Think first - and if you cant think then talk

[furnessvale]

There is absolutely no reason what so ever, to slow down if there is an accident on the opposite carriageway. Only morons who want to look at the accident, slow down.

I will add a caveat to that statement.

 

When passing any incident, even if it is on the opposite carriageway, I need to know if anything about it will affect me. e.g. a fire or people milling about. To blindly pass at full speed could be hazardous.

 

George ex nb Alton retired

[John V]

I find that often a passenger will say to me "did you see that crash then"...my reply is generally "No ! what crash?"

Unless the incident was truly major with umpteen blue lights or clouds of smoke it is very likely I will not have noticed as I have been concentrating on the carriage way in front of me.

Often I will notice a solid queue of traffic has built up on the opposite carriageway and I will wonder why....I've just driven past the blxxdy cause and not noticed !!!

[Ronniesonic]

 

 

Coasty and I had the exact opposite once. Arrived at a lock just as the boat ahead of us was leaving it. A shiny new Hudson was coming the other way so the lock was set in their favour with the gates wide open.

 

Instead of cruising directly into the open lock they moored on the lock landing a did nothing. WTF? Fume! I eventually went down to see WTF they were up to. They disarmed me totally when they said they were newbies and it was their first lock, and as they'd seen us there before them, they thought it was our lock and they should wait for us to turn it and go through before them. Bless!

 

So I explained the convention and they were fully entitled to just cruise straight in, and they seemed very grateful for the help.

 

A great example of how misundertandings can so easily arise.

 

 

MtB

 

Well said Mike. Can everyone else remember when they were new to this wonderful life? I can, I was garbage & spent the 1st 2 weeks banging my head in exactly the same place. Still do it now......... It does take all sorts & my new mantra is if I aint got nowt good to say I aint saying it.........

[LoneWolf]

 

I'm afraid that I must disagree.

 

Your Original Post mentioned three things that you feel that they did that were wrong;

 

1) Failing to help you with the lock.

2) Positioning to enter the lock having not helped you with the lock.

3) Accusing you of stealing their lock.

 

Now, I would agree that the unjust accusation in (3) is provocation, but by your own account that happened AFTER you had closed the lock in their face, so your actions here were NOT in response to that provocation.

 

So, it appears that your actions were motivated only by the fact that they hadn't opened the gates for you. That is not, in my view "strong provocation". It might have been nice for them to help, but it isn't something that you have a right to expect. They, however, do have a right to expect that a boat exiting a lock will not close gates in their face.

 

Agree 100%

 

But it appears the OP was not behaving very rationally anyway as closing the gates while single handing just makes more 'work' for himself. In fact, more 'work' than for a crew to reopen them.

[mayalld]

 

Agree 100%

 

But it appears the OP was not behaving very rationally anyway as closing the gates while single handing just makes more 'work' for himself. In fact, more 'work' than for a crew to reopen them.

 

Bet you never thought you'd agree with me :-)

 

Biting nose off to spite face seems an appropriate description

[LoneWolf]

 

Bet you never thought you'd agree with me :-)

 

Biting nose off to spite face seems an appropriate description

 

oh i dont know - i'm sure we've agreed in the past...

 

Actually, when i first got the boat i found your firm stance posts on 'my boat in the lock i say what happens' very useful in that they gave me more confidence dealing with lockside 'helpers' so thanks for that

 

I find it interesting that some people expect other boaters to do some locking for them as i've never felt that way myself.

Occasionally it's happened to me but on most occasions the other boater has come running up apologising but only when they realise i'm single handing...I just tell them it's fine & i'm used to using the ladders etc

Edited September 18, 2014 by LoneWolf

[KarlosMacronius]

We travelled from one side of London tot he other last weekend and we ended up sharing around 4/5 locks with a hire boat with 7 people on board. On our boat was only myself and my visibly pregnant partner. Most of the work of doing the lock s was done by us, with all but one person staying on the hire boat (the one off the boat was swaggering around talking about his 78 foot boat to passers by and heaving on his bow line etc.).

