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Canal boating dangerous?!

bammj

By bammj
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bammj Gongoozler

bammj

Posted
Posted

Hi there,

 

I'm a third year journalism student at Bournemouth University and I'm currently working on a radio project about the dangers of canal boating. I live near Warwick and just minutes away from Calcutt Marina near Napton and the Grand Union Canal. I also go boating on our narrowboat regularly and have, first-hand, witnessed the dangers of canal boating (a woman recently caught her leg in the prop of her boat when she fell off in a lock outside Ventnor farm marina).

 

My package will look at holidaying and living on narrow boats, the dangers behind this, whether hire companies give adequate training to those new to boating and whether there should be stricter rules and regs on the water.

 

I'm looking to talk to someone who is a narrow boating enthusiast, lives on the canal, has had a bad experience when boating (hired or your own boat) or someone who has some good opinions on whether canal boating is actually dangerous.

 

Do you think hire companies do enough to train beginners? Do enough people respect the water? Why do you think these accidents happen? What is life like living on the water? What was it like hiring a boat?

 

If you meet any of that criteria or just have one or two sentences to say about this, please reply to this thread or get in touch by emailing g9070354@bournemouth.ac.uk

 

In the last 3 or 4 months there has been one fatality and two major injuries in the Warwickshire area alone.

 

Many thanks,

 

Matt Chappell

BAMMJ 3

Bournemouth University

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MoominPapa Veteran II

MoominPapa

Posted
Posted
In the last 3 or 4 months there has been one fatality and two major injuries in the Warwickshire area alone.

Not to mention the journalism student tarred and feathered by the inhabitants of an online boating forum for posting the same thing four times!

 

 

MP.

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Guest User Rising Star

Guest User

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Posted

Its difficult to get an balanced perspective on this sort of emotive subject, especially when there are real personal tragedies involved.

 

Apologies if you're already doing so but might I suggest that as well as soliciting anecodotal tales, you source some official stats on accidents and their causes on inland waterways too (Marine Accident Investigation Board ? HSE ? ... I'm not particularly familiar with this area and hopefully someone else will be able to post more soon).

 

There's quite an onus on operators to give good instruction these days, and from what I've seen they mostly do, but as was pointed out recently, when things do occasionally go pear-shaped there's quite a tendency to claim that no instruction was given .... its a tricky one for sure.

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David Schweizer Veteran II

David Schweizer

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Posted (edited)

Whilst I appreciate your need to produce an article with some appeal, are you not trying to identify a problem which does not really exist ? Unless you are going to compare your findings with the number of accidents which cause serious injury or death at home, on the road, at work, or indeed any other recreational activity, the findings will be academically irrelevant. There are injuries and deaths in all walks of life, but from my 40 plus years of boating experience, I consider boating to be one of the safer outdoor recreations.

 

Sorry to sound so negative, but there are already too many journalists out there looking for stories of danger in recreational activities, and one more will merely reinforce the doom and gloom brigade. Why not look for an article something like the positive aspects of a boating holiday for children. Oh but that probably won't sell any newspapers will it?

Edited by David Schweizer
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Chris-B Experienced

Chris-B

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Posted
The statistics would seem to indicate that it's about as dangerous as playing with a Barbie doll or a toy farm set. Both of which have managed to kill people, but not very often.

 

 

Well if you don't give Phylis back her Barbie doll you will find out how dangerous it is

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Bones Veteran

Bones

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the dry hard stuff called land has caused me more injuries. I think the land isnt wet enough water seems very safe and floating on it in a boat is more preferable than sitting in it, deck chair or not.

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Athy Veteran II

AthyDonate to Canal World

Posted
Posted

Two things spring to mind straight away:

1) If you wanted to introduce canals today you would never get them past Health & Safety: dangerous lock mechanisms, risk of falling up to 12 feet into empty locks, unlit tunnels, "trip hazards" (to do with bollards and mooring pins, not drug use).

2) Boat = steel. Locks and bridges = stone/ brick. Boater = flesh, blood, bone. If the three ever form a sandwich, the last-named is liable to come out of it very badly.

Yet, despite the unfortunate cases to which you allude, there are very few serious accidents amongst the many thousands of people who use the canals.

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sueb Veteran II

sueb

Posted
Posted (edited)
Hi there,

 

I'm a third year journalism student at Bournemouth University and I'm currently working on a radio project about the dangers of canal boating. I live near Warwick and just minutes away from Calcutt Marina near Napton and the Grand Union Canal. I also go boating on our narrowboat regularly and have, first-hand, witnessed the dangers of canal boating (a woman recently caught her leg in the prop of her boat when she fell off in a lock outside Ventnor farm marina).

 

My package will look at holidaying and living on narrow boats, the dangers behind this, whether hire companies give adequate training to those new to boating and whether there should be stricter rules and regs on the water.

 

I'm looking to talk to someone who is a narrow boating enthusiast, lives on the canal, has had a bad experience when boating (hired or your own boat) or someone who has some good opinions on whether canal boating is actually dangerous.

 

Do you think hire companies do enough to train beginners? Do enough people respect the water? Why do you think these accidents happen? What is life like living on the water? What was it like hiring a boat?

 

If you meet any of that criteria or just have one or two sentences to say about this, please reply to this thread or get in touch by emailing g9070354@bournemouth.ac.uk

 

In the last 3 or 4 months there has been one fatality and two major injuries in the Warwickshire area alone.

 

Many thanks,

 

Matt Chappell

BAMMJ 3

Bournemouth University

Are you going to compare this with living in any other fashion or is it just going to be biased?

Sue

Sorry David beat me to it.

Edited by sueb
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bammj Gongoozler

bammj

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Whilst I appreciate your need to produce an article with some appeal, are you not trying to identify a problem which does not really exist ? Unless you are going to compare your findings with the number of accidents which cause serious injury or death at home, on the road, at work, or indeed any other recreational activity, the findings will be academically irrelevant. There are injuries and deaths in all walks of life, but from my 40 plus years of boating experience, I consider boating to be one of the safer outdoor recreations.

 

Sorry to sound so negative, but there are already too many journalists out there looking for stories of danger in recreational activities, and one more will merely reinforce the doom and gloom brigade. Why not look for an article something like the positive aspects of a boating holiday for children. Oh but that probably won't sell any newspapers will it?

 

 

Hey, you'd think that wouldn't you? Actually there's nothing around on the negatives of canal boating. I'm not doing this to sell newspapers - as my post says - its a project for a university marked assignment. I want something that will get me the best marks not the most money. So, yes, i have plenty of positives in my package already but i do need to balance it out. After all, thats what journos should be doing...creating objective news articles that are fair and balanced. I'm not just some student making up a load of rubbish to get through uni - it actually shocked me how there were 3 accidents in just 4 months. I'm no expert, but i do know that when i go boating and even when i started, i never thought it could be that hazardous. Take a look at motorcycle accident road signs - "3 collisions in one year" is what one reads on the way to banbury...this still too scarce for awareness? Thanks for the info, will take it on board. Matt.

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