A polite plea to dawdlers.

[TheBiscuits]

Is it only me who stops the boat if being overtaken, but without pulling into the side and mooring up?

 

Wave them past, stop the boat in the water towards the right of the channel, apply minimal power just as the bow starts being drawn towards them to prevent a collision then carry on when they're past.

 

It doesn't have to be complicated!

[Stroudwater1]

Just now, TheBiscuits said:

Is it only me who stops the boat if being overtaken, but without pulling into the side and mooring up?

 

Wave them past, stop the boat in the water towards the right of the channel, apply minimal power just as the bow starts being drawn towards them to prevent a collision then carry on when they're past.

 

It doesn't have to be complicated!

 

Exactly! 

 

1 hour ago, Mike Todd said:

The hydrodynamics don't quite work that way . . . 

 

overtaking is not the same as passing (time to do it, for one - hence need greater length free of anything else)

 

Generally the boat being overtaken slows right down, its unwise not to and isnt much different in time it takes to get anywhere but it certainly takes much less time to be overtaken. This could be why folk are objecting to shallow canals etc. Slow right down to slow tickover, move over, aim to the bank and you will be pulled back into the middle. If you go at any speed when being overtaken then you are asking for trouble. 

 

 This isnt a car being overtaken scenario. By several peoples suggestions on here they may tend to dawdle, so a slower dawdle to let someone past isnt asking much.

 

I fear some on here maybe the sort of person that deliberately speed up when being overtaken by another car. 

 

[Higgs]

I'm quite happy to pull over, slow down, or whatever, to let a boat come by, where it's reasonable. As on the road, I'd prefer not to have tailgaters twitching away behind me.

 

 

[Grassman]

18 hours ago, Arthur Marshall said:

And there are the boaters who slow right down whenever they come to a bridge. The peak of this was a hireboat on the Llangollen who stopped completely while the bloke at the sharp end manoevred the pointy bit into the gap with the bargepole. They didn't seem to be drunk or stoned, either.

 

I had a similar experience with a boater in front who stopped at each bridge hole and used to bow thruster to straighten up before proceeding. It was a private boat but probably their first outing with it.

[PCSB]

11 minutes ago, Higgs said:

I'm quite happy to pull over, slow down, or whatever, to let a boat come by, where it's reasonable. As on the road, I'd prefer not to have tailgaters twitching away behind me.

 

 

Same here, don't see the point of getting all stressed out - either them or me.

[IanD]

22 minutes ago, Stroudwater1 said:

 

Exactly! 

 

Generally the boat being overtaken slows right down, its unwise not to and isnt much different in time it takes to get anywhere but it certainly takes much less time to be overtaken. This could be why folk are objecting to shallow canals etc. Slow right down to slow tickover, move over, aim to the bank and you will be pulled back into the middle. If you go at any speed when being overtaken then you are asking for trouble. 

 

 This isnt a car being overtaken scenario. By several peoples suggestions on here they may tend to dawdle, so a slower dawdle to let someone past isnt asking much.

 

I fear some on here maybe the sort of person that deliberately speed up when being overtaken by another car. 

 

 

Or tows a caravan with a long tail of traffic behind it and never pulls over to let it pass, or drives in the overtaking lane at 70mph when the other lane is empty... 😞

 

It's really not difficult -- if there's a boat on your tail who you're obviously holding up, then when there's enough space and water to do so pull over (as described above) and let them pass, it'll make everybody's day better.

 

If you don't then you're the one being selfish and inconsiderate, not the boat behind who happens to want to progress faster than you... 😉

Edited May 25, 2023 by IanD

[Higgs]

1 minute ago, PCSB said:

Same here, don't see the point of getting all stressed out - either them or me.

 

We all have a different pace of life. I don't want to hold anyone up, but I'm out to enjoy what silence and calm there is to be had.

 

  

[Silent Flight]

As a new boater to inland waterways I’m happy to stop and let others past, as I’m aware probably taking things steady could be equated to dawdling.
 

But this is a fairly obvious observation, and one that anyone courteous would make.

 

However the thread got me thinking what other canal etiquette’s are there that I may be missing?

[IanD]

23 minutes ago, Owls Den said:

As a new boater to inland waterways I’m happy to stop and let others past, as I’m aware probably taking things steady could be equated to dawdling.
 

