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Canoes in Chirk Tunnel


Peter Thornton

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3 weeks or so ago we met about 10 canoeists midway through Blisworth Tunnel. I couldn't work out what was happening at first. I could see these flashing dots of light but it wasn't until I was almost on them I saw the silhouettes of paddles. I slowed down as much as possible whilst still retaining some control to avoid crushing the idiots, but as I passed they were shouting about my speed. 

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It wasn’t just the tunnel, there seemed to be more canoeists than I’ve seen before and there are a lot of tight bends on the Llangollen with at least a couple where the canoe should really be carried around. At Irish Bridge 27, for example, it’s difficult to see an oncoming boat, no chance of spotting canoes unless someone is in the front cockpit. In the past, canoeists have been encountered in well ordered and competently led groups but that wasn’t the case yesterday. I think CRT need to quickly examine the equipment and training given to these groups, before it all ends in tears.

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They are a danger elsewhere other than tunnels.

 

On a recent trip up the Shroppie i was overtaken by two canoeists just as i was entering the narrow cutting a couple of miles from the Autherley Junction end. Although i periodically look behind, they approached so fast that I hadn't seen them

 

The first one overtook me on my starboard side so I moved over to give him more room, only to hear a shout from my port side, where another one was trying to overtake.

 

If I hadn't had quickly engaged full reverse, they risked being squashed because they had left overtaking so late, because my bow was about to enter the narrows.

Edited by cuthound
Spillung
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The only solution is canal sharing.

 

A number of days a week should be given over to less robust craft,Including inflatable kayaks, canoes, sit on kayaks,stand up paddle boards, inflatable dinghies etc.

 

On these days.Narrowboats, widebeams, cruisers and other solid boats should not be permitted to move.

 

Sorted!

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It’s a bit like the debate with cyclists on busy roads, common sense needed on both sides. 

 

As a start, I suggest:

 

1. A minimum set of equipment for tunnels. I.e. a decent sized torch with a firm fixing and a loud whistle.

 

2. A training protocol for all canoe hire establishments and maps marked clearly with danger points.

  • Greenie 1
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4 minutes ago, rusty69 said:

3. A training protocol for all narrowboat hire establishments and maps marked clearly with danger points.

 

4. To be extended to all private boats.

 

:D

Tongue in cheek I know, but this is already in place. All the hire boats we have met have been driven carefully and responsibly and the various maps all mention the tricky bits. And when two narrowboats do collide then it’s only usually the paintwork that suffers ......

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14 hours ago, rusty69 said:

I shall go invent rustys kayak nav light hat. A green and red light and a bobble hat should suffice for the prototype.Mmmm, where to stick the battery?

Some modern Li-Ion cells are long and thin with a circular cross section...

  • Haha 3
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I recall from my early days, when first introduced to the waterways at Hampton-on-Thames in a canoe, was that canoes had to 'give way' to just about everything on the water.

A fairly simple rule - and wise to observe - considering canoes in those days were fragile wood and canvas structures  and easily punctured or squashed.

Locks had rollers that had to be use by small craft, and even if the lock-keeper let you enter the lock when open for larger craft, there was the added risk of being scaled by boiling hot water spluttering from the exhausts of motor boats when waiting alongside them.

I don't know about canoe rules today - but the 'tunnel' situation here was solved, after a heated argument it seems, by the canoe being 'carried' around the narrowboat - as would have been the case without a second thought according to the rules when I started out.

 

 

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The canoeist will need a powerful light, as bright as the typical boat tunnel light (excluding the silly bulldozer vaporising LED things some boats have now). A boater approaching a tunnel is going to have daylight adapted eyes, particularly on a sunny summer day and just isn't going to see a glow worm torch inside. Lots of decently powerful LED torches around now. Canoe mounted, rather than head mounted. A head mounted torch is moving around a lot and is harder for a boat skipper to interpret. Have had a couple of run ins with canoes on narrow bends and bridge holes where some quick avoiding action was needed to reduce the risk of squishing them. I don't think they realise just how much canoe squashing power there is in a 20 ton narrowboat even if it is only going a couple of miles an hour.

 

Jen

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18 minutes ago, Jen-in-Wellies said:

The canoeist will need a powerful light, as bright as the typical boat tunnel light (excluding the silly bulldozer vaporising LED things some boats have now). A boater approaching a tunnel is going to have daylight adapted eyes, particularly on a sunny summer day and just isn't going to see a glow worm torch inside. Lots of decently powerful LED torches around now. Canoe mounted, rather than head mounted. A head mounted torch is moving around a lot and is harder for a boat skipper to interpret. Have had a couple of run ins with canoes on narrow bends and bridge holes where some quick avoiding action was needed to reduce the risk of squishing them. I don't think they realise just how much canoe squashing power there is in a 20 ton narrowboat even if it is only going a couple of miles an hour.

 

Jen

One of those aerosol air horns would help too. A narrow boater isn't necessarily going to hear a shout or a whistle over the noise of a diesel engine.

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16 hours ago, cereal tiller said:

it would be ok for Canoes to go through Tunnels as long as they were pulled by a Horse ,Boaters could hear the Clip-Clop and become aware of their Presence.

The horse would need several canoes for him/her self for tunnels with no towpaths?

Edited by X Alan W
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5 hours ago, Big Bob W said:

3 weeks or so ago we met about 10 canoeists midway through Blisworth Tunnel. I couldn't work out what was happening at first. I could see these flashing dots of light but it wasn't until I was almost on them I saw the silhouettes of paddles. I slowed down as much as possible whilst still retaining some control to avoid crushing the idiots, but as I passed they were shouting about my speed. 

Of course Bilisworth is not on the list of tunnels that canoes are allowed to use, so they should not have been there at all.

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5 hours ago, Peter Thornton said:

It’s a bit like the debate with cyclists on busy roads, common sense needed on both sides. 

 

As a start, I suggest:

 

1. A minimum set of equipment for tunnels. I.e. a decent sized torch with a firm fixing and a loud whistle.

 

2. A training protocol for all canoe hire establishments and maps marked clearly with danger points.

 

5 hours ago, rusty69 said:

3. A training protocol for all narrowboat hire establishments and maps marked clearly with danger points.

 

4. To be extended to all private boats.

 

:D

 

Or just fit front and rear facing torpedo tubes to your narrowboat ?

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1 hour ago, john6767 said:

Of course Bilisworth is not on the list of tunnels that canoes are allowed to use, so they should not have been there at all.

And clearly signposted as such.

Someone moored just after the south portal told us that one of the group bottled out and walked over the top. The only sane one in the group. The rest clearly had some kind of death wish! This was the middle of the day too.

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6 hours ago, rusty69 said:

The only solution is canal sharing.

 

A number of days a week should be given over to less robust craft,Including inflatable kayaks, canoes, sit on kayaks,stand up paddle boards, inflatable dinghies etc.

 

On these days.Narrowboats, widebeams, cruisers and other solid boats should not be permitted to move.

 

Sorted!

Remember CRT want a series of static ponds separated by sealed locks so we can't damage them. Only canoes inflatables and paddleboards will be able to move in the shallow water and all canalboats are to be residential paying to be there. Nice and cheap to maintain and a decent revenue to pay stakeholders and bonuses.

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