Broads Boating For Beginners

[eddybear]

First of all I'm not having a go at anybody we all had to start somewhere, and four people who hire a boat for the first time must be pretty daunting, I have just been watching a link to the Richardsons introduction to first time hirers and found it very comprehensive but I wonder if this is still done as  their organisation has got so large can't believe they now have the time for such comprehensive instruction?   https://youtu.be/bBcGdnkaaTY

[ranworthbreeze]

Hi eddybear,

Richardsons still have a few instruction videos that you can look at on their site, I would suggest that all new hirers or new boat owners check these out prior to going on the river.

Regards

Alan

[Chelsea14Ian]

Very good vid,sure some people don't always listen however.Back to the video.The gentleman hired sure he works for the company.He looks like the chap I used to see at the London boat show.We always shared a joke.Still for anyone new to boating a good watch.

[vanessan]

The videos are available to watch, as are ones from the BA. I do wonder, however, how many people actually bother to view them. Sure, there will be those interested enough to do so, same as many of us years ago poured over the little booklets sent out by the hire companies. Such useful information in them. It must be so difficult for the hire companies, you can take a horse to water etc etc! 

[Ray]

Some, not all, people seem to have an idea that they can do anything and to suggest otherwise is a kind of "disrespect"! It is a phenomena of our times and a reflection, I think, of a society dominated by entitlement!

Back in 1980, having booked our very first Broads holiday aboard "Conquest" from Stalham Yacht Services, I read and reread every word of the brochure and advice booklet. I made a mental note of everything in the induction and therefore started every day with an oil check, a quarter turn of the greasers and mopping the decks. I was hooked of course and from day one knew my retirement dream was to have my own boat... I was 25 lol

The boat had seen a lot of holidaymakers and was probably near retirement, that only added to my enjoyment, for one week she was mine and I looked after her as if I owned her.

I've rambled lol I think my point is that first timers either have "hearts of oak" or just want a nice relaxing holiday with little to do but eat, drink and be merry (and there is nothing at all wrong with that!)

[OldBerkshireBoy]

2 hours ago, vanessan said:

The videos are available to watch, as are ones from the BA. I do wonder, however, how many people actually bother to view them. 

If somebody would be kind enough to put a link up I for one will watch them - Promise.

Thanks in advance.

[Guest]

There are some very good instructional video's available online now , aimed at first timers, though some of us more 'experienced' boaters could watch and learn from them too. The 'trial run' tuitions have always been a 'hit & miss' affair, some take people it in, others don't. Like most things in life, just doing it and gaining boat handling experience is really the key ingredient.

Sometimes, we should think back and remember the daft mistakes we made, while we learned the ropes. Most of us though, will have gained our boating experience in those long gone days, when 95% of the craft on the broads were hire boats and the odd 'scrape' was to be expected and treated as such. Now, most beginners mistakes are treated with less tolerance, simply because the vast majority of boats these days are privately owned and those owners, quite understandably, don't want the gelcoat of their 'pride & joy' scuffed, or worse.

I don't think 'first timers' are any better or worse now, than they were back in the seventies, when I began boating. They do however, seem to have a less forgiving 'learning curve' than most of us will have had. Chances are, any mistake they do make, will be on YouTube the next day, along with a scathing diatribe, about their stupidity... Tuition videos are fine, but a little more tolerance of and perhaps a helping hand for new boaters, as they gain boat handling experience, wouldn't come amiss too.

[MauriceMynah]

16 minutes ago, kingfisher666 said:

Tuition videos are fine, but a little more tolerance of and perhaps a helping hand for new boaters, as they gain boat handling experience, wouldn't come amiss too.

That hits the nail fairly and squarely on the head.

[quo vadis]

It’s time to watch the trial run again can’t find the link but very funny help 

[diesel falcon]

 

[vanessan]

1 hour ago, kingfisher666 said:

Tuition videos are fine, but a little more tolerance of and perhaps a helping hand for new boaters, as they gain boat handling experience, wouldn't come amiss too.

That’s absolutely right and, from what I have read on this forum in the past, there is a lot of tolerance and help given to newbies. And not so newbies too! There are those who cannot (or will not) tolerate a lack of experience but I think they tend to hang out elsewhere happily. It would seem these tuitional videos are hard to find, might it be an idea if we could put our heads together and locate them? They could then be collated together somewhere on the forum and be readily available when needed. Hopefully here is one:

 

[Malanka]

We always help those that ask or appear too embarrassed to ask. There are another group whom I am also for giving “slack “ to those with limited skill at the start of their boating experiences. However some evidence of self reflection or contrition, and an acknowledgement that sometimes the beginner doesn’t know what to do would go a hugely long way.

I agree everyone was a beginner, I also agree that some folks have a greater talent for the helm and others should stick to deck washing and enjoying the view. 

Many many times folks say please help or thank you we are beginners, these people are angels and real people living in a real world.

However:

The arogant disregard which has accompanied our two worst thwack incidents bedore a word uttered by myself says it all. “ I’m not responsible mate it’s an accident”  and “I’m a beginner it’s not my fault” was the latest one. The previous one was “ that’s what insurance is for dear”. This after being hit five times by the same numpty . The harpy responsible for the crashingly condescending  insurance quote actually laid hands on me as well.

