Slow Down Will You!!!!

[wynd lass(nb.Black Pearl)]

I sort of go through the motions but I am not sure why except perhaps on very narrow sections, it is often not a good thing to slow down too much, you tend to lose steerage. 

People can't complain about being bumped around a bit if they are on the move anyway.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

 

You quote "Sort of go through the motions" ......ahahahahahah good reply mate!

tell you what, appart from when its windy mate, ive never lost steerage ever! by slacking the revs off to tickover.........

shakes my head.....

Edited April 28, 2005 by wynd lass(nb.Black Pearl)

[wynd lass(nb.Black Pearl)]

Why is it in this country, whether you are driving a car or a boat, that lots of people think the speed limit DOESNT apply to them? they are so imprtant as human beings, they can drive FASTER that what the law says? And as is becoming evident that the arrogant car drivers are becoming arrogant boat drivers........They live their lives dashing here there and everywhere.....rush rush rush.......All I can say is this, Its a sad reflection of how we are progressing, isnt it? we arnt progressing, were going back to our roots by the looks of things and adopting the cave man attitudes with everything........

 

Go on boys (cos you are the WORST perpetrators of all this speeding) grab your loincloths and your bashing stick........................get your drum man on the fore deck hitting his base drum-----ramming speed!!!!!!!!!

[gringogordo]

Well they can abuse as much as they like now......hehehe, this time around (new boat new fella) ......and lets say, he wont stand and abuse from anyone, and who's to argue? he's a very big lad! 

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

So now it turns to canal rage ?! No matter how big he is he better watch out for Kenneth Noy!

[wynd lass(nb.Black Pearl)]

get a life.................theres always one .....

 

shakes head and walks off........

 

by the way,

he's a copper.....

Edited April 28, 2005 by wynd lass(nb.Black Pearl)

[Alastair]

go on, I had a sheltered up bringing, 'springs'? please enlighten me gents 

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A bow spring extends from your bow cleat, back along the boat to a point past halfway (at least 2/3rds) and ties to the bank. Stern spring does the same, in opposite direction. They cross - obviously, and have an incredible effect on reducing boat movement.

[Alastair]

nigel for gods sake........i think someones taking the pi** mate..........wise up, tune in and switch on!

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rofl

 

erm, windy, I think you'd better do some reading on boats, moorings, etc.

 

I've only mentioned springs in terms of being tied up - but they have another use.

 

Say you are single-handing. Rig a bow spring rope, led back down the boat to the steering position. When you come alongside, bring the stern in, tie the bow spring to the bank. Leave boat in tickover, ahead. The combination of the bow spring and the engine will now pull you gently against the bank, exactly parallel - it's fab in adverse winds. You can now get your bow and stern ropes sorted at leisure.

[wynd lass(nb.Black Pearl)]

yer i know..........infact my boats mored on one now.........still moves tho:P

[nigel carton]

nigel for gods sake........i think someones taking the pi** mate..........wise up, tune in and switch on!

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hmmm

[nigel carton]

Well they can abuse as much as they like now......hehehe, this time around (new boat new fella) ......and lets say, he wont stand and abuse from anyone, and who's to argue? he's a very big lad! 

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so whats this got to do with my post? lost me there a bit

[nigel carton]

A bow spring extends from your bow cleat, back along the boat to a point past halfway (at least 2/3rds) and ties to the bank.  Stern spring does the same, in opposite direction.  They cross - obviously, and have an incredible effect on reducing boat movement.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

thanks for that

[nigel carton]

you will forget all about this topic when your on your boat miles from any house, road, rail and pc's doing about 10mph with a dirty great bow wave coming off ya boat..... doh I didn't mean that last bit... sorry I need to get out on the cut asap, I need some fresh air

[Billypownall]

Im not a selfish boat owner billy boy, I personally dont like speeding because of all the grief you get from moored boat owners as you pass.......you obviously dont mind that, so it looks like your skin is as thick as your head then? and arrogant to boot:)

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

What on earth are you on about wynd lass?? Now you say you dont like speeding because of grief from moored boarts. I AGREE. Your first posting complained about a friend having to give way twice in two hours. I DO NOT AGREE.Maybe your friend is one of those dawdlers on the cut who can be a menace . I have to say that if he is not then sympathies to him but surely it was no big deal to give way twice in two hours. I am sorry to disappoint you but I am neither thick or arrogant. Just kind, considerate, and an ex mastermind competitor. Furthermore I hate the dawdlers who wont give way just as much as the speed merchants and I am neither of these.

