Tunnel of Love ... I think not!

[pelicanafloat]

Yes, our boat did get seriously whopped by some particular idiot on one of them there 'istoric' craft - we had just passed a couple of boats and then we met in the middle of the Crick tunnel a boat obviously captained by a person lacking the ability to slow down, let alone consider stopping!

 

Maybe the scraping of the top rail along the stony wall was music to the his ears, and maybe the inviting crunch of taff rail on side of cruiser stern biting into the crumbly brought such a sweet smile ...... if I meet the person I would most assuredly like to ask payment for the cost of repairs. And if he wants a receipt, I'm sure I could oblige....

 

Now then, I have a solution. We all realise that the poor sap in charge of that working/historic boat has little chance of avoiding contact, and I do realise that some of you actually care, but as usual the minority of bad apples ruin it for everyone.

 

SO, could I suggest - why not make passage of working boats along two way tunnels (obviously) be confined to set times of day? Is it too much to consider something that simple??

 

I am about to repaint the damaged bits to boat. As a precaution, I'm fitting a reverse firing harpoon with heat seeking tip ..... patient applied for

 

Now that I've regained my 'Unruffled' stance I've edited out the more immature bits to make ready for lots of effortsto try and make me ruffled again

Edited June 5, 2014 by pelicanafloat

[RLWP]

Love your boat name

 

Richard

[Hawkmoth]

Oh dear, hope it didn't cost too much.

Bob

[RLWP]

It's a good rant, but I can't see why we need a new rule. I've only ever been hit by private boats in tunnels and hire boats on the cut. Working boats are fine

 

Richard

[MHS]

Never had a big hit in a tunnel. I am sure it's not a pleasant experience.

 

I usually stop or slow right down, assuming the other steerer is a plonker. It's then pleasant to chat to the good ones.

[IanM]

I tend to figure that if I meet a boat in a tunnel there is a good chance I'm going to lose some paintwork. Sometimes it happens, sometimes not but it definitely isn't worth getting worked up over.

[cotswoldsman]

You could always set off at minight

[NB Alnwick]

I tend to figure that if I meet a boat in a tunnel there is a good chance I'm going to lose some paintwork. Sometimes it happens, sometimes not but it definitely isn't worth getting worked up over.

 

Bearing in mind that stopping or putting the prop into reverse means losing steering way, the best option in a tunnel is to press on forwards at a speed that provides effective steering and is least likely to affect the steering of the approaching boat - even then minor collisions can happen - even with the most experienced steerers.

 

Fortunately, I don't think we hit anything or anybody in Crick Tunnel last Friday, when we were coming back from the show.

[alan_fincher]

Maybe the scraping of the top rail along the stony wall was music to the tossers ears, and maybe the inviting crunch of taff rail on side of cruiser stern biting into the crumbly brought such a sweet smile ......

 

If either your "top rail" or "taff rail" are able to contact the sides of a big double width tunnel like Crick, it would seem to me that there is something inherently wrong with the design of your boat to be used in such tunnels.

 

Is it perhaps either "barge style" or Chinese, because generally most narrow boat designers have enough skill to build a boat in a way where this would not normally happen.

 

Incidentally, do you know if the offending working boat had a left or right handed prop, and hence which way his bow is likely to swing, (against the tunnel wall, or into your path), if he has to slow down unduly? "Sickle" swings left, towards oncoming boats, if their positioning cause me to have to pull up suddenly. I know from experience I am better keeping slow ahead speed on in most cases of "other boat in wrong position", than I am in trying to stop suddenly.

 

Before you say "I was not other boat in wrong position", if you are having to stay away from the tunnel side to stop grab rails or taff rails rubbing brickwork, then the chances are you are actually other boat in less than ideal position!

 

Perhaps you need to book a wide-beam passage to avoid such possibilities.

 

 

 

[matty40s]

 

Bearing in mind that stopping or putting the prop into reverse means losing steering way, the best option in a tunnel is to press on forwards at a speed that provides effective steering and is least likely to affect the steering of the approaching boat - even then minor collisions can happen - even with the most experienced steerers.

 

Fortunately, I don't think we hit anything or anybody in Crick Tunnel last Friday, when we were coming back from the show.

Hope I didn't wake you when I left Crick at 6am on Thursday.

[pelicanafloat]

The incident happened because we did an about turn shortly after going through the tunnel (a medical problem, wife had a cancer scare but very happily nothing wrong, but this a digression though it does explain the about turn..). We knew that big boats were coming along at random times, returning from the weekend at Foxton, but we needed to return to base.

 

We used to hit the tunnel walls ourselves, when we were learning oh so many years back, but since then I can record is the very first time we have been knocked into the side.

 

So, size does matter! (and so does the cost - I'm in the process of repainting the boat (more on that later), and I really do not want to develop 'tunnel tick'

 

If either your "top rail" or "taff rail" are able to contact the sides of a big double width tunnel like Crick, it would seem to me that there is something inherently wrong with the design of your boat to be used in such tunnels.

 

Is it perhaps either "barge style" or Chinese, because generally most narrow boat designers have enough skill to build a boat in a way where this would not normally happen.

 

Incidentally, do you know if the offending working boat had a left or right handed prop, and hence which way his bow is likely to swing, (against the tunnel wall, or into your path), if he has to slow down unduly? "Sickle" swings left, towards oncoming boats, if their positioning cause me to have to pull up suddenly. I know from experience I am better keeping slow ahead speed on in most cases of "other boat in wrong position", than I am in trying to stop suddenly.

