I’ve travelled down the canal on my Narrowboat, now I want to moor up. Where am I allowed to stop?
Stop short of where you want to moor with your boat straight and in deep water. Move forward very slowly, pointing the front of the boat towards the bank, then use reverse to stop the boat just before the front hits the bank. Put the engine into neutral.
On rivers, you should always moor with the front of your boat facing upstream or into a very strong wind. So, if you’re heading downstream, you’ll need to pass the mooring and turn your boat around. Allow for the fact that the water level may rise or fall by several feet. If it’s a tidal river, you should always moor facing the tide – and avoid mooring to the bank overnight.
Your crew should step ashore – not jump. They can either carry the ropes with them – making sure there’s plenty of slack and that one end is fixed to the boat – or you can pass them the ropes once they’re on land.
To keep your boat secure, you need to tie it to the bank with a rope from both the front and the back.
Many mooring sites have bollards or rings to tie up to – choose ones a short distance beyond the front and the back of your boat. Run your ropes at about 45º from your boat, loop them back onto the boat and tie securely, but not too tightly.
Leave a little slack in your ropes – that’s especially important on tidal waterways or rivers. If the ropes are too tight and the water level drops, your boat could be left hanging from the bank.
Remember that your anchor should be used if you need added security or extra help in a strong stream or tide – and you should still use mooring ropes.
Use signposted visitor moorings wherever possible, and always moor to the towpath if you can. Check that you’re not a hazard to other boats or to people using the bank. Leave room for other boats to tie up too. Many non towpath side of canals are private property, please check.
Don’t forget you can download the Boaters Handbook here.
Here are sources of helpful information the Boaters Handbook & the Canal & River Trust Boaters Handbook Video.