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Heard on the cut


Ray T

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Other than one occasion when I'd stuffed my back up, it's always been the case that my wife steers and I do the locks. There's no real reason for it other than I've a slight physical advantage in manual activity. Anecdotally, this arrangement does seem to attract a number of sexist comments - there do seem to be a number of boaters who believe a womans place is on the lockside.

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Possibly but people will believe what they're told to believe. It's funny how when a man clonks the lock entrance it's down to the wind, the bywash, something in their eye, etc. etc. but when a woman does the same, it's down to poor spatial awareness.

 

I find it eternally surprising just how many women 'don't like steering' but a man saying that would be a rarity.

 

We play out the gender roles which have been drummed into us since birth.

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I often wonder if men and women will ever stop using each other as excuses and just get on with life. Why should anyone observe and judge others choices.

 

In relation to boating, it's hardly a very onerus or skilled task.

 

Hire companys regularly loan varied length and width boats to random individuals who manage to master the basics speedily, on canals and rivers, occasionally whilst intoxicated.

 

It's an interesting discussion if amateur psycho-analysis is avoided in my view.

 

Rog

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SWMBO was a great friend of Roma Eastwood, the wife of Arthur Eastwood the boat builder in Owston Ferry. When Arthur built a boat (Seth Ellis Stevenson) for his own use in 1992 we did the paint job and a bit of the inerior fit out for them.

 

Our reward was the loan of the very new boat for a week, so we took her from West Stockwith to Boston and the navigable drains and back.

 

On arrival back into Stockwith Basin we put the boat to bed and went home. Soon the phone rang, it was Arthur...

'You're back then..I had a phone call from an old chap at Stockwith who saw you...he said 'your boat's just come back in off t'Trent...and there were a WOMAN steering!'.

 

He must have thought it was 'mens' work. In fact she's always loved steering whereas I like to potter about and do things, so perfect for us.

 

 

I wondered where Kath kept disappearing to whilst I was making tea.

 

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I often wonder if men and women will ever stop using each other as excuses and just get on with life. Why should anyone observe and judge others choices.

In relation to boating, it's hardly a very onerus or skilled task.

Hire companys regularly loan varied length and width boats to random individuals who manage to master the basics speedily, on canals and rivers, occasionally whilst intoxicated.

It's an interesting discussion if amateur psycho-analysis is avoided in my view.

Rog

But you are observing and judging what others choose to say here...

 

And boating well *is* a skilled task. I know people who have been doing it for fifty years and still feel they have more to learn. I know I will never be as good as some people are (but that's nothing to do with my sex or gender).

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But you are observing and judging what others choose to say here...

And boating well *is* a skilled task. I know people who have been doing it for fifty years and still feel they have more to learn. I know I will never be as good as some people are (but that's nothing to do with my sex or gender).

I apologise for any offence, it wasn't my intention.

 

Doing anything 'well' involves a degree of application and skill. But that doesn't mean the same task cannot be completed in a perfunctory or clumsy way. You should see my attempts at DIY.

 

I was trying to highlight that it may not be accurate to describe a man as some kind of bullying ogre because his crew elects to work the locks rather than the boat. Of course, it is possible it as an accurate description, but other alternatives are available.

 

I was trying to suggest that whatever the individuals choice, it is theirs and needs no external validity.

 

Sorry again :)

 

Rog

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I apologise for any offence, it wasn't my intention.

Doing anything 'well' involves a degree of application and skill. But that doesn't mean the same task cannot be completed in a perfunctory or clumsy way. You should see my attempts at DIY.

I was trying to highlight that it may not be accurate to describe a man as some kind of bullying ogre because his crew elects to work the locks rather than the boat. Of course, it is possible it as an accurate description, but other alternatives are available.

I was trying to suggest that whatever the individuals choice, it is theirs and needs no external validity.

Sorry again :)

Rog

No offence taken.

 

And indeed, many other alternatives have been offered, including the suggestion that a man does not have to be a bullying ogre in order to sap a woman's confidence, nor does it have to be intentional, but for a variety and a combination of reasons, it happens, and it doesn't hurt to be aware of that. The reasons behind people's choices are interesting and it is valid to explore them, and, sometimes, to challenge them.

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Our first canal experience was in 1967 (for our honeymoon!) and we hired a boat from Canal Cruising in Stone. At that time the handover training was quite substantial and we were taken through at least two locks. The staff made the assumption right from the outset that I was to work the locks and Christine was to steer. There was no other option offered!

