Children on top of narrowboats

[Rebsy]

I saw a narrowboat today travelling very fast (no this is not another thread about the speed of narrowboats.) on top of the boat were three children, guessing under 10 running up and down the boat jumping up with sticks and hitting the overhead trees. Not very safe I thought, however, as the boat went past I remembered that there was a low bridge ahead and ran outside to warn the parents, however, I was too slow and I saw the children still running on the roof away from the bridge and at the last minute dive down and lie on the boat..I nearly had a heart attack.

 

I am wondering why don't people think about safety? I was tempted to contact the hire company as perhaps they need to discuss safety in more detail to their customers or were the family just lacking any form of common sense?

[twbm]

Always used to be very relaxed about this until we went under the bridge into the basin at Stratford with my lad lying on the roof. The entrance to the bridge was high enough but it slopes to what was about 6" clearance as I recall. Got him off the roof after thanking my lucky stars for a slightly over-powered boat with good brakes. That was around 1996 and I still find myself thinking about the possible consequences of jamming the boat under the bridge with him trapped.

[gaggle]

I saw a narrowboat today travelling very fast (no this is not another thread about the speed of narrowboats.) on top of the boat were three children, guessing under 10 running up and down the boat jumping up with sticks and hitting the overhead trees. Not very safe I thought, however, as the boat went past I remembered that there was a low bridge ahead and ran outside to warn the parents, however, I was too slow and I saw the children still running on the roof away from the bridge and at the last minute dive down and lie on the boat..I nearly had a heart attack.

 

I am wondering why don't people think about safety? I was tempted to contact the hire company as perhaps they need to discuss safety in more detail to their customers or were the family just lacking any form of common sense?

 

 

ok , i will say sorry now for posting this ,scroll down

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

She was a very well behaved child .

[journeyperson]

ok , i will say sorry now for posting this ,scroll down

 

 

 

She was a very well behaved child .

 

Maybe she couldn't see the bridge for bricks. I notice he's pretending he hasn't seen it either!

 

Edited to ask if that is Leigh?

Edited August 17, 2010 by journeyperson

[matty40s]

of course it is a risk, and kids love the roof.

I went through a phase where we had to have breakfast on the roof for a while.

 

The kids sense of danger is never as keen as ours, one reason I will never drink whilst out on the cut.

 

My daughter regularly invites her friends, who are new to the waterworld, and sometimes dont realise.

 

There is one responsible person, and that is the person in charge of the boat. Which means you must be aware, shout warnings, and slow down when necessary.

 

However, that is not to say a dancing competition in time with the Gardner can't take place... so long as they know a bridge is coming...

[gaggle]

Yes it is leigh and that sign says something along the lines of

 

DANGER VERY LOW BRIDGE

 

 

No my mistake it says danger low headroom

 

Edited August 17, 2010 by gaggle

[linwil]

I am wondering why don't people think about safety? I was tempted to contact the hire company as perhaps they need to discuss safety in more detail to their customers or were the family just lacking any form of common sense?

 

I was waiting on the holding moorings at Anderton last Saturday when one of the lift attendants told me to moor with front and rear ropes not just a centre line. Apparantly they had a complaint from someone whos boat "tipped" when passed by another when just on a centre rope. The other boater and I just looked skyward and did as we were told.

It prompted a discussion though about Health and safety. The bones of it was where else would you be able to get hold of 20ish tons of steel with an engine and travel with no licence, training etc.

 

How long is it before this situation is changed?

 

Regards.

[Dr Bradley]

Children are too mollycoddled now. Unless they experience danger, and sometimes, but rarely, suffer from it, they do not grow into adults who can appreciate the difference between exitement and danger. If I had kids playing on the roof, they would understand the danger, and enjoy it without perhaps being able to limit it to acceptable levels, but they wouldn't get hurt because I too would understand the danger. If you want to appreciate this attitude, look up Colin Mortlock, one of the best adventure training instructors ever, and read some of his writngs, in particular, the Adventure Alternative. Give kids (and adults) the chance of exitement, and at least apparent danger if not actual.

[ditchcrawler]

I saw a narrowboat today travelling very fast (no this is not another thread about the speed of narrowboats.) on top of the boat were three children, guessing under 10 running up and down the boat jumping up with sticks and hitting the overhead trees. Not very safe I thought, however, as the boat went past I remembered that there was a low bridge ahead and ran outside to warn the parents, however, I was too slow and I saw the children still running on the roof away from the bridge and at the last minute dive down and lie on the boat..I nearly had a heart attack.

