Rubber Boat in Blisworth tunnel

[nebulae]

I have a steel narrow boat and an avon dingy with an outboard motor.I can see that for tunnels with one way traffic,so long as you have a good light,it might be O.K. No way would I risk Blisworth with two way working. Some people do not have a very strong sense of self preservation!

[FadeToScarlet]

I think it was, it was called "legging"

It was banned in 1861 in Blisworth and Braunston tunnels after an incident with a steam boat and a legged boat, and steam tugs were used instead.

 

Legging was allowed in Crick tunnel, though.

 

The only boats allowed to be legged through were those carrying explosives, and they were only allowed in the middle of the night.

[Athy]

I think it was, it was called "legging"

Yes indeed. Obviously Alan was just pulling our, er......

[blackrose]

Having taken dinghies through tunnels often I don't see the problem.

 

Plenty of room to avoid oncoming boats and more than enough speed to stay ahead of anyone following.

 

There should be plenty of room provided the person on the steel narrowboat coming the other way knows what they're doing. Having once followed a novice on a narrowboat through a tunnel and watched him bouncing off the tunnel walls from one side to the other, I personally woudn't want to be sitting in a dinghy coming the other way. If two narrowboats glance off each other going slowly it's no big deal but if a narrowboat hits a dinghy in a tunnel at any speed it could be fatal.

 

Strangely enough the novice suddenly got much better at steering once he emerged back into the daylight. Being underground does odd things to one's perception where the tunnel walls seem to converge. It does take a bit of getting used to.

[Guest]

Thank God we never met any of these grossly incompetent steerers when we (and many others) took our plywood cabin cruiser through many tunnels over the years we had her! Perhaps I have been wrong in the past, and some kind of compulsory training is needed.

[carlt]

Thank God we never met any of these grossly incompetent steerers when we (and many others) took our plywood cabin cruiser through many tunnels over the years we had her!

If you have a powerful enough tunnel light you can see the blood-stained walls in every tunnel where countless lives have been lost due to huge steel behemoths crushing fragile ply, grp, wooden and inflatable boats.

 

The carnage on a bank holiday weekend is truly awful.

 

On a more serious note nobody has yet to produce any supporting legislation that makes those historic signs enforceable, much like this one in a Northamptonshire village that, though still on display has no force of law due to its supporting legislation being repealed in 1930.

Edited November 12, 2013 by carlt

[Leo No2]

Just as well I wasn't in the tunnel and overtaking again!

[carlt]

Just as well I wasn't in the tunnel and overtaking again!

No offence intended but if a boat overtaking in a tunnel collides with a smaller boat coming the other way then it isn't the owner of the smaller boat who was acting foolishly.

 

Just my opinion of course.

[Naughty Cal]

Just as well I wasn't in the tunnel and overtaking again!

And they reckon the small boat owner is a danger!

 

What happens if you meet a boat of any size coming the other way?

[Leo No2]

And they reckon the small boat owner is a danger!

What happens if you meet a boat of any size coming the other way?

You wouldn't overtake if you could see a boat coming the other way (Blisworth being so straight you can, sometimes ,see the other end) or if you knew it had a bend, as in the case of Braunston. My concern would be that a small rubber boat may be invisible as I cannot visualise how a tunnel light would be attached. I think a small rubber boat in a tunnel is somewhat dangerous. Edited November 12, 2013 by Leo No2

[Guest]

I'd like to take this from another angle:

What does the house consider the threshold is for a boat to operate in a tunnel safely? Size? Material? Would plywood cruisers of yesteryear no longer be safe? GRP boats? At what point does an idiot become a sensible chap?

For example I had a powered 14ft GRP boat as a youth which went through many tunnels (correctly illuminated etc.) It was a great experience; far better than taking a narrowboat through. Were we mad? Any madder than riding a 250cc motorcycle to work on the M6 motorway and mixing it with juggernauts? Would it be more or less dangerous to use this 14ft boat in tunnels today than in 1971? Nobody used to bat an eyelid when we used to go through with it. I remember a scout troupe going through one in powered dinghies.

 

ps LED headtorch for any small boat in darkness. Fiver from Asda or similar. Very easy to see from a distance.

[RLWP]

Hang on, I've lost track of your argument. Can you explain it again from the point when you were on a 250cc boat under the M6 with an LED plywood headtorch in 1971?

 

Richard

[Guest]

Hang on, I've lost track of your argument. Can you explain it again from the point when you were on a 250cc boat under the M6 with an LED plywood headtorch in 1971?

 

Richard

I've carried a small motorcycle in a boat, but can't meet the rest of the criteria. I have passed under the M6 on numerous occasions as it is right by our home but it is 1500cc (the boat engine, not the home) and not a headtorch in sight

[Martin Megson]

As a slight aside I noticed a sign at the south entrance to Braunston tunnel stating "No Canoeists". Although I was piloting a narrow boat at the time I am also a canoeist and was technically breaking the rule

[FadeToScarlet]

I'd like to take this from another angle:

What does the house consider the threshold is for a boat to operate in a tunnel safely? Size? Material? Would plywood cruisers of yesteryear no longer be safe? GRP boats? At what point does an idiot become a sensible chap?

For example I had a powered 14ft GRP boat as a youth which went through many tunnels (correctly illuminated etc.) It was a great experience; far better than taking a narrowboat through. Were we mad? Any madder than riding a 250cc motorcycle to work on the M6 motorway and mixing it with juggernauts? Would it be more or less dangerous to use this 14ft boat in tunnels today than in 1971? Nobody used to bat an eyelid when we used to go through with it. I remember a scout troupe going through one in powered dinghies.

