Lifejackets, VHF and licences (a rant)

[GUMPY]

As someone who uses rivers quite a lot these days I seem to be seeing more and more what I would class as irresponsible attitudes and behaviour.

 

Take the first item lifejackets: it seems that more and more people are venturing out onto tidal rivers without a lifejacket, this to me is stupid.

It is all too easy to miss your footing when moving around outside the boat and in you go. In the water without a life jacket in the Pool of London I wouldn’t give much for your chances on a busy day. I have had a couple of near misses when its been rough only the rails on the outside of the barge have stopped me going in.

They should be made compulsory on all tidal rivers.

 

On to the second VHF: I applaud the PLA for bringing this in,it should have been above 10m, it’s about time.

If the “captain” of the Marchioness had been able to hear his VHF (I believe it wasn’t loud enough to get over the volume of the music) he would have known that the dredger was departing and could have kept out of the way. The same goes for any other boat on the tideway, all reporting vessels have to notify when they leave so if you listen, you know what big stuff is about and can keep a look out and stay out of their way.

 

Licences: It’s about time a licence became compulsory with a practical and theoretical test. Some of the boat handling I have seen on the Thames in the last couple of weeks has been appalling, people completely unaware of their surroundings, in a world of their own, not realising that they are making it very difficult for the boat behind. Before anyone says anything this has usually been when I have been stopped waiting for boats to come out of the lock so I have been an observer and not involved.

 

And finally CEVNI: when is this country going to stop trying to reinvent the wheel and adopt the European standard for lights and signs on waterways, they are just so much better than the ones in use over here. I am not saying that all canals should have a new proliferation of signs merely that where they are used they should be the European ones.

 

 

J

[DHutch]

I see what you saying, and i partly agree for sure.

 

Lifejackets (or "lifeys" as my mate calls them) are obvously common sence.

- You required to have them and they should check you have them.

- We lay ours out on the roof infront of the wheel to prove we have them.

- Theres no point in making it "compusary" then not even checking/enforcing it! Maddness

 

Same with anchors.

- They should be suitably speced for the boat, vissable on the deck, with suitable chain/rope, suitable attached to the boat.

- There no use if there half the size you need, at the bottom of the locker, without suitable chain/rope, afixing point, and knolage of use.

- Again, ours is always our, on the deck, shacklet to its chain. Chain winch handle to hand, set to depoly at the drop of a hat. And its a big dog, with a very long lengh of chain.

 

 

 

However, i dont think it should be compusary to ware your lifejacket.

- People deserve to make there own dessions, and they should be given that right.

- We didnt ware our lifejackets from limehouse to teddington this year.

- It was flat carm, we where held firmly within the walls or our wheelhouse (even tho the roof was down) and oftn below deck, tending to the engine/boiler/fire.

- If situations hadchanged the lifejackets where absolutly to hand, and we would have put them on before venturing along the walkways, or working the anchor/pole/ropes/etc.

- I would ware a lifejacket on a trad stern however. As you say its common sence (and, imo, personal choice), and should remain that way.

 

The risks on a narrowboat on inland waterways are minminal.

- Compaired to (for instance) sailing a dingy in sacombe estray. Where the chance of falling overboard are huge, and the chances of impace to the head/upperchest area also great.

- Salcombe estary on regatta fornight is a lot lot busyer than the thames as well. Although i accept the trafic is smaller, a 50ft yacht coming into harbour is not nothing, and your quite likly to be sailing within 20ft of it.

 

You make an interesting stand about training for narrowboat.

- "It’s about time a licence became compulsory with a practical and theoretical test"

 

Personaly, im going to have to dissagree with you on that, i think its simply not nessary, sensable or viable.

- PLus, the standard of driving on the roads is not better than that on the waterways, why do you think it would even help?

 

To refence back to my current holiday again.

- I can take a 30ft RIB with twin 225HP engines out and wind it upto 80mph and mix i with the rest of them (ribs/sunseekers/jetskis/yachts) for hours, before nipping over to gersey for a quick pint or two, and back to the beach intime for a quick sail.

 

 

 

 

Daniel

Edited August 23, 2006 by dhutch

[DHutch]

Oooppps, that was ment to automerge...

Edited August 23, 2006 by dhutch

[GUMPY]

 

To refence back to my current holiday again.

- I can take a 30ft RIB with twin 225HP engines out and wind it upto 80mph and mix i with the rest of them (ribs/sunseekers/jetskis/yachts) for hours, before nipping over to gersey for a quick pint or two, and back to the beach intime for a quick sail.

 

I didnt start on my thoughts on craft like that they should also be included in some form of licence/training.

