Why do narrowboats pass on the right?

[magnetman]

I suppose it could be a propwalk or 'paddlewheel effect' thing, and perhaps came about as a result of internal power units with propeller drive being fitted to canal boats.

My barge tends to 'walk' to the left a bit when going forwards so if the helm was kept straight ahead on a wide deep section of water the boat would end up on the left of the channel after a certain amount of time.

Maybe early motorised canal boats usually tended to walk to the left like this. This might make collision more likely if they passed on the left of the channel rather than the right. On the other hand it might help keep them off the shallow bits.

 

Or have I got it the wrong way round ?

[Neil2]

The original lyrics had "Pass the kouchy on the left hand side", a kouchy being a marijuana pipe, which would surely lead to yet more interesting driving.

Nah it was pass the Crunchie on the left hand side they were kids remember.

[Timleech]

I believe there were some canals which had their own rules about which side to pass, and in some cases rules for specific locations. I remember in, I suppose, 1965 or 66 meeting the trip boat Turn-Key on the Bridgewater somewhere around Seamon's Moss, he was travelling at some speed and did his very best to pass us (in our Leeds & Liverpool Short Boat) on the 'wrong' side and was adamant that he was in the right. I'll never know whether he was, as an old hand, just trying to wind us youngsters up, but apparently there were local rules or customs on parts of the Bridgewater at one time. Maybe (Pluto or Tony Dunkley know more?)

 

Tim

[ditchcrawler]

M'aider pronounced Mayday is French for 'help me'

 

 

Typo

sécurité Pan pan

[magnetman]

And "seelonce" for radio silence

And 'seelonce feenee' to end radio silence

 

Edit to add quotes and words

Edited December 30, 2014 by magnetman

[Phil Ambrose]

That rule is still in place - although the justification given is rather bizarre!

 

When going downstream the first sign at the top of Plough Reach (saying cross to the left) does not say who has priority, while the second one (saying cross back to the right) does say that upstream boats have priority. This is, I think, because the first crossing is at the start of a (relatively) straight bit, so you have better visibility. In this context, "giving way" is really about who crosses first - what the sign means is that the upstream boat crosses when they need to, to get the best course around a sharp left hand bend (Grassy corner), and the downstream boat stays on the left and then crosses behind the boat travelling upstream. That is rather different from a rule on who has priority if meeting at a bridge - clearly then the downstream boat has priority as they cannot stop.

 

In strong streams, most crews will not be out anyway. See the red flag system here.

 

The arrangements described above are not unprecedented - see this blog on the blue board system on the Rhine, where upstream boats choose where they want to go and downstream boats keep out of the way...

I believe the Blue Board system is used on most continental waters not just the Rhine.

Phil

[Aunty_Rinum]

May be the same reason French is adopted as the standard emergency language when in distress at sea, and the French drive on the right.

That would seem to be the case, as in m'aidez (help me) equals mayday, but the internationally agreed language for radio traffic is English.

[warwickshireman]

Driving on the right for boats/ships seems to be the rule all over the world.

 

Not so on land. Have a look on Wikipedia to see just how many countries drive on the left. They include the world's largest democracy, third largest economy and largest island. Most unlikely one is probably the former dutch colony now called Surinam.

 

Trains also vary considerably in their rule of the road, even within Europe. Again have a look in Wikipedia.

[Neil2]

Driving on the right for boats/ships seems to be the rule all over the world.

 

Not so on land. Have a look on Wikipedia to see just how many countries drive on the left. They include the world's largest democracy, third largest economy and largest island. Most unlikely one is probably the former dutch colony now called Surinam.

 

Trains also vary considerably in their rule of the road, even within Europe. Again have a look in Wikipedia.

Driving on the left is generally accepted to be mainly a colonial thing but the origins of the two conventions have no unequivocal explanation.

 

The usual anecdote offered is that in days of old when knights were bold you kept your sword arm nearest anyone you met on the road. This of course is absolute rubbish. I've even read that it dates back to the ancient sport of jousting, conveniently ignoring all the historical evidence that jousters(?) met each other left to left.

 

The fact is there is all sorts of conflicting historical evidence. For example, in the days when horses were the main form of goods transport they would mostly be led by the right hand, from the left. This would suggest it was far more convenient to pass another team of pack horses, or a wagon, on the right. But when we consider the position of a horse drawn vehicle where the driver sits on the wagon it's much more complicated. It's suggested that in the UK we adopted the convention of passing right to right because the custom was to sit on the wagon with a whip in the right hand which dictated sitting on the right. Postillion driven wagons tended to be driven by sitting on a horse on the left which is the explanation often offered for why the USA drive on the right . Except the USA started off driving on the left... And so it goes on.

 

What about this - last year about a hundred old Bugattis paraded through our village. How come a French car has the steering wheel on the right? Yes, every single one of them was RHD. I'm told that early Fords were RHD as well.

 

Personally I like the theory that most of us are right eye dominant. I'm left eye dominant but right handed which is why I am rubbish at shooting, darts etc. But most folk are "right eyed", right handed, which tends to make it more natural to drive from the right side of a vehicle, and on the left side of the road. If it wasn't for Napoleon, who was left handed and decreed that France and any other countries he conquered, would "drive" on the right, Europe would probably now be driving on the left.

[magnetman]

Driving on the right for boats/ships seems to be the rule all over the world.

 

Not so on land. Have a look on Wikipedia to see just how many countries drive on the left. They include the world's largest democracy, third largest economy and largest island. Most unlikely one is probably the former dutch colony now called Surinam.

