What is best way to pass a slow moving boat.

[Victor Vectis]

I find that the afore mentioned old goats soon decide that they urgently need to stop for a cuppa tea. I am beginning to suspect they dont have my appreciation for "doofa-doofa" music at mega decibels after closely following them for a couple of miles☺

Slightly ish, but......................

Last time we were in Brum there was a boat moored on the Salvage Turn side of Worcester Bar playing his choice of music, very loudly, from two two speakers mounted outside his boat. He, and it was a him, was inside on the phone.

 

What a twat, I thought.

[spadefoot]

It was probably a phone-in request show. What made you think he was a set of lady-bits? Bad mixing? Poor bass resolution? Too much Abba?

[Grassman]

I always let a faster boat past when it's suitable to do so. But there is another situation that crops up sometimes where I have annoyed the boater following me, and I can't understand why, so I'd value your opinions on this.

 

It's where I'm approaching a lock, I can see there's a boat travelling in the same direction a little way ahead of me. I slow down a bit so that by the time I get to the lock they are either in the lock or about to go into it and I then pull onto the lock landing space they've vacated.

 

Whereas if I keep to normal speed it often means either having to hovver in mid-stream or having to try and get to the bank in shallow water to wait my turn before reaching the lock landing.

 

I just can't see the point of rushing along just to join a queue. Am I being unreasonable? Am I missing something?

[dogless]

I always let a faster boat past when it's suitable to do so. But there is another situation that crops up sometimes where I have annoyed the boater following me, and I can't understand why, so I'd value your opinions on this.

 

It's where I'm approaching a lock, I can see there's a boat travelling in the same direction a little way ahead of me. I slow down a bit so that by the time I get to the lock they are either in the lock or about to go into it and I then pull onto the lock landing space they've vacated.

 

Whereas if I keep to normal speed it often means either having to hovver in mid-stream or having to try and get to the bank in shallow water to wait my turn before reaching the lock landing.

 

I just can't see the point of rushing along just to join a queue. Am I being unreasonable? Am I missing something?

If you're not single handed, your crew could join in with work up at the lock, and as a bi product, get to socialise.

Rog

[Athy]

 

 

Not sure I can place that track. Who is the artist and what label are they on?

 

 

 

A possibility?

[Woodsy]

A possibility?

 

Ummm.... I suspect not Athy, however I wouldnt be suprised if he has influenced one of the House music derivative (electroclash, Eurobeat, Techno, etc) artists.

 

Not sure I can place that track. Who is the artist and what label are they on?

 

Suprisingly enough I have no idea who most of them are (they seem to have strange names with more letters than I thought possible).

[Woodsy]

Tell you what, you can skipper the next rave on the trip boat, 5 hours of music with the speakers right behind the wheelhouse and 110 well lubricated passengers. You might change your mind!

Been there done that. It wasnt the music, or the girl who stripped off & planted her derriere on the wheelhouse window that did it in for me, it was the drunken fools who thought it was a good idea to climb the mast & jump in the water between the boat and jetty (pirate theme of course) at midnight in box jellyfish (highly venomous) infested waters with a 3 knot outgoing tide that convinced me that there were other better things to do with my time

Edited April 9, 2016 by Woodsy

[Grassman]

If you're not single handed, your crew could join in with work up at the lock, and as a bi product, get to socialise.

Rog

 

Good point Rog, although I'd have thought my actions would have annoyed the crew of the boat in front of me not the one behind. In fairness, as most have lock landings long enough for 2 boats we would moor and help them. The scenario I mentioned is usually when there's only room for one boat or if there are 2 boats already waiting in which case there would be other crews helping.

And we do socialise. My wife loves a natter and that's why she works the locks and leaves me at the helm .

[Jrtm]

This is quite an intresting subject.

I think sometimes they shout if they here the noise of the engine.

With a bolinder we use to get shouted at alot for going to fast with a comment of i can here your engine.

I remember once going to Ellesmere port with all 3 boats and going past a boat not even in gear and getting told to slow down as she and her kids came running down from the house.

We use to have the problem in squire with the fr3 that at tick over she would pull the butty and still be doing 2mph and on 1-2 clicks up be at 4mph that was towing too.

I think its makes a big diffrence to wash if your towing as the prop wash gets sent out at quite a harsh direction towards the banks.

I tend to slow down to about half. As if you go on tickover it can take forever to get past if the moored boats are for a mile or so. I just tend to see how much the boats are moving.

