Boaters' Update 17 May 2024

Read on to find out some wonderful news about our Patron, more of your views on cruising past moored boats, a cautionary tale about lifejackets, a reopening on the Oxford Canal and the upcoming Crick Boat Show!

The ever-present round-up of this weekend’s stoppages can also be found:

• His Majesty King Charles III confirmed as Patron of Canal & River Trust
• Cruising speed – a hot debate
• The importance of routine lifejacket checks
• Maintenance, repair and restoration work affecting cruising this weekend
• Easenhall Cutting reopens to boats after mammoth repair
• Crick Boat Show checklist – ten things to do

Happy boating, Damian

His Majesty King Charles III confirmed as Patron of Canal & River Trust

We are honoured that His Majesty King Charles III has announced his Patronage following a review of Royal Patronages conducted after His Majesty’s accession to the throne.

As the former Prince of Wales, His Majesty had previously been the Canal & River Trust’s Patron since the charity was founded in 2012.

His Majesty has had a long interest in waterways and even rolled up his sleeves to work as a volunteer, helping to revitalise seven miles of the Montgomery Canal nearly 50 years ago.

Over the years His Majesty has officially visited the canal network several times, from a visit to the National Waterways Museum in 1988 to meeting young volunteers taking part in conservation work on Stoke on Trent’s canals in 2014. Most recently, the Canal & River Trust hosted him on the revitalised Coventry Canal in 2021.

Long dedicated to canal restoration, in 2001 His Majesty officially opened Standedge Visitor Centre following the renovation of the Standedge Tunnel. He visited the Kennet & Avon Canal in 2003 to celebrate its completed restoration, and, in 2018, represented the Canal & River Trust by opening the first phase of the restored Cotswold Canals.

David Orr, chair at Canal & River Trust, said: “We are delighted that His Majesty will retain his Patronage of the Canal & River Trust. As a passionate advocate for British heritage, nature and communities and a long-standing supporter of the nation’s waterways, His Majesty’s support will be welcomed by our supporters as we continue in our mission to Keep Canals Alive.”

Cruising speed – a hot debate

In the last edition I mentioned that the speed boaters cruise past moored boats was frequently raised when you wrote in about boating behaviour. On the back of that, and my request for more on the subject, you didn’t disappoint! Thanks to everyone who took the time to get in touch. As you’ll probably be expecting, and as one boater unashamedly admitted, many soap boxes were dusted off and views shared. There’s quite a bit to cover so I’ve broken down your collective feedback into five categories:

Tickover isn’t the answer

• Yes, it is clear that boats should slow down when passing others - but, as your article says, not to tickover.
• "Tickover" is a worthless concept. I presume that this means that the engine gear is disengaged. What is important is the speed not what the engine is doing. You can pass a moored boat with your engine disengaged but if you are already going "slow enough" you could lose steerage, and if you are going "too fast" then it will take more than a boat's length to slow down.
• Education is needed. I’m on the Lancaster Canal, which is a shallow canal, which means that speeding boaters cause a great deal of wash and turbulence…damaging banks and upsetting boaters. Why do GRP skippers think they can just go hell for leather each time they sail? They rarely slow down past moored boats if at all… in a crash situation they would come off worse compared to narrowboats, so why are they so brave or is it just stupidity?

But then again…

• The safest way to be sure of not causing a problem to moored boats is to slow to tickover – there can be no argument then.

Mooring up properly

• This is a two-way issue with a responsibility on moorers to tie their boats up properly. I regularly see boats moored with their lines at totally the wrong angle or moored with centre lines tight. Inevitably these boats will rock. And it is rare to see spring lines.
• Some comments on how folks moor to minimise the problems are worth adding. Often the problem is caused by both the passing boat being too fast and the moored boat being very sloppily moored.
• There are so many boats moored using their centre line in addition to bow and stern lines. Common sense says this is a bad idea as a line attached high on the boat will exaggerate any movement.
• Boats moored with slack lines bounce around more than those moored on reasonably tight lines.
• Mooring with the bow line secured ahead and stern line secured astern of the boat will help reduce movement.
• It’s very rare to see boats moored with springs in addition to bow and stern lines which is a sensible measure particularly where there might be plenty of boats moving.

