Towed
in a windy hole!
On the 22nd
and 23rd of August, 'Two
Tars' namely
you’re Grand Sheik and Mike Ebbrell (Ebby) the Ships C.A.T. undertook
a two day narrow boat handling course, at the Top Lock Training centre
in Marple.
On the Course
it is assumed that students have no previous experience and is designed
to give confidence in handling a boat safely on the inland waterways.
After a morning classroom session that comprised of essential safety
aspects of narrow boat operation, we were now ready to set off along
the Macclesfield Canal.
The first
hour was spent steering and getting used to the boat. One advantage,
the Four Seasons does not have a full-length cabin, so the 'Saps
at Sea' had a good view of how the bow was responding. As we
proceeded along the canal, Malcolm explained the system of horn signalling,
i.e. one long burst to make other 'Sailors Beware' of
your presence etc.
The next
step was to turn the boat around in a winding hole! A winding hole
usually consists of a notch in the canal bank opposite to the towpath.
A turning boat inserts its bow into the notch and swings the stern
round. In the days of horse-drawn boats this was accomplished by utilizing
the prevailing wind, hence the name! We however were instructed to
put the bow into the hole, hold it there - let it go aground if necessary,
keep the tiller hard over, and apply a healthy burst of revs to the
propeller. The bow will be held against the mud of the shallow part,
and help 'pivot' the whole boat slowly round. You'll almost certainly
need two or three extra reverses, and even more if 'the wind that blows'
is blowing the wrong way!
On
the last day of the course after Mike and I successfully moored the boat
without inflicting to many 'Berth Marks' to
the narrow boat, we formally completed the course with an award of a
RYA (Royal Yachting Association) Inland Waterways Helmsman Certificate.
We both
enjoyed our time with Malcolm and Alison and would recommend this course
to anyone who fancies the idea taking charge of a narrow boat. So don’t
settle for 'Any Old
Port' but
steer a course for Top Lock Training and I’m sure you sure
you will find a warm welcome waiting.
http://www.toplocktraining.co.uk/ |