The other problem you get is people leaving there boats so loose that they move if you threw a pebble in.

[Jrtm]

For overtaking i tend to find problems.

They could never use the excuse they couldnt hear/see me ive only done 3 trips without a bolinder.

I tend to find people rush to pull out in front as they seam to have this idea were slower! Then i end up sitting behind them. Its def a bolinder thing as the did it with peacock and even my wife asked why they pulled out in such a hurry.

I also find people pull over where there is no way past like after a bridge put they pull to the right and stop or they stop and its far to shollow to pass.

I tend to wait till i can get passed and open it up a bit to get near then back off so you dont suck them to me. locks are nice as i get some breathing space but will soon be on them after.

[furnessvale]

Slightly ish, but......................

Last time we were in Brum there was a boat moored on the Salvage Turn side of Worcester Bar playing his choice of music, very loudly, from two two speakers mounted outside his boat. He, and it was a him, was inside on the phone.

 

What a twat, I thought.

A pin pushed into the speaker cable so it shorts across the two wires can be a devil to locate!

 

George ex nb Alto retired

[Horace42]

Thanks for the replies, now that I have found them. I did not get emails to tell me. Being new to the site it seems I had to tick a box to Follow the topic. Thanks anyway.

 

In my case if going slow, and we often do, I pull over to the towpath almost to a stop to let them pass, sometimes getting off and holding the centre rope to stop our boat being dragged into them as they rocket past.

We do this because it is fairly obvious (to us that is) a 'hirer' is unlikely to know the finer hydrodynamic points of overtaking and boat handling (and perhaps experienced boaters on occasions) .

Although we tend not to wave 'racing' boats through when nearing locks. If they are in a hurry they can say so at the lock, and we let them through then.

 

Just a follow up. Is there a 'correct' side to pass. ie, always on their right, or always on their left, between them and the towpath, or between them and the off-side. You would think I would know afters years of cruising on my own boat - but I am not really sure.

[Arthur Marshall]

Overtake on the left, I think. I don't let boats past if there's a series of locks either, nor do I bother about slow ones ahead then - locks space you out by about 15 minutes which is fine. The ones who do annoy are the ones who go slow, then faff about when they exit the lock so they are still in sight when you come out!

[MHS]

In my case if going slow, and we often do, I pull over to the towpath almost to a stop to let them pass, sometimes getting off and holding the centre rope to stop our boat being dragged into them as they rocket past.

To rocket past a boat that is being moored or held by a centre line is really unfair. A courteous boater would always slow right down.

[Tam & Di]

It used to be said that, in the days when leisure and commercial narrowboats co-existed that sometimes when a fast leisure boat attempted to overtake a working boat without prior invitation, the steerer on the working boat would look steadily ahead, wait until the boat had reached alongside and then surreptitiously wind up the throttle so that the overtaking boat came to an embarrassing standstill, relative to the working boat.

 

I can think of one case where we had effectively that happen, though I did not even need to wind my speed wheel. We were coming south with a single motor with coal off the Moira and a small grp cruiser came racing up behind. As there was a bridge about three or four lengths ahead I had no intention of easing myself, but when he nevertheless kept on a-coming and tried to pass he simply got pulled over by the draw of my prop and stuck firmly to the side of "Towcester". I saw his face getting whiter and whiter as we closed on the bridge, and eventually took pity on him and eased to let him unstick himself. Once through the bridge I waved him on, but still had to get him to ease as he passed or we would have both been in trouble again.

 

Tam

Edited April 9, 2016 by Tam & Di

[Horace42]

 

 

Yes me too. I find it deeply uncomfortable being followed by another boat even if they are keeping a respectable distance.

 

I always pull over and stop to get rid of a following boat.

Same here! but a couple of years ago on the Llangollen in the narrow stretches, we couldn't do this. It was a busy time, and one-way traffic, thus taking turns for 3 or 4 boats to go through together, we had a following boat so annoyingly close, he was actually bumping our stern. "Slow down please" was met with "You go faster". We stopped and let him pass at the next wide bit.

 

There was a satisfying follow-on to this. That little delay worked out well for us. As it was busy there were no moorings available near the town (we didn't know this at the time - only later when walking to town - we could see there weren't any) - but it just happened by luck that a boat cast off as we approached (too late for the one in front) but perfect for us, giving us a mooring spot and we pulled straight in and tied up.

 

The 'fast' boat we let through did not find a gap and had gone to the far end to turn round - and came back half hour later having to go well out of town to find somewhere to moor - as we found out when we passed them the next day when we left early.