[wynd lass(nb.Black Pearl)]

Blly: Glad to hear your kind and considerate........

[fuzzyduck]

Hell I'll add my 2c worth :-)

 

I own some tupperware. and as such, at less than 1 Mph I lose steerage. I will get a better rudder for the outboard at some point, but that's a different matter.

 

Last year i got caught behind a hire boat that was pottering along. fair play to him, it was a lovely day, just a gentle breeze, absolutely beautiful.

 

"hold on there's a wier up here somewhere, I need to be going a bit faster than this". must overtake. I'll go to port. he zigs to port. I'll go starboard, he zags starboard. Ok i'll pull up closer and have a quick chat.

"excuse me mate, but i need to pass you, I can't go as slowly as you, and I need to get past." to which he replies with a stream of abuse about people owning rivers, speeding, being general scumbags.

 

So what could I do, a feint port, throttle WIDE open and zip starboard at my maximum speed. (at the time about 4.5 Mph) He still tried to force me into the bank.

 

what he created was a safety problem for me and my boat, all because he felt that dead slow was the right speed for him, and that everyone else should do exactly the same.

[roger]

It seems to me the canal's all about finding culprits these days... cont cruisers, speeders, those who dont pay licences etc etc etc. Its fair enough but as you will see there are those on both sides of the coin who dont pay licences, dont slow down, hog moorings for weeks etc etc, including people from the 'holier than thou' camp. It passes the buck and its not healthy. There has to be some better way to deal with these issues.

[Jaysay]

We've got a good one going here! Well Wynd Lass I think we are in agreement about real speeders, but I still don't see what purpose is served by holding them back? Surely you don't want an idiot sitting behind you and glaring at you for hours on end? Let him pass; take his number if you feel strongly; ring BW. They might even do something about it.

Thanks for the other point of view about travelling at night, chaps. Fair comment, on reflection, though the people I've seen doing it usually seem to do it without lights, which puts me on edge a bit; for example have they seen me? Can't be too safe in locks, but then that's your risk I suppose.

Probably the worst place I have come across for speeding is on the Thames, particularly the large passenger steamers from Oxford, who should know better. And, of course, they also belt past you at night with a disco blasting away at midnight - gave me the fright of my life the first time I came across it. Theoretically, the effect on moored boats is usually not as bad as on the canal, because of the wider river and deeper water - but the fancy cruisers compensate for that by doing about 12 or 15 knots (must beat that clanky narrowboat to the next lock at all costs).

Just to add to the explanation on springs (no, it was not a wind up), you can also do it with just one rope: secure one end to bow, pull tight and secure to central pin, then pull tight and secure to stern. It's important that it is taut, otherwise it won't work so well.

[howardang]

We've got a good one going here!  Well Wynd Lass I think we are in agreement about real speeders, but I still don't see what purpose is served by holding them back?  Surely you don't want an idiot sitting behind you and glaring at you for hours on end?  Let him pass; take his number if you feel strongly; ring BW.  They might even do something about it.

Thanks for the other point of view about travelling at night, chaps.  Fair comment, on reflection, though the people I've seen doing it usually seem to do it without lights, which puts me on edge a bit; for example have they seen me?  Can't be too safe in locks, but then that's your risk I suppose.

Probably the worst place I have come across for speeding is on the Thames, particularly the large passenger steamers from Oxford, who should know better.  And, of course, they also belt past you at night with a disco blasting away at midnight - gave me the fright of my life the first time I came across it.  Theoretically, the effect on moored boats is usually not as bad as on the canal, because of the wider river and deeper water - but the fancy cruisers compensate for that by doing about 12 or 15 knots (must beat that clanky narrowboat to the next lock at all costs).

Just to add to the explanation on springs (no, it was not a wind up), you can also do it with just one rope:  secure one end to bow, pull tight and secure to central pin, then pull tight and secure to stern.  It's important that it is taut, otherwise it won't work so well.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

Yes, you can do it but generally it's not a good idea to use one rope for more than one function for all sorts of reasons. I know many people do it, but it's not good boatmanship/seamanship - (oh heck, will this start another argument!).

 

Regards

 

Howard Anguish

[NB Willawaw]

Just to really stir things up, a boat being overtaken has the right of way over the boat that is overtaking it.