But this is a fairly obvious observation, and one that anyone courteous would make.

 

However the thread got me thinking what other canal etiquette’s are there that I may be missing?

Nothing wrong with considerate (behind you!) dawdling, it's how many people want to enjoy the canals 🙂

 

Always check for approaching boats before turning a lock that would be set in their favour, even if it means waiting a couple of minutes.

 

Share broad locks where possible to save water.

 

Slow down and blow your horn/listen when approaching a blind bridge/bend, and be prepared for someone barrelling through it at full speed who hasn't done the same.

 

The obvious ones about where not to moor up -- lock landings, water points, opposite winding holes. In popular areas, don't leave a space too small for a boat between your boat and the next one (a "git gap"), move closer and share rings if necessary/possible.

 

I'm sure people will come up with lots of others -- but the basic principle is to be considerate of other boaters rather than selfish... 😉

Edited May 25, 2023 by IanD

[Rob-M]

Don't run your engine or genny after 8pm or before 8am unless you are actually moving the boat.

 

Have a read of CRTs boaters handbook as that will give more details.

[Guest]

Dont hog visitor moorings for longer than the stated time limit.

[GUMPY]

4 hours ago, Midnight said:

We came up Rothersthorpe last Monday, never saw another boat going up or down. Many locks were full so maybe someone in front or they leak full.

There are at least four that came down yesterday we passed them all today.

Yes that's right,  four moving boats in one day on the Nene a rare event.

[Captain Pegg]

4 hours ago, TheBiscuits said:

Is it only me who stops the boat if being overtaken, but without pulling into the side and mooring up?

 

Wave them past, stop the boat in the water towards the right of the channel, apply minimal power just as the bow starts being drawn towards them to prevent a collision then carry on when they're past.

 

It doesn't have to be complicated!

I’m more likely to pull over and hold the boat on a line if the towpath is on the left.

 

It’s sometimes better than flirting with the bushes and shallows on the right and it feels right to be stopped if you’re being passed on the ‘wrong’ side.

[IanD]

10 minutes ago, Captain Pegg said:

I’m more likely to pull over and hold the boat on a line if the towpath is on the left.

 

It’s sometimes better than flirting with the bushes and shallows on the right and it feels right to be stopped if you’re being passed on the ‘wrong’ side.

 

So long as the boat behind knows what you're doing, it doesn't matter which side you stop/pull over to, whichever is more convenient or has deeper water or fewer trees near the edge (e.g towpath side) is fine...

Edited May 25, 2023 by IanD

[Captain Pegg]

3 hours ago, Owls Den said:

As a new boater to inland waterways I’m happy to stop and let others past, as I’m aware probably taking things steady could be equated to dawdling.
 

But this is a fairly obvious observation, and one that anyone courteous would make.

 

However the thread got me thinking what other canal etiquette’s are there that I may be missing?

There’s quite a few things you can do at locks that might upset folk. And stuff that you can do to help them.

 

Most obvious is not turning a lock on an oncoming boat. Unless that is you’re confident you can clear it and leave it open before they get there.

 

Try and work locks one up/one down whenever possible and avoid putting two boats in the same pound waiting for one boat coming the other way. That’s a waste of water and makes little or no difference to transit time of a flight.

 

When ascending a flight if someone going the same way is waiting ahead of you in the pound don’t draw the paddles to fill your lock until the boat in front is in the next lock and has shut the gates. This is particularly important if the pound is low and/or the boat is deep draughted.

 

If someone is following you through a flight of locks and no one is coming the other way draw a paddle back to start filling or emptying the lock you’ve just exited.

 

But mostly in locks simply look up and down the flight for other boats and help everybody by leaving them set, within reason.

Edited May 25, 2023 by Captain Pegg

[Dave123]

On 23/05/2023 at 18:02, noddyboater said:

Look behind you more often.

When you see a boat has appeared and is getting closer, move over,  let them past.

There's a chance they might actually be using the canal for what it was made for. 

Thank you. 

I can't think of many places on the typical narrow canal where I'd let a boat overtake. Only if it was sufficiently wide and straight that I knew I wouldn't go aground or get pushed into overhanging trees or moored boats, and could see nothing was coming the other way...

[Captain Pegg]

49 minutes ago, IanD said:

 

So long as the boat behind knows what you're doing, it doesn't matter which side you stop/pull over to, whichever is more convenient or has deeper water or fewer trees near the edge (e.g towpath side) is fine...

