Strangers In The Night

[Doorman]

A narrow boat passed us in Audlem last night at 11.10pm with no lights on at all. During the six years of living on the canals we've never seen this before, has anyone else?

Edited August 2, 2012 by Doorman

[timetraveller]

Yep, last year at cropredy a narrowboat locked through about 11:30 pm with tunnel light blazing and the crew shouting loudly at each other.

[koukouvagia]

A narrow boat passed us in Audlem last night at 11.10pm with no lights on at all. During the six years of living on the canals we've never seen this before, has anyone else?

Yep. Done it myself. If there's a full moon, as there was last night, it's perfectly safe to do so.

[mattlad]

Yep. Done it myself. If there's a full moon, as there was last night, it's perfectly safe to do so.

 

Did you grow hair in funny places and start howling?

[carlt]

I did it all the time.

 

Best time to go boating.

[Ange]

A narrow boat passed us in Audlem last night at 11.10pm with no lights on at all. During the six years of living on the canals we've never seen this before, has anyone else?

 

I heard them too! Though I have to say they cruised past very slowly and quietly.

 

I'd love to do some night cruising at some point but don't think I'd fancy doing a flight of locks like Audlem in the dark - too much scope for things to go horribly wrong!

[Athy]

Yep, last year at cropredy a narrowboat locked through about 11:30 pm with tunnel light blazing and the crew shouting loudly at each other.

If that was just before the festival, I saw it too. It was a trading boat taking up its sales position for the weekend.

[Doorman]

Apologies for not responding to the replies sooner, but we've both had a hectic time since I posted the initial question.

 

I suppose this kind of cruising was commonplace during the Fly Boat era where 24 hour transport was the norm and yes on the night in question, there was a lovely full moon illuminating the canal. As Ange mentioned in her post though, negotiating the locks even on a moonlit night could be dangerous (specially with the volunteers being half-asleep).

 

I remember chatting to Maureen Shaw at her Lock keeper's cottage in Middlewich some years ago, whereby she frowned upon the idea of night time lock usage, probably due to some of the entertaining events she'd witnessed during daylight hours!

 

Carl's comment on this activity doesn't surprise me at all and hopefully at some point in the future, he'll get around to documenting his waterway experiences.

[Stephen Sugg]

Yep, last year at cropredy a narrowboat locked through about 11:30 pm with tunnel light blazing and the crew shouting loudly at each other.

I was canoeing on the Oxford last year and was camping at a lock between Cropredy and Banbury, an Oxfordshire Narrowboat came through the lock and some stupid time in the morning (about 2.30am from memory)they were having a good old shout at each other, one line I can't forget was "SUCK IT IN BOYS!" as they opened the lock gates.. They had been to the Brasenose for the evening and were quite happy! They thought that the tunnel light was a headlight. They moored up below the lock.

[Guest]

We've been passed by a boat during hours of darkness - one memorable occasion was on the T&M when moored near Burton-on-Trent when one went through at warp speed at around 2am with a party clearly well in progress.

 

Also I'm not certain but I've been told that some of the commercial boats up here run during the hours of darkness sometimes.

[nb Innisfree]

Having seen a few doing it I always fancied creeping along silently and unseen with no lights showing, maybe with night vision googles, clandestine and all that but the missus didn't fancy it?

[BruceinSanity]

And there's me setting off from the towpath above B18, Wheaton Aston at half seven this morning, and copping a foul mouthed rant from the guy who lives in the trailer on the offside and organises those moorings. He told me I wasn't allowed to run my engine before eight, and when I pointed out that I was setting off to boat, offered to come down to the lock and "sort me out".

 

I wouldn't mind, but I'd postponed starting up until I'd let go the stern spring and the bow line, so was feeling quite virtuous.

 

Heigh ho, nothing to be done about it, but it leaves a bad taste and a pounding heart for a bit afterwards.

 

Had the last laugh mind; as we came out of the lock, Tench and Greyhound showed up, going up…

[Dr Bradley]

I often travel after dark, particularily out of summer season as I sometimes like to travel a long way in a day and am useless at early starts. This can include locks, and yes it probably is more dangerous but up to now the worst problem I've fouind is that I can't see the dog shit. The tunnel light is not always used as once eyes are acclimatised it is easier to see without it. It's quite amusing to see all the curtain twitchers once passing after dusk.

