Ask any seasoned boater about their favourite day on the cut and you will not hear about a flat-calm July afternoon. You will hear about the morning they crossed a windswept embankment, the afternoon they worked a flight in horizontal rain, and the pint at the end of it. Rain and wind are part of boating in Britain, and the good news is that neither is difficult to handle once you know what to expect. A little kit, a little technique and a willingness to stop early will keep you comfortable and safe.

Rain is not the enemy — being cold and wet is

The difference between a miserable wet day and a memorable one is almost entirely down to clothing. Boating is slow, exposed and surprisingly physical, so you are not generating much heat while standing at the tiller, but you are working hard at locks. That combination demands kit that breathes as well as blocks water.

• Waterproofs, not showerproofs. Look for taped seams and a proper hood you can wear over a peaked cap so rain does not run down your face. Overtrousers that pull on over boots are worth their weight in gold.
• Non-slip footwear. This matters more than anything else. Smooth-soled trainers on wet steel decks, wet lock beams and wet stone coping are an accident waiting to happen. Wellies with a decent tread, or proper sailing deck shoes, will keep you upright.
• Gloves. Wet ropes are heavy and slippery. A pair of grippy gloves makes handling a centre line far easier, and a spare dry pair in a locker is a small luxury.
• A dry bag and a towel. Keep one change of clothes sealed in a dry bag on board, and leave a towel just inside the rear doors. Small things, huge difference.

Working locks in the wet

Locks are where wet weather asks the most of you. The lock beams, balance beams, paddle gear and the steel deck of the boat all become slick at the same time, and visibility drops when you have a hood up and rain on your glasses.

Slow everything down. Use three points of contact on the lock ladder and steps, keep your hands off the gates until the paddles are fully down, and never step across a gap you would not step across in the dry. Ropes need to be kept on board and coiled, not trailed in the water where they can find the propeller. If you are single-handed, use the centre line and take the extra minute to loop it properly rather than rushing.

Heavy rain also lifts canal levels and increases flow, particularly where streams and culverts feed in. Look for coloured water and extra debris, and if the level is rising quickly, it is a good sign to find a mooring and enjoy a cup of tea instead.

Condensation and the damp cabin

Rain outside almost always means damp inside. Four people breathing, wet coats and steaming boots will put a surprising amount of water into the air, and it will settle on cold steel and the inside of windows. Keep a window cracked and the front doors ventilated where you can, hang wet gear in a sheltered spot rather than over the stove, and check the bilges. If you have a dehumidifier or moisture absorber, this is the week it earns its place on board.

Reading the wind before it reads you

Wind on the canals behaves differently from wind anywhere else. It funnels along cuttings, accelerates across open embankments and reservoirs, and swings unpredictably around bridge holes and the gaps in tree cover. You will often feel nothing at all until you pass a gap, and then a sudden shove on the bow.

The response is straightforward. Slow down so that any mistake is small and cheap, but keep enough way on for the rudder to bite — a boat with no forward motion is a leaf in the breeze. Keep to the centre of the channel, where a gust has somewhere to push you without pinning you against the bank, and steer upwind of the line you actually want. Aim where you want to end up, not where the bow currently points, and use short, patient tiller movements rather than sawing the tiller from side to side.

Bridge holes deserve respect in a blow. Take the centre of the arch, approach with steerage way, and accept that a bit of scuffing of the paintwork is not a crisis.

Mooring when it is blowing a hooley

Getting alongside in a strong wind is where most of us have an embarrassing moment. The trick is to pick your spot with the wind in mind. Coming in with the bow angled gently into the wind is usually easier than being pushed onto the bank broadside, and if someone is ashore, the centre line passed to them from the boat is far safer than anyone jumping a gap.

Get one line on — bow or stern, whichever suits the spot — then the other, then add springs. Never put a turn of rope around your hand or wrist. If you miss the gap, do not fight it; go round again or find another spot. Nobody is watching except the geese, and they have seen worse.

Know when to stop for the day

The single best piece of windy-weather advice is this: moor early. Conditions on the cut usually build through the afternoon, so if the forecast is grim, plan a short day and be tied up by early afternoon. Fighting a headwind for three more hours will not make you a better boater, it will just make you a colder and more tired one.

Once you are in, check your ropes again after an hour — they stretch and slacken as the boat moves — and avoid mooring under trees in a blow. Then put the kettle on, close the curtains and remember that the rain hammering on the roof is one of the best sounds a narrowboat makes.