MERCIA Marina is subsidising a Basic Helmsman & Safety Course for its boaters.
It telling—The key to getting the most out of any activity is being confident and competent, whether it is riding a bike, using a smartphone or steering a boat. The more you are out of your ‘comfort zone’ the harder it is but all the more rewarding when you do it well. This is particularly true of boating.
Complicated
Boats are complicated, containing all the services of a house but with batteries, chargers, inverters, gas bottles, 12V, engines, water pumps, the list goes on. It's not only about boat handling, it's also about knowing what’s what on your boat.
Steering boats is not complicated and certainly not to be feared by anyone. But how do you become calm, confident and competent? Proper tuition, then time to practice what you have learned, will do it. Nothing beats practice for acquiring skills, but good tuition on the basics is invaluable. Thankfully, dangerous mistakes are few and far between in canal boating but do you know what they are and how to avoid them?
How can we help you get the most out of boating, whether you are new to boating, you visit your boat just occasionally but are nervous about cruising or indeed liveaboard and want to fully embrace the life?
Mercia’s free Welcome Aboard booklet giving you an introduction to safe and happy boating is a great help, but nothing beats one on one tuition. Long term Mercians will remember the wonderfully named Tillerettes where time served boaters provided coaching.
Joined forces
To promote tuition, we have joined forces with Derbyshire Canal Boat Tuition (DCBT) to offer a subsidised one day Basic Helmsman & Safety Course. That’s right, we will cover part of the cost as we want happy and safe boaters and DCBT are offering a discount as well. It will be conducted by RYA instructor Paul Harrington of DBCT, who is a longstanding local boater (pictured below).
What will the one day course consist of? Crucially, it can be on your boat. All boats differ. They handle differently, they start differently, they stop differently. Paul will talk you through your boat’s systems—the charging/electrics, the stern gland, weed hatch, etc, as well as safety when under way, when mooring and when tied up. Paul will provide hands on tuition on a cruise from your mooring at Mercia, through Stenson Lock and back, taking you through lock safety as well as how to moor up. Paul’s motto is ‘Have fun while keeping safe’ which sums it all up nicely.
The special Mercia Marina Rate for a one day course after their discount and our subsidy is £100.00 per person. As a rule, there needs to be two ‘students’ per day, each paying £100. If needs be, we can help arrange a second student. Single students may be accommodated by exception for £100 but crew is still required (we can help arrange crew if needs be).
A small price for building your confidence while making your boating safer and more pleasurable.
🚤 1 Day Basic Helmsman & Safety Course
**Start time:** 09.00 till approximately 16.30
**Discounted Mercia cost:** £100 per student
📍 Route
The route will take us from Mercia down through Stenson Lock, then wind the boat at Swarkestone using ropes before returning to Mercia. The course will be run in a safe, calm manner with plenty of time for you to ask questions and go over parts if required.
🦺 Personal Safety
- The difference between Lifejackets and buoyancy aids.
- Risks involved in ending up in the water, including cold water shock.
- Avoiding personal injury.
- Correctly fitting your life jacket.
- Locate the first aid kit.
🔧 Safety Checks
- Engine checks
- Boat walk through
- Equipment checks
⚓ Deck Work
- Communications between Helmsman and Crew.
- Use of mooring and pile pins.
- Nautical Terms.
- Attach fenders.
- Coil rope and throwing a coiled rope.
- Attaching a line to bollard, cleat, T stud.
- Use of a boat hook.
🛥️ Boat Handling
- Basic rules of the waterways and use of map book.
- Respecting other canal and towpath users.
- Importance of communications.
- Start and stop engine.
- Moor/unmoor and signaling to Helmsman when lines are clear or secured.
- Steering.
- Speed Control.
- Turning the boat around using forward and reverse gears.
- Mooring using pile pins and stakes.
- Keeping a look out.
- Stopping the boat.
- Unmoor and proceed to the lock.
☕ BREAK
🔒 Locks
- Lock safety.
- How locks work.
- Tending lines in the lock.
- Operate or assist in the operation of the lock gates and paddles.
🚨 Emergency Situations
- Your role in an emergency.
- How to raise the alarm.
- Man overboard recovery procedure.
- Stop the boat in an emergency.
🌍 Environmental Protection
- Potential impact of boating on the environment.
- Recycling.
🛠️ Practice Session
This will be followed by a debrief and Q & As before receiving your certificate.