The Ten Most Common Errors

[JennyMorgan]

39 minutes ago, SwanR said:

Lol, actually no ... but I used to work with someone who would tell customers over the phone that she was having a blonde moment when she couldn't remember what to do. I used to tell her she couldn't say that in case the person on the other end of the phone was blonde and was offended! 

Tis only 'gingers' and 'baldies' that take offence, blonds are too good natured!

[Poppy]

14 hours ago, JennyMorgan said:

Tis only 'gingers' and 'baldies' that take offence, blonds are too good natured!

I thought that 'gingers' called themselves 'strawberry blond' now....

[JennyMorgan]

10 minutes ago, Poppy said:

I thought that 'gingers' called themselves 'strawberry blond' now....

Only by the Ginger Angry Brigade! 

The Ginger and Proud fraternity are far more tolerable.

[vanessan]

15 hours ago, Timbo said:

1. Not appreciating that wind and current will affect the control and direction of your craft.
2. An inability to calculate distance, speed and appreciate the affect of weather and season upon your journey.
3. Not understanding the boat steers or pivots from the stern.
4. Not keeping an eye on your children, where they are and what they are doing.
5. As above but substitute dog.
6. Leaving the mooring lines a tangled mess.
7. Appreciating that almost everyone is on holiday.
8. Failing to appreciate that indeed you are an idiot and the rules apply to you too.
9. Owning a boat does not automatically infer knowledge or status.
10. It is totally UNCOOL to not wear a lifejacket on deck or mooring.

 

No 6 - So often I see boats come into moor and eventually someone appears to take care of the mooring up only to have to spend a good few minutes sorting out a heap of rope. At the bow, the mudweight rope is usually all muddled with the bow ropes making for a real bird's nest!

No 10 - I am trying so hard to be 'uncool'! Remembering to put my lifejacket on each time I go on deck is hard but these days very necessary. For some reason I don't seem to move as easily as I used to !

[LondonRascal]

I've made a number of mistakes in the past but through doing so have learnt a great deal and continue to – for example now I double check I have all the blue fenders off the bow of Broad Ambition before we depart the Wet Shed. 

I have places that just tend not to be very kind to me – outside the New Inn is a prime example, in all the times I have stern moored here – only once have I done so without things going pear shaped and that was on Belmore earlier this year.   Because of this I get more anxious when I come to moor there which I guess  makes me tense and then you’re off into a circle whereby you expect a problem even if there is not one but create one since you expected there to be one. 

I am not the type to judge anyone else on their mooring or boat handling, after all we all have ‘our ways’ and as long as it gets the job done without causing issues I say all is fine.  I do however cast doubt to people who have tried someone once, then again the second time which clearly is not working and then go for a third attempt – usually the ting that changes between attempts is just adding more throttle so the mistakes happen faster than when they made the first try.

The most important things a new boater or a seasoned captain need to remember are really to:

 

• Check your stern
• Check the flow of the current and strength
• Check the wind strength
• Be sure of what your input to wheel or throttle may cause before you do it
• If you are going slowly your not do as much damage as if you are going quickly

   

How many times do you see someone turning a boat and not at any moment since they began to make the

How many times do you see a boat – perhaps with 6 people onboard coming to a mooring with everyone in the saloon talking away and nobody out at the bow and stern ready with ropes (or to fend off) 

Over the last weekend I was afloat I saw three boats doing something that just does not work – ‘parallel parking’.  You can’t slow down pass a mooring spot, stop, then think you can back into it as you drive a car but people try this – one thing doing it on the quiet River Ant, but if it catches on and is tried at the likes of Reedham there is going to be some shock when the bow is taken and the boat heads around with the current (or stern depending on the direction of flow). But people need to do this and make the errors to learn for all the instruction in the world won’t  ‘sink in’ unless you’ve got hands on experience.

[Timbo]

1 hour ago, LondonRascal said:

Over the last weekend I was afloat I saw three boats doing something that just does not work – ‘parallel parking’.  You can’t slow down pass a mooring spot, stop, then think you can back into it as you drive a car but people try this – one thing doing it on the quiet River Ant, but if it catches on and is tried at the likes of Reedham there is going to be some shock when the bow is taken and the boat heads around with the current (or stern depending on the direction of flow).

I think this is what happened to the harpoonist that skewered Doug amidships.