Help for new boaters

THE Canal & River Trust (CaRT) has teamed up with Drifters, a consortium of hire boat operators, to produce a new training film to show new boaters the ropes as a companion to the existing Boaters' Handbook.

It contains lots of ‘getting started' tips for hire boaters and new boat owners, as well as important reminders to old-hands about how to boat safely.

Safe and enjoyable

Sally Ash, Head of Boating at Canal & River Trust, explains:

"We want new boaters to have a safe and enjoyable experience of the waterways. After all, we want them to come back and to recommend boating to their friends. The friendly spirit that pervades the waterways means there is a lot of help available on the spot but it's obviously a good idea for new boaters to build up their knowledge and confidence in other ways too. The film covers the fundamentals of boat handling, lock operation and general safety afloat."

The film is an example of collaboration between the industry and the Trust and was produced by Eclipse Communications with help from Drifters, who provided the boats and crews. We are told the directors of Eclipse are boating enthusiasts who spend their leisure time enjoying the inland waterways. The video's director, Dave Bowring, has spent many years cruising the system on his narrowboat, Whernside, and has seen first-hand the results of both good and bad boat handling techniques.

Online

The 30 minute film is available free to stream online or as a free DVD. You can order your copy of this DVD via our on-line shop:

https://secure.britishwaterways.co.uk/shop

or by telephone to our customer service team on 0303 040 4040, Monday to Friday, 8am to 6pm. Our boating business team will be contacting hire operators to offer stocks of the DVD as they require.
Take a look at the film here:

http://canalrivertrust.org.uk/boating/navigating-the-waterways/boaters-handbook