Rules of the broads, am i wrong?

[brandenjg]

Hi everyone, over the past week i've been out on the boat regularly and i've come across 2 particular situations that i'm unsure of the rules on how to handle. The first is my old friends the canoeists. Approaching a bridge on saturday i could see the local canoe club sitting in the water on the other side of the bridge ( 7-8 canoes, 1 boat directing them). I slowed down to tick over speed waiting for them to move, which they did not. So i honked my horn in short bursts as i was now about 2m from the bridge. They looked again and still didn't move so i had to reverse or get stuck under the bridge. The sound of my outboard revving up seemed to grab there attention and finally one moved slightly out of the way so i just whacked into forward and went for it. A boat plowing towards them finally got the whole lot to row out of the way but overall it took them 4-5mins to move. Am i right to think they were being ignorant or is it normal practise for small craft to block bridges.

The second situation has happened a few times in the past week. Hire boats going round corners at either 1mph or neutral. An example of this is On the way back from reedham i was following a boat at about 4mph in a 6 zone and as we approached a corner they would slow so id match their speed. Ahead was a left then right turn very close together and we were both cruising at 6(ish)mph, tide an wind behind us. The hire boat got round the left turn and decided to stop accelerating for the right turn. Needless to say i HAD to speed up and go around them or plow into the back of them.

I asked another hirer who was doing the same thing wth they were doing and was told they were using the bow/stern thruster for cornering??

I love the laid back nature of boating and the broads but the past week has been reminiscent of mopeds an tractors ( bloody annoying)

[mbird]

I've had an incident with a canoe race on the way up to Norwich where they were rowing hard towards me and taking up the full width of the river, leaving me absolutely nowhere to go. I had no choice but to stop and let the go around me. A few minutes later an angry ranger appeared and was after them stating "they have to obey navigation rules just like everyone else".

As regard hirers using bow thrusters for corners, I have seen it a couple of times but it ain't that effective!

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[Hockham Admiral]

As regard hirers using bow thrusters for corners, I have seen it a couple of times but it ain't that effective!

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Unless they slow down to 1-2 mph, as Branden suggested, Mark!!!

[Guest]

The same thing also often happens with dinghy sailing clubs too.

Some people are particularly gregarious when in groups on the water, and become oblivious to anyone else, and the normal rules of courtesy and commonsense.

I use canoes and sailing dinghies myself, maybe that's why "club" outings have never appealed to me !

The other point about people slowing down unnecessarily to below steerage way speeds annoys me too. It happens so often when going through narrow places like Yarmouth.

Everyone is poodling along nicely spaced at 4mph, on the right hand side of the channel, when the idiot at the front decides to slow down to 1mph to gaze at the underside of Vauxhall Bridge....

[Hockham Admiral]

The other point about people slowing down unnecessarily to below steerage way speeds annoys me too. It happens so often when going through narrow places like Yarmouth.

Everyone is poodling along nicely spaced at 4mph, on the right hand side of the channel, when the idiot at the front decides to slow down to 1mph to gaze at the underside of Vauxhall Bridge....[/quote]

I find my "Froghorn" usually has the desired effect!

[MauriceMynah]

No Branden you are not wrong, There will be a few (luckily VERY few) people who will take it that their "right of way" is the ace card in any circumstances permitting them to do what they want, where they want, when they want. If peace and harmony are your favourite options then what you did was the right thing. A more confrontational approach may be more satisfying, but only in your imagination some hours after the event. For my mind, full ahead with some imaginative verbal abuse seems like fun!

On your second point, I often wondered if bow thrusters could be used as a steering method at normal speeds. It would seem not, but I have no doubt that people will try it.... and again... and again.

For the best action to take under these circumstances, see above !

[ranworthbreeze]

Hello John,

That is probably me at the front willing Vauxall Bridge to shake free and raise that extra inch or too so I can get under, Tan covers her eyes every time we go through there.

By the time we get down to the Yacht station appoach we know if my calculations are correct, if not I turn around and head back to Stokesby.

Regards

Alan

[Hockham Admiral]

Alan, Hi

I think we're more thinking about the "gawpers", not a high air-height boat checking for clearance!

[Guest]

Alan, Hi

I think we're more thinking about the "gawpers", not a high air-height boat checking for clearance!

"Gawpers" ... yes, that's the word.

[Hockham Admiral]

Did I spell it correctly??

[BuffaloBill]

Regarding Strowies remarks about loosing steerage at Yarmouth, that

is why I always try to arrive just after the tide has turned! Iv'e

had boats pull out on me from the YS just as I get close and had to

use full astern to stop and fight the tide, now I don't. Also most boats

have already passed the YS using the suggested traverse times.

The other bonus is that you then get a good push up river whichever

way you are going.

[teadaemon]

Admittedly I only ever did handovers of one boat with a bowthruster, but when I did I was always careful to explain to people that it only worked at low speeds, and that it wasn't an alternative to the rudder for normal cruising on the rivers.

I suspect part of the problem for novices is that using a bowthruster, the boat steers more like a car, and often there's less delay on steering. If they don't appreciate the disadvantages of using the bowthruster, and don't have confidence in the rudder (the delay in steering with a rudder is one of the things that novice helms used to driving a car find difficult to get used to), then it might seem like a good idea, even though it's not.

[ExUserGone]

Your first and foremost responsibility is for the safety of your own crew and vessel so if someone is slowing down below good steering speed overtake them, if need be use a bit more throttle to get past a bit quicker (within reason), if you are heading with the tide towards a bridge you have the right of way over someone coming against the flow, most canoes can manouver a lot quicker than you can in a much tighter space, the old 'sail has right of way over power' thing is BS, it all depends on the situation at the time.

If running with the tide and not sure of a bridge height the thing to do is swing into the tide and reverse through with more control (using forward throttle), as long as no-one is right behind at the time.

[Oddfellow]

Paddle propelled craft have no special rights of way than any other to my knowledge. Willfully obstructing navigation is not something that they should be doing.

It's certainly true that many of the support vessels around skullers and racing skiffs will take their speed excemption to unbelieveable heights and just as soon as I have a web cam trained on the river, I shall be making complaints to the BA backed up with evidence of the lack of concern they sometimes have for other river users, particularly when they are not in support of any rowed vessel.

[marshman]

I too have noticed the trend to steer with the bowthruster, prevalent amongst some private owners too. Not sure why they cannot spot the rudder works better but it takes all sorts....!

Plenty of room on the S Rivers to just go past them and leave them to their silly games...!

[brandenjg]

Alot of responses Good to know i'm in the right but from some of the posts it sounds pretty common so looks like i've got alot more of the sort to look forward to

As someone who's never used a thruster i can't see how it would be easier than turning the wheel? I'm presuming the thruster must have a throttle so surely it would be more work turning using one.

Leomagil: if you'd ever seen me reverse a boat, you wouldn't suggest me reversing through a bridge

I've got a canoe/kayak of my own and when a boats coming i make sure to keep out of their way, it could be that because i'm a boater and canoeist i give priority to both over myself. So if you see a badly painted red canoe with me in it in your way, don't hesitate to plow through :

[neilp1962]

Canoe Skittles, there's an idea!