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Reporting this year's findings ...


zenataomm

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38 minutes ago, matty40s said:

Coming down Napton a couple of weeks ago, I forgot the bottom 4 locks keep a wave going as you open the bottom lock gates , and as I was closing the gates, watched Old Friends get very slowly moved out of jumping distance and had to jump the barbed wire fence on the offside and get muddy feet to clamber back on.

Almost all narrow locks, emptying with the boat at the front running down the gate, when the lock is empty the boat sets off at a steady pace to the back of the lock (and into the cascade from the leaky back gate, if there is one).

Just came down the Cheshire Locks, and they don't do it. Why?

 

MP.

 

 

 

 

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Having only boated 2/3times in the last decade it saddens me to observe a trend of intolerance toward certain sections of the boating fraternity the last trip I did was moving a boat for a friend of a friend from Sawley to Northwich there was around 4/5 boats waiting to go north as I arrived at Harecastle the tunnel keeper wandered down & said "round about a hour mate" so I started tying up the boat  had a hire company's lettering on the side he had bought as a release from a hire firm, the boat had a centre line but I used fore & aft lines  a women on the boat tied in front with its centre line  was walking up & down the towpath with a small dog reaching the back cabin she stopped & read the lettering she walked back & spoke to the guy on their boat they walked back to me & the conversation was more or less as follows  "a hire boat eh" EX, you on your own, YES , shouldn't be allowed ,PARDON ,you shouldn't be allowed to take a boat out on your own having no Idea what you are doing, I mean you don' even know to use the centre line; we have been boating nearly 3 years & you've been out a week, ONLY 3 DAYS, So how long have you been boating then; SINCE 1958 14 YEARS wORKING & HOTEL BOATING, Well that says it all not proper boating, & all this was delivered in a judgemental tone, when we got to  the tunnel entrance he asked the keeper to put me in before him; as he had enough to worry about without me running into the back of him. What a sad attitude.

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19 hours ago, frangar said:

It sadly does seem that warning others of a following boat is a dying art...along with passing a boat travelling in the opposite direction....it seems some people wouldn't be happy unless there is at least 6ft between passing boats. 

Sadly, I can report that it is even worse than that.

Returning from our recent ill-fated trip, we were two boats moving vaguely together, and we both set up the top lock at Hardings Wood at around the same time. As I reached the top, and vacated the lock, there was a boat that had just come through Harecastle approaching, who was clearly engaged on MI5 business, as he wasn't letting on whether he was going down, or turning up the Macc. No matter, I set off, leaving the Son-in-Law coming up the other lock to close my gate if said boat was going up the Macc.

It was going up the Macc, and followed me, with Andy then behind him. No matter, we are travelling together, but we aren't going to get all sniffy about a boat between us.

He is clearly not impressed that we will be slowing down for moored boats!

I sound my horn before the blind bend, and hear no response, so proceed round it with no issue, but there is a boat just round the corner, who has clearly heard my horn, and decided to give way. I thank him and say "there are two boats close behind me", for which he thanks me.

The interloper now comes round the corner, and the boat coming the other way sets off with no horn signal and without waiting for the extra boat. There is the inevitable roar of full reverse to avoid a collision.

In later discussion of what had happened, the boat coming the other way had told Andy that the second boat (the interloper) had told him that "The boat behind has tied up, you can go through".

It would appear that some people don't just lack the decency to pass on this information, they actively go out of their way to give false information and cause issues.

With people like that about, it becomes tempting to give horn signals even when another boater has told you the way is clear.

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I have a couple of minor gripes, none of which are particularly new, I think these have always been the case. 

Whenever I am signalling to an oncoming boat, for example to call them on, I always stand sideways so that they can clearly see my arm without it being hidden in front of the profile of my body, but many folk don't and it's difficult to see them signalling especially as some make only very small and short movements of their arm/hand. Perhaps I should pay a visit to Specsavers! :)

The other one is the many boaters who just 'pip pip' their horns instead of longer bursts, which means that when for example you are approaching a hump back road bridge that you can't see to the other side of,  you don't know if the horn is from an oncoming boat or a car on the road that's approaching the bridge.

 

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47 minutes ago, Grassman said:

The other one is the many boaters who just 'pip pip' their horns instead of longer bursts, which means that when for example you are approaching a hump back road bridge that you can't see to the other side of,  you don't know if the horn is from an oncoming boat or a car on the road that's approaching the bridge.

 

Perhaps they are "having fun" with the cars?

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4 minutes ago, cuthound said:

Perhaps they are "having fun" with the cars?

I do that if I hear a car beep beep I give a quick beep beep back to see if the car stops. Generally only on bridge 'oles where I can see no boats are approaching though.

Edited by Rob-M
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1 hour ago, Grassman said:

 

I have a couple of minor gripes, none of which are particularly new, I think these have always been the case. 

Whenever I am signalling to an oncoming boat, for example to call them on, I always stand sideways so that they can clearly see my arm without it being hidden in front of the profile of my body, but many folk don't and it's difficult to see them signalling especially as some make only very small and short movements of their arm/hand. Perhaps I should pay a visit to Specsavers! :)

The other one is the many boaters who just 'pip pip' their horns instead of longer bursts, which means that when for example you are approaching a hump back road bridge that you can't see to the other side of,  you don't know if the horn is from an oncoming boat or a car on the road that's approaching the bridge.

 

On the subject of sound signals, another one that really gets my goat is people giving sound signals and then not actually doing what they have signalled they are going to do :angry:

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On 25/09/2017 at 12:56, Naughty Cal said:

On the subject of sound signals, another one that really gets my goat is people giving sound signals and then not actually doing what they have signalled they are going to do :angry:

Or worse, giving the correct sound signal then being asked by the other boat why I was "hooting at them"! 

