ANOTHER busy summer and I have noticed a marked increase, year on year, in the speed that some boaters travel at. What is more annoying is the speed that some deem appropriate for passing moored boats, writes Gareth Haines.
One man's tickover is another man's ticked off!
Hurt by excessive roll
One thing that I am religious about is reducing my speed to tickover when passing moored boats. It's a common courtesy and not only does it cut down on the chance of having pins pulled out or other mooring tackle damaged, it also minimises boat movement. You may think that I'm overly concerned about my best china, of which I have none, but some boats have vastly more valuable cargo on board; my smallest child has fallen and hurt herself due to excessive roll caused by a speeding passing boat.
Furthermore, what constitutes tickover is obviously open to debate. Some are under the impression that tickover is any reduction of cruising speed and others, who actually do go to tickover, imagine that their 20 tonne boat will decelerate in the same manner as a car. Whilst I'm not a physicist, it's plainly obvious that going to tickover as your bow passes a moored boat will not result in any appreciable speed reduction for at least two boat lengths! I call this the 'token tickover'.
'Tickover Please' hypocrites
Then there are the worst offenders: those hypocrites who display 'tickover please' signs on their boats, yet think that when they are cruising this does not apply to them.
So, who are the culprits? I should make it plain that I'm not into being divisive, there's enough of that on the cut already, but it does seem to me that marina boaters and neophyte boaters (be it holiday makers or otherwise) outnumber those who moor online or continuously cruise. When you think about it, it makes sense—those who live on the canal are more aware of the effect that their speed has on stationary boats.
One can only speculate as to the reasons for not reducing speed, but absent mindedness, (wilful) ignorance and boating on a timescale would seem to be the main three.
Slow down
Ladies and gentlemen, I implore you, slow down! The canals represent a fabulous opportunity to reject the frantic reality of modern life. Although it is true to say that the canals were the motorways of the past, they now offer peace, tranquillity and a more sedate pace. It's an oft used and worn out cliché, but the journey is all important, not the destination. Waft along and let the rats do the racing!
Gareth Haines