 

If you want to pass, you should make the intention clear (radio, hand gestures, horn, boat positioning, etc).

 

If the channel is confined and you can't get past without him moving over or slowing down, you could try a long, long, short on the horn.

 

He should wave you on or give you a long, short, long. short on his horn and move over/slow down.

 

If he doesn't and you overtake and come unstuck, you will be seen to be at fault.

[Oliver]

Have just got back from a long weekend on the GU/Oxford - went from Calcutt to Banbury and back. Left Friday lunchtime. On Saturday, we pulled over a few times to let people rush past and a number of people we met coming the otherway asked us if we knew what was happening down Oxford way because everybody seemed to be in such a hurry. Guess they asked us because we were the only ones who weren't speeding!

 

We didin't know of anything but it sure seemed like everybody was in rush. Maybe we were dawdling but we still 'beat' the Peason's timing by about 3 hours and that involved queueing at Marston Dole.

 

On the way home, at the bottom of Napton locks, a day hire boat went by - nobody was inside it they were all hanging off the gunwhales. They were travelling at speed (alongside a long line of moored boats) listing very severely to one side, almost shipping water. Should I have rung the pub at Braunston they had hired from and warned them they might not get their boat back?

Edited May 2, 2005 by Oliver

[Paul Evans]

Should I have rung the pub at Braunston they had hired from and warned them they might not get their boat back?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Simple answer - No! They would have found out very quickly if anything had happened.

[dor]

Having just had a long weekend on the Shroppie, I noticed that boats slowing down to pass us as we moored were rare indeed. Mostly hire boats, who didn't evne make a token touch of the throttle. I shall be passing on my experiences to BW in the hope (Ha!) that they will contact the hire companies and ask them to be a bit clearer about the responsibilities of their crews.

 

One slightly amusing incident: A hire boat caught me up passing Golden Nook (miles of linear moorings) which of course I was passing relatively slowly. I also slowed down past the other moored boats I passed.

When I arrived at Wharton Lock, there were several boats moored jst before the lock. I stopped on the lock moorings, as a couple of other boats were going into the lock. This hire boat pulled up beind (after starting to pass me - how can you not see a lock in front of you going uphill?).

Whilst we were waiting the steerer came up to me and started complaining about the boats in front "they are really slow - I'm not a rusher but I've been following them for miles - kept slowing down etc.etc." Clearly didn't realise it was me he had been following - presumably he would have been going full tilt past all the moored boats if he had not been behind me.

 

He didn't join me for the next lock - perhaps he realised it was me he had been following!

[Bernie]

Being moored just above Kings Lock, many seem to leave it at full speed and I did complain to one hire company about this. The reply I got was negative saying that they tell their hirers to slow down past moored boats etc, but can't be held reponsible for their not doing so. I do find that many boats from the Bridgewater Canal tend to go faster, maybe because that particular canal is wide and deep.

Edited May 4, 2005 by Bernie

[Liam]

The Bridgewater may be wide and deep but it doesn't mean you don't have to slow down when passing a boat.

 

I've got a mooring on the Bridgewater and feel very strongly about slowing down for other boats. I always do so I would expect people to slow down whilst passing me. This is obviously not the case - I was last out over the bank holiday moored up in a popular spot with lots of other boats and the hire boats, time shares and the private boats all continued to whiz past. I do normally ask people very nicely if they could slow down but I shouldn't have to, I get tired of being ignored and being abused so I just let them get on with it.

 

There's a few cruising clubs along the bridgewater that have been very suitable renamed flying/speeding clubs.

 

I think it would be a good idea to keep some sort of list in the back of the log book or something of all the local speeders. Fly past them the same way they fly past us and see how they like it.

 

Going off subject a bit here, but not off topic...

 

How many people do you actually let on to whilst passing other boats. And how many people let onto you?

 

People used to slow down whilst passing and give you a smile or a wave, now they just throttle past you and either don't look in your direction or stare straight through you.

 

It's the way I see it - not sure how you lot see it.

[dor]

People used to slow down whilst passing and give you a smile or a wave, now they just throttle past you and either don't look in your direction or stare straight through you.

It's getting a bit like ythat when you stop and give way at a bridge. More & more seem to just cruise past without any acknowledgement. Maybe they are embarrassed as they realise it should have been them that gave way.

[Liam]

Possibly.. but even when they give way, they don't acknowledge my thanks etc. I'm putting it down to ignorance - they don't know any better.