Email: Handbook already available

As another of that breed called shared boat owners, I broadly welcome the comments made by John Dale, however, I am worried by his ignorance of British Waterways (now presumably CaRT) Boaters' Handbook.

This is precisely the 'simple, low cost booklet on the Rules of the Canal' that he would welcome.

It is a free download from the CaRT website:

http://www.waterscape.com/media/documents/1784.pdf

Surely hire boat operators could at least make their clients aware of its existence, and some certainly do—although sadly, this doesn't mean that hirers would read it or heed its advice. For that matter I wonder how many other boaters have ever read it?

It should be required reading for anyone in charge of a boat or helping to navigate it. But it is only the starting point for acquiring expertise in boating.

In my experience the ‘problems' come from boaters who have a fair amount of experience under their belts and then get complacent about the level of knowledge they have, and that they have no desire to get better at boating. In 30+ years of boating I've never ceased to acquire knowledge of how to make my boating better and that usually involves thinking about the other users of the waterways—can my boating make a better experience for them as well?

Mike Spick, 1/12th Nb Kinver