First time canal boat – Fox Narrowboat Fens

Have you ever been sailing?

Had a go on a motor cruiser?

Or are you mystified by nautical terms and the thought of complicated knots and navigating knowledge?

If you’ve already been sailing, or have some experience with a GRP motor cruiser, you may be wondering how different a canal boat can be. A narrowboat holiday can leave you feeling refreshed and re-energised. Even with no previous experience of boating our customers discover it’s easy to master a canal boat.

Setting Off

A narrowboat pivots somewhere near its middle; meaning when the bow goes left the stern goes to the right and vice versa. So when setting off from the bank it’s easiest if one of your crew pushes the bow out from the bank, and then walks back along the towpath to join the helmsman on the back deck. The boat is now pointed towards the centre of the canal and you can set off.

Steering

The first rule of canal boating is that boaters drive on the right. The second rule of canal boating is that we don’t call it “driving” but instead we say “steering!”

Even an experienced boater can find that the amount of control you have over the boat is directly linked to the number of spectators around! If nobody is watching you will have perfect control, and yet, mysteriously, if lots of people are watching you the boat can seem to have a mind of its own! (Fun fact: the word for a person who enjoys watching boats going by is a “gongoozler!”)

Tiller steering is different to wheel steering, but once you get the hang of it you will find a tiller easier to use. Push the tiller to the right to steer left, and to the left to steer right. You can’t steer at all when the boat is in neutral. Cruising forwards is fine, but there is a lot less control over the direction of the boat when the engine is in reverse.

Stopping the boat takes a lot longer than you might expect. To stop you will have to put the boat into reverse, but don’t expect it to stop any time soon. Steel narrowboats have a lot of momentum, so when you want to stop you’ll have to plan ahead. Everything happens much more slowly than it would with a light GRP cruiser, so although you may be aware that you are going to crash in five seconds time, you may not be able to avoid it if you haven’t put the engine into reverse in time!

It can also be trickier to steer on a windy day, as the wind may take the boat drifting across the navigation, but many of our local waterways are quite wide.

However, don’t let any of this put you off. You will be given full training before setting off from our hire boat base, and first time boaters generally enjoy their holidays without any mishaps or difficulty, taking to it like a duck to water.

Mooring Up

On the inland waterways stern and bow lines are only used for mooring. To moor up, slow the boat right down to tickover and gently steer towards the bank at a shallow angle. Gently putting the boat in reverse will bring it to a stop. Step off the boat holding the centre line (mooring rope). Official moorings will have mooring rings or bollards; but at a rural mooring you will need to use mooring pins.

Working the Locks

Before setting off our instructor will give you some basic training in boat handling and explain how to operate a lock. You will need an L-shaped tool called a windlass, (provided with the boat,) to open the paddles on the lock gates, which will either fill or empty the lock, depending on which direction you are travelling in. If you’re completely new to narrowboating ideally you may like one or two people to operate the lock, plus somebody to steer the boat. You will need to temporarily moor the boat to the bollards provided at the lock landing, while you set the lock, ready for your boat to go through.

Read: How to Work a Lock (Even if You’ve Never Done it) for a more detailed explanation, including our top safety tips.

Smaller locks are operated by you and your crew, and some larger tidal locks are operated by lock keepers.

“Lovely day on the waterways of Fenland, took a leisurely trip to Benwick from March.

Youngsters were left speechless with seeing Kingfishers, fish, heron and dragonflies.

Gavin’s instructional tutorial was easy to follow, and we soon chugged down the River Nene. Thanks to Paula and the team for a memorable day!” – Niki D. (Tripadvisor).

If you enjoyed reading these boating tips sign up for updates from this blog. (We never share or sell email addresses – your details are safe with us.) Just look for ‘Follow Blog’ in the sidebar on the right and we’ll send you stories, tips and advice about narrowboating around the Fens.

Image Credit: Fox Narrowboats

The post Is it Difficult to Drive a Narrowboat? appeared first on Fox Narrowboats.

What are the most popular New Year’s Resolutions? The most common resolutions often revolve around exercise, health and weight loss, saving money and spending more time with family and friends.

At the start of every New Year, many people set new goals but only a few actually go on to achieve these. The secret to achieving your goals is to actually develop an action plan about how you are going to achieve them.

SMART Goals

To create an effective New Year’s resolution plan, try using the SMART Goals acronym. It stands for Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic and Time-Sensitive. Check your goal against each of these criteria to improve your chances of success. For example, specify how much weight you want to lose, and consider if it is achievable within the time frame you have planned.

For me, to make it realistic I think it also has to be exciting. Making the journey fun and interesting can keep you motivated, particularly at times when you become distracted or discouraged. If you’re someone who loves boats and waterways try these narrowboat-themed suggestions to make this your best year ever.

Fitness Goals

Have you ever begun a January exercise program, only to abandon it by February? Would you like to increase your chances for long term success? The answer could be to combine your fitness practice with time on the waterways, to maintain your enthusiasm! (Before beginning your planned exercise regime check with your doctor that you are healthy enough to start the activity you have decided on.) If you live near a canal you can try walking or jogging. With Fox Narrowboats you can build up your strength by working the locks and mooring up the boat. Here are seven ways to get active on the inland waterways.

Budget Goals

A holiday may be one of your biggest expenses when organising your finances this year, but making time to unwind is important both for improving mental health and maintaining close relationships. New Year is a good time to start planning ahead, to make sure you get the best boating holiday deals for this year. From booking early, to booking on line, here are five ways to save money on your canal boat holiday.

Family Goals

New Year’s Resolutions are so often about what you want to achieve personally; but have you thought about setting goals as a family this year, and agreeing to spend more quality time together?

A narrowboat holiday is a chance to take time out from the stresses of everyday life and focus on time with your loved ones. The easy-going calm of the waterways can very quickly create a different mind-set, for all generations.

From a digital detox to your own private boat party here are five simple ways to bring your family closer together on a narrowboat.

So if you want to get fit, save money and spend time with family check narrowboat availability here, and make this year’s goals specific, measurable and achievable!

The post How Narrowboats Can Help You to Keep Your New Year’s Resolutions appeared first on Fox Narrowboats.