Midnight

The Huddersfield is open again yipee!... ....Oh The Huddersfield is closed again - hmmmm! https://canalrivertrust.org.uk/notices/15518-fallen-tree-between-lock-25e-and-26e?fbclid=IwAR2G2ii8Qz7DlPrXzJ20llLZ1uTDqGC5Bu-UC1t7yowJOQKEOgStVFFzyik

but it also affects those in the west trying to escape to superior locations

Short rant warning! Two closures one each end of the Rochdale, breach on the Huddersfield god knows what on the L&L -You couldn't make it up!

Even if those boats could get through the shorter locks, the Calder is just another stoppage waiting to happen. Mind you there's lots of new 'tyre in the cut' logos and irrelevant signs appearing down that way to contribute to our health and well being.

Having met a "pack" of them coming towards me on their way to the Braunston fesival a few years ago on the North Oxford I totally agree.

No matter how careful the steerer is, entering a double lock from downstream with only one gate open invariably leads to damage to the mitre - metal strake on soft wet wood. The Rochdale lock 66 incident may have failed with the lock full but was probably weakened by previous regular abuse. The system is old so should be treat with the same care you would treat your aging granny.

I emailed Tom and he realised his mistake it was meant to say Bosley

This is going to be a frequent occurrence due to the number of locks in the area with just one working paddle. Well being - tosh!

Shepley Bridge Lock Due to a paddle failure the lock is currently inoperable and passage is not possible. We are currently working to rectify the problem and will issue an update when the situation changes. Common problem along this length as several locks have only one paddle working. Usually fixed within a day or so but why don't they fix both when such a breakdown happens?

I can't see anything at all re single-handed cruising in my policy document

I do praise CaRT when they get things right. My view is that those officers on the ground are doing a good job in difficult circumstances. It's the management at the top who are causing the dissatisfaction through the policies that have been introduced. Yes you have to balance the bad with the good, but overall my recent experiences of the waterways has been overall negative. Many of the stoppages could be avoided with a better maintenance policy than the current "only fix it when it breaks". How many lock gates have you been through with just one paddle working? My boat is on the Yorkshire side of the Pennines. How could I possibly be happy with CaRT after the problems we suffered last year (at one stage all 3 Trans-Pennine routes were closed). Surveys that ask how you feel on a scale of 1 - 10 are a waste of time, your 8 may be my 3. The questions about how you feel generally, are used to modify the results. These are usually set up to get the answers you want. In a previous life I produced satisfaction surveys for a local authority with the instruction to "get answers that put us in a good light". I also produced surveys where we wanted to know the real situation. If you want to know if your customers are happy ask "Are you happy with..................." Yes / No BTW Soft data is just as important so I suggest reading this forum and others is a valuable source. I would also suggest the mixed views on here also reflect the wider boating community.

Pity there wasn't a -10

CaRT say it's anonymous but the email link includes a code which they will say prevents duplicate responses but could also identify the user.

Received an email today asking to complete another survey. No matter what boaters say I'm guessing the results will show CaRT are a wonderful organisation and we boaters are very satisfied with their performance and state of the waterways.

With the government is total chaos it's looks likely we will be heading for a soft Brexit. Would that mean an end to red diesel for boat users?