 

It doesn't always py to be in a hurry!

[Horace42]

As a PS to my post just now. We had a closely following boat once - and for some reason sounding their horn at us. We thought it odd because there was nowhere to pass (narrow, moored boats and bridges). I actually stopped in the hole at the next bridge and walked back to ask what the problem was. "I have to keep going into reverse because you keep slowing down without giving any hand signals".....

[ditchcrawler]

As a PS to my post just now. We had a closely following boat once - and for some reason sounding their horn at us. We thought it odd because there was nowhere to pass (narrow, moored boats and bridges). I actually stopped in the hole at the next bridge and walked back to ask what the problem was. "I have to keep going into reverse because you keep slowing down without giving any hand signals".....

Did they give the correct sound signal for Engines going astern http://sailingalmanac.com/Almanac/Communications/sound.html

[Athy]

As a PS to my post just now. We had a closely following boat once - and for some reason sounding their horn at us. We thought it odd because there was nowhere to pass (narrow, moored boats and bridges). I actually stopped in the hole at the next bridge and walked back to ask what the problem was. "I have to keep going into reverse because you keep slowing down without giving any hand signals".....

I can think of at least one appropriate hand signal.

[Loafer]

I always let a faster boat past when it's suitable to do so. But there is another situation that crops up sometimes where I have annoyed the boater following me, and I can't understand why, so I'd value your opinions on this.

 

It's where I'm approaching a lock, I can see there's a boat travelling in the same direction a little way ahead of me. I slow down a bit so that by the time I get to the lock they are either in the lock or about to go into it and I then pull onto the lock landing space they've vacated.

 

Whereas if I keep to normal speed it often means either having to hovver in mid-stream or having to try and get to the bank in shallow water to wait my turn before reaching the lock landing.

 

I just can't see the point of rushing along just to join a queue. Am I being unreasonable? Am I missing something?

 

The Royal Air Force is full of that mentality. We called it the 'Urry up and wait' thing.

 

If Senior Officer (SO) 'A' wants the parade to start at 1400 hrs, then Senior Officer 'B' orders everyone there by 1330. SO 'C' adds another 15 mins so that SO 'B' will be happy, and so on.

 

Most parades starting at 1400 end up assembling nearby, hiding behind a hangar, at about 0930 with nothing to do for another 4 hrs.

 

Fortunately I was 'aircrew', who are mostly 'Gods' in the RAF, and therefore not required until the last minute!

[DHutch]

We tend to stick to our scheduled by putting in the hours as our top speed is typically limited either by our reasonable draft or equally often slightly undersized boiler, so typically we are the ones being overtaken rather than the other way round.

 

Usually I will move over at the first opportunity and signal for them to pass, however if not flush for time and about to come up to a lock or a flight of locks I will often hold someone a little if I can. We can also often speed up for the last half mile consuming more steam than we are able to make, to then 'brew up' in the slack time while in the lock.

 

I have however passed people before, and typically find they will move over without issue, on the odd occasion that they do not the sound of an A4 locomotive whistle at 40ft tends to assert the point. I would like to think I would stop short of ramming someone up the bank even if they where clearly intentionally being an arse about going slowly, but never say never!

 

 

 

Daniel

[ditchcrawler]

We tend to stick to our scheduled by putting in the hours as our top speed is typically limited either by our reasonable draft or equally often slightly undersized boiler, so typically we are the ones being overtaken rather than the other way round.

 

Usually I will move over at the first opportunity and signal for them to pass, however if not flush for time and about to come up to a lock or a flight of locks I will often hold someone a little if I can. We can also often speed up for the last half mile consuming more steam than we are able to make, to then 'brew up' in the slack time while in the lock.

 

I have however passed people before, and typically find they will move over without issue, on the odd occasion that they do not the sound of an A4 locomotive whistle at 40ft tends to assert the point. I would like to think I would stop short of ramming someone up the bank even if they where clearly intentionally being an arse about going slowly, but never say never!

 

 

 

Daniel

I wish that other well known steam vessel would pull over when you come up behind them

[DHutch]

Thanks for the replies, now that I have found them. I did not get emails to tell me. Being new to the site it seems I had to tick a box to Follow the topic.

 

Indeed, there is an option both to follow a specific thread, and to opt in to automatically following any thread you post in, however by default you are opted out of that. There is also an option to follow a forum area, and get notification of new topics being added to it.

 

 

 

Daniel