Angry and impatient boaters

[pete.i]

22 hours ago, Naughty Cal said:

It isn't just people on the waterways that are angry and impatient. 

 

Its the same across all walks of life.

 

It seems to be the modern way.

This is so true. I came off the waterways nearly four years ago now because I got fed up with angry fishermen, angry cyclists, angry boaters, and even angry and intolerant people on this very forum. But as Naughty Cal has said it's the way of the world at the moment.

Edited September 6 by pete.i

[beerbeerbeerbeerbeer]

are we too sensitive these days?

some folk deserve a good telling off for their incompetence or whatever (including myself now and again 😃)

a good slanging match is great, especially in a tunnel!

 

 

[LadyG]

12 minutes ago, beerbeerbeerbeerbeer said:

are we too sensitive these days?

some folk deserve a good telling off for their incompetence or whatever (including myself now and again 😃)

a good slanging match is great, especially in a tunnel!

 

 

Do you recommend a  zig zag course at all times, or just in tunnels?

 

[Machpoint005]

22 hours ago, Alan de Enfield said:

(Motor cycle helmets, Car Seat belts, drink driving, no smoking - it goes on across all areas of life)

 

Our rights are being eroded !

 

None of those things are anyone's rights. They are all  there for the sake of someone's safety and/or comfort: (a) and (b) for the benefit of the idiots who don't wear them, (c) for the irresponsible sociopath who would otherwise be maiming or killing other road users, and (d) the fool of a smoker and everyone anywhere near them.

Nobody has a right to harm other people. 

 

 

 

 

 

[Stroudwater1]

6 minutes ago, Machpoint005 said:

 

None of those things are anyone's rights. They are all  there for the sake of someone's safety and/or comfort: (a) and (b) for the benefit of the idiots who don't wear them, (c) for the irresponsible sociopath who would otherwise be maiming or killing other road users, and (d) the fool of a smoker and everyone anywhere near them.

Nobody has a right to harm other people. 

 

 

 

 

 

Glad to see you in a tolerant mood today. I expect actually you are a decent person on the cut TBF. 

[Alan de Enfield]

8 minutes ago, Machpoint005 said:

for the irresponsible sociopath who would otherwise be maiming or killing other road users,

 

 

I really do not see the connection between not wearing a helmet / seatbelt and becoming a sociopath killing and maiming other road users.

Surely the only person at risk is the one not wearing the helmet/seat belt ?

[magpie patrick]

22 hours ago, Slim said:

One question. Why does everything has to be done fast? A slightly tongue in cheek question but genuine one. 

 

As well as speed there is capacity to consider - on the more popular waterways the locks are in constant use. Taking 15 minutes to get through instead of 10 significantly reduces the number of boats that can get through.

[Onionman]

22 hours ago, Alan de Enfield said:

The NHS have said they will not treat fat people, or smokers, so, make 'suicide' attempts pay for their own treatment.

 

 Have they? I'm sure you'll have a credible link to back up that claim.

And, as I've said before, why are so many people on here so keen to make up problems to keep themselves unhappy? People on boats seem the most chilled group I can imagine yet this thread wants us to believe things are awful. Get a sense of proportion.

Edited September 6 by Onionman

[magpie patrick]

20 hours ago, Alan de Enfield said:

 

NCBI.gov

 

Some doctors in England have refused to perform non-urgent coronary artery bypass surgery on smokers, requiring them to stop smoking first in order to be eligible for surgery. Surgeons have argued that non-smokers should be given preference over smokers for elective surgery because they will gain a greater benefit from it, and thus have a greater chance of complication-free survival.⁸ Underwood and Bailey state that “coronary bypass surgery should not be offered to smokers” due to the fact that smoking will increase the risk of postoperative complications, along with increasing the progression of coronary artery disease. Therefore, the benefits from the procedure will be reduced due to the resulting complications that may likely occur.⁹

 

I have recently been assessed for a lung transplant - thankfully my condition has stabilised so I won't need it now. However during the assessments I was advised that smokers will not be given a transplant (I don't smoke, not a problem) and that I needed to lose a stone. I'm not exactly obese but my weight would significantly reduce my survival chances. These restrictions are so they don't waste good lungs, smoking is obvious, but if you die on the operating table the donor lung is wasted.  

 

In case your wondering - I've lost a stone! 

Just now, Onionman said:

 

 Have they? I'm sure you'll have a credible link to back up that claim.

 See above - in some instances yes

[Alan de Enfield]

Just now, magpie patrick said:

However during the assessments I was advised that smokers will not be given a transplant................

 

So another example that my statement was correct.

 

I was told to lose weight or wouldn't get the Diabetes treatment - I lost 6 stone (but was too thin and put 2 stone back on).

 

Well done on the weight loss - keep it up.

