The advice from CRT is to wear lifejackets.

[Sabcat]

I think you should have to wear a parachute when going over the Pontywotsit aquaduct, especially on a trad stern.

 

On the step, doors closed. That's how I did it. I've got nuts vertigo. I look down, feel dizzy and have an urge to jump.

[nigel carton]

Have you ever worn, or even looked at, lifejackets ?

You seem to have a total misunderstanding of their inflation / deflation systems.

 

You can have :

Manual oral inflation

Manual gas inflation

Auto inflation.

 

All can be deflated as soon as you are back in the boat, and all can be orally inflated again even without re-arming the gas system

 

I'd suggest you do some research before making such incorrect statements.

Auto inflation is the way to go. Manual inflation is no good if you bang your head on the way in!

[matty40s]

Auto inflation is the way to go. Manual inflation is no good if you bang your head on the way in!

Auto inflation can lead to banged heads too if I remember Dave's 50th at Beeston..

[DHutch]

Sounds like good advice to me.

Yes, it's advice, not compulsion. I'd be inclined to use one in a tunnel (although I never have to date) but not for general use.

 

This is my take on it.

 

Our boat has a wheelhouse, which high sides, a good distance from the back of the boat. Hence I feel quite safe from falling overboard and do no intend to wear a life jacket in tunnels. However if had different tyre of boat I would seriously consider it. Its also worth mentioning that all of our four life jackets are the 'pull to inflate' type, so would in fact not be of a huge amount of use if knocked overboard. I may consider adding two which are of the automatic type before we next come to use them.

 

 

Daniel

[b0atman]

I suppose you could tie a line to the inflater toggle and maybe the tiller so if you went over board it would inflate .just thinking along the lines of engine disconnects on jet skis

[Cheshire cat]

It's all about risk mitigation but I think adults have to decide whether they are happy with the level of risk they are exposing themselves to.

 

I have wondered recently how long it will be before all pedestrians are required to wear hi-viz jackets.

[NMEA]

Who are these 'proper' boaters to whom you refer?

Simply the type of boater who wears a life jacket. I like the idea suggested by another poster of the "do not risk yourself saving me" I just like the idea of giving myself the best chance of survival in any situation, For instance I always wore seat belts even before they were mandatory, I recall at the introduction of that law there was similar posturing about freedom of choice and people coming up with the tiny few examples were they were infective. I have spent many years both leisure and commercial boating and the incidence of life jacket use has been notable over those years. I suppose the ultimate defence against drowning would to never go near water, but that's not what we are about.

[larryjc]

I'm a 'proper boater' I've sailed the Atlantic, lived on my own boat in the Caribbean for years. I'm an RYA Yachtmaster Ocean (Commercial) Advanced Powerboat skipper (Commerical) Until recently I was an instructor, and for that matter PADI Divemaster. (so I can sink as well as swim) I spent 30 years in the RN and flew helicopters including SAR. A proper boater is NOT someone who wears a lifejacket. A proper boater is someone who understands the risks and mitigates them correctly. For example when sailing offshore its my opinion (and that of many others) that its best not to fall over the side in the first place, so a safety harness is far more important. Modern lifejackets incorporate a harness so wearing them becomes a no brainer. But if its calm and daylight I don't bother.

On the cut I don't wear one as it seems most on the forum don't either. So as others have said - do your own thing, make your own assessments. We're soon going to live in a world where we wrap ourselves up in bubble wrap and stay inside all day!!!

[mayalld]

 

 

I passed throught the tunnel shortly after the tragedy and there was no rescue boat. I remember this specifically as the guy on the bank giving us our safety procedures lecture told us that sounding out horn is the call for help but the help takes an age to arrive.

 

He went on to say in a fairly offhand way we might as well just pole the boat out as it takes around five hours to bring the rescue boat to the tunnel from where it lives when someone calls for help, as poling out would be quicker than waiting for the rescue boat. He said where it is kept but I don't remember.

 

I was quite shocked at the time by this and I still am, on reflection. But at least it seems they now have a rescue boat on site.

 

 

MtB

 

 

(Eidt to improve clarity, hopefully.)

Every time I pass through (before and after the incident) the rescue boat has been moored at the north portal.

 

We even had a thread recently about how the boat makes for a difficult turn out of the tunnel going north

[paulstoke1975]

I think you should have to wear a parachute when going over the Pontywotsit aquaduct, especially on a trad stern.

id need a sick bag to go across that thing never mind a parachute

[nigel carton]

Auto inflation can lead to banged heads too if I remember Dave's 50th at Beeston..

Cough cough, I haven't a clue what your on about ;-)

[Wanderer Vagabond]

 

No - but you need to be sure of your ability to swim whilst wearing layers of clothing and heavy boots, and your ability to extract yourself from the cut with said clothing waterlogged in a lock head or tail where, contrary to the oft expressed dismissal of the need for life jackets, you very often can't stand up, and there's no shallow edge.

