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Boat Steering in tunnels


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I'm probably a bit slow coming up with this suggestion and everyone else have probably already been using it for years, but if not thought I'd share it with you. (I have searched the archive but didn't see any mention of it)

 

Having passed through several tunnels over the past year (Braunston,Crick,Blisworth,Husbands Bosworth, Bruce) I have been finding it more difficult than on the canal generally to keep the boat in a straight line. Obviously you have the arc across the tunnel roof from you standard tunnel light in which you just try to keep the boat profile central (unless there is oncoming traffic!) but because it is difficult in the darkness to focus on one point of the boat I have always found that I tend to over-correct all the time and rather zig-zag through the tunnel. Having thought about the problem, and having seen a few boats with these very low powered solar garden lights on their roof, I wondered if I were to put one of these right at the front but where I could see it from the helm whether it would help. I came through Husbands Bosworth tunnel this morning and it worked like a dream. The light itself probably isn't half as bright as a candle so there is no issue of dazzling anyone, and I've installed it above the tunnel light itself so I'd be surprised if anyone coming the other way would even see it. The effect from the helm was superb, all that I needed to do was to align the little spot of light with the tunnel exit in the distance and keeping the boat central in the tunnel was an absolute doddle, didn't over-correct once. Is this how everyone else has been doing it all this time???

  • Greenie 1
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Good idea - my preference is to have a floodlight at the back, which enables you to see bumps on the walls etc and make sure you don't hit them. More useful than a searchlight illuminating the tunnel 200 feet in front of you ....

...and you can study the interesting brickwork and avoid the drips too. Definitely with you on that one.

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Good idea - my preference is to have a floodlight at the back, which enables you to see bumps on the walls etc and make sure you don't hit them. More useful than a searchlight illuminating the tunnel 200 feet in front of you ....

I use a little head torch for the same thing and you can look around and see the walls - or just watch falling water coming towards you along the roof.

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I also have a flood light (better than a spot light IMHO) on the Stbd side of the rear hatch, pointing about 45 degrees, which illuminates the tunnel side. Great when passing oncoming traffic for getting close to the tunnel wall but not touching it. I find it a godsend when the idiots with the search lights coming the other way insist on blinding all and sundry!

 

Ken

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I generally find the interior lighting is sufficient to illuminate the proximity to the walls. Having Empirbus, it is a 1 pushbutton (at the helm) affair to turn on all the interior lighting, another button to turn it all off afterwards. I do have a head torch for the more squeaky tunnels.

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I generally find the interior lighting is sufficient to illuminate the proximity to the walls. Having Empirbus, it is a 1 pushbutton (at the helm) affair to turn on all the interior lighting, another button to turn it all off afterwards. I do have a head torch for the more squeaky tunnels.

I just get the wife to switch them on, I don't have to press anything icecream.gif

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The problem I had previously wasn't seeing the tunnel walls, after a few minutes in the tunnel (provided some muppet coming in the opposite direction isn't blinding me with their 1,000,000 candlepower spotlight!!) you can generally get enough night vision to see the tunnel walls even with my modest tunnel light and interior lights on. The problem I always had was maintaining a straight line in the centre of the channel. When travelling along the cut I tend to pick out some feature on the roof and align it with something in the far distance and then keep the boat on a straight line with minimal tiller movement. In the tunnel you cannot see the roof or pick out any features to do this, what this means is that with the natural drift of the boat (prop walk, etc) as I've gone off line you only realise it as you begin to get closer to one of the walls. When you 'correct' this it is invariably an over-correction so you just zig-zag for a way until you get back aligned.

 

With the technique I used today in Husbands Bosworth I remained in the centre of the channel all the way through (there were no other boats) with a 3 foot spacing each side of the boat throughout. Previously I have found that if you try to align to one side of the tunnel you tend to drift across to that side so are no longer in the centre of the channel, necessary when approaching oncoming boats but not in an empty tunnel.

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The problem I had previously wasn't seeing the tunnel walls, after a few minutes in the tunnel (provided some muppet coming in the opposite direction isn't blinding me with their 1,000,000 candlepower spotlight!!) you can generally get enough night vision to see the tunnel walls even with my modest tunnel light and interior lights on. The problem I always had was maintaining a straight line in the centre of the channel. When travelling along the cut I tend to pick out some feature on the roof and align it with something in the far distance and then keep the boat on a straight line with minimal tiller movement. In the tunnel you cannot see the roof or pick out any features to do this, what this means is that with the natural drift of the boat (prop walk, etc) as I've gone off line you only realise it as you begin to get closer to one of the walls. When you 'correct' this it is invariably an over-correction so you just zig-zag for a way until you get back aligned.

 

With the technique I used today in Husbands Bosworth I remained in the centre of the channel all the way through (there were no other boats) with a 3 foot spacing each side of the boat throughout. Previously I have found that if you try to align to one side of the tunnel you tend to drift across to that side so are no longer in the centre of the channel, necessary when approaching oncoming boats but not in an empty tunnel.