[Onionman]

36 minutes ago, magpie patrick said:

 

I have recently been assessed for a lung transplant - thankfully my condition has stabilised so I won't need it now. However during the assessments I was advised that smokers will not be given a transplant (I don't smoke, not a problem) and that I needed to lose a stone. I'm not exactly obese but my weight would significantly reduce my survival chances. These restrictions are so they don't waste good lungs, smoking is obvious, but if you die on the operating table the donor lung is wasted.  

 

In case your wondering - I've lost a stone! 

 See above - in some instances yes

 

Can you tell the difference between "we won't treat smokers" and "We require you to stop smoking before we operate"?

Cf "We won't operate on your knee unless you stop your marathon running" and "we don't operate on marathon runners"

 

 

[IanD]

1 hour ago, Alan de Enfield said:

 

 

I really do not see the connection between not wearing a helmet / seatbelt and becoming a sociopath killing and maiming other road users.

Surely the only person at risk is the one not wearing the helmet/seat belt ?

Question already asked and answered. Motorcyclists not wearing helmets and drivers not wearing seatbelts risk their own lives if they die instantly, but if they're injured/brain-damaged the NHS has to pick up the tab, which can be a very big one, and is paid for by everybody else. Including their families... 😞 

 

If people who want to take such risks signed an affidavit that they would either be personally responsible for these costs -- which would mean taking out insurance to cover this, since they can be *huge* -- or would not want such treatment/support then things might be different -- but they wouldn't do that, would they?

Edited September 6 by IanD

[magpie patrick]

41 minutes ago, Onionman said:

 

Can you tell the difference between "we won't treat smokers" and "We require you to stop smoking before we operate"?

Cf "We won't operate on your knee unless you stop your marathon running" and "we don't operate on marathon runners"

 

 

 If you stop smoking you are no longer a smoker, and in my case if I lost weight I was no longer overweight.

 

The second instance is a false analogy, often that kind of operation is done to prolong a sporting career, as being physically active is seen as  a good thing. In my case it's such a good thing they would probably go to great lengths to keep me active

[Alan de Enfield]

2 minutes ago, IanD said:

Question already asked and answered. Motorcyclists not wearing helmets and drivers not wearing seatbelts risk their own lives if they die instantly, but if they're injured/brain-damaged the NHS has to pick up the tab, which can be a very big one, and is paid for by everybody else.

 

You have answered the question twice and both times HAVE TOTALLY MISSED THE POINT,  you have not answered the question, try again :

 

1 hour ago, Machpoint005 said:

..................for the irresponsible sociopath who would otherwise be maiming or killing other road users,

 

 

Why does not wearing a helmet / seatbelt  make you a sociopathic killer and put other road users in danger ?

 

Would donning the helmet / seat belt stop the driver putting other road users in danger ?

[Onionman]

10 minutes ago, magpie patrick said:

 If you stop smoking you are no longer a smoker, and in my case if I lost weight I was no longer overweight.

 

The second instance is a false analogy, often that kind of operation is done to prolong a sporting career, as being physically active is seen as  a good thing. In my case it's such a good thing they would probably go to great lengths to keep me active

 

All so desperate to be unhappy. Desperate enough for someone to claim that the NHS saying you'll need to stop smoking to have a lung transplant equals, and I quote, "The NHS have said they will not treat fat people or smokers". And instead of ridiculing it, you act as though it's true.

 

Pitiful.

Cheer up. Life's good. People on the canals are decent and kind. The NHS will treat you if you're obese or a smoker. Get out of your rotten bubble.

 

What a miserable place this is. And I wonder why I come here so rarely.

Edited September 6 by Onionman

[Ronaldo47]

Around three   decades ago when mum was in her 70's, she was told she had to lose weight before they could give her  a hip replacement. She did so,  cutting out sugar, going from three  spoonfuls in her  tea, to zero, and never touched sugar again. She lived until well into her 90's.

Edited September 6 by Ronaldo47
typos

[magpie patrick]

7 minutes ago, Onionman said:

 

All so desperate to be unhappy. Desperate enough for someone to claim that the NHS saying you'll need to stop smoking to have a lung transplant equals, and I quote, "The NHS have said they will not treat fat people or smokers". And instead of ridiculing it, you act as though it's true.

 

Pitiful.

Cheer up. Life's good. People on the canals are decent and kind. The NHS will treat you if you're obese or a smoker. Get out of your rotten bubble.

 

What a miserable place this is. And I wonder why I come here so rarely.

 

That you can say that to someone who has admitted to having a terminal illness (admittedly one that is being managed and thus prolonging my life significantly) says more about you than it does about me. 

 

In certain instances, that is exactly what the NHS are saying, but it doesn't suit your narrative. 

 

And I am happy, I have walked a couple of hundred miles of canal this year, visited the Caledonian Canal with my beautiful partner, we dance regularly and attend ballet and concerts, and I have watched numerous football matches. I have a good life, but while I've a way to go yet I will probably be gone sooner than seems fair on the partner and her daughter (my stepdaughter) - it's a sobering thought. 

