And you thought motorists were inconsiderate

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bigtrike

Active Member
As I had time to kill and the weather was so nice today I took a trip out at lunch time allong the Kennet and Avon canal instead of going up the A4(well who would given the canal?).
Part way along I am accosted by two damsels in distress who are unable to walk there dogs to the other side because the narowboat that had just passed could not wait to close the bridge after them.
For those who do not know, the Kennet and Avon canal has a number of swing bridges that are used to access adjoining farms/footpath access and from crossing from side to side where the tow path changes from one side to the other.
So I set off in pursuit and within a couple of hundred yards catch up with the boat and the old bloke at the helm. Calling accross it quickly becomes apparent that he had been ignoring the ladies calls to close the bridge. I then took it upon my self to tell him what I thought of inconsiderate fiddle**s ( insert own preffered expletive), how he could be stopping the farmer working/ getting home/ stopping the ladies etc to which his defence/justification was "the next boat will close the bridge" .At one point he did try out race me but on a narrow boat 6mph max , come on ...so I questioned his choise of transport If he was in such a hurry as to be unable to close the bridge, maybe he should be using a car to get where he was going. After 10 minuits I was getting slighty horse so left wishing him a nice day in the forcast rain tommorow.
Has any one else had similar problems and is there any redress as this happens time and again in summer or should I puruse the Inland Waterways website for answers?
 
Swing bridges are difficult, if not impossible, to close after you if you're single handing a narrowboat (I speak from experience here). You moor your boat at the towpath. cross the bridge, open it ... then discover you can't get back to your boat to sail it through. If he wasn't on his own, or if the bridge opened from the towpath side, then he's got no excuse.
 
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bigtrike

Active Member
What I did not mention is that he also had his Mrs with him so no excuse then.
At that bridge it is about a 5km diversion to get back , 0.75km back down the tow path to the road crossing, 2km up the road, then 1km down the farm track and then 1km footpath accross the fields to get back to the other side of the bridge, so the ladies had a 20 minute wait till the next boat came.
 
Probably too late, but each boat is licensed and has a unique number (the name may be duplicated) record and report to British Waterways
 

downfader

extimus uero philosophus
Location
'ampsheeeer
D'ya reckon he might have been one of these people who hires a boat, no experience of canals but just goes out there without thinking or looking up the "etiquette"?

I know a workmate recently hired a boat and went out. She made sure she looked up how to use the canals though, or atleast she said she had.

The man sounds like an inconsiderate git.
 
downfader said:
D'ya reckon he might have been one of these people who hires a boat, no experience of canals but just goes out there without thinking or looking up the "etiquette"?


There are plenty of them about. I was regularly shaken practically out of my bed by people going steaming past my moored boat at full cruising speed. Nearly always hire boats. Although some hire boats were very well "driven", it must be said. The worst ones in my experience were the part owned boats, owned by a conglomerate of about twelve people. These people seemed to think they were a cut above hire boat crews and often displayed an unwarranted arrogance in their dealings with, well, everyone. But especially scruffy liveaboard folk like me.:tongue:
 
Rhythm Thief said:
There are plenty of them about. I was regularly shaken practically out of my bed by people going steaming past my moored boat at full cruising speed. Nearly always hire boats. Although some hire boats were very well "driven", it must be said. The worst ones in my experience were the part owned boats, owned by a conglomerate of about twelve people. These people seemed to think they were a cut above hire boat crews and often displayed an unwarranted arrogance in their dealings with, well, everyone. But especially scruffy liveaboard folk like me.:tongue:

In my experience, the private boats were worse, the 4x4s of the canals!

Failing to give way, not moving over or slowing down
 

Matthames

Über Member
Location
East Sussex
Boats are probably the worst for idiots. There is no licensing as such (Apart from boat licences that give you permission to use a bit of water), so anybody can get a boat without having to take a test to see if they are competent enough to take the helm.

I wonder how many idiots in PWCs and small RIBS actually know that a sailboat has right of way over them? It is a rule in the colregs (collision regulations) that exist for a very good reason. I also wonder how many small boat owners are even vaguely aware of the colregs. To take to the water without even knowing them is IMO like trying to ride a bicycle on the road without having read the highway code.
 

Crankarm

Guru
Location
Nr Cambridge
Matthames said:
Boats are probably the worst for idiots. There is no licensing as such (Apart from boat licences that give you permission to use a bit of water), so anybody can get a boat without having to take a test to see if they are competent enough to take the helm.

I wonder how many idiots in PWCs and small RIBS actually know that a sailboat has right of way over them? It is a rule in the colregs (collision regulations) that exist for a very good reason. I also wonder how many small boat owners are even vaguely aware of the colregs. To take to the water without even knowing them is IMO like trying to ride a bicycle on the road without having read the highway code.


PWCs, RIBS, colregs :tongue:? Wotchya torkin' bout Willis?
 

Matthames

Über Member
Location
East Sussex
Crankarm said:
PWCs, RIBS, colregs :tongue:? Wotchya torkin' bout Willis?

I mentioned what colregs are in the post:- they are the rules of the road for all boats.

PWC - Personal water craft, they are also known as jet-skis but can't be called that unless made by Kawasaki. Usually ridden by the same aholes that usually drive 4X4.

RIBs - Rigid inflatable boats.
 

Crankarm

Guru
Location
Nr Cambridge
Matthames said:
I mentioned what colregs are in the post:- they are the rules of the road for all boats.

PWC - Personal water craft, they are also known as jet-skis but can't be called that unless made by Kawasaki. Usually ridden by the same aholes that usually drive 4X4.

RIBs - Rigid inflatable boats.

You mentioned,

colregs (collision regulations)

So are you now saying these are also

the rules of the road for all boats?

Surely if on the road they are covered by the Highway Code :tongue:?

Surely canal boats on canals and river networks have to comply with British Waterways byelaws and regs? I'm sure there is a relevant piece of legislation.
 
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