 

I am wondering why don't people think about safety? I was tempted to contact the hire company as perhaps they need to discuss safety in more detail to their customers or were the family just lacking any form of common sense?

Take a look at this video http://www.facebook.com/video/video.php?v=...7170&ref=mf

[DHutch]

ok , i will say sorry now ...

 

 

 

DANGER VERY LOW BRIDGE

 

 

Haha. Amazing photos.

 

It is indeed true that we do not operate a no-walking-on-the-roof policy aboard EmilyAnne.

 

Infact, being on the roof for bridges is verging on being our specialty, however although low for the L&L the leigh bridge isnt that low....

 

 

 

Daniel

[DHutch]

Take a look at this video http://www.facebook.com/video/video.php?v=...7170&ref=mf

Doesnt seem madly outrageous.

 

Prehaps not overly common these days, but if that was shot 30 years ago?

[MarkAdrian]

All things within reason I guess, but we came across this very recently. We counted 13 on the outside at one point as well as more inside that we couldn't count. Surely this is unsafe bearing in mind the Stourport/Severn incident some years back.

 

[Ange]

When we were hiring our son spent most of the time on the roof - hubby took great delight in steering into low hanging trees to knock him off balance! It's a not very deep ditch he may fall into for crying out loud! It's not like the bridges are going to knock their heads off at 2-4 mph!

 

Said son is a very healthy 22 year old now - his reflexes saved him any dunkings!

[Bones]

When we were hiring our son spent most of the time on the roof - hubby took great delight in steering into low hanging trees to knock him off balance! It's a not very deep ditch he may fall into for crying out loud! It's not like the bridges are going to knock their heads off at 2-4 mph!

 

Said son is a very healthy 22 year old now - his reflexes saved him any dunkings!

I am not so sure a bridge cant do damage to something composed of soft tissue and delicate bones at 2mph. We have some really low bridges where i am and my dog gets off the roof for them or ducks. Kids running around on the roof doesnt strike me as the most sensible thing for them to do whilst the boat is under motion, but then i may be over cautious.

[blackrose]

Something I saw a couple of times last week on the Thames shocked me a bit.

 

A very small plastic cruiser - possibly a hire boat - went past me quite fast with a girl of about 6 or 7 sitting right on the bow, legs astride the top of the bow stem with her feet dangling in the water. This boat had no rail and she was just holding onto the top of the bow stem. If she'd have fallen in she'd have been straight under the boat and into the prop. Her parents didn't seem to be aware of any danger.

 

The next day I saw another family doing the same thing.

 

Am I being a bit too Health & Safety conscious or are these people bleedin' idiots?

 

I am not so sure a bridge cant do damage to something composed of soft tissue and delicate bones at 2mph. We have some really low bridges where i am and my dog gets off the roof for them or ducks. Kids running around on the roof doesnt strike me as the most sensible thing for them to do whilst the boat is under motion, but then i may be over cautious.

 

Yes, it's generally the momentum of a 16 tonne boat at 2mph crushing the soft tissue and bones against the bridge that does the damage!

Edited August 18, 2010 by blackrose

[magpie patrick]

All things within reason I guess, but we came across this very recently. We counted 13 on the outside at one point as well as more inside that we couldn't count. Surely this is unsafe bearing in mind the Stourport/Severn incident some years back.

 

 

 

Not only unsafe but if there were more than 12 illegal and prosecutable even if no accident occurred

[seaandland]

You would not believe how many times i see this in a year, most are hire boats, but some not.

[mayalld]

When we were hiring our son spent most of the time on the roof - hubby took great delight in steering into low hanging trees to knock him off balance! It's a not very deep ditch he may fall into for crying out loud! It's not like the bridges are going to knock their heads off at 2-4 mph!

 

Actually Ange, I believe that you are being complacent.

 

Yes, a boat is only doing 2-4 mph, but it weighs a lot and it consequently has a great deal of momentum.

 

Whilst the initial effect of any impact would be to simply knock somebody over, there are many bridges with VERY little headroom, and if somebody is on the roof and doesn't get out of the way, then it isn't going to "knock" their head off, it is going to slowly wrench it off over several seconds as the steerer tries in vain to stop on a sixpence.

