep sides, no noisy road or railway etc etc.). It is only empty because no one has yet stopped there that day. Other people know it is a good place to stop too.”

But I suppose it’s different when it happens to you?

Two things wrong with your post.

 

Firstly that as I said in my earlier post from yesterday, I had no problem when the boat first arrived. We smiled and waved at each other. The original point of this thread was to complain about people mooring next to other people in the middle of nowhere, but this was not my complaint. Rather it was about doing that and then immediately running a noisy frame generator.

 

Secondly the location doesn’t meet the criteria you have quoted above as there are long lengths of entirely suitable moorings in the vicinity. As has been commented on by others, the chap could have moored just beyond the winding hole, probably 3 boat lengths further back, but instead  chose to moor 1/2 boat length from us knowing that he was immediately going to run his genny.

 

And finally of course I realise that the only purpose of your post is to attack me and vent your hate as you routinely do on Thunderboat, rather than to present any cogent argument, but I think you will have to think up something a bit more convincing if you expect others to be taken in.

[pearley]

14 hours ago, IanD said:

 

Since he must know he had a noisy genny, why on earth didn't he moor at the far end of the grassy stretch where there's nobody to disturb? 😞

If heading Birmingham way we've always moored with our stern close to the winding hole but not obstructing it so we can run our built in genie without too much annoyance. 

[nicknorman]

28 minutes ago, pearley said:

If heading Birmingham way we've always moored with our stern close to the winding hole but not obstructing it so we can run our built in genie without too much annoyance. 

Plus of course a built in genny is the quietest and most considerate solution, whereas a frame genny is the noisiest and least considerate solution.

[blackrose]

48 minutes ago, nicknorman said:

Firstly that as I said in my earlier post from yesterday, I had no problem when the boat first arrived. We smiled and waved at each other. The original point of this thread was to complain about people mooring next to other people in the middle of nowhere, but this was not my complaint. Rather it was about doing that and then immediately running a noisy frame generator.

 

I'm not sure why so many people are unable to keep those 2 different aspects separate in their minds and instead conflate them into a single complaint.

 

I'm afraid nobody can justifiably complain about people mooring too close to them even if in their minds they have moored up in the middle of nowhere. Some people moor near other boats for security, others because they see a moored boat and then think of mooring themselves, who knows, the reasons are various. But the point is that nobody has a right to expect other boats to stay away from them. If I were mooring near another boat on an otherwise vacant stretch of bank I'd leave a good 70ft between if that was possible to ensure I'm not "invading" someone else's perceived space. Then if a third boat turned up they could invade both our spaces if they wanted to. Leaving half a boat length is just wasting mooring space.

 

Starting generators is also fine within permitted times, however I also find those frame generators particularly annoying because it shows that instead of being considerate and purchasing a decent, quiet suitcase generator, someone has gone for the cheapest possible option and is basically saying "f@ck you" to everyone else. Yes I know a good suitcase generator is more expensive but some of these people will invest many tens of thousands on a boat yet spend the minimum possible on a generator. It really doesn't make sense in the context of alienating their neighbours. It's all about being considerate. I once moored near someone and ran my Honda generator which was at the other end of the boat so a good 20m away from my neighbours boat. At 8pm I knocked on their boat apologising for the disturbance and asking if they'd mind if I ran it for another hour. I was actually being too polite because she looked at me and said, "What generator, I can't hear anything?"

[nicknorman]

Well summed up.

[Mike Todd]

17 hours ago, Paul C said:

 

Its probably worth looking at the wording of the rule:

 

 

10.9. Whilst the Boat is on the Waterway You must not do (or carelessly fail to do) or permit anything which will cause injury, damage or nuisance to Us or any person or their property. You accept responsibility for any such action caused or permitted by You or other occupants or users of the Boat. You will not be held responsible for events that are outside Your control if You have taken all reasonable steps to prevent such injury, damage or nuisance. You must:

10.9.1. behave considerately towards others (boaters and other Waterway and towpath Users);

10.9.2. not use any electricity generator, including the Boat's engine, at any mooring along the Waterway between 8pm and 8am, unless You are moored in isolation, out of earshot of other people. We do not intend this Condition to stop You moving the Boat from the mooring;

As I indicated, it states what you should not do but not what you may do, other than by implication.