This was after I had spent twenty drippy minutes in the peeing down rain holding their mooring lines whilst they messed about. It turns out there was a hugely experienced helm on hoard “done the round Britain race a few times old chap” who did nothing as he thought it good to give his guest some experience. Raining, wind over fast tide small mooring space!!! Really you can’t make this stuff up.

So yes I agree that beginners should be given some slack. Those that can close their mouths and open their eyes and ears even more so. Those that have an appreciation of what private property is even more so. Those that use 100% throttle at all times then shout and scream the c word at my wife and daughter (15 at the time).Those that threaten physical violence upon my person, call me a rich  privileged c word and so on I have zero sympathy for them, other than wondering what happened to turn them into such feral creatures. Surely nobody is born like that?

What would you think if someone is screaming in your face calling your wife a c u next Tuesday and threatening to f Ing do you , you rich c?

I walked away and spoke with broads beat and the boatyard. The bobbies were very interested the boatyard could have cared less. 

In my experience my tolerance is hugely proportional to the level of intoxication on display. The admittedly small in number described above are a very minor element in the broads family thank heaven for that. To suggest they don’t exist is not where I live. I wish they didn’t exist. Unfortunately for all they do. 

How much tolerance is in the tank do you think?  I have been boating 44 years now and IMO its waaaay worse now than in the 70s and I agree entitlement, and all that goes along with it bears huge responsibility for our experiences.

 

Maybe fearing the loss of the deposit may have absolutely nothing to do with it. Who knows ?? Not me

felicitations to all

 

M

[quo vadis]

1 hour ago, diesel falcon said:

 

Very clever 

[Polly]

Hmm,  videos ahead of time really are a good starting point. I do think though that the much maligned 'trial runs' suffer from a hidden problem. It's this : if you are nervous, or even worse scared, you can't learn, the higher brain cuts out and your basic, reptilian brain takes over. This one keeps you alive and runs the fight or flight approach to life, neither of which is great for boat handling, or absorbing  what you are being shown. Tricky.

We always help newbies, but treat the  'they didn't tell us'  comments with circumspection, in that they may have been told but couldn't receive. Thankfully, after a few days the penny drops with most people.

[Vaughan]

9 hours ago, diesel falcon said:

 

 

 

Is that really all there is to it? I think I ought to give it a try sometime. . .   

[ranworthbreeze]

If you click on the tab Handy Information and then click on the First-Timers Guide section there are various links to documentation and videos.

Regards

Alan

[DAVIDH]

A collection of 8 videos from the Broads Authority detaling everything from general boat handling to stern on mooring:

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCo7a1EFpkhL84rCWKX2Ad3Q

 

[eddybear]

1 hour ago, DAVIDH said:

A collection of 8 videos from the Broads Authority detaling everything from general boat handling to stern on mooring:

Excellent selection of videos explaining most things people new to Broads boating need to know, but number 8 Stern on mooring could have been better explained as we know most hire boats don't steer in reverse but need forward motion hard lock to kick the Stern round, just an observation

[Polly]

Mind the language? All we need to know is bow, stern, port and starboard? Then in the next sentences we get 'cast off' and 'slip' the bow line followed by I think it was 'centering the helm' er???

[addicted]

 M y parents used to tell the story of a somewhat bombastic character of their acquaintance who hired a boat on the Broads for the first time , it was many years ago so was a " woodie" He was given some basic  instructions which included  a quick mop down each day with the mop provided for the purpose. His response to this once underway  was something along the lines of "  I  should coughdrop, I've paid to hire their boat they can clean it themselves when I  bring it back". He was very fortunate with weather and enjoyed unbroken sunshine until the last but one day when it poured down all night! flooding through the dried out planking and all over them in their beds!

 

Carole

[JennyMorgan]

Re bad language, wait until they have finished and then tell them that 'sorry, I didn't understand a word of that, could you please repeat yourself' often works well! One or two large motor cruiser owners from the Brundall area, for example, would do well to play and inwardly absorb both those training videos! Well, perhaps not the bit showing Capt. BirdsEye tying a cow hitch rather than a clove hitch!

[Davydine]

The video in the first post is an interesting one. I have hired from Richardsons on 4 occasions, firstly as a naive 18 yr old as a post A level lads week nearly 30years ago and most recently with my family and a friend and his family for a bank holiday weekend. The video is a pretty accurate depiction of the tuition we were given every time.

 

[detheridge02]

That's one of the things I like about the broads, people are always willing to help.

First timer last year with San Elena trying to moor stern on at Ranworth between two other cruisers with barely enough room. I managed to line up fine second time round but by then my movement had caused the bows of the two moored boats to move closer together.
The occupants of both boats quite happily jumped up walked down the side of their boats, grab our stern ropes and helped guide us in. Very kind help. I'm also glad to say I had the opportunity to return the favour with two other boats that came in the following morning.

[YnysMon]

I must admit that even on our second and third trip on the Broads I didn't take in all the handover information and had to check the Skippers Manual for one or two details. For a newbie there's just too much to take in. I'm sure they glaze over after a while - I did!

[grendel]

there is always one silly thing that you forget, or dont know, like remembering to push the gas tap in to light it or any of a number of other little things you should know, but forget int he heat of the moment.