On 11 Feb 2010, at 15:09, Terry Streeter wrote: > 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.
David's method wouldn't work reliably where the bridges have to be padlocked since you have to close a BW padlock to release your key and, like most folk, I am inclined to leave my keys in the padlock (even when the padlock is on the towpath side and I'm on the off- side, which I suppose would be risky in some circumstances). This is a strong motivation to let other boats through and then recover the keys. I have to admit that I have occasionally had cause to regret this when we end up following a duffer or missing a turn at the next lock, but I keep telling myself that I'm not doing this boating lark to hurry. And sometimes that actually works. Baz
