Trust's Boat Policy

The Trust's training programme is well established for all skippers and for crew on its boats.  One requirement for crew is that they should be able to bring the boat to a place of safety should the skipper become incapacitated or fall overboard.  On canals this is not normally a problem, as the bank is, by definition, adjacent to the boat.  However, if a Trust boat should be on wider waters, such as the River Avon at Melksham or the River Thames at Abingdon, the bank may not be adjacent or even accessible and the river's flow would take any incapacitated boat to the next weir.  It is therefore vital that crew members, both on the boat and on the bank, should have had appropriate training to cover these situations as well as 'man overboard' drills.  Such training should include an annual update.  

These changes should not be unduly onerous or time-consuming, but should be regarded as essential both to ensure passengers' safety in all circumstances and also to make sure we are covered by our Insurance.