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On 9/25/2017 at 13:07, Mike the Boilerman said:

Or worse, giving the correct sound signal then being asked by the other boat why I was "hooting at them"! 

In this situation I have a wedge of these I hand out:

The sound signals

  • One short—intending to turn to the starboard.
  • Two shorts—intending to turn to the port.
  • Three shorts—running engines in reverse, i.e. slowing down or reversing.
  • Five or more shorts—'What are your intentions?'
  • Two long one short—wishing to overtake to the starboard side in a narrow channel.
  • Two longs two shorts—wishing to overtake to the port side in a narrow channel.
  • Long, short, long, short—leading vessel agreeing to be overtaken.
  • One long—a warning when approaching a blind bend.

 

Edited by Ray T
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We're just back from a most enjoyable trip from the Chesterfield up the Caldon and back. Only minor gripes really which is unusual for me as I am a grumpy bugger..

Apart from meeting the 'Beast of Barton Turns' I'm afraid my biggest problem involved  volunteers. No issues at Fradley, up or down, but Stenson was another matter. It's obviously a dangerous lock if you're a bit unsure, and I really don't mind being helped through, but their new policy is absolutely ridiculous. I'm in the lock with another boat, ready to descend, volunteer on each bottom paddle. They slowly wind them up halfway and stop. That's it. I'm slightly confused as to this new method but discovered that the livaboards below the lock in the (NOT) winding hole don't like to be 'jiggled' around too much with the flow! Honestly, you couldn't make it up. So just remember next time you go through on your own not to lift those paddles too high.. 

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I had the same thing at Stenson a couple of weeks ago.

I was coming up, tied the boat on the landing and went up to see what was happening at the lock, like you do.

A boat was coming down. It came into the lock, the gates were closed and the vlockie wound up the bottom paddles but only halfway. I was a bit puzzled and asked why he didn't wind them right up? "There's a boat waiting below" he said. "Yes, thats me" I replied. "And there are liveaboards below the lock" he said.

I suggested that there might be liveaboards below the lock but it was their choice to moor there. The vlockie and I then had a friendly discussion about efficient as opposed to considerate boating.

After that it was my turn to come up and as I was single handing I was happy to accept the vlockies help.

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Did the Stenson volunteers tell you only to raise a gate paddle six clicks...? This was the lecture my wife was given and I'm surprised his lifejacket wasn't tested as when she did seven clicks he questioned her ability to count.

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2 hours ago, Rob-M said:

Did the Stenson volunteers tell you only to raise a gate paddle six clicks...?

They did seem to raise the paddles slowly but I was on the boat and they were on the lockside doing all the work for me. I wasn't in too much of a hurry though so I didn't mind.

One of them did mention something about a fender sized hole in the cill (on the cafe side). Once the boat was past that he raised the paddles a bit more.

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2 hours ago, noddyboater said:

Luckily when we came up Stenson there were no helpful volunteers around. I've heard that the regular chap has a strict 'no ropes' policy though, even if it's a single boat in the lock. I'm afraid I'd be taking over at that point and doing things my own way which are safe and efficient. 

I would be telling him I have a strict no volunteers policy if coming up and he told me that while he was on duty. 

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7 hours ago, Grassman said:

 

 

Whenever I am signalling to an oncoming boat, for example to call them on, I always stand sideways so that they can clearly see my arm without it being hidden in front of the profile of my body, but many folk don't and it's difficult to see them signalling especially as some make only very small and short movements of their arm/hand. Perhaps I should pay a visit to Specsavers! :)

 

 

I stand and wave them on with both arms stretched above my head. Had one today where I had stopped and waved them through the bridge, the woman then waved me through and her husband brought the boat through

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When making hand signals I use "big arms"  with eggagerated signals 

I point to me then indicate what I plan to do or I point to them and indicate what I want them to do 

I pause then repeat unless I get a thumbs up from the steerer indicating that he understands 

I can't remember my signals being misunderstood.  Horn signal and lights are fine if you know the other boater understands them but they often don't. 

Haggis 

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12 hours ago, haggis said:

When making hand signals I use "big arms"  with eggagerated signals 

I point to me then indicate what I plan to do or I point to them and indicate what I want them to do 

I pause then repeat unless I get a thumbs up from the steerer indicating that he understands 

I can't remember my signals being misunderstood.  Horn signal and lights are fine if you know the other boater understands them but they often don't. 

Haggis 

I find that some don't acknowledge you so you don't know if they've seen them or not.

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1 hour ago, Grassman said:

I find that some don't acknowledge you so you don't know if they've seen them or not.

Ah, I haven't had that problem. Must be the size of my arm signals and folk give in to stop me waving my arms about :-)

haggis

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On 9/25/2017 at 19:06, haggis said:

When making hand signals I use "big arms"  with eggagerated signals 

I point to me then indicate what I plan to do or I point to them and indicate what I want them to do 

I pause then repeat unless I get a thumbs up from the steerer indicating that he understands 

I can't remember my signals being misunderstood.  Horn signal and lights are fine if you know the other boater understands them but they often don't. 

Haggis 

Same goes for arm signals as well though.

When there is a recognised system for signalling your intentions why make up another one?

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1 minute ago, Naughty Cal said:

Same goes for arm signals as well though.

When there is a recognised system for signalling your intentions why make up another one?

True, but my hand signals are so obvious that other boaters don't seem to have a problem knowing what they mean. For example, If I want them to come through the bridge hole, I point to them and then give the wave on signal. If I want them to pass on the wrong side, I point to me and indicate which side I am taking then point to them and indicate (by making a a sweeping gesture) along that side of our boat) . The secret is in the fact that they are big exaggerated arm movements. 

I agree that there are recognised sound and light signals but how many people on the canals know them? Best to use something which folk understand

haggis

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