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[CathyC]

Dear CaRT,

With the boating season upon us, I, and maybe a few other people, would be very grateful if you could include a note with all new licenses to boaters for the next 12 months making the following requests, in line with good practice:

- Please slow right down (tickover) when going past moored boats, especially when you are driving a large boat, such as a widebeam.

- Please do not run engines, including generators, between 8pm and 8am unless in an emergency.

- Please do not dump your rubbish on the towpath or at locks, as we do not collect it from there. Please keep it on your boat until you reach the next CRT facility.

- Please close all paddles when exiting the lock, and do not use paddles to close lock gates, unless this is absolutely necessary, when it should be done gently so as not to damage the gates.

- Please do not treat the towpath like your back garden and allow your dog to roam unsupervised.

Thanks (please feel free, people, to add anything I've missed out).

Edited April 22, 2015 by CathyC

[alan_fincher]

- Please close all paddles when exiting the lock, and do not use paddles to close look gates, unless this is absolutely necessary, where

 

Where...... ?

 

The trouble with issuing such hard and fast rules, is it doesn't address exception conditions. If you are on the lower GU, you will know there are lots of locks that say "leave empty, with a paddle up", for example.

 

Personally I don't think "tickover" should ever appear in any description of how you should pass moored boats, because it needs to be a judgement based on the boat in use, and the conditions at the place where you are doing the passing. For some situations "tickover" will regularly be complete overkill, but on the other hand there are plenty of places where with one of my boats "tickover" is simply too fast. To avoid unnecessary disturbance it actually needs to be taken out of gear for a while.

 

The trouble is that if you make unconditional prescriptive rules there is a danger that people follow them slavishly, rather than applying some commonsense to each individual situation.

 

All "in my opinion" of course. Someone will pop up in a moment to say "always on tickover" is a sensible rule, but you might not say that if a boat is grinding along the side of yours because its steerer has slowed to a quite unnecessarily slow pace on a very windy day, and has lost adequate control as a result!

 

Intelligent thought usually helps, IMO.

 

EDIT: And surely "the boating season" is any day of any year ? |||

Edited April 22, 2015 by alan_fincher

[CathyC]

- Please do not throw oil or diesel into the canal.

[gazza]

Alan,

 

I prefer the maxim 'if in doubt, pin it' always worked well on my motocross bike (and later the motocross sidecar) It's just as effective on a windy day on a flat bottomed narrow boat

Edited April 22, 2015 by gazza

[Cruising Mike]

I also think the tick over rule is too specific. Should one go at tick over on a wide stretch of river if there is a boat moored quite some distance away?

[Morat]

While I would never deliberately cause disturbance to a moored boat I think that people moored online should expect their boat to move around and be prepared for it. Even if there was a law to prevent speeding past moored boats it would still happen.

[CathyC]

Thanks Alan, you're quite right about the paddles. I should have put in brackets: "except where indicated".

However, whichever way it is worded, something must be done about the speed that boats are now travelling past moored vessels. For those who live on their boats this is a particular bane during the summer. Likewise, people increasingly dumping large bags of rubbish on the towpath and at locks and running gennes whenever they feel like it, etc.

As for boaters "slavishly" following any rule, I don't think there'll ever be much danger of that ?

Edited April 22, 2015 by CathyC

[alan_fincher]

In total agreement about rubbish dumping and running of engines and generators when moored, Cathy.

 

No dispute and no argument about those.

 

However anything about appropriate use of speed needs to be very carefully worded, and most of the time it is not.

 

I personally abhor those red magnetic discs that have started to appear on moored boats in large numbers, but clearly lots of people must think they are a great idea because so many people are deploying them.

 

Not as bad as though as my personal top hate of signs which say "Which part of SLOW DOWN do you not understand?", as that rather assumes that every passing boat is going to be going too fast! (Very much a similar tactic as CRT adding to the paperwork of the licence I have just paid for, that they will take my boat away if I don't have a licence! )

[CathyC]

I'd like to remind people that these are not 'laws', but already existing articles of good practice, which some boaters may be unaware of.

Each point is framed as a request, ie not an order. I delayed it a long time before coming on this site to make this request.

In any community you need some rules of behavior to allow people to live comfortably together and none of these is unreasonable.

[gazza]

I've said it before

 

Cos if we didn't have rules where would we be?

 

France!

[alan_fincher]

......................and none of these is unreasonable.

 

Prescribing "tickover" whenever passing any moored boat is not sensible, for the reasons I and others have stated, so I actually think that using the term, (whether as part of a "rule", or just as part of a an advisory "guideline"), could be classed as "unreasonable". Even if it's not "unreasonable", I'm convinced it is unhelpful, and simply "not sensible".

 

I'm certainly not trying to create an argument, and am in favour of sensible behaviour by all, but it is time the "tickover" concept got ditched forever.

 

Not convinced? If you are moored up on a stretch of narrow shallow canal with stakes into poor ground, and you see me approaching with "Sickle" please come and instruct me before I get there to pass you purely on "tickover". I guarantee next time you'll ask me not to do it, and instead to ask me to take it out of gear!

[nicknorman]

I would add "please tie your boat up properly, not by the centre line, so that you don't feel the need to shout at boats passing you slowly"

 

Passed a boat last autumn, Jeff driving, he always slows to tickover even when it isn't really necessary (eg wide, deep, very long line of moored boats etc). Owner comes out screaming "slow down" (his boat was tied only by a centre line) to which I managed to remember to shout back "tie your boat up properly or if you can't do that, get a house". Well it made me feel better anyway!

[David Mack]

Dear CaRT,

With the boating season upon us, I, and maybe a few other people, would be very grateful if you could include a note with all new licenses to boaters for the next 12 months making the following requests, in line with good practice:

- Please slow right down (tickover) when going past moored boats, especially when you are driving a large boat, such as a widebeam.

