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Inconsiderate boaters


Flyboy

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My advice is that some people need to chill more - and that advice comes from someone who in other walks of life is often not that good at chilling!

 

Enjoy yourselves out there - otherwise what's the point!

 

Excellent advice!

 

Unfortunately, I'm still in the apprenticeship of my 'chilling out' phase of life and hope to qualify sooner than later, otherwise the high blood pressure will get the better of me. We came onto the water in order to chill out and escape the mayhem of modern day life, sadly some of it has followed us along (especially over holiday periods) :help: .

 

Mike

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Spent some time working quietly in dry dock over the past fortnight. I'm sure none of the CWDF members would do such things but for the record:

 

Guiltily dropping the engine revs when you realise that yes, there is someone on the boats, is a dead giveaway and staring straight ahead avoiding eye contact doesn't make you invisible.

 

Speeding up just before the moorings so you can 'slow down' to the speed you were doing before doesn't fool anyone. Sound travels a long way across water.

 

The requirement to slow down doesn't go away even if it's raining really really hard.

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In some parts of the country 'me dear' is just a term of a bit like 'love', 'mate','fellah' in other parts.

 

'you'll be al-right now me dear'

You would have needed to be there!

 

Trust us, this was patronising use of "me dear", but Cath had more sense than to respond.

 

The whole topic of when to speak out, and when not to, is a hard one.

 

Take having locks turned on you, as a very good example.....

 

Yes, if people do it, and are not "complained to", you can of course take the view that the bullies win, and will do it again.

 

On the other hand, saying nowt, but being there, waiting for the not even yet "reversed" lock, long before their boat is even it, can make people remarkably sheepish, even if no words are said on the topic.

 

Generally I think those who have got it wrong know they have. If they are going to learn from that, they are probably nearly as likely to do so, whether you "have words" or not. If they are the type that will do it anyway, getting into the "debate" potentially just spoils your own day, and probably changes nothing about the other people's future behaviour.

  • Greenie 1
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You would have needed to be there!

 

Trust us, this was patronising use of "me dear", but Cath had more sense than to respond.

 

Alan

 

I did guess it may have been one of those situations. ;)

 

Edit : to remove an excessive 'ell

Edited by bottle
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Hi

 

What is it about the Bosley flight ?

 

I have had to wait for a hire boater to work his way out of a lock because he had cilled it and displaced the rudder.

I had to wait for a lad, who had decided he wanted some exercise and was pulling his boat through the locks.

Last week I was waiting in my lock for a boat to come down the one in front. Two guys were stood each side of the boat - on the phone!!

Eventually I sent my wife up to 'help' . It transpired that one chap was the phone to police because the other guy had nicked his portable engine starter.

He had chased him down 6 locks to retrieve it. Eventualy he cancelled the police but gave the thief a 'good telling off'

My wife helped the guy through the lock and because the engine still wouldn't run, she then had to pull him out of it !!!

I'm going to avoid the Macc in future.

 

Alex

 

But if you avoid the Macc, you won't get to meet me again.

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Iwas nearly guilty of turning a lock on a guy this week - were we are is so darn quiet I'd stopped checking for boats coming 'tother way tbh.

 

He just called out to let me know He was there no upset no trouble.

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In the days of running catered cruises from Mytchett on the Basingstoke, once we approached Ash lock in Merlin, 72ft narrow restaurant boat, from below the bottom gates. My all female crew were extremely efficient both on the boat and working through the lock. We had a good well tried routine.

 

I landed three of the girls, windlasses in hand, then began to enter the lock. (Ash lock was always kept empty with the bottom gates open in those days.)

 

Unbelievably, as I was almost upon them the gates were slammed shut and the lock began to fill!

 

There wasn't room to moor Merlin below the lock, but I handed over the helm to another crew member and jumped ashore. (This was in the days when I could still jump). As I climbed the lock steps under the road bridge I was met by one of the girls, who told me that a hirer from Galleon Marine at Odiham had told my crew that he had right of way because he had got to the lock first. When the girls tried to explain to him that he was about to waste a lockful of water, which is always precious on the Basingstoke, he told them that they didn't know what they were doing. They were just girls.

 

As the empty lock filled, I approached this little runt of a mustached man, who was wearing a pseudo-sailors black peaked cap. A little hitler if ever I saw one, the way he was sitting on a bollard bossing his family about.

