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Post by Deleted on Dec 27, 2020 17:16:45 GMT
ETA title should say "in passing" but the word limit was reached. I wonder why there is no word limit on individual posts. purred on by the Telemachus experience of someone saying "I am going to find your boat and shit on it" I wondered if there were any other weird and wonderful things people have said to you, you have said to someone else or overheard being said. I usually get "nice boat" or "that boat is crazy it looks like something out of Mad Max". I have never been subjected to any rude hollering. I did always slow down when passing moored boats on the ditches though .
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Post by quaysider on Dec 27, 2020 17:25:30 GMT
I often get folks shouting " I read your blog" - to which I usually reply ..."oh - I'm sorry... I hope I've not offended you".
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Post by Deleted on Dec 27, 2020 17:33:59 GMT
Being an anti social bugger I ignore passing boats, if I pass someone on the move and they talk to me they get an acknowledgement and thats it. Mainly cos I cant hear what they are saying.
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Post by Mr Stabby on Dec 27, 2020 17:38:43 GMT
I wondered if there were any other weird and wonderful things people have said to you "Why is your boat named after a potato?"
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Post by Mr Stabby on Dec 27, 2020 17:40:59 GMT
It's all coming back to me now. I once bellowed "Hello you ginger poof!" at a boater I met up by the Anderton Boat Lift.
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Post by Deleted on Dec 27, 2020 17:52:19 GMT
It doesn't matter what people say or how loud, I cant hear them because my engine is clattering away six feet below separated by a piece of plywood (for now anyway). They may have just mistaken me for the Prince of Bohemia, or called me an effing tosser- I have no way of knowing.
If I suspect they may have said something amusing or interesting (or important to my safety), I will put the engine into neutral to reduce the racket a bit, and put a hand near to my ear (in the time-honoured way of indicating I didn't quite catch what they said), and I yell back "sorry, I didn't quite catch what you said."
This little pantomime has happened many many times at locks.
If the person looks excessively miserable or I still cant hear them on a second attempt, I generally use my standard response to things I haven't quite heard- which is a few slight nods of acknowledgement, a tilt of the head, a half smile (in case they were being humorous), and then a "Yes. Yes, I can see that."
I basically cover all of the possibilities with this response- except the possibility that they've just called me an effing tosser.
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Post by Deleted on Dec 27, 2020 18:38:00 GMT
I just wave...looking at the above replies I'm sure this is the best option. Once you get passed (and maybe pissed), you can say what you like.
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Post by Deleted on Dec 27, 2020 18:58:44 GMT
I was helping a friend, who is slightly more brusque than me, deliver a boat to Whilton about ten years ago. He (friend) was not really that into slowing down past boats on long term moorings, assuming that they were correctly secured.
Anyway an old git poked head out of the side door and hollered "slow down". This was at the offside long term moorings below Cosgrove lock.
My friend, who shall remain nameless, hollered back "I am afraid this is as good as it gets. If you don't like it buy a caravan and it won't happen".
While I found this slightly aggressive I can't help also agreeing with the sentiment.
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Post by bodger on Dec 27, 2020 19:23:33 GMT
narrowboaters - just a slight movement of one finger, like wot Australian truckers are reputed to do. gin palace pilots - studiously ignore, unless they have politely slowed down (very rare).
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Post by Deleted on Dec 27, 2020 19:31:05 GMT
Over the years (about 30) that I have boated on the Thames I always adhered to and advocated the old relaxed wave to other people out enjoying themselves.
It seems to have become less common. Quite a lot of people just do a little nod now, which gives one a sense of satisfaction as they are clearly acknowledging one's validity but it isn't quite as heart warming as a good wave of the hand.
I have already flagged the overt positive gesturing topic with @tonyc and I know he has been experimenting with this.
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Post by Deleted on Dec 27, 2020 20:19:01 GMT
Over the years (about 30) that I have boated on the Thames I always adhered to and advocated the old relaxed wave to other people out enjoying themselves. It seems to have become less common. Quite a lot of people just do a little nod now, which gives one a sense of satisfaction as they are clearly acknowledging one's validity but it isn't quite as heart warming as a good wave of the hand. I have already flagged the overt positive gesturing topic with @tonyc and I know he has been experimenting with this. To tell you the truth Andrew, it has been so long since I actually passed a boat and exchanged remarks that the whole business of actually driving the boat has been filed under 'possible future events', due to my limited memory and processing capacity. If it happens again I shall dredge the correct SOP details from my distant memory. Actually I do remember the last time I was spoken to by a passer by- I can say that. About 5 weeks ago I was headed up towards Swanley Bridge marina (where I am currently being held hostage), and I passed what I thought were a pair of civilian ladies, both very rosy cheeked and cheerful looking. I was considering launching a pre-emptive remark - which was unusually rash for me, but the canal was ghostly quiet and they were the first people I'd seen since Hurleston, so I thought it best to make sure there hant been a zombie apocalypse since I left nantwich. One of the pair beat me to it, saying with a beaming smile "You're the first boat we've seen all day". Obviously because of my engine racket it took two attempts for me to pick up on what she'd actually said, and deduce that maybe they were in fact boaters- in which case a civilian response might not be appropriate or humorous. I juggled with a few potential replies, found none of them satisfactory, and blurted out some nonsense about them being the first I'd seen all day. Not only was this patently untrue (and would have offended the lockie who helped me through the first few Hurleston locks barely an hour earlier), but it was said far too late, when I was already just about past them. This was an occasion when a suitably witty or cheerful (or event sensible) remark was simply not on the cards, and it would have have been far wiser to simply beam back at the pleasant ladies, keep my gormless mouth firmly shut, and cruise onward. If only my embarrassment could have receded at a faster speed than the 3mph I was able to pull away from them.....
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Post by Trina on Dec 27, 2020 20:54:16 GMT
Because our boat is named after where we lived in the Black Country til' recently(The Bearwood Boster)-we get loads of folk asking us is it Bearwood near Smethwick.We've had some great conversations about the area & the word 'Boster'.The best chats have been with much older peeps who left the area ages ago.
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Post by Jim on Dec 28, 2020 12:40:48 GMT
What is this "meeting boats in passi" of which you speak? Hardly happens, a bit like "queueing for locks". Mind you, we were once coming out of thorne lock just out of Wakefield when a boat appeared out of the setting sun, we were dazzled, it was a ginger god like figure surrounded by light. I said "I'm sure I know the twat".
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Post by thebfg on Dec 28, 2020 18:01:43 GMT
What is this "meeting boats in passi" of which you speak? Hardly happens, a bit like "queueing for locks". Mind you, we were once coming out of thorne lock just out of Wakefield when a boat appeared out of the setting sun, we were dazzled, it was a ginger god like figure surrounded by light. I said "I'm sure I know the twat". Lucky you got to the lock first, it would have been broken once the ginger one had gone through.
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Post by quaysider on Dec 28, 2020 18:06:36 GMT
Hmmmf.... funny NOT... (but accurate more often than not)!
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