Do other folk find the snobbery in canal boating exasperating??

[Phil Speight]

Very true,

 

What I posted was definitely done tongue in cheek - well aware that I could be stirring up a hornets nest, but to be 99% accurate, we have only found 1 couple on a very desirable NB, with BMC (Boat Mans Cabin) and a very nice Russell Newbury a gleaming in polished brass, green and red paint, was 11 months ago, when we were returning through Braunston Tunnel and through the locks, they were very, very freindly, gave us plenty of good tips and pearls of wisdom, we even shared lunch with them. But! all the other "Superior Trads, with BMC, have all been identical, would NEVER look at us, never acknowledged our presence, until we become pains in their faces, by smiling and hailing cheery hello's

 

 

 

Jon, I love it! Our man who does for us - Chivers, always pushes common oikes and bounders away from our NB, by means of the barge Pole, and a super sharpened boat hook. When he is off duty, he is to be found in the butlers cellar ensuring that the bubbly is stored at the correct temperature!

 

Still chuckling!

 

Rob

So - you have a Barge Pole. Ours is basically a plumber but I suppose we could train him up.

Phil

[dor]

I think extra points for blokes with ponytails, too.

 

Not sure about that. After all, we all know what you will find under a pony's tail.

Edited May 13, 2008 by dor

[Heth]

Hi guys,

 

Accidentally came across this thread & thought I'd add my own thoughts, I agree about the "snobbery" aspect, but I think a better definition would be to describe it as a very definate "click" & maybe "elite" (in their eyes) community. The rest of us are looked down upon, and recently one blog was griping on about some fee or other being increased for continuous cruisers. & they were also asking why widebeamers aren't charged on a pro rata basis, ie sq foot. As the owner of a widebeamer - based in a beautiful marina, it's easy to take offence at that type of comment (on behalf of continuous widebeam cruisers) & seeing as narrow boats come in different lengths, would it then be fair to charge a 40ft boat the same as a 60ft boat? (No pro rata intentions mentioned about that). Don't think they'd even thought about that one, then there's also the fact that a widebeamer can only access 60% of Britains waterways - so would they be entitled to a 40% discount? Don't think they'd pondered that one either with all their rantings, I sent an email pointing out all these conveniently forgotten issues - needless to say I never got a reply. After reading many narrowboat blogs thru RSS feeds for quite some time now I've noticed that this "click" amongst the continuous travellers can actually turn other boaters away from them, as it has done me, there is an air of superiority amongst them that seriously puts the rest of jolly folks off them, they've created a little community of their own - so leave them to it, meanwhile we part-time boaters go out & enjoy ourselves WITHOUT the constant moaning!!

[denboy]

Denis,

Does it make you feel superior to make postings in a dead language?

I find what you uttered to be mean, insulting and downright nasty!

Don't forget that on the webby, all words can be freely translated!

dint know Gaelic was a dead language and it was not intended to be nasty or insulting others have translated it as it was intended to be read

[heather2002]

dint know Gaelic was a dead language and it was not intended to be nasty or insulting others have translated it as it was intended to be read

 

--td 1 [a] the voc. particle; precedes a noun in the voc. case ...+ean, or -nean, blockhead, fool [bus] nm. g.v. buis; pl. buis, mouth of an animal; (in a ludicrous sense) mouth of a man [bùth] nm. g. ...

www.smo.uhi.ac.uk/gaidhlig/faclair/bb/bb.txt - 273k

[tullemor1]

Boy are you guys down on yourself.

 

As someone who has rented boats three times (and therefore should be very far down on the social ladder on the canals according to the topic starter), we have never experienced anything of the sort. The fist time I actually was aware that something like this existed was when we delivered the boat now after Easter. We were asked if we were bullied by the people who lived along the canals. To which we answered a load NO.

 

We meet only nice people, whether they walk along the canals or come in huge, new and shiny boats. If we have problems, we normally ask somebody who lives along the canals and they give us good advice all the time, and never in a condescending way. Last was when we were unsuccessfully trying to get into the Napton marina in strong gales, if it haden't been for a nice couple in a new boat who helped us, we woulden't have made it. And we woulden't have made it from Braunston to Napton in that wind either, if it haden't been for another boat (along to canal) who screamed to us to speed up to get control over the boat.