 

I began to explain to him the etiquette of looking beyond the lock to see if a boat was approaching before resetting it. He informed me, an MCA qualified boatmaster, then, that I was talking out of my arse. (I do sometimes, but not on this occasion.)

 

At that point I lost my temper out of sheer frustration, and tipped off his cap, stating that he was totally unqualified to wear it.

 

I turned and walked away.... and was given a shouted warning by a couple of my girls. The hirer was approaching me from behind, wielding his windlass, about to clout me with it. I turned and knocked it out of his hand.

 

I told my crew to leave him to it, and we retired to Merlin. Eventually his boat emerged and we could pass through the lock. Instead of carry on his way, he moored below the lock. Next thing I know the police have turned up. He has accused me of assaulting him and causing ABH.

 

Luckily my girls saw what had really happened, and the police didn't take any action.

 

A week later, I was given a letter from him sent to the BCA, demanding that I write to him and apologise. I did write to him. I said that now I had his address (in Woking) I would be only too pleased to come to his house and discuss the matter more fully.

 

I never heard another word about it.

 

It takes all sorts. Usually I am very patient with all boaters, but this one was nothing more than a prat.

 

Tone

Edited by canaldrifter
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One further correction, then. Apparently the patronising "gent" at Brentford addressed my wife as "Me Dear", rather than "Dearie" - sorry to have not been 100% spot on the first time around, but either way she chose not to rise to it!

 

Hi Alan,

 

Pleased you had a good trip.

 

Difficult to know how to address people you meet but do not know by name and attitudes have changed since I stopped work 9 years ago, I call women 'my Dear' when talking to them and men get called 'Guv' or 'Govenor' - never had a problem. What is acceptable now? 'Sir' or 'Maam'.

 

It's as bad as trying to reply to a letter where the correspondent signs it off with just their christian name - do you reply to Miss, Ms or Mrs?.

 

Mike.

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If they sign off with a first name only, you address the letter to their first name only - tacit permission has been given. How many people actually care if their title is incorrect?

 

Addressing people as human beings generally works. How often do you need to use a specific form of address to a complete stranger anyway? They'll generally know that you're addressing them and not the invisible person behind them. To use a patronising "love" for a woman and "guvnor" for a man seems a bit unnecessary, no?

Edited by ymu
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Last September, in the rain, coming down the one flight of locks on the Macc, we crossed a boat coming up. Both parties left their respective gates open - great.

 

Get in the lock, close the top gate, open the bottom paddles. The boat is about a third of the way down when a guy in a hat appears from under the bridge and launches into a tirade about how we've "shut the doors in his face". It takes us a while to cotton on, and we eventually manage to persuade him that there's a boat ahead of his and it was them he saw closing the gates (and it must have been a good 10 minutes before) to work their boat up. I think he was pissed off because it was raining.

 

By this stage the lock is empty so we open the gates and head under the bridge. It transpires that Mr. Grumpy's missus is only just leaving the following lock, which is about 400 yrds away, so nowhere near 'our' lock in fact. She ignores me as I walk past but tries to have a go at my mate Dan, who is following behind. Dan tells her to get her bloody facts straight, at which point she accuses him of having "anger management issues"!!!

 

You just can't win with some people.

 

We have had similar and in one case knew the crew lady who had only been boating (and then rarely) for two years. At that time they were on their 2nd boat as in 'buy boat with rievts - keep for two years then replace with boat ordered (up to) two years back. They are on their four manifestation now and out on a rare trip moored by a very noisey road rather than go 200 yards to a quiet spot we noticed.

 

Anyway by two years they had the individual boat pottery and the windless holders and knew enough to tell others of their faults. So the wife arrives at a half empty lock and, checking no boats are working it starts to fill it - at which point boat appears racing round bend and up pound. As it fills boat still races on and arrives as wife opens top gates for me to drive in. As she does this I observe a woman dashing up and waving violetly at her from the bottom end. This waving continues as wife completes gate opening and winding down paddles - she than goes to check the woman to see if they are in trouble.

The woman launches into a lecture on the evils of boaters who wind against other boaters whose boats are approaching locks. (that bend being 300 yards below the lock!) Wife says not a word as this goes on before informing the woman retreating back that their boat was not in sight and that the lock was half full as the woman leaves in huff. We work lock, we open gates we leave then she marches up nose in air - her husband says 'Hello' so he obviously recognises us and is not in on our evil deeds.