Without trying to be flippant, I wonder how you would manage in Saltersford?

 

George ex nb Alton retired

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Without trying to be flippant, I wonder how you would manage in Saltersford?

 

George ex nb Alton retired

Not sure on that one, its only a little tunnel (424 yards, is that just a long bridge??rolleyes.gif ) so is there an issue with it? I'm happy to go through any tunnel, intending to get through Harecastle this season and Standedge and Foulridge next season, the only one I would say caught me out was Braunston because I was being dazzled by the spotlight on an approaching boat and didn't see the kink (well, not until I hit it anyway!).

 

I'm all for making things easier, and this little adaptation does seem to do that.

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Not sure on that one, its only a little tunnel (424 yards, is that just a long bridge??rolleyes.gif ) so is there an issue with it? I'm happy to go through any tunnel, intending to get through Harecastle this season and Standedge and Foulridge next season, the only one I would say caught me out was Braunston because I was being dazzled by the spotlight on an approaching boat and didn't see the kink (well, not until I hit it anyway!).

 

I'm all for making things easier, and this little adaptation does seem to do that.

I do like the "innocent" face:-)

 

Saltersford is a narrow tunnel so bent by subsidence and landslip that it is like a corkscrew. You cannot see through it and had to be a good way in before you discovered someone was already in coming the other way.

 

Recent changes have spoiled all the fun by imposing timed entries.

 

George ex nb Alton retired

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I really struggle in tunnels aligning boat despite interior lights and headlight, my spatial awareness goes on holiday for duration of tunnel. Another needs must practice area

Try a wide angle light at the stern, it really does make a big difference.

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I really struggle in tunnels aligning boat despite interior lights and headlight, my spatial awareness goes on holiday for duration of tunnel. Another needs must practice area

 

Do you keep the rear cabin doors closed? This can make a big difference as the interior cabin lighting can be very distracting when looking ahead and trying to steer.

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Do you keep the rear cabin doors closed? This can make a big difference as the interior cabin lighting can be very distracting when looking ahead and trying to steer.

 

Surely this depends on whether the boat is a trad or a cruiser stern. On my trads I have a torch in my hand all the time in tunnels. Shining on the walls around me helps a lot with orientation.

 

The suggestion of a wide angle lamp at the stern presumably means shining forwards? Not good for the orientation of steerers coming the other way!

 

MtB

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Well said MTB I was blinded by an idiot in Braunston tunnel recently flashing a stern spotlight on and off .Typical must have a bigger one than you prat.

I thought solution for tunnels was to put some cabin lights on (with curtains open)?

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Surely this depends on whether the boat is a trad or a cruiser stern. On my trads I have a torch in my hand all the time in tunnels. Shining on the walls around me helps a lot with orientation.

 

The suggestion of a wide angle lamp at the stern presumably means shining forwards? Not good for the orientation of steerers coming the other way!

 

MtB

I use a floodlamp, angled upwards, with an upturned bucket in front of it so as not to blind other steerers. I suspect the slope of the boat means it can't be directly seen from in front, though. I also have a tunnel light, when i have it working, or a dimmer white marker light on the foreend to show which way I'm going.

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I've often wondered if the white, decorative ropework seen sometimes tied to the looby of a working boat acts as a rabbit's tail and helps the steerer line up the front of the boat with the centre of the tunnel. There is usually enough light to line up the silhouette of the mast with the exit of the tunnel (or an oncoming boat in the distance), but a piece of white ropework might make this easier.

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I use a floodlamp, angled upwards, with an upturned bucket in front of it so as not to blind other steerers. I suspect the slope of the boat means it can't be directly seen from in front, though. I also have a tunnel light, when i have it working, or a dimmer white marker light on the foreend to show which way I'm going.

I have to say that I'm never keen on the floodlamp approach, I prefer to have a tunnel light with the light spread angled upwards to prevent dazzling approaching craft. I find that after a few minutes in a tunnel your night vision enables you to see a lot just by the light of the cabin lights reflected off the walls. Your "...dimmer white marker light..." is pretty much what my solar garden light is, I find it is like the sight on a gun-barrel. You line up the white marker light with the tunnel entrance (haven't tried this on Standedge yet unsure.png ) and seem to follow a pretty even track through the tunnel.

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  • 2 weeks later...

I prefer to angle the light slightly downwards. As well as preventing dazzling the reflected light off the water provides additional light further along the tunnel walls

 

It might for you, but for a boat coming the other way it will likely reflect straight off the water and into his/her eyes! Thats why the advice is always to point your headlight slightly up.

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  • 5 months later...

Steer In The Centre Of The Canal, Pass Oncoming Boats On The Right.
Boats pass left side to left side, the opposite way to on the roads in the UK. However if there are no boats coming towards you then keep in the middle of the canal, the water will usually be deeper there. Avoid cutting corners, the inside of a bend is where the canal is shallowest and you stand most chance of grounding, or at least losing control. If you do go aground try reversing off rather than trying to force your way forwards through the mud.

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