David Cragg wrote: > Here it is suggested that, if a boat or boats are following yours as you > approach a bridge, then you moor and work the bridge, wave them through to > then be in front of you, then you go through, wind the bridge down and head > off, merrily taking up station at the back of the line. My first thought > was that anyone working the Whitchurch bridge heading downsteam and letting > boats behind pass here might find themselves waiting hours at Grindley > Brook having lost their place in the 3 up three down queue by being good! > > The method I was taught, instead of the wave through, was the you open, get > on as the boat comes through, they behind then close the bridge - a method > which the manual says is not done as the boater behind might be unable to > close the bridge. Given the bollards now installed in the offside of such > bridges one assumes the unable means not unable due to getting not ashore > but to more physical problems. As the physical in this case is getting off > and winding down I cannot see this. > > What do others think?
Most of the time, I would do the same as you. Open the bridge and leave it to the last boat to close it. The only exception was on the Leeds and Liverpool, where after leaving the top of Bingley five rise you have over 20 swing bridges in 17 miles before the next lock. When I crossed this in 2004, I caught up with a "train" of three or four other boats. It rapidly became obvious that the system was that the lead boat opened the bridge and rejoined the back of the train after closing up. Much more efficient, as you only work one bridge in however many boats there are. Terry Streeter NB Arun - Stourbridge Basin
