johnmck

A genuine Crt notice today, especially for widebeams it would seem! A large tree has come down on the Grand Union Leicester Line, between Bridge 27 (Mountain Barn Bridge) and Bridge 28 (Elkington Bridge) . The W3W locations are ///redefined.afterglow.snails and ///pressing.breaches.acrobatic. The tree is obstructing the navigation, which means wide-beam boats will not be able to get past. Narrowboats may be able to pass, but are asked to proceed with care. We will be on site to fully assess the situation tomorrow, but specialist equipment will be required to clear the tree. We will update this notice by Wednesday 16th October, or sooner if we have more information. You cannot make it up!

From Facebook today. Outside the entrance to Dunchurch Pools.

One and the same. I recognise the lady you show on the bow. The craft dimensions are pertinent in that he was super stressed even contemplating a simple manoeuvre. I did wonder if this was the craft heading for Dunchurch pools? Had a crt notification recently.

We have a heat exchanger, enabling us to heat the boats radiators whilst underway, from the engine. A good way to dump engine heat especially in the colder months.

Arrived at the top of the Buckby locks today. A widebeam was ascending the lock as we approached, so I pulled onto the lock landing towpath side. Those who know this location will be aware that the water point is nearby. Ali had walked to the lock, along with a chap from a boat we were to share the locks with. The gates opened and the "Lady" ( a very loose description) stomped up to me, ordering me off the lock landing, as they needed water! Well the attitude put my back up, but I began to manoeuvre to the offside,obliging chap that I am, only to become aware of the widebeam owner having a benny fit, shouting and cursing, much directed at Ali. She had asked him to exit the lock , but he retorted that he could not steer in the lock and needed the water point. I think he had no bow thruster? Anyway, the actual exit from the lock and his attempts to manoeuvre onto the lock landing was laughable. The man was a complete tosser. The photo shows one boat on the water point, fat boy prancing around, whilst I and tother boat try to enter the lock.

Grasp the metal and do the lot. Broad locks can be challenging for anyone new to the canals, but you will soon get into a rhythm going up. We enter these locks, keep slightly back towards the bottom gate, then open the ground paddle on the same side your boat is in the lock. The flow will hold your boat against the lock wall. Take it steadily, but not too much. Of course, in company with another boat, it's a doddle.

Our Cratch and Pram hoods are being power washed today... On the north Oxford twixt Hillmorton and Braunston and it is rain on a biblical scale. Sitting it out, but it should clean the covers.

What irks me with the likes of Colwich, is the complete lack of forsite and the resulting consequences. The only ground paddle is knackered. The gate paddle is slow because it's volume of fill barely exceeds losses from the leaking bottom gates. And the balance beam is kaput. Result, predictively, failure. This situation should have been anticipated. At the least, fix the ground paddle and give the gate some chance with its temporary fix.

The picture I placed on at the beginning of this topic, was taken on the 15th of September. It was quiet when we descended. Going up, with perhaps a queue, with only the gate paddle filling the lock, I can well imagine frustrated boaters using any means of brute force to open this already fragile top gate. Failure was unfortunately predictable and this scenario is repeated across the system. This year, we have travelled down to the Thames, back up to Warwick, down the Avon, up the Severn, then up onto the Golly and back down the T&M onto the Coventry. Locks in a parlous state litter the system. It is such a sad sight to see.

It had to happen soon.

Sometimes our views are at variance I will admit. But all of the above, I totally agree with. The solution to maintaining an effectively antique transport system, protected by heritage listing's, escapes me without a substantial funding injection. But from where?

Takes time for the H20 to percolate through the ballast towards the stern. Don't ask how I know this...

I don't think everyone on the canals does. The rose tinted views expostulated by various bloggers, sets a scene of idyllic charm. So they sell the house and buy a boat, never having stepped foot onto one previously. They have no experience, no knowledge, so how do they know?

I really do get that crt are strapped for cash. That make do and mend keeps the system running in the short term. But... The backlog of maintenance is now reaching critical levels. This year, we have been bedeviled by stoppages, more so than any previous year. Crt have short term, sorted them expeditiously, but this still leaves the satisfactory remedy on the future fix schedule. Which then becomes longer and longer. Locks are the most visible reminder of system faults, but issues run deeper. Routine maintenance is broken I am sorry to say.