 

ps LED headtorch for any small boat in darkness. Fiver from Asda or similar. Very easy to see from a distance.

I reckon when the boat becomes of a size and sturdiness that won't put the occupants at risk, if someone in another boat mucks it all up. Rubber dinghy or canoe- no, you might be crushed. Plywood cruiser, solidly built wooden dinghy- yes.

[system 4-50]

Any canoeist using a long tunnel when I might reasonably be bringing my narrowboat through it is not just taking a risk for themselves, they are also putting an unreasonable obligation on me to avoid harming them.

Similarly water-skiers.

[Naughty Cal]

I reckon when the boat becomes of a size and sturdiness that won't put the occupants at risk, if someone in another boat mucks it all up. Rubber dinghy or canoe- no, you might be crushed. Plywood cruiser, solidly built wooden dinghy- yes.

We have been hit by a steel boat in a lock on the chesterfield canal whilst in our dinghy.

 

No damage done we just bounced off it.

 

Were we reckless, no. We were using the dinghy for its intended purpose, exploring places we cant/wont go with NC.

 

A narrowboat might get crushed by a coaster. Does that mean they cant go on the Trent/Ouse anymore?

Any canoeist using a long tunnel when I might reasonably be bringing my narrowboat through it is not just taking a risk for themselves, they are also putting an unreasonable obligation on me to avoid harming them.

Similarly water-skiers.

Poor you

 

Some people are so far up their own arses it is unbelievable

[system 4-50]

We have been hit by a steel boat in a lock on the chesterfield canal whilst in our dinghy.

 

No damage done we just bounced off it.

 

Were we reckless, no. We were using the dinghy for its intended purpose, exploring places we cant/wont go with NC.

 

A narrowboat might get crushed by a coaster. Does that mean they cant go on the Trent/Ouse anymore?

Poor you

 

Some people are so far up their own arses it is unbelievable

I thought it might be too subtle a point for some.

[Dave_P]

 

A narrowboat might get crushed by a coaster. Does that mean they cant go on the Trent/Ouse anymore?

 

Sorry, but that's a terrible comparison. On a big river, if the larger vessell doesn't see the smaller vessel, the smaller vessel can take evasive action, sound their horn, use their VHF etc. In a tunnel, in an inflatable or canoe, the larger vessel will be quite likely to squash you before you can escape.

 

It's bad enough on the Avon at Stratford trying to avoid rowing boats and canoes and I've seen some very near misses because the skipper of the larger boat simply didn't see the smaller, unpowered boat.

 

Tunnels are dark, confined spaces. If you're stupid enough to go in in an inflatable, then go for it. The Darwin Award's website was invented for folks like you.

[Naughty Cal]

Sorry, but that's a terrible comparison. On a big river, if the larger vessell doesn't see the smaller vessel, the smaller vessel can take evasive action, sound their horn, use their VHF etc. In a tunnel, in an inflatable or canoe, the larger vessel will be quite likely to squash you before you can escape.

 

It's bad enough on the Avon at Stratford trying to avoid rowing boats and canoes and I've seen some very near misses because the skipper of the larger boat simply didn't see the smaller, unpowered boat.

 

Tunnels are dark, confined spaces. If you're stupid enough to go in in an inflatable, then go for it. The Darwin Award's website was invented for folks like you.

Hardly.

 

Dinghies and other small inflatable craft are also capable of taking evasive action if necessary.

 

Your comparison is terrible. The navigable channel for the coasters on the Trent or the Ouse is a confined space and the skippers could be equally unable to see small craft like yours. To them you are smaller than a rowing boat

 

The Asshole Award was invented for people like you

[Dave_P]

Hardly.

 

Dinghies and other small inflatable craft are also capable of taking evasive action if necessary.

 

Your comparison is terrible. The navigable channel for the coasters on the Trent or the Ouse is a confined space and the skippers could be equally unable to see small craft like yours. To them you are smaller than a rowing boat

 

The Asshole Award was invented for people like you

The Trent / Ouse is far less of a confined space for a coaster than a tunnel is for a narrowboat. Also the Trent / Ouse is far far far far less of a confined space for a narrowboat than a tunnel is for an inflatable. So no, your comparison is terrible. Maybe it's a while since you went through a confined canal tunnel because if you had you would surely remember seeing badly controlled narrowboats bouncing of the tunnel walls. Fortunately, CaRT and I are in agreement on this since craft of this type aren't allowed in Blisworth tunnel.

 

I won't mention your comment about coaster skippers not being able to see narrowboats, since I have already addressed that point.

 

Tell me more about this asshole award? Sounds like fun!

[Naughty Cal]

The Trent / Ouse is far less of a confined space for a coaster than a tunnel is for a narrowboat. Also the Trent / Ouse is far far far far less of a confined space for a narrowboat than a tunnel is for an inflatable. So no, your comparison is terrible. Maybe it's a while since you went through a confined canal tunnel because if you had you would surely remember seeing badly controlled narrowboats bouncing of the tunnel walls. Fortunately, CaRT and I are in agreement on this since craft of this type aren't allowed in Blisworth tunnel.

 

I won't mention your comment about coaster skippers not being able to see narrowboats, since I have already addressed that point.

 

Tell me more about this asshole award? Sounds like fun!

It is designed for tossers like you.

 

And has already been pointed out in this topic there is no byelaw refraining unpowered vessels from entering tunnels.

 

Do you know how wide the navigable channel is on the Trent for a coaster? From your comments it would appear not

[Dave Payne]

[Naughty Cal]

Erm.

 

No.

[Dave Payne]

Never known a forum like this one...