 

Since then we have generally swapped around 50-50 although there have been occasions when other cabin duties (eg looking after grand children) have meant that I developed a reasonable single handing skill through locks, which we still use from time to time.

 

There are times when even two people together have to make an effort to open a recalcitrant lock gate and we are now very keen to ensure that the steerer can get off the boat when at the bottom of a lock, just in case. At other times the facility is used just out of interest and variety.

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As it happens, I nearly always ask why this is whenever I meet a woman working the lock while the bloke steers the boat.

 

I ask because we all make assumptions and I like to test these assumptions. In the case of a woman 'doing the work while the bloke stands at the tiller' the reason given should you enquire, is, nine times out of ten, that she hates steering the boat into a lock and would far rather 'he' did it. When asked why this is, she will usually say it's because she is worried about hitting the gates and 'he' is better at judging the length of the boat so while she steers along the cut just fine, she want's 'him' to steer into locks.

 

Somehow blokes never seem to have this fear of whacking the far gates. I think it is the boaty equivalent of parking the car. Blokes seem to be hard-wired with better spacial judgement than girls as a generalisation. I have asked this question of females working the locks dozens or possibly hundreds of times and the theme I describe nearly always results.

 

Blokes have better spacial judgement, wimmin are better communicators broadly speaking. In my personal experience. Flame away!

 

I agree with that - if you observe how many women HGV or PCV drivers there are compared to men, I reckon the proportion will be very similar to the number of female narrowboat steerers.

Edited by Neil2
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Just been tidying up my video library and looking at the "old" boating films on many occasions a lady is steering the horse boat and in later days the butty.

 

Also the I W "Trainees" did both steering and lock work so I do not understand where the modern thinking comes from that lock work is "women's work" whilst the bloke steers.

 

Make no apologies for putting this on again:

 

 

Also I would hazard a guess that many of the women worked harder or as hard as the men, boat work, looking after the family, cooking, loading / unloading the boats.

Edited by Ray T
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Worth a repeat here, I think.......

 

When taking "Flamingo" and "Sickle" out together, we don't have any choice about being a steerer, other than who steers which.

 

On a trip out, I was leading with "Flamingo" as Cath followed with "Sickle", (it's generally easier in that order, as "Sickle" is potentially much faster, and, if leading, hard not to leave "Flamingo" behind).

 

Cath had more than one person call across to her "I see he has got you doing all the hard work making you steer the old working boat". When she explains I'm also steering an old working boat, built the same year, by the same builder, that happens to be 30 feet longer, they just look suitably confused!

 

People make a lot of assumptions. With only one boat we have on multiple occasions in the past been in a situation where one of us has had a recent injury, where steering is still fully possible, whereas working gates and paddles on a flight of locks would not be - if Cath is working the locks exclusively it has on occasions been because I could not, (and vice versa, of course).

 

Oh and it matters not whether Cath is steering or working the paddles - either way people still say to her "I see he has got the easy job, and is making you do all the work".

 

Get some cross straps and a bucket with a length of rope from the rudder of Sickle. You will easily tow Sickle - I have managed to tow mostly successfully a 56tft boat behind Rufford. Makes life a little easier, but a lot lot slower...

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  • 2 weeks later...

Whenever i have had a lady friend on my boat i have taught them to steer and we have shared it out between us, i personally think it is important that both people should be capable of moving and mooring a boat and be confident in all tasks and also to know what to do in an emergency ....for instance should either have an accident or fall overboard, i met one lady who's ex had always steered and she didnt have the first clue how to start the boat let alone steer it or operate the controls which in my opinion is madness.

 

Rick

  • Greenie 1
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My missus doesn't want to steer simple as that. If I insist obj her steering then I'm a Tuesday person.

When there's lots of locks I feel guilty about all the hard work she's doing, & would gladly do it myself, but she doesn't want to steer & won't, it's that simple.

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Whenever i have had a lady friend on my boat i have taught them to steer and we have shared it out between us, i personally think it is important that both people should be capable of moving and mooring a boat and be confident in all tasks and also to know what to do in an emergency ....for instance should either have an accident or fall overboard, i met one lady who's ex had always steered and she didnt have the first clue how to start the boat let alone steer it or operate the controls which in my opinion is madness.

 

Rick

Good call. I make sure any crew that travel with me know the basics as an absolute minimum.

 

I can remember reading a story in one of the yachting monthlies about a couple who were out sailing, he fell overboard and she subsequently spent however long going round in circles not knowing what to do while he proceeded to die of hypothermia.......

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