Narrowboat Holidays - Rules and etiquette for the Inland Waters
- Into & Speed
The actual rule book is probably several volumes thick, but here are some basic points British Waterways highlight in one of their leaflets.
( - re-written , so as to avoid complaints of duplicate content, depreciating someone else's website in the search engines.)
These notes deal with interactions between boaters and are intended to help nurture the general spirit of friendliness and wellbeing that has become associated with the waterways community. Advice on how tot to annoy people, put people in danger or put yourself in danger.
Obviously there are a lot of novice boaters on the waterways hiring a Narrowboat for the first time, equally there are a lot of experienced boaters too. Passing the experience on from one to another is in everybody's interest and thankfully the canal community has a tradition of doing just that, don't be afraid to ask the obvious and silly questions and there is a chance you won't make the obvious and silly mistakes, which everyone including the most experienced has done at sometime in their lives.Relax and be sociable
You are no longer in the big city competing with thousands of others for air to breath so relax, be sociable and considerate of others. Practically it means you communicate with people better and learn from them about their experiences of the day, which may be yours tomorrow. With a top speed of 4mph, racing is not really an option, and what does it matter who goes through the bridge first?
In considerate actions create friction and stress which you will carry with you for the rest of the day, quite possibly meeting the same people at every lock and other obstacle and reliving whatever incident it was that got your "back up" in the first place.Speed
This is not a holiday for "speed fiends". Boating especially on the Inland waterways is the surest way of slowing you life down for a bit, a therapy we all need at times, accept the regime and enjoy it. Do not plan too much for a single day and allow time in your route planning for delays which are inevitable, in waiting for popular locks etc... Judge your speed by watching your wash and if the water starts to break you are going too fast. this can happen at quite low speeds in shallow water and can cause bank erosion resulting in further silting of the canal to everyone's detriment.
Boats draw water from in front to the boat, causing the stern to go deeper the faster you go, which increases your chances of running aground especially near the bank. Take care to reduce speed for oncoming boats as the increased movement of water can risk putting either craft aground, especially as there is less room available at this point to avoid such errors.
Moored craft should be passed at tick-over (about 2mph) to avoid disturbing them at their moorings too much. Inconsiderate speeds may pull out mooring pins and potentially cause other damage, apart from making uncomfortable for the occupants.
Overtaking another boat is a rare occurrence and should only be attempted with the cooperation of the boat in front and then on a suitably straight stretch of water. If you find yourself in a position where the boat behind is constantly on your tail pull over to the side coming to a halt on a straight and suitable stretch of water and and invite them to overtake.
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