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First volockie irritation of the year.


nicknorman

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46 minutes ago, Arthur Marshall said:

I did notice last year that a lot of the vlockies did ask me (singlehanding) if I would like them to work me through, so it has had some effect. One, interestingly, apologised for taking a long time but said they'd been banned from stepping across gates. If that was true, most ignored it. 

Our one did the “standing on one gate whilst pushing both gates apart with his legs” trick. Looked rather inelegantly done, and I don’t think any safer than stepping across. In fact it looked a lot less safe!

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5 hours ago, dmr said:

Lock operation and water conservation looks simple but there are some subtleties and quite a few people don't fully grasp it. Some VLK's do what they have been taught within thinking it through.

A couple of years ago we stopped for lunch in a lock on the Hatton flight, we do this sometimes (tut tut tut). A VLK watched from a distance and when we had finished came over and told us off as we had wasted water due to leakage through the bottom gates, in fact he estimated we had used half of Rotten Park reservoir. The whole time we were stopped that was a huge amount of water pouring over the bywash. I was going to initiate a discussion about this but decided no to ?.

 

..............Dave

We had a similar situation last year going down Hatton, Vlockie insisted that we were wasting water, I tried to explain that the torrent of water coming down the bywashes sort of nullified his argument, but no he wouldn’t have it. Luckily he got the hump and wandered of back up the fight. The second Vlockie lower down was an ex boater and just grinned when we talked about Vlockie 1 ?

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3 hours ago, nicknorman said:

But surely they only get abuse and threats of violence when they are interfering with lock operations with boaters who don’t want their help? Our chap today never asked if we wanted help, he just “took charge” and that is my beef. So yes, I did have to accept his “help”, or fight him.

There was just one volocky out of a group of 5 assisting a couple up Tardebigge when I was single handing down who offered to help me( with just the one lock). He not only slowed me down by open paddles an inch at a time and walking round rather than stepping over the gates. ...but as I exited ( having being told to stay on board) ...left both gates open and both bottom paddles up.!! 

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40 minutes ago, matty40s said:

There was just one volocky out of a group of 5 assisting a couple up Tardebigge when I was single handing down who offered to help me( with just the one lock). He not only slowed me down by open paddles an inch at a time and walking round rather than stepping over the gates. ...but as I exited ( having being told to stay on board) ...left both gates open and both bottom paddles up.!! 

Hmm, that sounds remarkably similar to my experience on our last descent!  Mind you, I'm no stranger to Tardebigge and it was the first time I'd even seen the much vaunted "new" volunteers. 

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8 hours ago, nicknorman said:

... and it’s only March 6th!

Obviously this is not a big deal in itself, we wasted perhaps one minute. But it did annoy me. 

 

Oh you poor sad wee thing...………………….

                           

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5 minutes ago, canalboat said:

Oh you poor sad wee thing...………………….

                           

So you are another person who has nothing to say on the subject but just sees an opportunity for a snipe. How very unpleasant you are. Let’s hope you sink.

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7 hours ago, PD1964 said:

  NO, just a boater who gets on with it and see's all aspects of the canal, boaters, lock keepers, Vlockies and can see that they are not all the same. I just don't run and tell the world about it on here, Why didn't you challenge him about his remarks at the lock instead of going public on here?

  I think your complaint is trivial and quite pathetic and laughable actually.

Personally, I think this should have been challenged at the time - politely by saying something like if you don’t mind, I’d prefer to open the paddle. If he subsequently refused or was rude then by all means complain.   Unfortunately this smacks of people who have a poor experience at a restaurant, don’t say anything at the time but then go and give a poor review on Tripadvisor. (And no, I’m not a restrauteur or anything similar!). I just think that things like this are better dealt with at the time, get it sorted and move on.  For me, life’s too short to complain about something that could have been sorted in an instant.

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4 hours ago, haza said:

so in 50 years of doing this ..have you never come across any other boater who does not do the locks the same as you ...i would be stunned if you have not ..i have many times . and a times its not been nice viewing lol

That is not the point. It is when one person imposes their approach on another rather simply advising that, in their view, there is a better way. Positive intervention is very reserved to situations where there us imminent danger.

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Atherstone Volockies, usually helpful, won't let you use the side pound at #9 as it is alleged it floods the cellar of the lock cottage. Rarely walk down the fright away from their brew hut.

 

If you have a difference of opinion with the male lockie, wait till the female one tells you how you should be locking! She is a real piece of work.

 

I always think I should be using a bucket to fill those locks, it would be as quick as using the paddles.

 

I was always told to open both bottom gate paddles as it makes it easier to open the gates.

 

I came up them years ago when the gear was allbut siezed due to no lubrication and rust to find the then full time keeper mowing the grass with his fancy ride on mower. ( it was all he ever seemed to do apart from write his missives ( badly spelt ) on the blackboard )

I suggested that as BW, as was then, could afford some grease, could he make use of it occasionally? The reaction was volcanic. Never spoke to him again after that though we past many times.

 

Could never understand why the Elsan pit at the top lock had a "no pump out" sign when it was on the main drainage. If I ever am in urgent need I will  ignored it.

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As i have said before when the boat is damaged by the velockies actions crt will not accept liability.

The best thing to do is make it very clear if you do not need help.

i have employed this towards the end of last year except at watford and foxton.

on our last few trips they pretty much recognised the boat and wandered off.

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4 hours ago, Boater Sam said:

Could never understand why the Elsan pit at the top lock had a "no pump out" sign when it was on the main drainage. If I ever am in urgent need I will  ignored it.

Somewhere I have a photo (cba to fire up the laptop to find it) of both “Suitable for self pump out” and “No self pump out” signs on two sides of the same post at that Elsan.  That was in BW days, nothing to do with the CRT approach to signs.

