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early starts


D Rowley

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hello everyone

we are due to do the four counties ring in september starting at great haywood going aniti clockwise

i was wondering how early you can start cruising?

in the stuff from the boat yard (anglo welsh) they states from dawn till dusk then in a leaftet about boating in genral it states do not start before 8am (a BW bylaw) but i have heard of people starting at 7am -7.30am

we dont mind starting early as we want to get going again

8am would be ok on some days but 7.30am might be better on some of the longer days

thanks

David

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I have no knowledge of any byelaw which resricts cruising time and regularly move about through the night (though Mayalld has quoted byelaws which I don't have copies of, so I may be wrong). As long as you're slipping away quietly (and it isn't dark, because the hire boat insurance won't cover night boating), I don't see a problem.

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hello everyone

we are due to do the four counties ring in september starting at great haywood going aniti clockwise

i was wondering how early you can start cruising?

in the stuff from the boat yard (anglo welsh) they states from dawn till dusk

That is correct, as your hire company insurance doesn't cover night boating

then in a leaftet about boating in genral it states do not start before 8am (a BW bylaw) but i have heard of people starting at 7am -7.30am

we dont mind starting early as we want to get going again

8am would be ok on some days but 7.30am might be better on some of the longer days

thanks

David

Either the leaflet is poorly worded or you have misunderstood it.

 

You are not permitted to run the boat engine at a mooring between 8pm and 8am. This applies to all boats.

 

You are permitted to run the boat engine whilst moving.

 

(and yes you can start your engine whilst still moored in order to move off)

 

I have no knowledge of any byelaw which resricts cruising time and regularly move about through the night (though Mayalld has quoted byelaws which I don't have copies of, so I may be wrong). As long as you're slipping away quietly (and it isn't dark, because the hire boat insurance won't cover night boating), I don't see a problem.

 

I did post a link to enable you to obtain a copy!

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I've known people leave at first light, which can be as early ar 4.30 - 5.00 am, so if you need an early start, you are permitted to run your engine as long as it's with the intention to move from your mooring.

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I'm not sure there are any firm rules or laws about all this, certainly I have never seen any. People will always use the 'my insurance will be invalid' line to add weight to their ideas and it is those hire-boat in-house rules that get confused for some kind of law. The working boats would commonly work through the night. I used to like to put in a few miles in the early hours at times though drew the line about using locks, it's the old story, just act responsibly.

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I've known people leave at first light, which can be as early ar 4.30 - 5.00 am, so if you need an early start, you are permitted to run your engine as long as it's with the intention to move from your mooring.

Which leaves us in a bit of a "how long is a piece of string" setup, as people try to claim that they were only running their engine prior to setting off.

 

I always adopt the stance that when setting off early, I will have the engine running at the mooring for the absolute minimum time. All springs off, all fenders off and head/stern ropes singled ready to cast off.

 

Then it's engine start, check for effective tickover, cast off and on the way.

 

I also adopt a "tickover when within earshot of other boats" policy on early starts.

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thanks for all your replys

the bit i saw was the part You are not permitted to run the boat engine between 8pm and 8am

it didnt say at a mooring only

i thought that meant you could not start your engine ie to move off but now thats clear we will be ok for a 7-7.30 start

looking forward to the holiday in september

can't wait ^_^

David

Edited by D Rowley
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If you are going to be up and about on the water before most normal people are awake please please please take extra special care with your speed when passing moored boats - I would creep past on tickover if it were me - just so people aren't woken up unduly

 

We experienced a bit of this inconsiderate behaviour the past fortnight and it's a bugger being woken up with the dawn chorus by a boat passing at that ungodly hour and showing very little consideration for others

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If you are going to be up and about on the water before most normal people are awake please please please take extra special care with your speed when passing moored boats - I would creep past on tickover if it were me - just so people aren't woken up unduly

 

We experienced a bit of this inconsiderate behaviour the past fortnight and it's a bugger being woken up with the dawn chorus by a boat passing at that ungodly hour and showing very little consideration for others

 

 

You should creep past moored boats at tickover in any case!

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on looking at the sun rise for 22nd September its 7.00am so i will not be away before then.

as quoted above hired boats are not insured to cruise after dark and i would think that sun rise & sun set denotes this.

so it will be a 7.00 am start from wheelock going towards middlewitch creeping past any moored boats on route

thanks for your advice

david

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on looking at the sun rise for 22nd September its 7.00am so i will not be away before then.

as quoted above hired boats are not insured to cruise after dark and i would think that sun rise & sun set denotes this.

so it will be a 7.00 am start from wheelock going towards middlewitch creeping past any moored boats on route

thanks for your advice

david

 

Other than the moorings in wheelock itself you are unlikely to pass a moored boat for a while.

 

For maximum good manners, you should moor so that you don't have to pass the line of moored boats in Wheelock, so best spot would be to moor just after the water point and road bridge.

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thats a good point

we were going to fill up with water at wheeelock so we will do that first then remoor up lower down ( if there are boats in front of us) then have a meal at the The Cheshire Cheese

thanks

david

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I think I would query the time you will be able to take the boat out on the first day with Anglo-welsh. Last weekend they were setting out at 3.30pm, so you may lose a day.

 

If I may offer a tip for your first full day, go no further than Barlaston, where you will find good moorings and a reasonable pub, "The Ploom of Feathers". Another early start from here will see you through Stoke on trent by luchtime,

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I think I would query the time you will be able to take the boat out on the first day with Anglo-welsh. Last weekend they were setting out at 3.30pm, so you may lose a day.

 

If I may offer a tip for your first full day, go no further than Barlaston, where you will find good moorings and a reasonable pub, "The Ploom of Feathers". Another early start from here will see you through Stoke on trent by luchtime,

 

If you imagine that the Plume of Feathers is a "reasonable pub", you clearly work to a different set of standards to me.

 

The Plume of Feathers is dire.

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If you imagine that the Plume of Feathers is a "reasonable pub", you clearly work to a different set of standards to me.

 

The Plume of Feathers is dire.

Agreed. One of the worst examples of what Nicholson charitably calls an "estate pub".

 

Had an interesting evening there once. Don't know why, we decided to slacken the mooring ropes when we got back to the boat. In the morning the Trent had flooded and raised the canal by a foot, we were the only boat floating level.

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Maybe it's changed recently, since you were there but we found the food to be really excellent at the Plume of Feathers on three very recent visits.

 

We were last there 10 months ago, and we sent the food back as utterly inedible.

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  • 1 month later...

we were planning to stop at the salt bridge for the first night and have a meal at the holly bush inn

then stop at harecastle tunnel south entrance ready for passage through monday morning

we dont mind early starts and long days because if you have payed close to £1000 for the weeks boat hire we want to get cruising again, but thats our opinion

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we were planning to stop at the salt bridge for the first night and have a meal at the holly bush inn

then stop at harecastle tunnel south entrance ready for passage through monday morning

we dont mind early starts and long days because if you have payed close to £1000 for the weeks boat hire we want to get cruising again, but thats our opinion

 

 

Hi Rowley.

 

Pretty grotty place to spend the night, as you don't mind early starts why don't you stop South of Stoke and get off at about 7.30am. As long as you get to the tunnel for 9.00 you are virtually guranteed the first passage.

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