 

Before you say "I was not other boat in wrong position", if you are having to stay away from the tunnel side to stop grab rails or taff rails rubbing brickwork, then the chances are you are actually other boat in less than ideal position!

 

Perhaps you need to book a wide-beam passage to avoid such possibilities.

 

 

 

Actually, you make a goodish point .... mind you, I don't even know if my descriptions are correct or whether I've gone off the rails, but ..... I have realised that the back taff/sitting/hand/stern rail on the cruiser stern is inherently wrong! I am aware of this, and see it on lots of boats. We have booked to have the stern rail removed and a new one put in place within a distance set back from the perimeter. So, yes, an expensive business but not one that protects the top bit! I might add, he pushed me so hard, he tilted the boat right over and not only ground the rail into the wall, it also knocked our digital aerial off the top as well!

 

As a digression, we only noticed the aerial was missing when we found the tv reception not particularly good. Upon going outside I found the aerial stuck magnetically limpet like to the side of the boat under water ..... and we still got some level of reception :)

Edited June 3, 2014 by pelicanafloat

[pelicanafloat]

Love your boat name

 

Richard

We like it too Lots of people have commented, and most are agreed it is impossible to live up to, so I don't!

[RLWP]

We like it too Lots of people have commented, and most are agreed it is impossible to live up to, so I don't!

 

 

Love it - have a greenie

 

Richard

[adam1uk]

Never had a big hit in a tunnel. I am sure it's not a pleasant experience.

I usually stop or slow right down, assuming the other steerer is a plonker. It's then pleasant to chat to the good ones.

People stopping in tunnels are one of the things that annoys me most. Invariably, as they can no longer steer, their bow swings out and causes a contact between the boats.

 

And what would happen if everyone decided to stop? Answer: tunnels would be full of stationary boats, all going nowhere.

[MHS]

People stopping in tunnels are one of the things that annoys me most. Invariably, as they can no longer steer, their bow swings out and causes a contact between the boats.

.

Speak for yourself. I've never had the bow swing out as I progressively slow up.

 

Ps I also have use of a girlie button!!

[alan_fincher]

People stopping in tunnels are one of the things that annoys me most. Invariably, as they can no longer steer, their bow swings out and causes a contact between the boats.

 

And what would happen if everyone decided to stop? Answer: tunnels would be full of stationary boats, all going nowhere.

Absolutely right!

 

Passed about 6 in Braunston a few days ago, and only one of them actually was moving forward much at the point a passed them, all the rest were virtually stationary.

 

Somebody has to keep moving so, provided the other one is reasonably close to their wall, I usually keep moving, or you get into the "after you.... no!, after you!" ritual

 

(Unless I'm behind someone who decides to stop, of course!)

 

Incidentally we did subsequently have a small hit with a boat in Blisworth. He was following another slow moving boat with almost no gap, so as I passed that boat my front end was to a degree drawn away from my wall as it passed the lead boat's back end, (if you think about the water flows, this is always a possibility). I couldn't do much to correct the bow that had been drawn to the left until I was right past the first boat, but before I was the second one hit my front end. Possibly they were less than 20 feet apart - a bigger gap would have avoided any problems.

[RLWP]

a bigger gap would have avoided any problems.

 

Wot, like it says on the boards at every tunnel entrance?

 

Richard

[NB Alnwick]

There are lots of things to rant about regarding tunnels:

 

Boats that stop - please keep going some of us may not understand your desire to stop where visibility is poor and where judging distances can be more difficult;

 

Boats containing passengers that scream and shout - please keep quiet so that anyone who really needs to shout because of a real emergency can be heard above the din;

 

Boats that go too slow - why? And why hold everyone else up?

 

Boats with bright lights shining in all directions - all that is required is a simple marker (not too bright) light at the bow (facing forward) and a white painted panel or diffused light at the stern. Searchlights and multiple headlights are not necessary and only serve to dazzle those trying to steer a boat in the opposite direction. The only place for searchlights is on police cars, fire engines, anti-aircraft units and destroyers of submarines - none of which have any place to be in a canal tunnel.

[MHS]

Boats with bright lights shining in all directions - all that is required is a simple marker (not too bright) light at the bow (facing forward) .

Shouldn't the light face slightly upwards not to dazzle?

[billS]

Incidentally we did subsequently have a small hit with a boat in Blisworth. He was following another slow moving boat with almost no gap,

 

Are you sure it wasn't a butty?

 

[ditchcrawler]

I noticed on the K&A that some hire companies are fitting twin lights like headlights on the front bulkhead.

[alan_fincher]

I noticed on the K&A that some hire companies are fitting twin lights like headlights on the front bulkhead.

It's not a new thing!

 

[Detling]

I have only once slowed down to almost stopped. and that was when the b*** coming the other way had a searchlight, he could see the tunnel behind me when he was 100 foot away, I could see b*gg*r all only the silhouette of my cabin front and a sun like object coming towards me. I commented on his light and he replied that he could only just about see and had really wanted a bigger one.

[FidoDido]

Perhaps the working boat had a bolinder. Not easy to stop the engine and reverse it in less than a minute...

[ditchcrawler]

How much wider are working boats than others then, do they take up more than half the tunnel?