Appalling boater behavior observed.

[PeterCr]

Over more than 10 years of boating we have met some of the most lovely people on the water. Sadly yesterday was an exception to that, and we saw the worst boater behavior that we have ever seen.

 

We were coming out of the Coventry at Fradley going north on the T&M. My wife walked up to do the lock, and the water being down opened the gates. I was about 40 or 50 yards away when someone off a boat above the lock came down and closed the gates and opened the top paddles. I was not far away and clearly visible and used my horn. My wife told him he should pay a little more attention to lock etiquette and he roundly abused her using about every known swear word. As he was an extremely unpleasant individual, both in looks and behaviour, she walked away. 

 

Meanwhile I was at the gates by then and as the landing was too short with a moored boat had to try and pull into the garden on the other side beside the no landing sign.

 

He came in and opened the bottom paddles, then opened the top paddles, deliberately draining the short pound above. Finally he opened a bottom gate, shoved the other one which didn't fully open, and rammed it open with his boat. He abused me as he came past. My wife walked up to the next lock to run water as the pound was unusable to find that he had left the bottom gates open and paddles up.

 

It looks like he headed onto the Coventry, so anyone around there might keep an eye out, he had no shirt and what looked like long dreadlocks. Solo boater, I can see why.

 

We did however have the last laugh. He left his windlass on the lock side, if he came back to look for it he would not have found it.

[LadyG]

If I met this behaviour Id have called 999, its abusive and verges on dangerous.

I cant understand people who do any of these things, never mind all of them.

Report him to CRT as it certainly contravenes the Ts and Cs, big time 

[MrsM]

Was he on a narrowboat or yoghurt pot, so people can keep a look out?

[PeterCr]

2 hours ago, MrsM said:

Was he on a narrowboat or yoghurt pot, so people can keep a look out?

He was on a narrowboat

[matty40s]

That narrows it down then.

[MtB]

27 minutes ago, matty40s said:

That narrows it down then.

 

No need to widen the search then...!

[Tam & Di]

It was not a term introduced by the OP, but my problem is that I simply cannot accept the opinions of someone who refers to a fibreglass boat as a yoghurt pot. I know dozens of people owning grp boats, and as a population they behave no better or worse than owners of narrowboats. I know it is a term in common use here, but I think it is lazy and generally judgemental.

Edited July 4 by Tam & Di

[GUMPY]

Much like a lot of the GRP boaters refer to Narrow boats as Sewer Tubes, or Yotties refer to motorboats as Stink Pots, or even motor boaters refer to Yotties as Wind Assisted Fekin Idiots or WAFI for short.

 

[MtB]

21 minutes ago, Tam & Di said:

It was not a term introduced by the OP, but my problem is that I simply cannot accept the opinions of someone who refers to a fibreglass boat as a yoghurt pot. I know dozens of people owning grp boats, and as a population they behave no better or worse than owners of narrowboats. I know it is a term in common use here, but I think it is lazy and generally judgemental.

 

I've always known plastic boats as Tupperwares, mainly because there isn't a good general term for them other than your TLA.

 

I earned a good living and expanded my boating knowledge enormously working for a few years on the Tupperwares in Windsor Marina maintenance dept, early in my boating life. I guess GRP is a better term for them but I still have trouble bringing it to mind.

 

 

[MrsM]

5 hours ago, Tam & Di said:

It was not a term introduced by the OP, but my problem is that I simply cannot accept the opinions of someone who refers to a fibreglass boat as a yoghurt pot. I know dozens of people owning grp boats, and as a population they behave no better or worse than owners of narrowboats. I know it is a term in common use here, but I think it is lazy and generally judgemental.

That was me. As a family we have owned 4 fibreglass motor yachts and always referred to them as yoghurt pots. No offence was intended but I apologise for the upset.

Edited July 4 by MrsM

[mrsmelly]

22 minutes ago, MrsM said:

That was me. As a family we have owned 4 fibreglass motor yachts and always referred to them as yoghurt pits. No offence was intended but I apologise for the upset.

My mate has a Yoghurt Pot, he paid 5 million squids for it 

[Arthur Marshall]

1 hour ago, Tam & Di said:

It was not a term introduced by the OP, but my problem is that I simply cannot accept the opinions of someone who refers to a fibreglass boat as a yoghurt pot. I know dozens of people owning grp boats, and as a population they behave no better or worse than owners of narrowboats. I know it is a term in common use here, but I think it is lazy and generally judgemental.

Bit precious. I own a rusty tub with which I am much pleased. I don't dislike or disparage those who own yoghurt pots,  shiny boats, working boats (which are, or course, no such thing), or anyone else on the waterways. I don't care if you pronouce winding to rhyme with what you do to a clock rather than a baby or whether you park a boat or moor it. It's all meant affectionally.

