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Traveling on a canal at night?


Foxtrot

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As far as I'm aware, on some rivers headlights are not allowed. I certainly know of someone who got a bollocking for having a headlight on while on the lower Thames.

 

I think it was quite right for him/her to get a bollocking :D

 

Surely though common sense should prevail whether river or canal and the bottom line should be whatever is needed to ensure safe navigation with due consideration to other users should be the norm. I think it's fair to note that not everyone's eyesight is perfect and some people's night vision is not as good as others, so some will feel safer having the way ahead light up and some will feel port, starboard, and stern lights are sufficient .

 

This thread reminds me of the arseholes who drive their cars with rear fogs on when the visability is good, or don't have their headlights on dipped beam when visablity is poor :angry:

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This thread reminds me of the arseholes who drive their cars with rear fogs on when the visability is good, or don't have their headlights on dipped beam when visablity is poor :angry:

 

 

With you on this one. They switch em on for the fun of it and leave them on till they check the switch by accident next time they clean the car interior. And the pratts who switch on the front fogs for fun !!! and pratts who drive through towns on side lights which is legal on lit roads of 30mph etc but bloody stupid.........................

 

Tim

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I'm afraid we will have to continue to disagree then. The beam doesn't, of course, shine along the suface of the water - it reflects back up from it. I can clearly see that the flat beam strikes the water a short way in front of my boat, and then reflects up towards the roof of the tunnel. Any oncoming steerer will not come into range of the reflected beam until they -on their stern - are within a boats length of my lamp, by which time our bows have passed each other anyway. The upper and lower extremities of the main and reflected beam are clearly visible to me and the lamp is adjusted accordingly. Even if purely for self-protection, I have no wish to dazzle anybody.

That sounds fair enough but by advocating a tilted down beam, you encourage others less sensible to copy you inexpertly, with the resulting glare from reflections off the water - something I have certainly encountered. Tilting the light up to the roof seems a safer option for the less skilled.

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I have had various tunnel lights over the years,including an upside down car headlight.The best light I have found is a Tractor Working Light.These are cheaply available from agricultural supliers and give an alround light. They are intended to give a wide area of ilumination and work well as a tunnel light.They are designed to be movable so the aim can be adjusted.I do use it sometimes at night(on narrow canals)I dont think I have ever passed another moving boat at night in 30 years.If I did meet one,I would hope to be able to see him and him me.In tunnels,pointing my light up seems to avoid dazling other boaters and hopefully they will extend me the same courtesy. The use of small cruiser port and starboard ligts, with no masthead or stern light on a river navigation wories me.The rules are there for a reason.

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I've read all this and these are my thoughts, correct, theres no limit on navigation at night, excepting certain navigations providing the vessel has navigation lights,,port and starboard to identify edges of the vessel, a small white light midships visible ideally 360 degrees, a stern light, and a tunnel light. Comments about glare are obvious so on mine I have a 100 watt wide beam light that is completely dimmable,and would be dimmed or turned off in a tunnel,, then the small white and red and green take over,, thats what happens in Belgium and Holland. Spots or searchlights are only used where absolutely necessary. so its all about getting kitted out correctly, the licence says have navigation lights, great , no problem, its just common sense, however as commented not all have or think they need nav lights, or realise that a spotlight in a tunnel is bad news,,,, hence my 100 Watter to encourage oncoming boats to turn off close up !!!

cheers all, martin

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I've read all this and these are my thoughts, correct, theres no limit on navigation at night, excepting certain navigations providing the vessel has navigation lights,,port and starboard to identify edges of the vessel, a small white light midships visible ideally 360 degrees, a stern light, and a tunnel light. Comments about glare are obvious so on mine I have a 100 watt wide beam light that is completely dimmable,and would be dimmed or turned off in a tunnel,, then the small white and red and green take over,, thats what happens in Belgium and Holland. Spots or searchlights are only used where absolutely necessary. so its all about getting kitted out correctly, the licence says have navigation lights, great , no problem, its just common sense, however as commented not all have or think they need nav lights, or realise that a spotlight in a tunnel is bad news,,,, hence my 100 Watter to encourage oncoming boats to turn off close up !!!

cheers all, martin

 

One thing that seems to have been neglected is that navigation lights should be of a certain size dependent on the length of the vessel.