 

J

[doomed1]

As someone who uses rivers quite a lot these days I seem to be seeing more and more what I would class as irresponsible attitudes and behaviour.

 

Take the first item lifejackets: it seems that more and more people are venturing out onto tidal rivers without a lifejacket, this to me is stupid.

It is all too easy to miss your footing when moving around outside the boat and in you go. In the water without a life jacket in the Pool of London I wouldn’t give much for your chances on a busy day. I have had a couple of near misses when its been rough only the rails on the outside of the barge have stopped me going in.

They should be made compulsory on all tidal rivers.

 

On to the second VHF: I applaud the PLA for bringing this in,it should have been above 10m, it’s about time.

If the “captain” of the Marchioness had been able to hear his VHF (I believe it wasn’t loud enough to get over the volume of the music) he would have known that the dredger was departing and could have kept out of the way. The same goes for any other boat on the tideway, all reporting vessels have to notify when they leave so if you listen, you know what big stuff is about and can keep a look out and stay out of their way.

 

Licences: It’s about time a licence became compulsory with a practical and theoretical test. Some of the boat handling I have seen on the Thames in the last couple of weeks has been appalling, people completely unaware of their surroundings, in a world of their own, not realising that they are making it very difficult for the boat behind. Before anyone says anything this has usually been when I have been stopped waiting for boats to come out of the lock so I have been an observer and not involved.

 

And finally CEVNI: when is this country going to stop trying to reinvent the wheel and adopt the European standard for lights and signs on waterways, they are just so much better than the ones in use over here. I am not saying that all canals should have a new proliferation of signs merely that where they are used they should be the European ones.

J

[/quote

 

 

 

cant agree with any of the above.

lifejackets how could whether someone else,is or is not wearing one affect you?its not youre buisiness

nothing to do with you.look the other way.butt out.

as long as you lookout for yourself family and friends.

look out here comes lifejacket police.take that hoodie off.stop smoking by the swans.wheres

youre id card.sail him off to the nearest cashpoint for an on the spot fine.throwing bread in the

water no littering.

you aint all there capt bligh

[Howard]

Edited August 24, 2006 by Howard

[doomed1]

cant accosente con c'è ne di suddetti giubbotti di salvataggio come potrebbe se qualcun'altro, è o non sta portando uno interessa il buisiness di youre dei you?its non niente fare con you.look l'altro way.butt fuori. finchè allerta per lei famiglia ed amici osservate fuori qui viene il giubbotto di salvataggio police.take quel hoodie off.stop che lo fuma tramite l'identificazione card.sail di youre di swans.wheres fuori al cashpoint più vicino per sopra il pane del punto fine.throwing nell'acqua nessuno sparpagliare. voi aint tutto là bligh del capt

 

Neigung stimmen mit irgendwelchen der oben genannten Schwimmwesten überein, wie könnte, ob jemand anderes, ist oder nicht ein beeinflussen you?its nicht youre buisiness nichts, mit you.look das andere way.butt zu tun heraus trägt. so lang, wie Sie Ausblick für selbst Familie und Freunde heraus hier schauen, kommt Schwimmweste police.take dieses hoodie off.stop, das weg durch die swans.wheres youre Kennzeichnung card.sail ihn zum nächsten cashpoint für an das Brot des Punktes fine.throwing im Wasser kein Abfall raucht. Sie aint alles dort capt bligh

[rayman]

i take it that means how many languages do you need it in????

[NB Willawaw]

Howard,

 

is it a requirement or just a recommendation to wear a buoyancy aid on the tideway if a narrowboat is making the Teddington - Limehouse passage ?

 

Mark

[Howard]

Good question .... and one i'm not 100% sure of the answer ...

 

As far as i am aware, its just a recommendation, along with an anchor with enough chain and warp etc ....

 

I am off work until friday night but will look up the regs when i am back at work ...

 

Wonderful translations , i take it English isn't your first language ?

Edited August 24, 2006 by Howard

[NB Willawaw]

Thanks.

I'd be interested in the answer.

 

I've noticed that all the working boatmen I've ever seen on deck on the Thames always wear them - usually the self inflating types.

 

Good question .... and one i'm not 100% sure of the answer ...

 

As far as i am aware, its just a recommendation, along with an anchor with enough chain and warp etc ....

 

I am off work until friday night but will look up the regs when i am back at work ...

[doomed1]

Good question .... and one i'm not 100% sure of the answer ...

 

As far as i am aware, its just a recommendation, along with an anchor with enough chain and warp etc ....

 

I am off work until friday night but will look up the regs when i am back at work ...

