Can I drive a narrowboat after dark?

I just read an article in the most recent Waterways magazine—published for members of the Inland Waterways Association—with suggestions on how to safely travel on waterways at night. This was something of a surprise to me because most everything I’ve read strongly discourages cruising at night. For instance, the The Boater’s Handbook issued by the Canal & River Trust states: “It’s best not to cruise in the dark.” And, “Cruising at night can be dangerous.”

The IWA article, however, says: “The principle of being able to navigate at night is something that IWA has long championed, so don’t let the odd tut-tut or twitching curtain from moored boats put you off if it’s something you’d like to try.”

Frankly that twitching curtain of a narrowboat window has always discouraged me from any thought of night-time cruising. I shudder at the thought of an irate boater blasting a withering hard stare at me for the effrontery of operating my boat at night. But are there any hard and fast rules regulating night-time boating? And how done one reconcile this conflicting advice?

Well, as the IWA article admits, most hire boat contracts forbid operating a boat at night, although  I’m not sure how much more trouble you’re in if you sink a boat at night. After all, the membership of the IWA is mostly boat owners, and a boat owner would always have to pay out of pocket for doing something stupid, day or night.

The article, however, also rightly points out that there are occasionally circumstances beyond one’s control that results in cruising after sunset. Sometimes you approach your destination late in the day and can’t find a mooring and so are forced to keep cruising after the time that lamps are lit. But I would strongly suggest that you avoid cruising at night, even if your hire boat contract does not forbid it.

Perhaps some argument could be made for night-time travel if there are no moored boats, on a straight length of canal, on the night of a full Moon with night-vision goggles, but unless you’re very familiar with the process, I wouldn’t attempt turning a lock or mooring the boat in the dark. I can imagine dropping a windlass (or yourself) in the lock or finding the boat adrift in the morning because the bowline was properly tied.

I should also point out that in addition to hire boat contracts forbidding night-time travel, some navigation authorities also prohibit the practice. The Waterways article lists the Middle Level, River Wey and Chelmer & Blackwater navigations specifically. (A navigation is a canalized river.) Unfortunately finding out the regulations for a specific waterway can take a little research. (You can read an IWA blog article about night-time cruising here.)

If you plan to travel at night, your boat should be equipped with port- and starboard-running lights (red and green) and a white light at front and rear. Although all narrowboats are equipped with a headlight, it’s there primarily for tunnels and may not be the best light source for cruising at night. People sleeping in moored boats may not appreciate a headlight shining in through the windows. Obviously torches (flashlights) and head lamps are necessary. Although I found some night-vision monoculars for as little as $150 on Amazon, true  goggles ran about $400.

The CRT also advises against running engines and generators between 8 pm and 8 am near moored boats, so I don’t know how to get around that problem.

So again, I wouldn’t recommend night-time cruising for any Americans hiring a boat in the UK, but I would also respect anyone cruising at night in a respectful manner and would never tut-tut at them.