- Please do not run engines, including generators, between 8pm and 8am unless in an emergency.

- Please do not dump your rubbish on the towpath or at locks, as we do not collect it from there. Please keep it on your boat until you reach the next CRT facility.

- Please close all paddles when exiting the lock, and do not use paddles to close lock gates, unless this is absolutely necessary, when it should be done gently so as not to damage the gates.

- Please do not treat the towpath like your back garden and allow your dog to roam unsupervised.

Thanks (please feel free, people, to add anything I've missed out).

 

Why would you want to introduce a new set of guidance which partly conflicts with what CRT already ask of boaters? For example there is no blanket ban on using engines and generators between 8pm and 8am. What CRT actually say is "Please don’t use electricity generators, including the boat's engine between 8pm and 8am unless you are moored completely out of earshot of other people. If you are moored close to houses, avoid running the generator or engine when stationary and be responsive to neighbours' requests for peace and quiet." In other words, in some circumstances running engines and generators after 8pm is acceptable, in other cases daytime use is not.

 

The Waterways Code and Boaters Handbook would be good places to start.

Not as bad as though as my personal top hate of signs which say "Which part of SLOW DOWN do you not understand?",

 

 

I would add "please tie your boat up properly, not by the centre line, so that you don't feel the need to shout at boats passing you slowly"

 

Where can I get a sign that says "Which part of TIE YOUR BOAT UP PROPERLY do you not understand?"

[bigcol]

Surely That's what we all need, some rules, and something that can be enforced by hanging, walking the plank.

Now no excuse, it's in with your license, if of course we can have one.

 

 

Col

Edited April 22, 2015 by bigcol

[Cruising Mike]

I was verbally attacked by someone moored when we went by at tickover. And the boat was clearly not tied up properly since both the bow and stern ropes were largely resting on the water level. Whats more, they have a sign on their window saying "Tickover when passing please"

[patty-ann]

Its commonsense and if we have rules there are idiots that will break them cos they are rules and equally there are those who follow rules to the letter and also have no commonsense.

One has to assess situations and sometimes make decisions that are not obeying rules.

Cannot CRT just ask people to respect other boaters and act accordingly.

Obviously zapping past moored boats daft

Dumping rubbish indiscriminately stupid.

Engine running overnight anti social if moored near others

You know its just matter of respecting one another.

Lets face it people have neighbours from hell on dry land and if those plonkers get onto waterways no amount of printed rules will be kept.

[Athy]

A greeno for Cathy's opening post. Of course there will be variations on the exact interpretation of some of your points (as we have seen above) but they form a solid foundation for good, considerate waterways behaviour.

[gaggle]

Come on now , did you buy the boat before ever being aboard one and learning it is floating on water and subject to movement at times , what about the wind rocking the boat , how you going to manage that.

A whole list of moans ?

[Graham Davis]

Thanks Alan, you're quite right about the paddles. I should have put in brackets: "except where indicated".

However, whichever way it is worded, something must be done about the speed that boats are now travelling past moored vessels. For those who live on their boats this is a particular bane during the summer. Likewise, people increasingly dumping large bags of rubbish on the towpath and at locks and running gennes whenever they feel like it, etc.

As for boaters "slavishly" following any rule, I don't think there'll ever be much danger of that

 

Or perhaps the moorers need to learn how to tie up properly!

[Thorfast]

I hate the way common sense has to be hounded out of existence with rules for this, guidelines for that, advice for the other......

 

Soon we will given advice to 'breathe in, wait 3 seconds, now breathe out....keep doing this for the next x years if you want to stay alive.'

 

I know that all the things the OP listed are common sense........but of course that doesnt exist anymore

[Wanted]

This thread has confirmed the need for my patented Gimble boots. Bizzard, I need your assistance..

[Stilllearning]

I've said it before

 

Cos if we didn't have rules where would we be?

 

France

Thank you for displaying your ill-informed prejudices in public.

[PaulG]

Dear CaRT,

With the boating season upon us, I, and maybe a few other people, would be very grateful if you could include a note with all new licenses to boaters for the next 12 months making the following requests, in line with good practice:

- Please slow right down (tickover) when going past moored boats, especially when you are driving a large boat, such as a widebeam.

- Please do not run engines, including generators, between 8pm and 8am unless in an emergency.

- Please do not dump your rubbish on the towpath or at locks, as we do not collect it from there. Please keep it on your boat until you reach the next CRT facility.

- Please close all paddles when exiting the lock, and do not use paddles to close lock gates, unless this is absolutely necessary, when it should be done gently so as not to damage the gates.

- Please do not treat the towpath like your back garden and allow your dog to roam unsupervised.

Thanks (please feel free, people, to add anything I've missed out).

Isn't all this information already in the "Boater's Handbook"?

[sirweste]

If you're passing me in my boat feel free to carry on at normal speed. If you were passing my house (the one on land - if I had one) and you made it rock due to passing too fast in your vehicle I'd be annoyed. But I bought a boat, boats bob about.

 

Some guys having a social at a white boat club over easter weekend yelled at me that I'm supposed to slow down when passing moored boats, I already had, I was doing 6mph or more and backed off to between 3 and 4 I'd guess. In future I'll be using the tie up properly reply I think.

 

I bet the old boys on working boats didn't used to slow down.

[Arthur Marshall]

Isn't all this information already in the "Boater's Handbook"?

Not sure I've ever met anyone who's read it! Certainly not the guy who lives on his boat just round the corner from where I moored last night who kicked off his genny at 8.45pm - I'd forgotten him when I moored up. Last time I was there he did the same and ran it till about half ten.

But then, he wouldn't take any notice of a note with his licence, would he, so there's really very little point to it.