 

Trains also vary considerably in their rule of the road, even within Europe. Again have a look in Wikipedia.

I don't see how it would apply to trains ?

Its a collision avoidance rule and trains on the same track going in opposite directions will collide anyway

[Sea Dog]

Driving on the right for boats/ships seems to be the rule all over the world.

 

Seems?! Only seems?! Streuth, if I'd have known that I'd have had even more sleepless nights when I was at sea!

[Scholar Gypsy]

OK, can we at least agree why spiral staircases in castles go clockwise upwards?

 

I could only find one exception, for the allegedly left-handed Clan Kerr

Edited December 31, 2014 by Scholar Gypsy

[Neil2]

OK, can we at least agree why spiral staircases in castles go clockwise upwards?

 

I could only find one exception, for the allegedly left-handed Clan Kerr

This is one where I do agree with the "knights of old" theory. Most castles were defensive structures and if you were "upstairs" in a sword fight, assuming you were right handed, the newel post would get in the way on an anti clockwise staircase. And vice versa.

[Southern Star]

Thanks for all of the helpful replies!

 

I have another question, it doesn't seem worth starting a new thread for, perhaps someone can answer it here?

 

How many narrowboats are there on the UK canal network?

[magnetman]

47,962

[ditchcrawler]

47,962

Does that include the ones that don't have licences.

[Southern Star]

47,962

Is that the number of licensed boats or just a random number?

 

I'd be genuinely interested in knowing how many narrowboats there are, just out of curiosity.

[Peter X]

Thanks for all of the helpful replies!

 

I have another question, it doesn't seem worth starting a new thread for, perhaps someone can answer it here?

 

How many narrowboats are there on the UK canal network?

 

Less than 47,962 I think, depending on how you define the terms. The number of boats licensed by CRT is about 34,000, but this figure will include GRP cruisers, widebeams and miscellaneous other boats which might not be "narrowboats". On the other hand, it won't include boats on EA and other waters which might be deemed part of the "UK canal network". For example Scotland has some canals and is still in the UK.

[Ray T]

 

Seems?! Only seems?! Streuth, if I'd have known that I'd have had even more sleepless nights when I was at sea!

 

Slightly but a few years ago when offshore in the English Channel, at night, between Cherbourg and the UK, we were approaching the northern edge of the east bound lane when I noticed a red light approaching from the starboard, i.e. a boat travelling west. It transpired it was just in the separation zone. It caused a fair bit of confusion on our yacht. I never understood what or why it was there.

[magnetman]

Is that the number of licensed boats or just a random number?

 

I'd be genuinely interested in knowing how many narrowboats there are, just out of curiosity.

Random guess was feeling jovial on 31st december.

 

actually may be more like 30k if just narrow boats (another guess)

[alan_fincher]

 

Less than 47,962 I think, depending on how you define the terms. The number of boats licensed by CRT is about 34,000, but this figure will include GRP cruisers, widebeams and miscellaneous other boats which might not be "narrowboats". On the other hand, it won't include boats on EA and other waters which might be deemed part of the "UK canal network". For example Scotland has some canals and is still in the UK.

 

Allan Richards will be on shortly to tell us that that circa 34,000 number is falling in each successive annual report, (I think it was actually lower than that in the last).

 

However, I'm not sure about your "boats on the EA" comment. It will obviously not include boats licensed only for EA waters, but does, I think, include boats with "Gold" licences, so they can be on either CRT or EA waters.

 

If so the number of licensed boats physically on CRT waters at any time is probably lower, as some of the "Gold" licensed boats will be on EA waters at those times.

 

I'm not aware of any count that says how many of the number are for boats that are wider than narrow beam, though. Presumably CRT know, but I can't recall seeing the number stated.

 

Add about another 4% for unlicensed boats, if it is boat counts, rather than licence counts that you want to know.

[cariad]

Often thought why we are opposite sides on water as to land. If we adopted driving on the same side as boats on our road networks, a lot of lives could

have been saved and accidents could have been avoided when travelling abroad and vice versa. Also the cost of manufacturing would be lower. When we started to import motorcycles a lot of accidents occurred because the British bikes had right foot gear change and left foot brake .Some of us had to make alterations from imported bikes

in the interest of safety.

[Sea Dog]

Often thought why we are opposite sides on water as to land. If we adopted driving on the same side as boats on our road networks, a lot of lives could

have been saved and accidents could have been avoided when travelling abroad and vice versa. Also the cost of manufacturing would be lower. When we started to import motorcycles a lot of accidents occurred because the British bikes had right foot gear change and left foot brake .Some of us had to make alterations from imported bikes

in the interest of safety.

 

Maybe we could just start with filling in the potholes - they'll likely be just as bad on the other side of the road.

 

Once that's under the belt though, changing all the junctions, traffic lights, roadsigns, etc, etc, should be a doddle (after a very bad first few weeks where only the strong will survive and assuming that we're happy to drive vehicles with the steering on the wrong side until they fade away).

 

Crikey, you'll want to align IALA A and B next! Buy shares in Red and Green paint!

[Aunty_Rinum]

Slightly but a few years ago when offshore in the English Channel, at night, between Cherbourg and the UK, we were approaching the northern edge of the east bound lane when I noticed a red light approaching from the starboard, i.e. a boat travelling west. It transpired it was just in the separation zone. It caused a fair bit of confusion on our yacht. I never understood what or why it was there.

If you could only see a red light it was probably a sailing vessel whose navigator thought he was between the separation zones.

[larryjc]

As a kid I was in Sweden in the Sixties - they were the last country to change and killed twenty people on the first day.