 

And, as I have said in another post in this forum, the first boat out of Napton we met, called over to us by name (obviously someone from this forum, and thank you for that).

 

I took personal offence (as a seasoned tourist of England) when I read in a Norwegian newspaper that they have given out a guide where they describe the English as fat, beer drinking and celebrity hungry. I wrote to the publishing company an assidic letter, thinking that they must be Americans to write something as awful as that about you, but found to my amazement that it was done by yourself. It's a guide made by the English for tourists!!!! What is it with you people?

 

And as for being at the bottom of the ladder as boat renters. May be you should check out what we are paying per week before you put us there. In comparison to other types of holidays it is actually a bit expensive and something most tourist have to save up for, and I would not save up for a holiday like that unless I found it very interesting (we could have had five holidays in Turkey for the same price as we paid now). Once we took the kids out of scool for two weeks to go canalboating, and in return they had to read a lot about the canals and write a report about it afterwards. I think I can safely say that our children knows more about canals, locks and boating than most English children.

 

Also this is a type of holiday that is very attractive to people who are used to the ocean and find the canals so much more relaxing. In comparison to sitting with one finger on the map and your eyes at the sails while swinging up and down for like five hours (before you reach a piece of land where there might be a place that might sell beer) is VERY tiresome and requires a lot more skills that steering a canalboat, which, as I am sure you know, can be taught to an old lady within half an hour (which is done every Friday in marinas all over the UK). You can not teach even a seasoned canal boater how to sail a 10 foot sailboat in a week. Well, may be, but then he would need another week to learn how to navigate, which is a skill you don't need much of on the canals. We have a framed canal boat map in our hall way to the great amusement of all the sailors we know - it contains, locks, bridges and pubs!

 

But, as I started out. We have never experienced anything of the sort - except for when we have done really stupid things and need to be told anyway.

[StoneHenge]

I hope you managed to find someone to help out with the little 'request' tullemor

[tomsk]

Hi guys,

 

Accidentally came across this thread & thought I'd add my own thoughts, I agree about the "snobbery" aspect, but I think a better definition would be to describe it as a very definate "click" & maybe "elite" (in their eyes) community. The rest of us are looked down upon, and recently one blog was griping on about some fee or other being increased for continuous cruisers. & they were also asking why widebeamers aren't charged on a pro rata basis, ie sq foot. As the owner of a widebeamer - based in a beautiful marina, it's easy to take offence at that type of comment (on behalf of continuous widebeam cruisers) & seeing as narrow boats come in different lengths, would it then be fair to charge a 40ft boat the same as a 60ft boat? (No pro rata intentions mentioned about that). Don't think they'd even thought about that one, then there's also the fact that a widebeamer can only access 60% of Britains waterways - so would they be entitled to a 40% discount? Don't think they'd pondered that one either with all their rantings, I sent an email pointing out all these conveniently forgotten issues - needless to say I never got a reply. After reading many narrowboat blogs thru RSS feeds for quite some time now I've noticed that this "click" amongst the continuous travellers can actually turn other boaters away from them, as it has done me, there is an air of superiority amongst them that seriously puts the rest of jolly folks off them, they've created a little community of their own - so leave them to it, meanwhile we part-time boaters go out & enjoy ourselves WITHOUT the constant moaning!!

 

The term is 'Clique', not to be confused with 'Claque' which has revolutionary connatations.

[heather2002]

Please don't mention widebeams Tomsk. Gordon Brown will find a way to tax anyone over size zero for having a wide beam and taking up more space on the planet. Since I am way larger than size zero, I'd thank you for not giving him any more ideas for funding M.P's expenses;)

[Machpoint005]

Gordon Brown will find a way to tax anyone over size zero for having a wide beam and taking up more space on the planet. Since I am way larger than size zero, I'd thank you for not giving him any more ideas for funding M.P's expenses;)

He's no longer Chancellor. But if you think Eton man and his chums are any different, you've a surprise coming.