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7 hours ago, Nick D said:

Personally, I think this should have been challenged at the time - politely by saying something like if you don’t mind, I’d prefer to open the paddle. If he subsequently refused or was rude then by all means complain.   Unfortunately this smacks of people who have a poor experience at a restaurant, don’t say anything at the time but then go and give a poor review on Tripadvisor. (And no, I’m not a restrauteur or anything similar!). I just think that things like this are better dealt with at the time, get it sorted and move on.  For me, life’s too short to complain about something that could have been sorted in an instant.

I think you have to look at the big picture. Yes I could have argued with him, created a nasty atmosphere etc. He may or may not have backed down. But next time with the next boat, I think he would have done the same. It’s obviously behaviour he’s become accustomed to. IMO the only way his behaviour is going to change is by him receiving further training and instruction from above (ie his supervisor). It’s not just all about me!

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15 hours ago, nicknorman said:

I think with Facebook etc people have forgotten how to disagree. This is of course a current theme in itself! I have no problem with PD taking a different view, eg that volockies are great and why shouldn’t they stop me using a paddle. As you say, we should be allowed to disagree! However when that disagreement takes the form of a personal attack, ridicule etc., that is not good.

On this occasion, I would agree wholeheartedly with your view of the Volunteer, and of the sarcasm that drips from certain posts here.

 

Both are wrong.

 

Might I suggest, however, that upon the second point, there are times when you yourself are less than well behaved in this respect!!

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1 hour ago, BruceinSanity said:

Somewhere I have a photo (cba to fire up the laptop to find it) of both “Suitable for self pump out” and “No self pump out” signs on two sides of the same post at that Elsan.  That was in BW days, nothing to do with the CRT approach to signs.

I must remember to stand facing the right way then as I pump out.

 

Can you please remember which way is the right way?  Suppose they were both replaced by new blue signs then?

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11 minutes ago, mayalld said:

 

Might I suggest, however, that upon the second point, there are times when you yourself are less than well behaved in this respect!!

You might suggest it. In fact you just did! And on occasion, you’d probably be right to some extent. However I think that when I dish out I tend to include the reasoning behind my different view. I don’t just dish out insult in isolation for the sake of it.

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10 minutes ago, nicknorman said:

You might suggest it. In fact you just did! And on occasion, you’d probably be right to some extent. 

I see that the Advanced Diplomacy course went well. From what we've been reading, some of these hobby lock-keepers might benefit from going on one.

Edited by Athy
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15 hours ago, nicknorman said:

I think with Facebook etc people have forgotten how to disagree. This is of course a current theme in itself! I have no problem with PD taking a different view, eg that volockies are great and why shouldn’t they stop me using a paddle. As you say, we should be allowed to disagree! However when that disagreement takes the form of a personal attack, ridicule etc., that is not good.

 

Once again you surmise that I think Volockies are great just like you surmised I was one. I do think the Thead post should or been "First Volockie bashing of the year" I also think you've let yourself get worked up over something totally trivial that a Volockie advised you to only use one paddle instead of two and you didn't like it, I think my remarks aren't offensive there's no swearing or nasty name calling, just my opinion, but with your remarks like "with over 50 years experience how to operate a lock" and "I didn't just pay £900 quid for my license to have some volunteer to tell me which paddles I may or may not use" It just looks to me me you think your something special and who doesn't like being told what to do by someone you obviously think inferior. I take it you have a brand new shiny boat too, you seem that type, sorry if these remarks offend some people.

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22 minutes ago, PD1964 said:

Once again you surmise that I think Volockies are great just like you surmised I was one. I do think the Thead post should or been "First Volockie bashing of the year" I also think you've let yourself get worked up over something totally trivial that a Volockie advised you to only use one paddle instead of two and you didn't like it, I think my remarks aren't offensive there's no swearing or nasty name calling, just my opinion, but with your remarks like "with over 50 years experience how to operate a lock" and "I didn't just pay £900 quid for my license to have some volunteer to tell me which paddles I may or may not use" It just looks to me me you think your something special and who doesn't like being told what to do by someone you obviously think inferior. I take it you have a brand new shiny boat too, you seem that type, sorry if these remarks offend some people.

You continue to be offensive, I wonder why? Not that it bothers me, you clearly have limited cognitive ability since you don’t understand the difference between a volockie advising me to do something, vs a volockie physically preventing me from carrying out normal lock operations, and therefore your other views have no weight either. Or perhaps you did it deliberately? It’s one or the other. And yes, I don’t like being told what to do (or in this case, prevented from doing something) by someone who both has no authority to do so, and is wrong anyway.

 

Anyway you clearly have a massive chip, are quite a nasty person just looking for a fight, therefore I shall from now on ignore you (before Mr Athy tells me to!) and hopefully never meet you on the system. Unfortunate like most cowardly bullies, you are hiding behind anonymity so I know neither your name nor your boat name (if you even have one) so you will be hard to avoid, pity.

Edited by nicknorman
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1 hour ago, Boater Sam said:

I must remember to stand facing the right way then as I pump out.

 

Can you please remember which way is the right way?  Suppose they were both replaced by new blue signs then?

You can only use left handed self pump-out machines.

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7 hours ago, Boater Sam said:

I was always told to open both bottom gate paddles as it makes it easier to open the gates.

 

 

If we were meant to use one paddle, they would only fit one paddle.

 

The only exception to that would be at times of water shortage where getting the paddles up at the next lock down, before fully opening the lock above,  would avoid water going over the spillways.

 

George

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2 hours ago, Boater Sam said:

I must remember to stand facing the right way then as I pump out.

 

Can you please remember which way is the right way?  Suppose they were both replaced by new blue signs then?

Unfortunately, I posted the photo on my blog and one of the signs had gone next time we passed. Guess which one.

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