Taking a turn at the tiller

TAKING A TURN AT THE TILLER

If there were enough family members to operate a canal boat, the captain would not need to hire any crew. A minimum of three was usually necessary to run a boat, with one person at the tiller, one on the towpath walking with the mules, and one doing the many other things necessary on the boat such as preparing meals and caring for the mules before and after their six-hour “tricks” on the towpath.

When families ran a boat it was usually children who walked with the mules and often women who handled the tiller, although children too sometimes were assigned that task. Control of the tiller did require some strength and bodyweight, especially if there were strong winds or when the boat was in one of the two river slackwater sections.