 

We we're a bit annoyed but only rolled our eyes and muttered to each other, in that truly British way, that not one of them offered to run ahead and set the next one with my partner. We just shrugged it off as it was clear only one of them had any boating experience and he was a bit of a tit.

[luctor et emergo]

We travelled from one side of London tot he other last weekend and we ended up sharing around 4/5 locks with a hire boat with 7 people on board. On our boat was only myself and my visibly pregnant partner. Most of the work of doing the lock s was done by us, with all but one person staying on the hire boat (the one off the boat was swaggering around talking about his 78 foot boat to passers by and heaving on his bow line etc.).

 

We we're a bit annoyed but only rolled our eyes and muttered to each other, in that truly British way, that not one of them offered to run ahead and set the next one with my partner. We just shrugged it off as it was clear only one of them had any boating experience and he was a bit of a tit.

Sounds like it was a perfect opportunity to show them how to do it properly, including lock wheeling ahead. Now all you achieved is hard work for yourself.

 

If all else failed, and another boat was simply taking advantage of my skills, I'd tie up for a cup of tea, and let them get on with it on their own.

[KarlosMacronius]

We did try but even the simple "you shouldn't leave your windlass on the paddle gear, its dangerous" fell on deaf ears as it was done at every lock, even after we'd said it a few times. I also advised him to stay in one lock until the next one was open as it would be easier than drifting about the pound ahead of the next one with a boat coming out of it, but he just smiled and said he would go first then.
Those inside never ventured out so we couldn't talk to them except for one chap stood on the back deck but wouldn't take the tiller or apply thrust when his mate asked him, they were all just too nervous of getting it wrong I guess which was a shame.

 

some people aren't very receptive to being showed how to do things.

 

I don't feel they were taking advantage just very green and presumably too scared to try. Even if they were we kept moving because there was nowhere to moor (the first spot we found from mile end heading west was Paddington!). I'm not stopping on a lock landing in Camden (its too mad for my liking) and prefer not to waste water so we just got on with it.

 

It was no harder work than if we were on our own.

 

 

 

 

ETA an errant 'a'

Edited September 18, 2014 by KarlosMacronius

[Athy]

 

"That should tech you some manners". Education is very important .

Evidently it doesn't work in all cases.

[WJM]

"you shouldn't leave your windlass on the paddle gear, its dangerous" fell on deaf ears as it was done at every lock, even after we'd said it a few times.

 

 

I always feel quite strongly about that one - it could be my head that gets bashed if their windlass flies.

 

It depends how you 'sell' it to them - "If that flies off it will, at best, smash your teeth in, at worst it will kill you" usually makes enough impact on the inner Darwin.

[KarlosMacronius]

 

I always feel quite strongly about that one - it could be my head that gets bashed if their windlass flies.

 

It depends how you 'sell' it to them - "If that flies off it will, at best, smash your teeth in, at worst it will kill you" usually makes enough impact on the inner Darwin.

Usually.

 

I cited a broken nose as the best outcome rather than smashed teeth... maybe that's why he wasn't bothered...

[WJM]

Usually.

 

I cited a broken nose as the best outcome rather than smashed teeth... maybe that's why he wasn't bothered...

You see - with Darwin's borderline cases, they might not mind being ugly, but eating will remain important!

[Laurie Booth]

 

Or so they taught me on my recent 'Speed Awareness' course

 

 

Good course, as I have found out.

[waterwitch]

Me too Laurie, me too.

[Machpoint005]

Good course, as I have found out.

 

 

Me too Laurie, me too.

 

Seconded. Or rather, thirded.

Even though it was 4-5 years ago.

[Laurie Booth]

 

 

 

Seconded. Or rather, thirded.

Even though it was 4-5 years ago.

Time for every one to own up