 

I witnessed a near disaster at the top of the cheshire locks three years ago. The tail bridge is very low, and a hire boat was just exiting the lock downhill. One of the older children started to climb up from the well deck to the roof, as the bow was just coming through the lower gates. Dad, on the tiller screamed a warning, and the kid dropped back down. Had she been a second later, she would, without a shadow of a doubt been decapitated.

[mark99]

Actually Ange, I believe that you are being complacent.

 

Yes, a boat is only doing 2-4 mph, but it weighs a lot and it consequently has a great deal of momentum.

 

Whilst the initial effect of any impact would be to simply knock somebody over, there are many bridges with VERY little headroom, and if somebody is on the roof and doesn't get out of the way, then it isn't going to "knock" their head off, it is going to slowly wrench it off over several seconds as the steerer tries in vain to stop on a sixpence.

 

I witnessed a near disaster at the top of the cheshire locks three years ago. The tail bridge is very low, and a hire boat was just exiting the lock downhill. One of the older children started to climb up from the well deck to the roof, as the bow was just coming through the lower gates. Dad, on the tiller screamed a warning, and the kid dropped back down. Had she been a second later, she would, without a shadow of a doubt been decapitated.

 

Happened on the Wey a few years back, bloke opened front doors stepped up, facing backwards towards the steerer just before going under a bridge. Decapitated.

 

Mark

[Teadaemon]

Not only unsafe but if there were more than 12 illegal and prosecutable even if no accident occurred

 

Exactly which laws are being broken if more than 12 people are aboard a privately-owned narrowboat?

Edited August 18, 2010 by Teadaemon

[sueb]

Exactly which laws are being broken if more than 12 people are aboard a privately-owned narrowboat?

Your insurance/ boatyards insurance and BW's

Sue

[bargeeboy]

I saw a narrowboat today travelling very fast (no this is not another thread about the speed of narrowboats.) on top of the boat were three children, guessing under 10 running up and down the boat jumping up with sticks and hitting the overhead trees. Not very safe I thought, however, as the boat went past I remembered that there was a low bridge ahead and ran outside to warn the parents, however, I was too slow and I saw the children still running on the roof away from the bridge and at the last minute dive down and lie on the boat..I nearly had a heart attack.

 

I am wondering why don't people think about safety? I was tempted to contact the hire company as perhaps they need to discuss safety in more detail to their customers or were the family just lacking any form of common sense?

 

A very healthy pursiut for children out in the fresh air using their wits !

 

The steerer can see perfectly well what is in front and I am sure was in control of the situation.

 

My kids spent the 80's doing this, as did many of the 20 to 40 year olds on the cut now, also did !

 

I am assuming that the steerer is both a competent steerer and compentent parent/guardian which of course goes without saying

[Teadaemon]

Your insurance/ boatyards insurance and BW's

Sue

 

1) Insurance terms and conditions will depend on who your insurer is, does yours make specific mention of a maximum number of people on board?

 

2) Why would a boatyard's insurance policy have anything to say about the number of people on board a boat that they do not insure?

 

3) Which BW byelaw says this, I don't recall ever seeing one?

[bargeeboy]

Your insurance/ boatyards insurance and BW's

Sue

 

Board of Trade

 

It is against the Law of the Land to have more that 12 'souls' on a water borne vessel that has not been certified as fit for the purpose. This applies equally to Inland Waters as to Coastal Waters.

 

Apparently it is okay to loose 12 'souls' but not 13 !

 

AND I could not believe it either when I was made aware of it in the 80's

[Idunhoe]

Something I saw a couple of times last week on the Thames shocked me a bit.

 

A very small plastic cruiser - possibly a hire boat - went past me quite fast with a girl of about 6 or 7 sitting right on the bow, legs astride the top of the bow stem with her feet dangling in the water. This boat had no rail and she was just holding onto the top of the bow stem. If she'd have fallen in she'd have been straight under the boat and into the prop. Her parents didn't seem to be aware of any danger.

 

The next day I saw another family doing the same thing.

 

Am I being a bit too Health & Safety conscious or are these people bleedin' idiots?

 

 

 

Yes, it's generally the momentum of a 16 tonne boat at 2mph crushing the soft tissue and bones against the bridge that does the damage!

People on the roof makes me nervous but at least they can been seen by the steerer who,aware of their position, is able to at least shout any necessary warning. Children or even on occasions adults sitting astride the bow of a narrowboat seriously scares me, the steerer almost certainly cannot be aware of what is going on and even a slight nudge of the bank or even worse another boat could so easilly lead to serious injury.