[Ray T]

Space invasion didn't seem to bother working boaters!  😁

Admittedly it was for a stoppage.

 

When we moor for the night, we tend to look where other boats are moored. Mainly for "safety in numbers reasons. However if possible we leave a boat length gap between boats. Having said that we are happy to move the boat along if moorings become popular and space is needed.

 

Had a classic with a Challenger at Battlefield moorings some years ago now. I opened the slide about 9.00am and the steerer of the Challenger said to me: "Are you moving soon?" on being asked why the answer: "We are having to share mooring rings!"

 

Edited November 1, 2023 by Ray T

[Arthur Marshall]

3 hours ago, blackrose said:

 

I'm not sure why so many people are unable to keep those 2 different aspects separate in their minds and instead conflate them into a single complaint.

 

I think it's because the vast majority of boaters these days seem to belong to the "inconsiderate" tendency. I've got used to, as soon as someone moors up close to me, getting ready for diesel fumes in my boat, engine or generator noise, and in the odd case an apparently demented and very noisy parrot.

My stress level immediately goes up a bit and I'm half ready to untie and move on at any moment. It used to be reassuring when the approaching boat was covered in solar panels, but recently this appears to make no difference to the need to run something else for hours. Occasionally, just for fun, they turn the hifi up and blast music out to ice the cake.

It's not really a complaint any more, it's the status quo.

[Mac of Cygnet]

4 hours ago, pearley said:

........ so we can run our built in genie.........

That must be a really useful piece of equipment.  I wish I'd had one of those.

[IanD]

8 minutes ago, Mac of Cygnet said:

That must be a really useful piece of equipment.  I wish I'd had one of those.

Indeed -- one of your three wishes could be that the inconsiderate boater is magically transported to somewhere unpleasant. The middle of the tidal Trent for example, or maybe that there Lunnon... 😉

[HenryFreeman]

32 minutes ago, Arthur Marshall said:

I think it's because the vast majority of boaters these days seem to belong to the "inconsiderate" tendency. I've got used to, as soon as someone moors up close to me, getting ready for diesel fumes in my boat, engine or generator noise, and in the odd case an apparently demented and very noisy parrot.

My stress level immediately goes up a bit and I'm half ready to untie and move on at any moment. It used to be reassuring when the approaching boat was covered in solar panels, but recently this appears to make no difference to the need to run something else for hours. Occasionally, just for fun, they turn the hifi up and blast music out to ice the cake.

It's not really a complaint any more, it's the status quo.

 

I think the vast majority are most likely than not the vocal/inconsiderate minority. Out of all the boaters on the cut, you think more of them are inconsiderate than not? Perhaps I'm more of a half glass full type, but I'd say you're probably wrong in this case. Most people get on with things quietly and considerately.

[IanD]

4 minutes ago, HenryFreeman said:

 

I think the vast majority are most likely than not the vocal/inconsiderate minority. Out of all the boaters on the cut, you think more of them are inconsiderate than not? Perhaps I'm more of a half glass full type, but I'd say you're probably wrong in this case. Most people get on with things quietly and considerately.

Probably -- but nobody notices those, you only remember the (fewer?) annoying inconsiderate ones... 😞

[Arthur Marshall]

3 hours ago, HenryFreeman said:

 

I think the vast majority are most likely than not the vocal/inconsiderate minority. Out of all the boaters on the cut, you think more of them are inconsiderate than not? Perhaps I'm more of a half glass full type, but I'd say you're probably wrong in this case. Most people get on with things quietly and considerately.

I suppose you are right. The trouble is you can have six boats moored in a line, and just a couple of the inconsiderate ilk can make the whole mooring unbearable, and that's what you usually get. Or even git.

