ladies...

[Chris J W]

Steady boys..... Its a long way to fall off of all of our soapboxes

 

Anyway - Bones has got personal security sorted.

 

Anyone breaking in to the good boat Bones would take one look at the wall decor and think... "Bl##dy Hell", turn round and leg it. When she looks at you in that special way... be afraid, be very afraid. Its not your skin she's looking at... I goes a lot deeper than that

 

:D

 

[blackrose]

Oh I see. You think I am a bloke. That explains it.

Yes, sorry I obviously made an assumption about your gender, but I still think women face a few more personal security issues on boats than men. I've never seen a forum posting from a man who's worried about his personal safety living on board.

 

Perhaps we just don't like to admit we're scared too!

Edited March 26, 2008 by blackrose

[Bones]

Yes, sorry I obviously made an assumption about your gender, but I still think women face a few more personal security issues on boats than men. I've never seen a forum posting from a man who's worried about his personal safety living on board.

 

Perhaps we just don't like to admit we're scared too!

 

quite! Perhaps men should be taught manners, then women wouldn't have to be scared.

[blackrose]

quite! Perhaps men should be taught manners, then women wouldn't have to be scared.

 

Manners? Speaking with one's mouth full or interrupting someone while they are talking is bad manners. I'm not sure that these are really in the same league as assaults on the person?

 

Anyway, I won't respond with the same sort of gender stereotyping.

Edited March 26, 2008 by blackrose

[Amduck]

 

Greetings, sal. What area do you work? If Bottle frightens you, we could gang up (your 15 plus my 18 trumps him). I'm actually in Bottle's stomping ground, but recently moved so I don't think we've met.

 

(edited to say - Only joking Bottle, wouldn't dream of ganging up on an old man )

Edited March 26, 2008 by Amduck

[NB Alnwick]

I've never seen a forum posting from a man who's worried about his personal safety living on board.

 

I'm scared! There is a boat moored nearby that is full of bones . . .

 

[saltysplash]

I'm scared! There is a boat moored nearby that is full of bones . . .

Yeah but what magnificent bones

If being a curmudgeon means I don't have to share the same "high and mighty, I am always right, and gods gift to everything" attitude as you, then I'm quite happy to discribed as such.

Steady shipmate, Dont get sucked in, keep the faith

[parasal]

Hey Amduck,

18yrs eh...still frontline? I`m in GWAS working currently as driving instructor...no nights and weekends off...only the students get in the way!! And hopefully when I get aboard I can work a little less and play a little more!

Wher you based? and do you live aboard too?

All the best

Sal

[bottle]

 

Greetings, sal. What area do you work? If Bottle frightens you, we could gang up (your 15 plus my 18 trumps him). I'm actually in Bottle's stomping ground, but recently moved so I don't think we've met.

 

(edited to say - Only joking Bottle, wouldn't dream of ganging up on an old man )

 

I may be 'old' to you but remember, I retired early. If two young ladies wish to gang up on me, I will resist but not to much.

 

 

Hey Amduck,

18yrs eh...still frontline? I`m in GWAS working currently as driving instructor...no nights and weekends off...only the students get in the way!! And hopefully when I get aboard I can work a little less and play a little more!

Wher you based? and do you live aboard too?

All the best

Sal

 

GWAS, thats a big area, my old stomping ground was Gloucestershire, the best ambulance service in the country.

[Amduck]

Funnily enough, GWAS too. Moved from WMAS last year to join GWAS as an ECP. Based Ciren and Moreton. Boat is at Tewkesbury, cos I live in Shropshire so it's a bit of a commute. Live on the boat when on shift.

[Chertsey]

I lived on my own on a boat in the middle of Huddersfield, on the towpath, for 18 months, next to a pub (well, of sorts, I wouldn't dignify it with the name).

 

Sometimes there was rowdiness outside (tho not very often) and I always took the view that they'd have a damned sight harder time getting into the boat - steel box with small, toughened glass windows - than they would getting into a house, if it was me they were after. Having said that, there's no doubt it can *feel* scarier, even if reason tells you it isn't, and I kept the Calder and Hebble handspike by the bed.

[Water-rats]

Although I don't currently liveaboard but hopefully soon will. I used to liveaboard an old GRP ex hire cruiser on the Norfolk Broads.

I never had any worries about living alone on a boat, no more worries than living in a flat. Thorpe St Andrew was, and still is, a rather nice area though.

 

I was never broken into, harrassed, accosted or bothered in any way. I got the occasional fisherman asking to fish of my bow seats as only fishing from a boat was allowed in our cut.

It may of helped that I had an ex-forces German Shepherd dog, who was a total dote actually but was not to be upset.

 

This was all 10 years ago and society has changed and not in a good way but the vast majority of people I came across on the water or river banks were decent and helpful. We all looked out or one another too. I would say to invest in some decent locks though.

 

I am now married and can't wait to liveaboard again. Narrowboat this time. If I was single, I'd do it all over again in a heartbeat.

[wrigglefingers]

Hello Sal,

 

I've not experienced any problems in the last two years and neither has my daughter - in fact, we feel safer out on the boat than we had done living in a house for some time. Generally I'm left to my own devices and although regarded with benign amusement by the men who live locally on their boats, mainly because I'm so inept with my boat and secondly because I'm so untidy. Just take the usual measures that you would anyway, carry a torch and make sure your 'phone is charged.

 

That's it really - some people reckon that keeping a dog is sensible but I find a truly over-friendly cat is what you need; the most recent bloke on board legged it off very quickly when presented with a feline undercarriage complete with miniscule willy (sorry Dave - Astro didn't really mean it!).

 

Happy boating, Jill

[parasal]

Hi all,

Thanks for all your comments..more or less what I thought but still good to hear!

Unfortunately the cat wont be joining us(me and the dog) as he has dementia and the CC`ing wont do him any favours-he gets lost in the back garden!

All the best

sal

[BeckyJC]

Hi Sal,

 

I'm a female single-handed CC'er too, and just wanted to back up what the others have already said really - I feel safer on my boat that I did when I lived alone in houses in towns / cities. I did have one instance recently where a fellow-boater made me feel a little uncomfortable (nothing bad, he was just a little more interested in me than I was in him) but all I had to do was untie the ropes and move on! On land, if I didn't appreciate the company of a neighbour, I would have been stuck with them.

 

If you're worried, it may be better to stick to the busier areas to begin with so that there are other boats around "just in case" - this was what I did, but quickly learnt that I feel just as comfortable out in the more remote places on my own.

 

Just apply a bit of common sense (lock doors at night etc) and I'm sure you'll be fine. Boaters tend to be friendly folk...

 

Becky