 

Me being happy isn't incompatible with the NHS refusing to treat overweight people, even if that category included me.

[NB Alnwick]

Well I didn't meet any angry or impatient boaters today and I am most grateful to the lady and gentleman who stopped their boat and came back to help me after I had fallen in the cut while attempting to re-board the boat to enter Adkins Lock (on the Napton flight, just below the Engine Arm)!!!

Fortunately no injuries other than a bruised ego and I was able to haul myself out and continue through the lock before stopping for a shower and change of clothes! I am still not sure how or why it happened - I just know that I suddenly found myself standing beside my boat with water above my waist.

Possibly nature's way of punishing me for being critical of others?

[cuthound]

32 minutes ago, NB Alnwick said:

Well I didn't meet any angry or impatient boaters today and I am most grateful to the lady and gentleman who stopped their boat and came back to help me after I had fallen in the cut while attempting to re-board the boat to enter Adkins Lock (on the Napton flight, just below the Engine Arm)!!!

Fortunately no injuries other than a bruised ego and I was able to haul myself out and continue through the lock before stopping for a shower and change of clothes! I am still not sure how or why it happened - I just know that I suddenly found myself standing beside my boat with water above my waist.

Possibly nature's way of punishing me for being critical of others?

 

Glad that you are OK. Apparently it happens to everyone sooner or later.

 

I have yet to have an involuntary ducking in over 50 years of canalling (although I have come very close on several occasions), and by writing this I know I am tempting fate!

[NarrowboatTor]

Tis fun reading some of the thoughts on this.

Been CCing since April but suddenly have to moor up for a while (Calcutt marina if anyone is about) been on the cut for over five years, I like taking my time.

I was always told if your wake breaks on the bank slow down, ask if paddles can be opened fully when helping another boater in a lock, if someone catches you up let them pass as they're obviously in a hurry (I do, what does it matter?), slow down before you pass another boat not as you get level with them, knocks will happen no matter how careful you are, people can be ignorant just let it pass.

I've met a few that barrel straight towards you with no reaction from them apart from a shrug as they bounce off, it happens.

And finally, a text message doesn't generally convey feeling, chagrin or the fun of a comment made face to face 🤣

 

The world has become an angry place, I choose not to get bitter over it, I light a fire, open a bottle of cabalié and put me feet up.

[cuthound]

8 minutes ago, NarrowboatTor said:

Tis fun reading some of the thoughts on this.

Been CCing since April but suddenly have to moor up for a while (Calcutt marina if anyone is about) been on the cut for over five years, I like taking my time.

I was always told if your wake breaks on the bank slow down, ask if paddles can be opened fully when helping another boater in a lock, if someone catches you up let them pass as they're obviously in a hurry (I do, what does it matter?), slow down before you pass another boat not as you get level with them, knocks will happen no matter how careful you are, people can be ignorant just let it pass.

I've met a few that barrel straight towards you with no reaction from them apart from a shrug as they bounce off, it happens.

And finally, a text message doesn't generally convey feeling, chagrin or the fun of a comment made face to face 🤣

 

The world has become an angry place, I choose not to get bitter over it, I light a fire, open a bottle of cabalié and put me feet up.

 

Sound philosophy.

[Tony1]

46 minutes ago, NB Alnwick said:

... I suddenly found myself standing beside my boat with water above my waist.

 

Possibly nature's way of punishing me for being critical of others?

 

Just plain bad luck, old chap, I should think. 

If one got a dunking every time one slagged off random boaters, I would definitely have gone in on Saturday- and probably Tuesday.

I was so bad yesterday that I'd probably still be in the drink now. 

They mustn't introduce that kind of karma-based dunking, there would be absolute carnage at every lock flight. 

 

Edited September 6 by Tony1

[magpie patrick]

1 hour ago, Tony1 said:

 

They mustn't introduce that kind of karma-based dunking,

 

Karma based dunking sounds a grand concept, I guess one would have to rely on Karma to do the dunking bit though 🤭

[Ewan123]

I also disagree with the premise of OP's post. The only angry boater I've encountered (one that I can recall in over three years) was last weekend, shouting at me to slow down. (No I wasn't going fast, it's just that his boat was moored with three lines straight down from the roof, not one at either the bow or stern, so unsurprisingly his boat wobbled!)

[nicknorman]

12 hours ago, NB Alnwick said:

 

It might help if this were true! This forum could help people who need help to master the skills necessary to steer and navigate safely!

For example, many fail to realise that throwing a boat into reverse results in a loss of any precision in steering so it is better to anticipate hazards and approach them at an appropriate speed to maintain control. Similarly, when meeting a boat approaching from the opposite direction, some will push the tiller hard over to widen the passing gap with the very likely result that they place their stern in the path of the approaching craft causing the collision they were trying to avoid. These aspects of boating have been discussed many times on these forums.

 

Yes, but this is neither angry nor impatient, it is just lacking competence, which is a result of a lack of experience