 

The context was that the correct thing to do is to slow down significantly and move to the right but not to stop, which is fine if that's the towpath side but if it's the offside then it can be problematic. Hence I might prefer to move to the left in which case I'm putting myself on the wrong side and at risk if a boat comes the other way so I might choose to stop depending on the circumstances.

[IanD]

12 minutes ago, Captain Pegg said:

 

The context was that the correct thing to do is to slow down significantly and move to the right but not to stop, which is fine if that's the towpath side but if it's the offside then it can be problematic. Hence I might prefer to move to the left in which case I'm putting myself on the wrong side and at risk if a boat comes the other way so I might choose to stop depending on the circumstances.

 

If you can't see that there's a long enough clear stretch without a boat coming the other way, it's not really sensible to allow an overtaking manoeuvre anyway...

[Captain Pegg]

2 minutes ago, IanD said:

 

If you can't see that there's a long enough clear stretch without a boat coming the other way, it's not really sensible to allow an overtaking manoeuvre anyway...

 

It is if you stop

[IanD]

8 minutes ago, Captain Pegg said:

 

It is if you stop

<sigh> yes, so long as you don't end up with both moving boats trying to pass the stationary one at the same time, which Murphy's law says will happen.

 

It's really not that hard to see if there's enough space/water and no oncoming boat in the wrong place or moored boats or bridges or anything else -- if there isn't, the other boat can stay behind and wait until there is.

 

Same rule as on the road -- don't overtake unless you can see that the canal/road is clear and it's safe to do so... 😉

 

Mind you, some drivers (traditionally in BMWs, now often Audi...) seem incapable of understanding this, and they probably have boats too... 😞

Edited May 25, 2023 by IanD

[Paul C]

37 minutes ago, Dave123 said:

I can't think of many places on the typical narrow canal where I'd let a boat overtake. Only if it was sufficiently wide and straight that I knew I wouldn't go aground or get pushed into overhanging trees or moored boats, and could see nothing was coming the other way...

 

Does this by extension mean that you can't think of many places where boats in opposite directions could pass each other? The width of 2 boats is the same when they are facing same; or opposite; direction.

[ditchcrawler]

7 hours ago, TheBiscuits said:

Is it only me who stops the boat if being overtaken, but without pulling into the side and mooring up?

 

Wave them past, stop the boat in the water towards the right of the channel, apply minimal power just as the bow starts being drawn towards them to prevent a collision then carry on when they're past.

 

It doesn't have to be complicated!

I thought that's the way you are suppose to do it.

 

One for the maths experts who can still do old money. If the boat you are overtaking is doing 2mph and you are doing 3 mph how far do you need to travel before you are a full boat length ahead of them?

[Guest]

8 minutes ago, ditchcrawler said:

I thought that's the way you are suppose to do it.

 

One for the maths experts who can still do old money. If the boat you are overtaking is doing 2mph and you are doing 3 mph how far do you need to travel before you are a full boat length ahead of them?

 

Doesnt that depend on boat lengths?

[IanD]

23 minutes ago, ditchcrawler said:

I thought that's the way you are suppose to do it.

 

One for the maths experts who can still do old money. If the boat you are overtaking is doing 2mph and you are doing 3 mph how far do you need to travel before you are a full boat length ahead of them?

Quite a long way -- they really need to slow down to less than 2mph and/or you need to be going faster than 3mph (if that's possible).

 

With only 1mph speed difference (about 1.5fps) and assuming 20' clearance before pulling out and after passing (don't see why a full boat length is needed?) an overtake with 70' boats will take about two minutes, in which time the overtaker will have travelled 180 yards (in old money), as opposed to 60 yards in 40 seconds if the overtaken boat stops...

 

Which also means if there's a boat coming the other way, it needs to be about two furlongs away when you start the manoeuvre to avoid panic... 🙂

Edited May 25, 2023 by IanD

[GUMPY]

Got stuck behind a tractor towing a slurry tank in Northamptonshire this week 6 bloody miles.

At least at home the Devon farmers pull into a layby no matter what they are towing to let the traffic overtake. I have a feeling that they only pull over in winter as there will generally only be locals held up🤔

Edited May 25, 2023 by GUMPY