It really puts me off playing my trombone.

[IanD]

2 minutes ago, Arthur Marshall said:

I suppose you are right. The trouble is you can have six boats moored in a line, and just a couple of the inconsiderate ilk can make the whole mooring unbearable, and that's what you usually get. Or even git.

It really puts me off playing my trombone.

You should take up the Highland pipes then... 😉

[Arthur Marshall]

4 minutes ago, IanD said:

You should take up the Highland pipes then... 😉

One of my few failures, along with drums and banjos. I did get a tune out of the thing, but the weird ornamented way you have to play it defeated me.

[Tony1]

16 minutes ago, Arthur Marshall said:

I suppose you are right. The trouble is you can have six boats moored in a line, and just a couple of the inconsiderate ilk can make the whole mooring unbearable, and that's what you usually get. Or even git.

It really puts me off playing my trombone.

 

I think CRT are missing an opportunity to shift the continuous moorers. 

They should pay you to rock up in the middle of the 48 hour moorings at Nantwich (the ones that people seem to stay on for a month or more), and practice trombone for four hours straight, every morning and evening. 

It would be a sort of musical enforcement method- nobody would able to stand the racket for more than 48 hours. 

This would involve some degree of risk, to both yourself and the trombone (and quite possibly the boat too)- but perhaps they could add a premium to your salary to reflect the danger involved with the post. 

 

[Arthur Marshall]

1 hour ago, Tony1 said:

 

I think CRT are missing an opportunity to shift the continuous moorers. 

They should pay you to rock up in the middle of the 48 hour moorings at Nantwich (the ones that people seem to stay on for a month or more), and practice trombone for four hours straight, every morning and evening. 

It would be a sort of musical enforcement method- nobody would able to stand the racket for more than 48 hours. 

This would involve some degree of risk, to both yourself and the trombone (and quite possibly the boat too)- but perhaps they could add a premium to your salary to reflect the danger involved with the post. 

 

Yeah, but nor could I...

[Mike Todd]

8 hours ago, IanD said:

Indeed -- one of your three wishes could be that the inconsiderate boater is magically transported to somewhere unpleasant. The middle of the tidal Trent for example, or maybe that there Lunnon... 😉

They will be lucky to be able to leave any space between them and the next boat down Lunnon. Indeed, they will be lucky to find any space in some locations.

[IanD]

19 minutes ago, Mike Todd said:

They will be lucky to be able to leave any space between them and the next boat down Lunnon. Indeed, they will be lucky to find any space in some locations.

Precisely... 😉

[captain flint]

So many opinions!

 

Obviously engines, gennies, etc aren't supposed to be running outside 8am-8pm. So it seems reasonable to object when people break that rule (pretty often), if it bothers you.

But as for leaving a "good gap" when you are mooring up in the middle of nowhere, well it depends what you mean by "good gap". Personally, I feel fine moored all on my lonesome, but I know some who feel more secure if they are moored reasonably near other boats. I get that.

It's nice to be considerate to those around you and we all have the right to be annoyed by whatever we choose. But I do come across some complaints where my first thought is, if you don't like [insert common river/canal issue here] then maybe don't choose to live on a boat!

Sometimes the behaviour of neighbours or towpath users now makes noise I don't like at times I don't want, but I tend to think I made my bed when I chose to live (CCing)  on the cut, so I have to sleep in it. I try to make like a duck with water on its back. These things are usually pretty short lived, or I could always move on somewhere else.

 

I can see it would be different if you are paying for a permanent mooring and neighbours are antisocial.

[magnetman]

The really mad one is when people object that a boat is coming past theirs while they are tied up and it makes the boat wobble a bit.

 

To quote an old friend "I'm afraid this is as good as it gets - if you don't like it buy a caravan and it won't happen".

 

God I so don't miss the narrow ditches !

 

 

 

 

[captain flint]

Just now, magnetman said:

The really mad one is when people object that a boat is coming past theirs while they are tied up and it makes the boat wobble a bit.

so true