 

Wonderful translations , i take it English isn't your first language ?

ja gelieve te kijken in het boek van de youreregel. im sur zijn regel 666 subsectie 6 paragraaf blah blah.dont vergeet om youre GLB en shineyknopen met u te nemen.

[DHutch]

This thread has gone very weird...

 

 

 

 

 

 

...

[bottle]

I've noticed that all the working boatmen I've ever seen on deck on the Thames always wear them - usually the self inflating types.

 

That's probably because the 'Health and Safety' people are involved. and the company's covering their backs in case of litigation.

[Amicus]

This thread has gone very weird...

...

 

ROTFLMFAO

Guess it’s just catching up with the “real????” World “Out There”

 

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/dorset/5268872.stm

[tony collins]

cant agree with any of the above.

 

you aint all there capt bligh

 

Now you see.. this is another example of one member insulting another, simply because they disagree on something.

 

As it happens I don't agree that wearing life jackets should be made compulsory. However there are others who would draw parallels with motor cyclist and crash helmets, working in hazardous areas and wearing PPE.

There is no justification to suggest that someone who takes different view to you is one step away from the loony bin, (or differently abled as some might put it.

 

Tony

 

For some reason the "quote" tab was not working when I posted this.

[doomed1]

If your brain matter was axle grease, there wouldn't be enough in your head to grease the dynamo on a lightening bug's ass. Clearly, the full area of your ignorance is not yet mapped. We are presently only exploring the fringes of that vast expanse. Reading your post makes blindness a wonderful thing to look forward to. You bring to mind a quote from Josh Billing: "Doesn't know much, but leads the league in nostril hair."

 

tony

you aint all there capt bligh is hardly an insult

[tony collins]

 

tony

you aint all there capt bligh is hardly an insult

 

 

Really?

[blackrose]

If your brain matter was axle grease, there wouldn't be enough in your head to grease the dynamo on a lightening bug's ass. Clearly, the full area of your ignorance is not yet mapped. We are presently only exploring the fringes of that vast expanse. Reading your post makes blindness a wonderful thing to look forward to. You bring to mind a quote from Josh Billing: "Doesn't know much, but leads the league in nostril hair."

 

You've obviously put a lot of time and effort into collecting these witty insults.

Please get off the forum if you can't talk to people in a civil manner.

Edited August 27, 2006 by blackrose

[NB Willawaw]

Thanks for spending your free time researching this for us Howard.

I'm surprised that some of the more basic safety requirements are not compulsory, but there you go.

 

Mark

 

Hi Mark,

 

Right , having spent the better past of last night (2 to 4 am) reading the PLA regs , as far as i can tell there is no requirement to have lifejackets or really any safety equipment on board .... just recommendations and guidance ....

 

You know, the usual stuff , anchor, with enough chain and warp attached to be useful lifejackets, VHF, mobile phone etc etc ...

 

Some useful reading (or not depending on your point of view) :-

 

www.portoflondon.co.uk/display_fixedpage.cfm/id/867/site/recreation

 

www.portoflondon.co.uk/pdfs/maritim...nters_copy1.pdf

 

www.portoflondon.co.uk/notice2marin...site/recreation

 

Hard copies of these are available from Richmond Lock, the PLA themselves , a Harbourmasters launch (if you can get it to come alongside) or we have a few copies at Teddington (but not many)

 

HTH

[iteldoo4me]

If your brain matter was axle grease, there wouldn't be enough in your head to grease the dynamo on a lightening bug's ass. Clearly, the full area of your ignorance is not yet mapped. We are presently only exploring the fringes of that vast expanse. Reading your post makes blindness a wonderful thing to look forward to. You bring to mind a quote from Josh Billing: "Doesn't know much, but leads the league in nostril hair."

 

tony

you aint all there capt bligh is hardly an insult

 

Sabres at midnight then!

[nipper]

Sabres at midnight then!

I thought this canal boating was so friendly and relaxing too!

[nigel carton]

If your brain matter was axle grease, there wouldn't be enough in your head to grease the dynamo on a lightening bug's ass. Clearly, the full area of your ignorance is not yet mapped. We are presently only exploring the fringes of that vast expanse. Reading your post makes blindness a wonderful thing to look forward to. You bring to mind a quote from Josh Billing: "Doesn't know much, but leads the league in nostril hair."

 

tony

you aint all there capt bligh is hardly an insult

 

TROLL!!!

 

http://www.teamtechnology.co.uk/troll.htm

 

[Christine]

I don;t think you should credit Doomed with any originality:

 

insultathon

 

 

Chrissie

[blackrose]

I don;t think you should credit Doomed with any originality:

 

insultathon

 

 

Chrissie

 

Exactly, but credit where credit's due, copying/pasting is hard work.