How to use the online alarm clock
While you wait for the appointed moment, a 5:07 pm alarm can keep your attention on taking the boat through the lock before it closes. You can watch the water and prepare the ropes without repeatedly checking the clock. There is still time before 6:00 pm, but the signal marks the point when waiting needs to become action.
A lock can be a noisy place, with engines, running water and voices from the towpath competing with the alarm. The selected tone therefore needs enough volume to remain clear above that background sound, and a brief sound check can reveal whether it is actually audible from where you will stand. If the browser page is no longer open, or the phone or laptop falls asleep, no alarm will sound and the boat may miss its passage through the lock.
Once the boat is through, the remaining afternoon may already contain another commitment, such as returning equipment or meeting someone at the mooring. Allowing a buffer before that next task gives you room for slow lock traffic, securing the ropes and walking back from the water. At 5:07 pm, fading daylight and a busy end-of-day schedule make that spare time more useful than planning every minute tightly.
Common questions
What happens if my laptop goes to sleep before 5:07 pm?
The tab sleeps along with it and the alarm will not sound on time, if at all. If you are relying on it, change the power settings so the machine stays awake, or keep a phone alarm running as well.
Do I need an account or an app?
Neither. Choose a time and a sound, press Start, and it runs in this browser tab. Nothing is downloaded, nothing is registered, and closing the page leaves nothing behind on the device.
Can I change the sound?
Yes, there is a short list of tones to pick from before you press Start. Softer sounds are easy to sleep through, so a firmer bell tends to be the safer choice for anything early in the morning.
Will it still be right when the clocks change?
Yes. It reads your device's local clock, so the move between GMT and BST at the end of March and October is picked up automatically, as long as the computer's date, time and time zone are set correctly.
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