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Bl##dy racing canoes'

Proper Job

By Proper Job
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Proper Job Veteran

Proper Job

Posted
Posted

I know that CRT's mandate is to open the canals for as many user groups as possible but racing canoes' are doing my head in.

 

Over the last few weeks the local rivers have been in flood and local canoeists have switched to using the canal.

 

How can such a small boat cause so much wake!

 

All you hear is the splash of the paddles as they go past, then it's hang on cos it's going to get bumpy!

 

When a string of them go past it's like being at sea

 

If a narrowboat caused that much bouncing around he'd be strung up.

 

What's the rules regarding their speed? 4 mph?

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furnessvale Influencer

furnessvale

Posted
Posted

I know that CRT's mandate is to open the canals for as many user groups as possible but racing canoes' are doing my head in.

 

Over the last few weeks the local rivers have been in flood and local canoeists have switched to using the canal.

 

How can such a small boat cause so much wake!

 

All you hear is the splash of the paddles as they go past, then it's hang on cos it's going to get bumpy!

 

When a string of them go past it's like being at sea

 

If a narrowboat caused that much bouncing around he'd be strung up.

 

What's the rules regarding their speed? 4 mph?

Canoeists, supported by some narrowboaters, will insist they are too small to cause this sort of wash. Like you, I know different.

 

What gets me is the way some coming the other way, will race you for a bridge hole. I certainly don't want my blacking scratched as they crush in the gap.

 

George ex nb Alton retired

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Chalky Experienced

Chalky

Posted
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Had this just North of Cropredy from the local canoe club. The canoeists cut under the bow where you can't see them and also in between passing boats. It's an accident waiting to happen (although accident implies that it's unpredictable, this is a certainty!) The wake that they create and the way they shake the boat around is significant.

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Hawkmoth Rising Star

Hawkmoth

Posted
Posted

Yeah, I've had them passing both sides simultaneously (and at the same times). Once one of them was on the inside a bend.

A bit like cyclists on the road, they pull a dangerous stunt, but I bet it's the motorist or motorcyclist that gets the blame. I call them urban terrorists.

Bob

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stickleback Proficient

stickleback

Posted
Posted

We saw a group of canoeists on the Macclesfield in September. Overtaking on both sides as we were approaching a bridge and squeezing through the rapidly narrowing gap as we were going into the bridge hole. It really looked as though one was going to get crushed, but he dropped back at the very last second. I don't think they realise how long it takes a narrow boat to stop and that evasive action just isn't possible... if we had happened to squash one I think I would have been traumatised for life!

 

Do they have to have insurance, just out of interest?

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furnessvale Influencer

furnessvale

Posted
Posted

We saw a group of canoeists on the Macclesfield in September. Overtaking on both sides as we were approaching a bridge and squeezing through the rapidly narrowing gap as we were going into the bridge hole. It really looked as though one was going to get crushed, but he dropped back at the very last second. I don't think they realise how long it takes a narrow boat to stop and that evasive action just isn't possible... if we had happened to squash one I think I would have been traumatised for life!

 

Do they have to have insurance, just out of interest?

Are they still at it? It must be 10 years since I very nearly squashed one racing Alton to a bridge hole. Bollington canoe club hold a time trial every sunday morning and some of them are reckless in the extreme.

 

George ex nb Alton retired

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Bobbybass Experienced

Bobbybass

Posted
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I don't think they realise how long it takes a narrow boat to stop and that evasive action just isn't possible... if we had happened to squash one I think I would have been traumatised for life!

 

 

We had this on the Thames at Oxford.

They had already roped of 1/2 the river for the course...and then another 1/4 as a practice area...

Do they stick to that...?

Bloody no !!!

 

One suddenly shot across the narrow remaining lane....

The cruiser in front was able to take immediate action... ran into a tree which swept people on deck into the water..

 

As I was trying to stop..another shot across my bows..and all the 'hooray kids' on the bank shouted..'stop'.

I yelled back that I was reversing as hard as I could (cavitating)

 

Luckily I missed him....but why oh why do they not learn the ways of the water..?

 

On a wide part of the Thames....I was passing a large (canoe..?..is that the one with 8 people in it..?)

 

I blew the horn a couple of times to indicate which side I was passing..and they all took it as a sign of agression and started shouting !!

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eightpot Collaborator

eightpot

Posted
Posted

On the other hand...