Don’t judge a boat by its bow wave

• The speed limits are so tricky to define. It depends so much on boat type and waterways.
• If moored on a narrow shallow canal I would not be pleased to see a large steel hulled boat going past me at 4mph but would be fine if a small GRP cruiser were doing this speed. These are more manoeuvrable and disturb moored boats far less.
• Width and depth of waterway are also important. Rivers and broad canals can be safely used at higher speeds by any craft, without disturbing others.
• I do think that there is a great need for this debate and an acceptance that one size does not fit all cases. On a shallow narrow canal, a narrow boat will take up a very large percentage of the canal’s cross section and so all of the water displaced needs to get past the boat in a relatively small amount of space. So you get very fast waterflow past the boat which means that any moored boat gets pushed around a LOT which is unpleasant for occupants, potentially damaging to the moored boat and very likely to rip out mooring pins etc. Conversely on a wide and deep canal passing at a higher speed is far less likely to cause a problem (this respondent gives a more detailed explanation in their full response – read it in its entirety starting towards the bottom of page four).

Your advice

Solution one:

• The premise is that 2mph (i.e. "half" the legal top speed of 4mph) is an acceptable speed, being a slowish walking speed. Do the maths if you are interested: at 2mph you cover 60 feet in 20 seconds.
• Slow down at least three boat lengths before you start to pass the boat (yes, "tickover" will cause you to lose speed which you need to do before you get there).
• Wherever you are standing on your boat, the instant that you are alongside one end of the moored boat you start counting in seconds (remembering to start at 0 of course).
• If the moored boat is 60' you should get to 20 before you pass the other end of the boat.
• This is a rough and ready rule and in particular not every boat is 60' long so for instance you will pass a 50' boat in 17 seconds and a 70' boat in 23 seconds.
• Practise it! It won't take too long for anyone to be reasonably accurate in counting 20 seconds. It then won't take too long to get the feel of what speed will result in a count of 20 seconds so it won't take too long before you are used to it and won't have to slavishly count every time you pass a moored boat. You will also learn how many boat lengths are required for your particular boat to slow to the appropriate speed.
• If everyone adopted this principle then no one should ever complain again!

Solution two:

• You do not always need to slow down to tickover BUT sometimes even tickover is almost too fast.
• Know the draft of your boat. The deeper the draft the more you will need to slow down.
• Take note of the canal cross section. You will need to slow down much more on narrow/shallow canals than deep/wider ones.
• Watch what happens as you pass a moored boat. If the boat stays pretty well stationary then you’ve got it right. If the boat moves back and forward noticeably then you are probably going a bit too fast. You can’t do much to stop it at this stage but slow down a bit more for the next one! If the boat moves a lot then you really need to slow down a lot!
• Treat lightweight plastic/wood cruisers with extra care as their light weight makes them move much easier and they aren’t as robust as steel hulls.
• Whilst mooring up too tightly can be a problem, loose moorings are a really bad idea where other boats will be passing.
• Use decent rope. Far too many boats use really thin ropes which stretch far too easily. Climbing rope is a really bad idea as it is designed to stretch a LOT.
• Ideally do not moor up with your lines at right angles to the boat unless on a solid floating pontoon with rings/cleats.
• Similarly, long shallow angled moorings tend to exacerbate the problems of passing boats.
• Usually around 45 to 30 degrees forward and backwards works best allowing a reasonably tight line with enough flexibility to accommodate a reasonable degree of water level change.
• Consider using one or more “springs” (relatively shallow angle extra mooring lines running the opposite direction to your main mooring) which give a lot more resilience to the effects of passing boats.
• Don’t use your centre line from the top of the cabin roof to a centre mooring. If someone comes past too fast you will induce a really unpleasant rocking motion. Centre lines are great but get a fixing/mooring point at deck level and use that, not the roof fitting.
• Make sure your mooring point is solid. If you can’t use a ring or ‘nappy pin/chain’ on an Arnco etc. then use double pins at an angle to each other to make them more difficult to pull out, I see far too many boats with what looks like washing line wrapped round a really small sapling… What do they really expect will happen?

A memorable phrase

Sadly, some correspondents reported that they’d come across moored boats with rather insulting signs commanding the cruising boat to slow down. As you’d expect, and as 10.9.1. of the boat licence Terms & Conditions states: ‘behave considerately towards others…’, any signs displayed on your boat should be courteous and informative.

On that note, one boater suggested that we need a memorable phrase (which could also be used as a sign on a boat). As a starting point, their proposal was ‘Boats to pass? Cut the gas.’ Do you have an idea for a slogan that will stick in the mind of boaters? Please drop me a line if you do. If you’re looking for inspiration you might like to read BuzzFeeds’ 'Six Steps to a Perfect Catchphrase' or browse some memorable slogans.

And finally, there were other comments not related to speeding such as compulsory basic training before taking the helm and the use of horns when cruising – these’ll be covered in a later edition, but to read a compilation of your feedback please click here.