 

Phil

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I've read all this and these are my thoughts, correct, theres no limit on navigation at night, excepting certain navigations providing the vessel has navigation lights,,port and starboard to identify edges of the vessel, a small white light midships visible ideally 360 degrees, a stern light, and a tunnel light. Comments about glare are obvious so on mine I have a 100 watt wide beam light that is completely dimmable,and would be dimmed or turned off in a tunnel,, then the small white and red and green take over,, thats what happens in Belgium and Holland. Spots or searchlights are only used where absolutely necessary. so its all about getting kitted out correctly, the licence says have navigation lights, great , no problem, its just common sense, however as commented not all have or think they need nav lights, or realise that a spotlight in a tunnel is bad news,,,, hence my 100 Watter to encourage oncoming boats to turn off close up !!!

cheers all, martin

Well you will not find me turning my light off in a tunnel if we meet.

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Well you will not find me turning my light off in a tunnel if we meet.

Is this a new thing?.....last time through Blisworth we met a pillock coming the other way that shouted to me to turn ours off...and it was pointing right up at the roof!

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  • 4 years later...
Just now, jake_crew said:

Epic thread resurrection I know but .....

Elsewhere in webland its been suggested that "  It is illegal to drive a hired n/b after dark ".

It may be aginst the hire company's T's & C's, but illegal ?  What law is that I wonder ?

It is certainly not illegal.  It is the hire company and possibly their insurance companies restriction.  So it is not allowed under the contract you have with the hire company.

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5 minutes ago, john6767 said:

It is certainly not illegal.  It is the hire company and possibly their insurance companies restriction.  So it is not allowed under the contract you have with the hire company.

Well it's sort of illegal since insurance is legally required as part of the conditions to have a licence, and the insurance is specifically invalidated for night cruising. Presuming that is what the terms of the insurance are.

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8 minutes ago, Heffalump said:

What Nick said.

I previously worked on a hire fleet, had we been alerted to anyone boating at night they would have had a visit in the van to bring them back.

Presumably this is not an absolute though, I wonder how the crew that did the BCN Challenge on a hire boat dealt with that.

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Just now, john6767 said:

Presumably this is not an absolute though, I wonder how the crew that did the BCN Challenge on a hire boat dealt with that.

Yes good question!  Presumably it's on a per-policy inn-sewer-ants basis.  Perhaps they took out a bespoke policy!

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24 minutes ago, john6767 said:

Presumably this is not an absolute though, I wonder how the crew that did the BCN Challenge on a hire boat dealt with that.

Maybe down to the definition of night, you could take a 6 hour break between 10pm and 4am which would mean you are boating when it is still possible to see without additional lights on at that time of year.

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Just now, cereal tiller said:

Did the "Van collection" ever actually happen? 

Not in the year and a bit I was there.  But then we always told the hirers they couldn't boat at night, whether they did or not, it wasn't reported.

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1 hour ago, David Mack said:

And I got the nod from a hire boat company that as we were experienced boaters and we were hiring at a time of year when the days were short, they wouldn't mind if we carried on boating after dark.

As did we when wet hired in February one year. I asked what their definition of night was (they knew my previous experience), and they said as long as we had tunnel light on  after dusk and could see where we were going it was fine!

I suspect it's very much a hire company restriction as opposed to an insurance restriction but might be wrong on that. 

Tom

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When we did the BCN on a hired boat it was one of the camping boats from Worcester bar and came with a skipper. My understanding is that most hire companies insurance forbids boating at night and or after dust for most, but allows staff and experienced helmspersons to move the boats whenever, as per most but not all normal private insurance policies.

Daniel

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On 1/19/2013 at 02:25, GoodGurl said:

you can travel the canals any time you want to 24/7 just make sure you have lighting if you do tho, dont travel in this snow/ice :help:

As said & I would add check your insurance cover, as far as I remember & I don't think it"s changed/been amended you need a forward facing white light, most "Night Owls" use their tunnel lamps for this purpose Can I ask why not to travel in snow Back in the day I have done it many times when had to get a load to destination would perhaps not recommend for a leisure boater with little experience, but it is possible & feasible more than likely stoppages would probably prevent this.

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1 hour ago, X Alan W said:

As said & I would add check your insurance cover, as far as I remember & I don't think it"s changed/been amended you need a forward facing white light, most "Night Owls" use their tunnel lamps for this purpose Can I ask why not to travel in snow Back in the day I have done it many times when had to get a load to destination would perhaps not recommend for a leisure boater with little experience, but it is possible & feasible more than likely stoppages would probably prevent this.

I suspect the "don't travel in snow and ice" comment was more about personal safety than anything else. Getting on and off a boat at locks etc involves concentrating and not having to hurry. Having boated in ice, snow and overnight, it was ice and snow that I found the most dangerous.

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