aracer

On the contrary, I'd expect some of those who need help not to be aware of that. I don't know any of those numbers and I live on board and have done lots of boating. More to the point, whilst I'm sure I could find the numbers (eventually...) for that I'd need to know what services CRT offers which I could book... There is also the question of how much in advance you'd need to book. You need to have a think about which boaters are most likely to need assistance.

In order to do that they'd have to know that they needed assistance and know how to ring up and book. I'm guessing you also find it irritating when you meet a boat coming the other way? Presumably you'd also prefer the gates to be closed by the crew of a boat leaving the lock you're waiting to enter? ?

Which would result in some of those who most need help not getting it.

You guys are being very absolutist. I've maybe not done a huge amount of boating compared to some of you, but way more than the average leisure boater. I have encountered plenty of vlockies, but they've universally been helpful and I don't recognise at all the behaviour others have mentioned (apart from the one I mentioned ages ago, but I'm fairly sure he was actually a CRT chugger getting above his station rather than a vlockie - certainly haven't seen him around here again anyway). However I suspect it also depends a lot on where you go - I've had a fairly limited range so far (and did a lot of that out of season). I do wonder whether there are specific locations which attract those who are a problem - interesting comment above about it being something suggested to people by their counsellors, maybe these are people who find social interaction difficult. I do wonder a little about some of the attitudes on here though - for a start the first sentence there is a complete strawman, nobody on here is saying vlockies are good even if they're bad. But maybe some of you are also the opposite of an excited spaniel and ironically very similar to those you're complaining about - personally I welcome the presence of vlockies for the social interaction - it seems some here really don't want that. It's also really easy to deal with the minor stuff - yes I've been told to stay on my boat, on occasions when the vlockies were clearly going to work me as quick as I would myself I've complied, on others I've just politely said "no, I'm used to single handing, I'll get off and help if that's OK". Lack of eye contact may just signify poor social skills, but that certainly doesn't make somebody incapable of being a good vlockie, not so long as they are prepared to listen. I also note the attitude of wanting to work the locks - well maybe such people haven't done as much concentrated boating as me - after 30 locks in a day single handing I'm bored of working locks and happy for any assistance ?

In the case of the lock, I guess the equivalent is that when you're there at the controls with your boat in the lock going up, someone with the app way downstream makes the lock empty so it's ready for them - for good measure the app will then open the top paddles once the bottom gates are open to flush out the interloper without a smartphone ? In reality you'd just set the interlock so that once someone has taken local control of the lock (do you need a key?) then app use is disabled. The obvious thing to do is to allow local control to override use of the app even if someone is currently using it, though that's a little more tricky. Not BT - it's not designed for use in that way and I don't think most smartphones would connect via BT in a way which would allow this to work. However the solution to that is simple as I already suggested above - there would be a local WiFi hotspot and you'd have to be connected to that to use the app (it's tried and tested tech - fairly standard to only allow connection over a local network - no need to even isolate it from the internet you can also provide internet access as standard networking stuff still separates the local network)

Well I went diving on Tuesday and got it back - it's a "waterproof" phone so hadn't leaked much, have been drying it out since (being "waterproof" it's also hard for water to get out). Powered it up today now there's no condensation on the camera lens any more - it seems to work though still lots of dampness in the screen, so more drying required, but surprisingly hopeful given it was a couple of metres under for about 16 hours!

Oh - like I did on Monday!