So, after all the above, are we anywhere nearer a consensus? If you have anything to add to the discussion, or a catchy slogan to remind boaters to slow past moored boats, then do get in touch.

The importance of routine lifejacket checks

A boater got in touch recently to share some sage advice and a cautionary tale. Thankfully the jackets weren’t needed, but what if they were? Read Ian’s story and then take a few minutes to check your own.

“A trip on the tidal Trent has been on my bucket list for years, and my wife and I finally achieved it last year. The experience was all we anticipated and more, yes a challenge but with the useful information from the Trentlink Facebook page, and an up to date chart, the trip from Cromwell to Torksey was actually straightforward, and very enjoyable as a result.

“One of the sensible precautions is of course to wear lifejackets, which we had purchased new a few years ago. As they had been worn relatively infrequently, just a few days on rivers each year, they were in our minds still "new". I had read about checks and changing cylinders but never fancied opening a lifejacket up through a combination of ignorance, and fear of the contents popping out, never to be put back.

“Returning to our narrowboat after the winter break this year, I was surprised to find that one of our lifejackets had deployed itself, perhaps because of condensation near the automatic capsule. It was only partially inflated, and further investigation revealed that the CO2 cylinder was not fully screwed in. The automatic capsule had an expiry date some three years earlier, explaining the random inflation.

“This caused me to check the other lifejacket, to confirm the same out of date capsule, and more importantly, another loose cylinder. So the chances are that, had the lifejackets been needed on our trip last year, neither would have worked properly.

“Rectifying the situation was a doddle. Fitting replacement capsules and cylinders was actually very easy, following the pictures in the user's manual.

Checking your lifejacket right now is even easier.

“Just pull out the loose ends of the zip from the bottom of the jacket both sides. Unzip the zipper to the first velcro bridge. Undo the velcro, continue unzipping a couple of inches, then do up the velcro to hold the bladder in place on that side. Unzip the rest of the zip, leaving the second velcro bridge open, and unfold the bladder at the bottom to reveal the capsule and cylinder. Check the expiry date on the capsule and unscrew the cylinder to check the seal hasn't been broken. Screw it back tight if it's OK! Reverse the zipping process and - Job done, or replace the parts if found necessary. Then you know that, should you need it, your lifejacket will be your best friend. Don't let ignorance, complacency or fear spoil your day!”

Maintenance, repair and restoration work this weekend

As someone who’s out on, or by, the water more often than most, you’ll know that there are times when we need to fix things that unexpectedly break. So, below, you’ll find a list of navigations that have ongoing restrictions that may affect you if you’re planning to get out on the water this weekend:

• Aire & Calder Navigation
• Birmingham & Fazeley Canal
• Bridgwater & Taunton Canal
• Grand Union Canal
• Huddersfield Narrow Canal
• Kennet & Avon Canal
• Leeds & Liverpool Canal
• Peak Forest Canal
• Pocklington Canal
• Rochdale Canal
• Shropshire Union Canal
• South Stratford Canal
• Stainforth & Keadby Canal
• Swansea Canal
• Trent & Mersey Canal
• Walsall Canal

When restrictions to navigation happen, we get them up on to our website as soon as we can – always best to have a scan before you set off. If you have any questions about a specific closure, or spot an error in our system, please get in touch.

Easenhall Cutting reopens to boats after mammoth repair

Easenhall Cutting on the Oxford Canal has reopened to navigation whilst a major repair project continues. After a period of intense rainfall in early February an estimated 4,000 tonnes of the 18m cutting slipped into the canal. Our teams worked through difficult conditions, with continued wet weather saturating the site, to find a solution that involved installing a 300m access road across neighbouring fields and digging down the bank to remove the material from the canal.

The navigation will be fully open on weekends, with open ‘windows’ during the week to allow the us to continue clearing material, rebuilding the cutting and reinstating the towpath. The towpath will remain closed until the early summer, when these works are due to be completed. From Monday to Friday, free passage is available before 8am, between 10am and 11am, 1pm and 2pm, and after 4.30pm. On Saturday and Sunday, the navigation is fully open.

Boats are asked to wait before Bridge 34 (heading north), or before the Brinklow Arm (heading south), to avoid mooring up within the cutting.

Vaughan Felton, principal engineer at the Trust, said: “We’re delighted to be reopening the Easenhall Cutting to boats. Our team has worked hard in difficult conditions to get the canal back into a navigable state and it will be great to see boats back using this popular route. It’s an illustration of the impact climate change is having on our 250-year-old canal network, both in the damage itself, caused by saturation from extreme winter storms, and in the way the persistent wet weather presented a series of challenges in the repair work. Thank you to boaters for your patience while we continue to work to get this fixed.”

