Rude

This week's award for outstanding and spectacular rudeness goes to a shiny shiny narrowboat owner. Nice as pie, and full of Northern charm & bonhomie before we entered the lock, the skipper of Nb 'Norwood' pulled off something so breathtakingly outrageous, we still can't quite believe it.

We entered Abingdon lock first, then Nb 'Norwood' followed us in. We descended, and all was well. Then, as soon as the lock gates were opening, Mr Norwood decided to break with etiquette and slammed his engine into "Full ahead" mode. Narrowly missing the lock gates, and scraping his stern all the way along our bow. No apology. No nothing. Then he sped off down the river to look for a mooring spot for himself and the boat he was buddied up with.

It's not so much the rudeness, or the dangerous and bad helmsmanship (despite having bow thrusters) which was so upsetting. It was the two-facedness of it all. He knew that we were also looking for a mooring spot downstream, when he made the decision to shaft us. I think that was just plain nasty.

But this story does have a happy ending. As it turns out, we did find ourselves a nice mooring spot, with easy egress for Sumo, and good TV reception. Sheena says, they're doubled up, down past the bridge, with a steep bank scramble to get themselves ashore.

Good Karma.

Golden Quay - Round Two

The sun is out. And so is Mister "Golden Quay", with his boat. He pitched up and plonked himself on our mooring. When he'd moved off, the marina moved us back to our place. He came back downstream 10 minutes later, and said "I'm going to breast up next to you overnight. Is that alright?". "No, it isn't, We pay for this mooring and I don't consent to you moving across my boat, or leaving it there all night", I replied. His face flushed with anger, and while I went to phone Peter the marina manager to come and get him off my back, he and his wife continued to harangue me, and upset Sheena. "You're on the thames, you should abide by the laws", was one comment thrust in our direction. He then accused us of "never moving", and "living on a public mooring for six months".

I asked him to show me the signs where it says "free public mooring", and he exploded, "You've been sat over there, on a 'no mooring' spot all afternoon". Which is true, as a working boat had needed the jetty, and the marina had put us there. After which, he'd turned up, and we were unable to move ourselves back.

Peter explained to him, "The marina has an obligation to provide a certain amount of berths for public mooring". And continued, "if the jetty is occupied, please come and see the marina staff, and we will find somewhere else for you". (all of which was explained to him, when he tried pulling the same stunt last summer). He grumbled. And moored himself in the empty space in front of us.

Ten o clock this morning, him, his wife, and his whiny kids, all took off. But now he is back again.

Peter says he doesn't like Narrowboaters. With an attitude like that, I expect many narrowboaters don't like him, either. Thankfully, I stood my ground, and he had to move elsewhere. His face was red, and his voice angry and raised. "How dare somebody have the audacity to challenge me?!!". Well, I'm glad I did. He's a bully, with no consideration for other people. I also resented his implication that we are freeloaders. "He only sees what he wants to see", was one comment in the pub, when I relayed the tale to local boaters. "Obnoxious Knob", was another, from somebody else, who had encountered him before.

Golden Quay

Met my first floating asshole tonight. "This is a public mooring, and I am going to breast up here overnight", said the owner of "The Golden Quay", as he blocked out the view from the saloon, and knackered the TV reception. He then proceeded to offload his wife and two whining children, by stomping all over our rear deck. He might be right, maybe it is a public mooring. But the way he talked, and treated our boat like a jetty made me want to punch him.

Sheena says I should untie him during the night.

It's tempting.

But then I'd be an asshole too.

update
It turned out that Mr Golden Quay already has a name for being 'a rude and arrogant man'. We're not on a public mooring here. And the next time he behaves obnoxiously, I can tell him to moor elsewhere.