On Sun, 22 Jun 2008 22:53:32 +0100, Alan N Estherby
<a.e@notinthisworld.com> wrote:
>Couldn't agree more. Doing just this (boat in tickover, nudged against
>top gate) I was ascending the Lapworth flight, Northern Stratford.
>Four or five locks, same technique, no probs - then failed to notice
>that the top gate of the next one was lacking the rubbing board up the
>inside of the gate. The prow of the boat hooked under one on the cross
>beams of the gate, I was lying on the balance beam, enjoying the
>sunshine as the lock filled, next thing the beam "jumped" a bit under
>me, and when I looked across, the water was within about four inches of
>spilling over in to the front deck, and the stern was out of the water
>with the prop visible...!
>
>Fortunately, by running back, dropping the top paddles and then opening
>the bottom paddles to let some water back out I salvaged the situation
>before I sank the boat - but it was a close run thing...
>
>I've been a bit more careful since!
Which is, of course, the valuable lesson here!
Not that riding a top gate is inherrently bad, but rather that failing
to devote you attention to a process that can go wrong in many
dangerous ways is a bad thing.