[Ray T]

We were moored on the tow path near Whilton a couple of years ago and several boats came past on "The jam 'ole run" from 10:00 o'clock pm onwards. A grand site it was too.

[luctor et emergo]

Perhaps my background is different, but as with trucks, I don't see why movement should stop at a certain time, just because somebody else thinks so. Darkness is irrelevant, in winter it is dark at 18.00 , but in summer nobody would bat an eyelid if a boat passes at say 20.00 or even 22.00 hours. I regularly get back to the boat at around 05.00 in the morning, and whilst I usually go to bed first, I sometimes get moving instead. Nothing like moving the boat early in the morning, or late at night...

[Guest]

hi this has helped to answer a question i was intending to place on here, ie can you travel at night. Another question connected, Do you or shuld you put mooring lights on at night when stopped? at sea it is a requirement to have an anchor light.Also is there any regulation books/info concerning the canal system?

many thanks

[FadeToScarlet]

I love cruising so late it's early. I recently set off at 3.30am, just to see the sun rise, and to escape the noise of a party opposite that I'd been to and got tired of.

 

When we were first CCing on the local river's 48 hour moorings, I didn't move the boat in daylight for a couple of months.

[Ange]

We were moored on the tow path near Whilton a couple of years ago and several boats came past on "The jam 'ole run" from 10:00 o'clock pm onwards. A grand site it was too.

 

That happened to us in 2008 when we first bought the boat and were moving her down south. I wondered why all these boats were going past us well into the night until I read the forum when we got home.

 

Like you say - a grand sight.

[blackrose]

Nobody who says they like night cruising has mentioned whether they use navigation lights or not. On the Thames it's mandatory but on a dark night I think I'd use them even on the canals, just in case someone else is moving about without any lighting as described in the OP. At least one of us would be visible from more than a few metres away.

Edited August 5, 2012 by blackrose

[PeterScott]

Yes once nightsight (or maybe moonsight) is worked out, it's magical to be going at night. Extract from thoughts here

 

We had started at twenty past five on Saturday morning from an hour-south of Great Haywood - 62miles 22locks and 24hours away - and the journey was not helped by two hours down the weedhatch with some unpleasant wirystuff, just past Sutton Stop. Best entertainment was in the small hours just south of Rugby; a Clubline hireboat crew was just completing the transfer of amber fluids from Keg to Cut, and with the mild weather hadn't felt the need for clothes for the process: the four lads were in various stages of doziness, and we passed the time-of-day, as you do. Elaine waved from the front of the boat, and by the time I arrived they had thought of some questions: were we insured? (yes) and was it legal (yes). Smiled and went on our way wondering if we could ask them similar questions about legality of naked men ... into the wind in the middle of Rugby.

[RLWP]

Nobody who says they like night cruising has mentioned whether they use navigation lights or not. On the Thames it's mandatory but on a dark night I think I'd use them even on the canals, just in case someone else is moving about without any lighting as described in the OP. At least one of us would be visible from more than a few metres away.

 

Don't know about those little red and green navigation lights, we have our tunnel light on. You won't fail to see us

 

Richard

[carlt]

Nobody who says they like night cruising has mentioned whether they use navigation lights or not.

It depends on the state of the moon and cloud cover.

 

I don't use a tunnel light though, I have a very nice reversing light off a classic car which lights the way without spoiling the mood.

[blackrose]

Don't know about those little red and green navigation lights, we have our tunnel light on. You won't fail to see us

 

Richard

 

The only trouble with using a tunnel light is that it ruins your night vision - and everyone else's!

 

Those little red and green navigation lights are actually much more effective in terms of being able identify the position of an approaching boat.

Edited August 5, 2012 by blackrose

[Dr Bradley]

On the few occasions I've passed another boat moving after dark, I have always heard it before seeing it's lights. Particularily when I nearly got myself under the bows of a gravel barge on he Trent. If I hadn't taken avoiding action on hearing it, I may well have become a casulity long before I saw his lights.

[blackrose]

On the few occasions I've passed another boat moving after dark, I have always heard it before seeing it's lights. Particularily when I nearly got myself under the bows of a gravel barge on he Trent. If I hadn't taken avoiding action on hearing it, I may well have become a casulity long before I saw his lights.

 

So you wouldn't recommend night cruising for the hard of hearing then?