In reply to my question of whether we should be wearing wetsuits/drysuits you simply reply 'No' without any explanation, so what are your reasons for this? if we are out to mitigate all risks then surely anyone on the cut during the winter should be wearing equipment to lower the risk of suffering thermal shock if you fall into a cold canal and a wetsuit/drysuit would fit the bill wouldn't it? it wasn't intended as a rhetorical question but if we are out to mitigate all possible risks then surely wetsuits/drysuits are the way forward!

 

I have always been fascinated by the perception of risk, people have told me I'm mad for not wearing a cycle helmet and yet they are of limited value since they are only designed for an impact of 12 mph, which is about what you get when you fall over (why don't pedestrians wear helmets?). On the other hand I have countered this by asking why people don't wear crash helmets when driving their cars? All motor sport drivers wear helmets and they are all travelling in the same direction, added to this statistically if you die in a car crash the likely cause of of death will be a head injury so surely everyone driving a car should be wearing a crash helmet to mitigate this, but they don't, why is this?

[Wanderer Vagabond]

 

On the step, doors closed. That's how I did it. I've got nuts vertigo. I look down, feel dizzy and have an urge to jump.

Count to three then jump, 100, 200, 300, 400,500 then pull the cord, oh sorry that was the parachute jump, sorry where were we??

[Ange]

Auto inflation can lead to banged heads too if I remember Dave's 50th at Beeston..

Thank you for a big smile moment! I'd forgotten that

Cough cough, I haven't a clue what your on about ;-)

[alan_fincher]

 

 

I passed throught the tunnel shortly after the tragedy and there was no rescue boat.

 

 

Every time I pass through (before and after the incident) the rescue boat has been moored at the north portal.

 

We even had a thread recently about how the boat makes for a difficult turn out of the tunnel going north

 

Like Dave, I can't understand why there would have been no rescue boat at the Northern end of the tunnel.

 

I have never not seen it there.

 

One of the regular tunnel keepers told us it got used maybe as many as half a dozen times a year - not for life threatening emergencies, but for broken down or prop fouled boats. If that is true it would seem very odd if it were not moored immediately to hand.

[Cheshire cat]

It was there a month ago

[Quinafloat]

I have been through the Harecastle tunnel about a dozen times, on one trip I got distracted and got a wallop from the top of the tunnel which knocked me clean off my feet. I have a cruiser stern boat with a back rail, and was wearing a hat so no long term damage was done. What did I learn, always wear a hat, otherwise a minor incident can cause a wound that could not be easily treated on the move in a tunnel. Hat or lifejacket? Hat for me, a trad stern would be a different matter but I don't have one of those. It is unnerving to end up flat on your back on the deckboards while the boat continues through the tunnel but certainly not fatal, and no cause to don a lifejacket. The suggestion for light sensitive paint was, in my opinion, the real effective one. When your tunnel light passes the lowering tunnel it becomes invisible and can hit you less than a boatlength later. Making it visible as you go towards it must help. Staying within the profile of the boat is not possible as you need to see where you are going, your head will be above the boat profile most of the time. Seeing a body, or other obstruction in front of your boat is virtually impossible whether it is wearing a lifejacket or not, unless it is carrying a visible light. Luckily it is only a short section of tunnel that is seriously low. Total concentration while going through that section is the key to safety, and that is where I failed.

[Leo No2]

I use Blisworth tunnel a lot as I live locally. Probably 40% single-handed. I make my own risk assessments when on my own boat.

 

So when I am by myself on my boat (trad stern) I will stand on the step with the doors closed and bolted at the bottom. That way if I slip, fall, or anything happens to me I will have a good chance of staying inside the boat.

 

When travelling with others (and someone is with earshot of me) then it's usual standards and invariably no life-jacket/buoyancy aid.

 

When on CRT's historic boat Sculptor we all wear life-jackets/buoyancy aids as that's a directive and condition of use from CRT which we abide by.

 

The other time I use a life-jacket/buoyancy aid is when operating locks when by myself. It is all too easy to trip and fall and I feel I have a better chance of survival if I do fall into a lock if I am wearing an auto-inflating life-jacket/buoyancy aid.

 

One of the concerns I do have about life-jackets/buoyancy aids in general is how easy it can be to get them caught on some parts of the boat. That's when one needs to balance the value of wearing one or not - a bit of risk assessment.

[RichardN]

I was over in the UK earlier this year and we were on the narrowboat waiting to go into the tunnel as Mr Holgates boat came out with his wife frantically calling for help.

 

The point that seems to be missing is the fact that safety and lighting and up to date proceedures for a rescue were clearly lacking. It took hours to get boats in to check in the pitch black. In this day and age come on!! I sat with his wife Susan from 12.50pm when she emerged from the tunnel till about 6.30pm and in that time noone came and took over from me - a member of the public - albeit a counsellor. There must have been about 50 different personnel from police/fire crew/canal crew etc all milling around avoiding her and I.

