Boating Essentials Getting started A copy of the boater's handbook will be available for use on your boat, but in the meantime, you can download a copy prior to your holiday, to familiarise yourself with the general rules regarding safety, boat handling, mooring from www.waterscape.com/media/documents/1784.pdf Here are some essentials things you need to know before your holiday commences: Select your skipper At least one person (preferably two) must have a firm grasp of the boat handling basics, safety guidelines and feel competent to act appropriately in case of emergency. Delegation Your skipper is essentially responsible for the crew and passengers (non-handlers) and must make sure they have all the information they require. The skipper must identify the crew (handlers) and make sure that they are clear regarding their duties. Teamwork The skipper and crew must know how to handle the boat, stop the engine, and be aware of the procedures used when mooring, moving through swing bridges and (if appropriate) locks. Plan your cruise, with a maximum pace of 4 mph, slowing when going through bridges and always reducing throttle to tick-over (minimum propulsion) when passing moored boats. Make sure you have got enough water (and fuel) on board.
Boat Start-up & Moving Off Engine starting procedure Make sure the throttle is in the central or neutral position. Put the key in the ignition and turn anticlockwise and hold for about 10 seconds (to warm the spark plugs.) Turn the key back to the centre and then to the right to start the engine. Once the engine is started, let the boat sit for a few minutes to warm up before moving off. Moving Off Untie the front and back mooring ropes from the bank, but leave them attached to the boat, coiled up and ready for use (taking care to make sure ropes are not left where they can fall and dangle in the water, possible getting caught up in your propeller.) A common mistake, is to accidentally forget to collect the mooring stakes/hooks and/or hammer. Double check these are stowed aboard and easily accessible for the next mooring stop.
Moving Off - continued Once the boat can be straightened, slowly apply throttle by pushing the gear lever slightly forward and slowly feel the boat accelerate until it achieves a reasonable cruising speed. The absolute maximum speed allowed on the canals is 4mph, the equivalent of a fast walking pace, i.e. if you are overtaking people walking on the towpath at a significant rate, you are going too fast. Unlike driving a car, the rules of the waterways state that you drive on the right-hand side. However, the Lancaster canal, like many others is built as a curved channel, i.e. is deeper in the middle then near the bank, so in practice you will generally travel along more centrally in the channel, unless there is a boat approaching, or indeed overtaking.
Boating Tips Not sure how fast you are going? A rule of thumb used on the canal is that if your boat moving through the water creates a v shaped wash behind it that reaches the bank, you are going too fast! Alternatively if you can see the water just ahead of the boat seeming to lower along the bank, you are creating a bow-wave. Boats travelling too fast that create washes and bow-waves are responsible for damage to the bank, reducing the usability of the canal generally, as reed beds are dislodged from the bank and float like small islands, ready to get caught up in the next boats propeller. Passing moored boats It is very important to slow down considerably when passing moored boats, reduce the throttle to tickover, i.e. so that the boat is moving forward only very slowly in the water. Many accidents are caused on the canal by the undue care and attention of passing boats i.e. travelling too fast, causing a wave that disturbs nearby boats can cause problems that you are not aware of. For example, travelling past a moored boat too fast, could pull out mooring pegs leaving boats adrift, widen the gap between a boat and the bank as someone is boarding or disembarking, causing injury, or scald, burn boaters who are busy in their kitchens. It is best practice to imagine all moored boats have passengers who are in precarious positions inside and pay due respect to their safety.
Boating Tips (continued) Going through bridges. It is also imperative to slow down on approach to and when passing under bridges. Firstly, many bridges follow a curved landscape and therefore great care needs to be taken as the boat does not pass through in a straight line, but instead needs slight and carefully applied adjustments to steering. The slower you are travelling, the more time you have to make adjustments and ensure that you pass safely through the bridge. If you can not see beyond the bridge for a good distance, or especially in cases where the bridge creates a blind bend, you should both slow down and sound your horn, to warn other boats that you are approaching. Conversely, you should also listen for other boats, that may be sounding their horn to warn you. Anglers. Always slow down when passing people who are enjoying the canal to fish. Thoughtlessness here, could ruin another persons enjoyment of the canal, but also cause injury to people fishing and/or damage to their equipment.
Boating Tips (continued) Swing Bridges There are only two swing bridges on the Lancaster canal. One to the north and one to the south. The southern swing bridge, is usually left open and only closed when road access is required, so you should be able to sail straight through. The northern swing bridge (Bridge120) is usually closed and you will need to operate this. Full instructions are provided at the site of swing bridge, but we provide instructions here to assist you. Land your crew well before you reach the bridge it gives you space to get the boat lined up straight to go through. The swing bridge is hand operated, so no windlass is required. Unhook he retaining chain and give the bridge a good but controlled- push. You might need to slow the swing down to stop the bridge bouncing back across the canal when it hits the buffer stop. When the boat's through, push the bridge firmly into place and put the retaining chain back on. You will have to pull in again just after the bridge to allow your crew (swing bridge operators) to reboard the boat.
Handling the canal boat 1. Stopping - Boats don't have brakes, so you need to account for this when slowing down, to give yourself time to stop in a controlled manner. 2. Pulling in to a stop - Slowly ease off the throttle, by moving the gear lever backwards into neutral (central), then applying short bursts in reverse gear, by moving the gear lever slightly backwards of central, in order to slow down and come to a stop. 3. Moving Off Move the gear lever from neutral (central) position forward and into gear, remembering that the further forward the higher the throttle, so use only small increments and wait for the boats response before readjusting. 4. Steering in reverse - is more difficult (as the boat is steered from the rear), so sometimes short bursts in forward gear are required to control the direction adequately. 5. Steering with a tiller is very straightforward as long as you remember that the directions used are reversed i.e. pushing the tiller to the right steers left and pushing the tiller to the left steers right.
Handling (continued) 6. Patience is essential travelling slowly and planning ahead. Remember that as the boat is steered from the back, when you change direction it takes a few moments before you feel the boat respond. 7. Turning the pivot point of the boat is approximately half way down it's length. This means that you have to be aware of both the front and the back at all times, in relation to the immediate surroundings, i.e. if you only line up the front and try to enter a bridge that is curved (dog-legged) then you will be in danger of making contact with the back end of your boat. 8. Running aground In shallow water or when coming into contact with an obstacle, use reverse gear to back away into deeper water, where you can change the boat's direction by steering to avoid the shallow or obstacle filled area. If this does not work, ask the crew and passengers to one by one, move to the side of the boat that is floating, keeping an eye on the redistribution of weight and the effect upon the boat's balance (you don't want to overload one side so much that you capsize the boat unlikely but not impossible.) If the boat still does not float and remains grounded, use a pole pushing against a solid object or the bed (bottom) of the canal. Warning: Never use the pole in a straight down position, or to lever the actual boat itself, as you risk either the pole snapping or causing you to lose your balance and fall in the canal. Always keep the pole away from your face and body, so that if the pole does slip it does not physically injure you. Make sure that other people are a good distance away from you and the pole at this time.
Safety First Make sure crew and passengers when stood on the back deck do not obstruct the swing of the tiller. If room becomes an issue, ask people to redistribute themselves, i.e. standing in the hatch can give more room on the back deck. Just like driving a car, you need to pay attention to what is happening around you at all times, in terms of what is happening on your boat, on other boats and on the bank itself. Plan ahead, giving yourself plenty of time to align the boat as it passes through bridges, round sharp bends, and when pulling in to the tow-path to stop. Slow down gradually until almost stopped, carrying out your manoeuvres in a calm, slow and gentle manner.