Narrowboat Holidays - Rules and etiquette for the Inland Waters
- Fending off and mooring
Fending off -Arms, Legs and other appendages
"Fending off" is the term used for manually pushing your boat away from obstacles and other boats, when coming alongside or in event of collision. It needs to be done with a little thought as a 15 ton boat has little consideration for anything as frail as a human arm or leg and many limbs have been damaged this way. Let a boat hook or pole take the damage instead, they are cheaper to replace. Similarly watch out for any bits of humanity dangling over the side of the boat when approaching locks and bridges. This should also extend to anyone on top of the boat and your own head for low bridges. if steering a "semi trad" or "trad" boat the person on the tiller should also be careful not to stand on the rear edge of the deck, landing in the water, close to a churning propeller has been known to shorten life expectancy quite dramatically!
People pointing out problems like this are only trying to avoid accidents, they have probably experienced themselves - don't be offended!
Do provide the same service for others, it is difficult when in charge of a boat to keep an eye on everything and problems are often more obvious to a third party, but do keep comments light hearted and friendly.
Mooring up
When looking for somewhere to moor ideally try and find a site provided with bollards or rings, spikes are fine, but they can pull out, if the boat is rocked to violently by other passing craft. Ropes should be tied tightly to reduce movement and spikes driven deeply into the ground, to stop them coming out. If you actually tie the rope to the spike rather than looping it back to the boat , you will not loose the spike should it be dragged out. Try and position spikes considerately so people do not trip over them and mark them with something like a brightly coloured plastic bag to help prevent accidents.
When mooring spring lines can help reduce the movement of the boat and reduce the chances of loosing a spike: see diagram below.
Please be considerate of others in popular moorings and don't leave excess space between your boat and the next. in some places finding a mooring for the night can be like trying to park a car in town! At times places you may have to "breast up" or moor alongside another boat. Do ask permission first and try and be unobtrusive.
Please also offer this opportunity to others at need. Helping someone find moorings at the end of a long day may be the start of a long friendship.Do not block tow paths by putting ropes across them to trees, this creates annoyance and danger for towpath users.
Don't rely on a centre rope for permanent moorings, use bow and stern ropes only. Centre ropes are useful for temporary positioning, but not for longer term moorings.
Mooring at locks and Water points
When approaching a water point or a lock, please be aware that there are specific moorings set aside for users and only moor there to use the facilities. Leave space for other boats to moor, don't jtake the centre leaving gaps at each end.
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