Read before boarding
Boat safety
The plain rules of the Bridgmoor: on the water, at the locks, and in the dry dock.
Six rules, all learned the hard way by someone
- Lifejackets at the locks. Lock chambers are the only place on the canal that actively pulls. Wear one, on and off the boat.
- Never cross a lock gate when paddles are moving. Wait for still water, then walk. The boat will wait for you.
- Moor with two lines. One bow line is a hope. Two lines are a plan.
- Stoves out before bed. Sweep the flue yearly, measure the flue twice, cut once.
- Fuel on deck, never below. Cans live on the cratch board in the open, not in the cabin.
- Tell the yard if something sounds new. A new sound is the engine asking for an appointment.
Ice: hard frost closes the flight. The flag at the basin drops when the locks ice; that day, the tea urn moves indoors.
Deep water: the canal is twelve feet in the middle and cold in every month. It is deeper than it looks and colder than it feels.
This page is fictional, not real safety guidance. For real canal and boat safety, follow the guidance of your national waterway authority and local rescue services.