I do find it hard to accept opinions from anyone who makes judgements like the one above, and who then complains about people being judgemental.

[MtB]

23 minutes ago, mrsmelly said:

My mate has a Yoghurt Pot, he paid 5 million squids for it 

 

They saw him coming. I've got a yoghourt pot he could have had for 10p.

 

 

[Chris John]

12 minutes ago, Arthur Marshall said:

Bit precious. I own a rusty tub with which I am much pleased. I don't dislike or disparage those who own yoghurt pots,  shiny boats, working boats (which are, or course, no such thing), or anyone else on the waterways. I don't care if you pronouce winding to rhyme with what you do to a clock rather than a baby or whether you park a boat or moor it. It's all meant affectionally.

I do find it hard to accept opinions from anyone who makes judgements like the one above, and who then complains about people being judgemental.

Ah yes Arthur but do you look down at people with a bow thruster and call it a girly button 🤣🤣

[MtB]

23 minutes ago, Arthur Marshall said:

It's all meant affectionally.

 

I think I might have to look that word up, Arthur! 

 

 

 

Edited July 4 by MtB
Attribute the quote correctly

[frangar]

2 hours ago, Tam & Di said:

It was not a term introduced by the OP, but my problem is that I simply cannot accept the opinions of someone who refers to a fibreglass boat as a yoghurt pot. I know dozens of people owning grp boats, and as a population they behave no better or worse than owners of narrowboats. I know it is a term in common use here, but I think it is lazy and generally judgemental.

Quite right…..they are Tupperware surely……

[David Mack]

9 minutes ago, frangar said:

Quite right…..they are Tupperware surely……

Doesn't that only apply to the ones where the top half snaps off neatly from the bottom when you hit them? 

[MtB]

5 minutes ago, David Mack said:

Doesn't that only apply to the ones where the top half snaps off neatly from the bottom when you hit them? 

 

Tupperware also remains watertight when turned upside down and shaken, if I remember the telly adverts when I was a nipper. 

[Tony Brooks]

Perhaps that term could be properly applied to the new HDPE narrowboats.

[frangar]

5 minutes ago, Tony Brooks said:

Perhaps that term could be properly applied to the new HDPE narrowboats.

Surely they are washing up bowls…….

[ditchcrawler]

5 minutes ago, frangar said:

Surely they are washing up bowls…….

I thought they were Laser sailing dinghies 

[Arthur Marshall]

12 hours ago, MtB said:

 

I think I might have to look that word up, Arthur! 

 

 

 

I thought it looked wrong when I writ it!

[Llamedos]

23 hours ago, PeterCr said:

 

It looks like he headed onto the Coventry, so anyone around there might keep an eye out, he had no shirt and what looked like long dreadlocks. Solo boater, I can see why.

 

We did however have the last laugh. He left his windlass on the lock side, if he came back to look for it he would not have found it.

This does truly sound horrible. I feel sorry for your poor wife having to deal with someone like this, he sounds pretty unpredictable and therefore potentially dangerous. I notice you’re an Aussie, you really shouldn’t have to put up with this stuff like this when you’re in our country - you should feel welcome and safe. 
 

Did you by any chance get the name of his boat or anything else that would help identify him apart from his dreadlocks. We seem to have also established it wasn’t a cruiser. I ask because I’m on the Coventry at the moment and certainly wouldn’t want to be anywhere near him. 

[MtB]

59 minutes ago, Arthur Marshall said:

I thought it looked wrong when I writ it!

 

And you was write! 

 

 

[PeterCr]

40 minutes ago, Llamedos said:

This does truly sound horrible. I feel sorry for your poor wife having to deal with someone like this, he sounds pretty unpredictable and therefore potentially dangerous. I notice you’re an Aussie, you really shouldn’t have to put up with this stuff like this when you’re in our country - you should feel welcome and safe. 
 

Did you by any chance get the name of his boat or anything else that would help identify him apart from his dreadlocks. We seem to have also established it wasn’t a cruiser. I ask because I’m on the Coventry at the moment and certainly wouldn’t want to be anywhere near him. 

Sadly no, I should have thought of that. I didn't see the boat until it came out of the lock and came past me after the trees, as there was nowhere to tie up where I had to come in. I had to hold our boat on the rope. And once he was beside me I was dealing with the abuse and so on, so didn't have the presence of mind to look for a boat name or number, or even really take in what the boat looked like. I thought afterwards I should have looked for more identification details. Mind you boats like that often don't have either a name or number in my experience. Sorry I didn't get more details.

 

And yes my wife walked away as soon as she spoke to him, recognising what he was like, and took a seat on a chair well below the lock till it was all over.