Teaching boating

Having read both articles from Victor and Orph regarding the pro's and con's of teaching people boating, then issuing certificates to show abilities of competence.  I tend to disagree with both articles, writes Peter Ponting.

If you go to a Go-Karting session, or have the pleasure of having a flight training session booked for you as a present, you are instructed to attend prior to the event taking place to listen to the safety session which in both cases lasts for about half an hour.

Free up staff

Now if hire companies followed that example and held mini seminars to all the hirers on a given day. That would free up staff to complete the turn-around, as only one person would explain the in's and out's of boating. A comprehensive course could be made available on DVD, available to all hire companies.

However, having travelled over 500 miles on the canal network this year. In our experience, it is not the hired boats that cause the problems.

Private boats

If you look at this years statistics. How many private boats have sunk? Caught fire? How many complaints have you received regarding continuous moorers? How many complaints have you received regarding speeding boaters?

We hired boats for 20 years before buying our own two years ago. In all that time I have never hit another boat, never sped past moored boats. This year we have been hit by at least seven private boats who basically did not know what they were doing. We have had mooring pins pulled out on three occasions due to speeding boats.

Pompous attitude

In my opinion it is the pompous attitude of the private boater that is spoiling the canal system. Perhaps they need to read the Boaters' Handbook once in a while.