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Cruising at night


LankyStreak

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On Friday we visited the Bridge Inn at Horton, near Devizes on the K&A. Nice pub, good beer, and food at reasonable prices. Best of all though, they have their own mooring. It was a lovely evening and we sat in the garden. Two ladies came along in a narrowboat about 30 or 35 feet long propelled by an outboard motor. They moored behind our boat and also had a few drinks in the pub.

 

Later in the evening we returned to our boat for the night but at about 11.30 we were surprised to hear the outboard engine start. It was quite dark but with much screaming and laughter the ladies managed to turn their boat in the canal and headed off into the darkness with a dim tunnel light illuminating the canal.

 

Let's ignore the potential risks of steering a boat while under the influence of alcohol because in fairness I don't how many drinks they'd had. They might have been sober and jolly. But it occurred to me that I don't know the rules on cruising after dark. It's never crossed my mind to cruise at night. Are there any CRT rules on this? Is it considered bad form to cruise past moorings at night? If you urgently need to get somewhere by a deadline (e.g. to return a hire boat) is it permissible to cruise at night?

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Yes it is absolutely fine to cruise all night if you want to, and your insurance covers it. On CRT canals that is, other waterway have their own rules, which may not allow it, or may have requirements like navigation lights. If there is a moon you really on need the boat light for bridge holes and approaches to locks etc, other than that you are better off without and use head torches for locks.

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I've never done it, but would expect you ought to be careful, preferably a boater of some experience and familiar with the canal you're on, and have a good light at the front to see ahead? It would obviously be good etiquette to keep the noise down, especially when passing moored boats and houses.

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I have on my way back when I bought my boat and it was in winter so it got dark at about 5ish but we had about 500 miles to do so some nights we cruised until 24 hours taking shifts.

 

Some people look and waved at us one even pointed a big torch at us blinding us but I don't know why.

 

I never would have a problem if a boat came past us at 4 am as long as they didn't crash into us.

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we have only cruised a few times in the dark & once in heavy rain and thunder! Mooring up was more tricky as it's hard to see edge of bank if a little overgrown. I dont like doing locks in the dark, i dont mind the bats but i also saw a rat! last year after a very big queue at Grindley Brook we decided to carry on into the night a bit, some of the stares we got from moored boaters was comical, we knew we weren't breaking any laws but i'm not sure they did! We didnt go on long afer dark. Our insurance states we can cruise at night but not asa single hander.

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Hello VV were you towing\breasted up today?

 

We chatted at Springwell Lock.

 

Sorry, not me I'm afraid.

 

I'm on the Isle of Wight and the boat is in Yorkshire.

 

Could you be confusing Red WHARF, as in the place in Anglesey, with Red DWARF?

 

According to that boat name website there are three Red Dwarfs (Dwarves?) but only one Red Wharf.

 

I like being unique!

 

smile.png

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24hour Great Haywood to Braunston, for a meeting with university-bellringer friends. Best entertainment was in the small hours just south of Rugby; a Clubline hireboat crew was just completing the transfer of amber fluids from Keg to Cut, and with the mild weather hadn't felt the need for clothes for the process: the four lads were in various stages of doziness, and we passed the time-of-day, as you do. Elaine waved from the front of the boat, and by the time I arrived they had thought of some questions: were we insured? (yes) and was it legal (yes). Smiled sweetly and went on our way.

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Sorry, not me I'm afraid.

 

I'm on the Isle of Wight and the boat is in Yorkshire.

 

Could you be confusing Red WHARF, as in the place in Anglesey, with Red DWARF?

 

According to that boat name website there are three Red Dwarfs (Dwarves?) but only one Red Wharf.

 

I like being unique!

 

smile.png

Oh sorry. Iirc the boat was called something very similar to victor vectis. Edited by mark99
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Hire boaters are *told* they are not insured to do it. Do you think the boatyard would really want to be uninsured if a hirer disregarded instructions and boated after dark?

 

My hire boat insurance doesn't specifically forbid cruising at night. The licence forbids it after 8.00 p.m. The insurance requires a handover plan approved by CRT and adherence to their licence conditions. So we could probably say that cruising at night isn't allowed during the summer but possibly is in the winter months?? Not that I'll be allowing it :) In any case, if a hirer were to disregard instructions, was involved in an accident after 8.00 p.m. I very much doubt the insurance wouldn't cover the incident, providing the hire company clearly explained the rules. The insurance company might try to recover costs from the hirer, but that's another matter.

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Sorry, not me I'm afraid.

 

I'm on the Isle of Wight and the boat is in Yorkshire.

 

Could you be confusing Red WHARF, as in the place in Anglesey, with Red DWARF?

 

According to that boat name website there are three Red Dwarfs (Dwarves?) but only one Red Wharf.

 

I like being unique!

 

smile.png

You're not alone there!

 

:)

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Turn the lights off and cruse on the silver sheene on the cut.

Best boating is at night.

 

 

Agreed.

 

Although I did have a slanging match with a pillock on the towpath the other day who told me it was illegal to boat after dark.... the pillock!

 

:)

 

MtB

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My hire boat insurance doesn't specifically forbid cruising at night. The licence forbids it after 8.00 p.m. The insurance requires a handover plan approved by CRT and adherence to their licence conditions. So we could probably say that cruising at night isn't allowed during the summer but possibly is in the winter months?? Not that I'll be allowing it smile.png In any case, if a hirer were to disregard instructions, was involved in an accident after 8.00 p.m. I very much doubt the insurance wouldn't cover the incident, providing the hire company clearly explained the rules. The insurance company might try to recover costs from the hirer, but that's another matter.

Are you sure? Engines are not supposed to be run after 8 if the boat is not moving.

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