I was paddling my kayak along the Wey through Guildford last summer when I met an oncoming Narrowboat. I took a position to the right of the channel in good time and the steerer saw me do so. Then she pointed her bow to her left and aimed straight at me. It became apparent that she wan't going to alter course so I had to take an evasive manoeuvre and head for the bank on the "wrong" side to escape being run down by 18 tonne of pig iron.

That was a fun day.

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WJM Veteran

WJM

Posted
Posted

It's an accident waiting to happen (although accident implies that it's unpredictable, this is a certainty!)

If it is such a certainty then why hasn't it happened yet? Canoes have been racing on british canals for over fifty years and we still haven't had a squashed canoe!

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stickleback Proficient

stickleback

Posted
Posted

Are they still at it? It must be 10 years since I very nearly squashed one racing Alton to a bridge hole. Bollington canoe club hold a time trial every sunday morning and some of them are reckless in the extreme.

 

George ex nb Alton retired

I'm almost sure that it WAS the Bollington canoe club and it certainly was a Sunday morning. Reckless in the extreme is right - heart in mouth moments!

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MtB Veteran II

MtBDonate to Canal World

Posted
Posted

If it is such a certainty then why hasn't it happened yet? Canoes have been racing on british canals for over fifty years and we still haven't had a squashed canoe!

 

Thanks to the astonishing skill of all us narrowboaters, obviously :)

 

MtB

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furnessvale Influencer

furnessvale

Posted
Posted

You lot will be whinging that the wind is blowing the boat about next rolleyes.gif

You may have missed it, but the conversation has moved on from speeding, an issue I understand you are uniquely aware of, to the danger of killing an errant canoeist.boat.gif

 

George ex nb Alton retired

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saxplayer Contributor

saxplayer

Posted
Posted

On the other hand...

 

I was paddling my kayak along the Wey through Guildford last summer when I met an oncoming Narrowboat. I took a position to the right of the channel in good time and the steerer saw me do so. Then she pointed her bow to her left and aimed straight at me. It became apparent that she wan't going to alter course so I had to take an evasive manoeuvre and head for the bank on the "wrong" side to escape being run down by 18 tonne of pig iron.

 

That was a fun day.

 

You mean port and starboard!

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Rufford Proficient

Rufford

Posted
Posted

It is quite bad at Gailey too, no regard for other boaters. And they dont half make canal boats rock.

 

The worst I have seen it is when they had some sort of race, there must have been hundreds of them - and I was cruising at the time, the boat was rocking from side to side and also from bow to stern (which was really weird). And they certainly do not like to give way.

 

A mate of mine got that fed up of them he once quickly turned his engine on full power while moored and blasted them into the bank with the wash. They didnt seem to like that. (Naughty isnt he?)

 

I personally am used to it now, it just pisses me off when they are doing it at 11:00 at night, so I leave my 3W LED flood light on so they can see their way. They dont seem to like that either.

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dmr Veteran II

dmr

Posted
Posted

Last year I was polishing the engine with the side hatches open and one of them put a whole paddle full of water down my back.

Still not as bad as the mallard who peached on the hatch, turned round, stuck his arse into the engine room and..... (really)

 

...............Dave

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saxplayer Contributor

saxplayer

Posted
Posted

No they don't, it's a narrowboat not a sea boat.

"BOAT", is the give away here, and as narrow boats steam on navigable rivers they are subject to port authorities. So good seamanship should always be applied.......

Yeah ok ime just an old sea dog who has thrown his anchor ashore...... But not quite!

shaun

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patty-ann Rising Star

patty-ann

Posted
Posted

So its port and starboard not left and right

And its bow and stern not pointy end or blunty end

I saw two young girls in a canoe paddling like crazy, they reached a swing bridge and laid flat to coast under--I was kinda impressed.

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David Schweizer Veteran II

David Schweizer

Posted
Posted (edited)

"BOAT", is the give away here, and as narrow boats steam on navigable rivers they are subject to port authorities. So good seamanship should always be applied.......

Yeah ok ime just an old sea dog who has thrown his anchor ashore...... But not quite!

shaun

 

Sorry saxplayer it has nothing to do with seamanship. Port and starbpard have never been used on canals, The working boatmen used "inside" and "outside" with inside referring to the side the horse was on,so it changed depending on the relative positions of the boat and towpath. More recently left and right has been accepted as a more universal definition.

Edited by David Schweizer
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