 

We still wait for an apology.

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LOL

 

I didn't think it necessary to be precise to make the point I was, but didn't mention 15 days, I think!

 

Anyway, now back at home, and missing it, already!

 

One further correction, then. Apparently the patronising "gent" at Brentford addressed my wife as "Me Dear", rather than "Dearie" - sorry to have not been 100% spot on the first time around, but either way she chose not to rise to it!

 

Sounds like it might have been David Cameron or one of his patronising mates.( PMQ today)

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We have had similar and in one case knew the crew lady who had only been boating (and then rarely) for two years. At that time they were on their 2nd boat as in 'buy boat with rievts - keep for two years then replace with boat ordered (up to) two years back. They are on their four manifestation now and out on a rare trip moored by a very noisey road rather than go 200 yards to a quiet spot we noticed.

 

Anyway by two years they had the individual boat pottery and the windless holders and knew enough to tell others of their faults. So the wife arrives at a half empty lock and, checking no boats are working it starts to fill it - at which point boat appears racing round bend and up pound. As it fills boat still races on and arrives as wife opens top gates for me to drive in. As she does this I observe a woman dashing up and waving violetly at her from the bottom end. This waving continues as wife completes gate opening and winding down paddles - she than goes to check the woman to see if they are in trouble.

The woman launches into a lecture on the evils of boaters who wind against other boaters whose boats are approaching locks. (that bend being 300 yards below the lock!) Wife says not a word as this goes on before informing the woman retreating back that their boat was not in sight and that the lock was half full as the woman leaves in huff. We work lock, we open gates we leave then she marches up nose in air - her husband says 'Hello' so he obviously recognises us and is not in on our evil deeds.

 

We still wait for an apology.

 

We had an almost identical scenario last year on the Staffs & Worcs.

I was working the lock and my wife was driving the boat (I do let her sometimes.....lol).

The lady?? concermed accused me of stealing the lock and went into a tirade of inconsiderate boaters.

As I passed her boat which was being held in by her hubby and the centre rope, I asked if his wife was at that time of month?.....lol

My wife brought our boat past his and she wished him a very cheery "Good afternoon" and as we looked round we saw his wife closing the lock gate even before their boat had gone into it. Her hubby was shouting, shaking his head and generally being VERY frustrated.....lol.

This has kept us amused during the winter.

Unfortunately, we never noted the name of their boat in case we ever met them again.

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Another from our fund of strange boaters.

 

Rounding Fradley Junction with the wife already at the next lock up I came up the pound and hung over to one side for (as usual) there was nowhere to moor expect that stupid landing stage and anyway the water was leaving the lock.

 

Meanwhile the wife had arrived at the lock and was chatting to a lady I assumed was off the boat. They opened the gates and I awaited the (hire) boats exit but the steerer did not start coming out.

My wife, a bit puzzled about the lack of movement called down asking if something was wrong. The steerer (on his 5th day of hire and many locks from base) informed her that there was a boat in his way.

The wife, realising he meant me - still 60 yards from the lock said that was the one waiting to come in and that there was plenty of room to pass.

At this point chummy played the 'I'm a man and you're a woman and I know and you don't' card and informed her that until that boat moored up he was staying put.

The wife suggested with increasing volume that he get out the way while I waved furiously for him to move. (My wife does not swear but can wave her arms in a frightening manner and carries a very large northern windlass that I find difficult to lift. (As I do her handbag!)) Finally chummy deigned to move off very slowly, having no problem passing me - still hanging in mid stream.

 

At this point the wife was surprised to find the lady she had thought was the man's crew was still by the lock but standing well back from when last noticed. So, assuming (correctly) the lady was from the boat now waiting above, the wife wandered over to continue their chat.

She had hardley uttered two words before the woman silenced her with a tirade about her (the wifes) canal rage and how she (the woman) did not talk to people like her (the wife)as raised voices (except hers?) gave her a headache. She then flounced off to chat to her husband then returned and stood glaring while the wife worked me through the lock.

 

I must admit to being a little puzzled at this woman clutching a windlass standing glaring as I came up in the lock but the wife said not a word as she knew that if she told me the tale there and then that I might be very rude to the lady.

 

As it was I passed her boat and hailed the husband to be met with a stony silence which was surprising as I recognised the boat as being from the local marina near B55 having met them with their being in more friendly mood before.

 

:wacko:

Edited by Tiny
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