I found the management of the situation quite disturbing

A huge number of tourists travel these waterways and its quite sad to hear experienced boaties just suggest that people be careful

We were given 15 minutes training to handle a 60 foot boat and very little information on the approach to the tunnel

We survived and enjoyed most of our holiday, but it was marred by this and another incident. His death may have been a terrible accident, but the following process was something I will not forget

 

Arghhhh

 

Thank you for posting. What a thing to go through, so very well done by you.

Edited November 23, 2014 by RichardN

[Timleech]

 

One of the concerns I do have about life-jackets/buoyancy aids in general is how easy it can be to get them caught on some parts of the boat. That's when one needs to balance the value of wearing one or not - a bit of risk assessment.

 

This is something which has to be put into the equation when deciding whether or not to wear one when working locks, they can create an extra hazard.

 

Tim

[BruceinSanity]

Earlier this year there was an incident at Atherstone Top. A contractor mowing the lock side with a large walk along mower got his life jacket strap caught in the throttle and the machine headed at speed for the side of the empty lock. He had to wriggle out of the lifer before being dragged over the edge with it. Had he not done so, the likelihood of serious injury or death would have been very high.

 

A steerer for Wood Hall and Heward, the lighter age and to wage company on the Thames once told me that they were not allowed LJs. The additional risk of being trapped between lighters by an inflated jacket was judged to outweigh the extra safety.

 

I'm with the "make your own judgement in the circs" party, though kids on our boat are required to wear life jackets when on deck.

[Jim Riley]

Just treated ourselves to auto inflating life jackets, with crotch strap and ring for a safety line, £60 ish apeice, to replace manual pull cord ones.

 

My better half has developed Narcolepsy in the past year, the serious bit is the accompanying Cataplexy, where if she is surprised or she laughs her body goes to sleep, sometimes she remains upright if she can rest or hold on to something, but at other times drops like a stone, unless I can get to her and support her. it lasts about 20 seconds, she is fully alert inside and is aware of the panic and flap around her if it happens in a shop etc.

We've decided to keep boating, Its safe enough travelling in our cruiser but we are looking for/at a small narrowboat because the cruiser, a dawncraft, is quite a step up to get on when the bank is low and arthritis is creeping on. Intending to put a pramhood or wheelhouse on whatever we get. I'll probably wear mine more often when single handing (while she is having one of her naps), I often take the short cut across the top gates.

We've looked at the risk and are dealing with it in the way we see as appropriate, while accepting that some risks have increased.

[Gordias]

I can understand horse-drawn boats having only one (bow) light ... but modern boats have electric power.

 

How about a (few) strings of LEDs with improvised tinfoil reflectors (back and sides) so the roof is visible? Perhaps a webcam or two at the front with a screen at the back so the boat can be steered with the helmsman's head below the hatch.

Edited November 23, 2014 by Gordias

[BruceinSanity]

I can understand horse-drawn boats having only one (bow) light ... but modern boats have electric power.

 

How about a (few) strings of LEDs with a improvised tinfoil reflectors (back and sides) so the roof is visible? Perhaps a webcam or two at the front with a screen at the back so the boat can be steered with the helmsman's head below the hatch.

 

I've found that a small mag mounted light on the slide, pointing forward and slightly up is more than enough to show the roof for the full length of the boat. Mine is on a 12v wander lead, but if there's no handy socket there are lots of cheap LED torches in the DIY shops that would do the same job.

[Wanderer Vagabond]

I can understand horse-drawn boats having only one (bow) light ... but modern boats have electric power.

 

How about a (few) strings of LEDs with improvised tinfoil reflectors (back and sides) so the roof is visible? Perhaps a webcam or two at the front with a screen at the back so the boat can be steered with the helmsman's head below the hatch.

I think that yours is probably an over-technical fix for the problem with one or two disadvantages. When travelling through a tunnel I like to get some 'night-vision' and I would suggest that with a string of LED's along the roof that probably isn't going to happen much. In addition to this I would have the added bonus of dazzling boats coming the opposite direction as they pass me so they will lose their night vision as well. Similarly with your web-cam suggestion, no matter how good the web-cam is, none of them have the performance of the human eye. If you light up the tunnel sufficiently to see much on the web-cam then again you will be blinding people coming the other way. On the other hand if you use a web-cam with low light capacity then anyone coming the other way with a tunnel light on will blind your web-cam, a sort of lose-lose situation I would have said. I do have a fantastic piece of technology that would help, I call it a torch seriously, you wouldn't believe how much you can see with one of those .

 

I think I'd stick to my luminous paint suggestion since the purpose of this would be to draw your attention to a section of tunnel roof that is lower than the rest.