@gregc I was hoping the “ridiculous boats” comment wouldn’t put anyone off. Keep in mind that his point of reference is a this trawler. Narrowboats are VERY different.
I was actually very surprised that the training carried forward. Don’t your boats have a tiller? They must be pretty weird to drive.
@mlanger
Yes, #narrowboats have tillers. That means that anyone with any experience of boats can steer it with ease. Stand at the back. Push the tiller to the right and the stern moves to the right - and you can see it's going to the right. (Just like the trolleys you get at garden centres with fixed wheels at the front and casters at the back)
Compare that with the cruiser you'll hire on the Norfolk Broads. Many of them have a single level cabin, no wheelhouse, no flybridge - there's bridges with 8ft clearance or less to get under. They'll have wheel steering in the saloon in the bows. That's when things get complicated!
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The naive holiday maker arrives at the boat moored along the bank between other boats. Starts engine, unties, leaps aboard, turns right, and two seconds later smashes into the boat moored ahead. Oh dear! Engages reverse. Applies full revs. Two seconds later smashes into the boat moored behind. Small wonder! with 30ft of assorted cabins behind him he can't see what's happening astern. Perhaps he didn't turn the wheel hard enough right. Goes forward again and once again smashes into the boat moored ahead. Why? Well, boats don't have brakes!
Trouble is no one told him to push the bows off before he jumped on board. He was expecting a boat would behave like a car and when he turned to the right the bows would go to the right. He didn't realise that it would be the stern that would move to the left, rub along the bank and keep him in a straight line.
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I watched just such a thing last week end! The boat astern was a yacht with outboard motor. I couldn't see from where I was but the sound as the cruiser smashed into the stern of the yacht would suggest that the outboard bracket suffered significant damage.
Search for "Jonnytreehouse" on YouTube, who spends most Saturdays at Ludham Bridge recording the antics of hire boaters.
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@mlanger
https://youtu.be/QCTMV9rIz84?si=hxEg3Fgbc2kIefRa
A lot happens at Ludham Bridge in a short time!
A typical video from Jonnytreehouse
@mlanger
Yes, anglers are asked to give way to boats mooring.
Apologies for missing this and not responding. Life has been exceptionally hectic for last few months. The house has been packed in boxes for a couple of months as we wait for our buyers's solicitors to finalise house move.
@mlanger
It's been a nightmare. Went on the market in January 2023. Decided to withdraw in January 2025, then in April a couple who viewed the place two years earlier agreed to buy.
Their solicitors did not start work on their purchase until they were already in temporary accommodation and always took a minimum of two weeks responding to any of the answers we gave to their legal queries about the property.
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@mlanger
Our solicitor referred to them as "text book" lawyers, meaning they did not understand how to deal with non-standard properties. Ours is unusual as it was only given planning permission on the basis it was a commercial fishing holiday complex. When the developer sold up he agreed with the local authority the eleven holiday cottages on the site could be sold on 999 year leases as part of a way of ensuring they could not become people's permanent residences and the leases do such things as obligate the cottage holders to pay for the maintenance of the lake on the site.
Still have not exchanged contracts, but hope to this week, but only after the buyer demanded a further 10% reduction on the agreed price.
@mlanger
Me too! They demanded £70,000 off the agreed price, but settled on £35,000.
To be fair the agreed price was subject to contract and their text book lawyers did find some things that weren't text book. But we reckon, putting right the various issues would probably only cost a couple of thousand to put right. However the time to be taken to sort could have meant we lost the house we want to move to.
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@gregc This is actually something we covered in class. Turn the wheel hard to port and the stern swings to starboard. Pushing off makes sense. I have bow and stern thrusters and so did the boat we were on.
I teach them to get out of a spot by turning the wheel hard toward the dock and pulsing the engine forward to pop the stern in the opposite direction. Then back away. It works if there isn’t much wind or current.
Maria Langer | 📝 💎 🛥️
NorfolkGreg