Curriculum

60 Ton Barge Skipper Course

1. History of Barging

- development of locks, Marco Polo, Leonardo da Vince, Commercial Renaissance

- Freycinet standards, standard lock size, Peniche

- competition from railroads, decline of Peniche, large barge efficiencies and shipping patterns

- beginnings of recreational barging

2. Waterways

- lowlands: Holland, Flanders, northern Germany

- “lock lands”: Wallonia, France, central and southern Germany

- narrow Canals: England

- frontier regions: Danube, Volga/Moscow

- potentials: Bug Canal

3. Primary recreational barge types:

- Dutch: turn of the century, iron/steel, regional styles, varying sizes, variety of conversions

- Peniche: one style, shoe horn sized, primarily live-aboard or commercialized pleasure

- others: motorboats, sailboats, platbodems.

4. Getting Underway:

- engine start procedures: oil, coolant, water running, 5 minute warm up

- traffic check; chart check

- protect the prop: push out or spring line start.

- lines coiled; “steering clear”.

- fenders up or down.

5. Using propeller torque

- how the prop “walks”.

- left hand or right hand turning props

- “tire in mud”

- using torque to stop…and to start.

- using torque to turn: measure the width, stop first.

- turning alternatives: back and forth; into the bank; against a bollard; center the line on board, portable fenders; use the wind.

- The role of bowthrusters and ballast

- “Big Mo”, effect of momentum: forward or sideways, accelerate out of a turn.

6. Lock procedures

- safety procedures: pancakes, feet and fingers away, don’t stop the barge by hand or line; person-overboard procedures: neutral gear; never tie off; never overlap; emergency knife.

- lock lights.

- fenders: tires, ropes, wood blocks, vinyl; breakaway fender ties; positioning.

- entering a lock: commercial vs recreational, activating the lock, lock-emptying currents, wind while waiting, upstream currents while lock fills, room to maneuver, techniques to maneuver (holding in place and meeting an emerging vessel); positioning the boat to enter straight; “in gear” for control; crew and portable fenders.

- captain/crew coordination: hand signals; options from crew/decision by captain

- technique: spring line from bow, or bow and stern.

- assisting the lockkeeper

- types of locks: egg shaped, automatic, levers, cranks, push rods, twist rods, electric eye (space alien), garage door openers, confusing the computer.

- customs and courtesies: tipping the lockkeeper; the sacred hour; the discrete horn, universal language

- leaving the lock: watch your hips.

- big lock techniques: no visible lockkeeper, changing bollards, floating bollards, let big boys go first.

7. Mooring

- Fundamentals of tie downs: bow line, stern line, two springs.

- land anchors and pins

- tying to bollards. Techniques for tightening lines. Chafe protection.

- mooring on rivers and tidal areas.

- mooring line materials.

- anchoring techniques: windlass, setting the anchor, emergency use.

- nose in to lake shores

8. Meeting and overtaking boats

- the “push-pull-push” effect

- meeting boats

- overtaking and being overtaken

- speed limits and bank erosion

9. Engine and related systems

- adequate horsepower

- reputable brands

- testing

- maintenance: hoses, oil, transmission, coolant

- packing glands

- dry and wet exhaust

- keel cooling

- fuel: where to buy, red and white, tanks and ballast, diesel and bacteria, filters, keep tanks topped, rust, gauges

- fuel absorbent cloths

10. Electrical systems

- 24 volt vs 12 volt

- 220 volt vs 110 volt

- batteries: types, aging, water, alternators, calculating usable amps, smart regulators, generators.

- monitors

- shorepower

- inverters

11. Plumbing systems

- drinking water: where to get it, $

- on demand pumps, pressure tanks, hand/foot pumps

- hot water: on demand; engine heat exchanger; cabin heat exchanger.

- filters and minerals

- heads and holding tanks, anti-siphon valves, vegetable oil, clorox, vinegar, seacocks

- gray water disposal; weekly cleaning

- coffee grounds

12. Heating systems

- electric space heaters: avoid overload

- diesel heaters: keep it simple

- forced air

- convection

- combination systems

- propane heaters

- engine heat exchanger systems

- solid fuel heaters

13. Galley systems

- propane cooking: national and proprietary bottles, heavier than air; valves; soap and water; pressure testing; alarms

- refrigerators: propane--critical venting; 24 volt/220 volt.

- diesel stoves

14. Preventive Maintenance

- hull: iron vs steel; 4mm, thickness testing; insurance surveys; pop rivets and welding; haulout techniques (caution on straps); bottom coats

- topsides: rust, waterlines, water pockets, screwdriver/wire brush/Owatrol/primer/paint

- brush in a bottle

- fighting mildew

- floor finishes

- exterior wood finishes: varnish, Cetol, polyurethanes

15. Rules of the Road

- red, right, returning…to the sea.

- blue flag rule

- dredgers

- ferries

- bridges

- sound signals

- signage

16. Miscellaneous

- flag etiquette

- transportation

- telephones: GSM, telephone cards

- cruising permits: “vignettes”

- licensing

- charts

- the barging community

- tunnels

- VHF

17. Cruising Costs

- food

- fuel

- transportation

- entertainment

- repairs

- winter moorage

18. How to Buy a Barge

- choosing what type to buy, setting a budget

- where to buy

- not too high…in the air or in the water

- critical items before you buy

- the role of the broker

- the role of the surveyor

- can I sell it again afterward?

- can I charter instead?

- Financing and insurance