We will continue to provide updates as the works progress, sign up to our stoppage alerts for more information.

Crick Boat Show checklist – ten things to do

With only a week left until the show starts on 25 May, you might be wondering how you’ll fill your time at Crick Boat Show. Well, here’s a starter for ten…

1. Enjoy a boat trip – let someone else take the tiller as visitors to Crick can take a free boat trip along the Grand Union Canal aboard canal boats run by volunteers from the London Narrowboat Project (LNBP) Community Boating. The half-hour trips run every 10 minutes from 10.10am each day of the show. Visitors can book their free trip at the Trip Boats Marquee on the Quayside when they arrive at the show – if you’re keen then do book early to avoid disappointment as they’re very popular!
2. Listen to live music – a range of will be performing throughout the Show in the Crick Tavern Marquee, with Young Elton - The Tribute Show headlining on the Saturday evening (25 May), and Fleetwood Bac doing the same on Sunday night (26 June). Evening entertainment is included in the price of the same day ticket to the show.
3. If banging tunes and boogeying aren’t your thing then, alternately, you can retire in the evening to The Crick Snug - a quiet, music-free bar for those who wish to enjoy an evening apart from the bustle and live music entertainment in the much larger Crick Tavern marquee. The Crick Snug is open to all, serving a smaller range of real ales, wines, ciders and soft drinks.
4. Climb aboard the latest luxury boats – been dreaming about what you want your next boat to be like? Look no further with around 30 boats on display at Crick, showcasing all the latest lifestyle extras, space-saving ideas and technological developments - from underfloor heating, king-sized beds, baths and drinks fridges, through to solar-powered propulsion systems and a hydrogen-powered fuel cell/ battery hybrid narrowboat.
5. Check out some second-hand boats – a range of used narrowboats will be on display from some of the leading second-hand brokerage companies, catering for a wide range of tastes and budgets.
6. Get some retail therapy - with hundreds of exhibitors from across the canal world, as well as dozens of new boats to look round, you’ll be able to find the very latest in boating products and services, as well as crafts, gifts, clothing, jewellery and hats.
7. Attend a challenging and thought-provoking presentation by Peter Johns, Waterways World Publisher and Crick Boat Show Organiser, followed by a response from our chief executive, Richard Parry. They will reflect on how our waterways have changed dramatically over the last 80 years and how that success brings its own challenges with growing maintenance costs and ever competing demands for funding and resources. If it was impossible to envisage the current state of the waterways in 1944, is it even possible to envisage what they might look like in 2104?
8. Get expert advice on boating - the Show’s free boat ownership seminar programme features advice from Waterways World’s Technical Editor Mark Langley for both new and experienced boaters. Seminars include advice on buying a new or second-hand boat, living afloat, boat maintenance and how boaters can reduce their impact on the environment. There’s also a series of masterclasses presented by industry experts on a range of topics, including electric and hybrid propulsion, mobile broadband, boat painting and new narrowboat design. And, new for 2024, two one-day, intensive courses on Friday 24 May, booking required, aimed at those aspiring to become boat-owners. Both sponsored by River Canal Rescue and GJW Direct Insurance.
9. Vote for your favourite boat - visitors to the show can vote for their favourite boat and the result will be announced afternoon of Monday 27 May. Sponsored by Haven-Knox Johnston, there are two categories to vote for: Favourite Narrowboat; and Favourite Widebeam. Everyone who votes is entered into a prize draw to win a £100 Marks & Spencer voucher and voters can choose to also enter a draw to win a year's free boat insurance from Haven Knox-Johnston. Aside from bragging rights, the winning exhibitors receives a trophy and a bottle of champagne.
10. Be a welcome visitor to our Marquee to find out about the recreation, health, and wellbeing opportunities available on our waterways. And to learn about ways to support our #ActNowForCanals campaign, ensuring our network is secured for the benefit of current and future generations. Of course, we will also be providing extra information on our local East Midlands waterways. Stretching for over 295 miles, these ‘national treasures’ include 11 reservoirs, over 1,700 bridges, culverts and locks, and two major visitor destinations - Foxton Locks and the Canal Museum at Stoke Bruerne.

The Show will open from 10am until 6pm, with evening entertainment running later until 11.30pm, on Saturday 25 and Sunday 26 May. And until 5pm on Monday 27 May. On Trade & Preview Day, Friday 24 May, the Show will be open from 12 noon until 6pm for Preview Day Visitor ticket holders (not available at the show gate), and from 10am to 6pm for pre-registered Trade visitors.

Happy boating, Damian