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First volockie irritation of the year.


nicknorman

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10 minutes ago, nicknorman said:

 

I can appreciate that some people welcome volockies - for a variety of reasons including infirmity, not quite knowing what they are doing, disinterest and yes even laziness! Nothing wrong with that - until they are forced onto those people who don’t welcome them.

Just to confirm that we are not infirm, we know what we are doing, are interested in the surroundings and certainly not lazy, but when we see a volockie we appreciate their help as do many others.  Can see that not all boaters are the same. Each to their own!

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5 minutes ago, Keeping Up said:

I've always found that the time taken for a boat to get through a lock is directly proportional to the number of crew working the lock.

 

Yes, this. 

 

 

There are a number of boating laws discovered/defined on here recently.

 

Keeping Up's Law:  "The time taken for a boat to get through a lock is directly proportional to the number of crew working the lock."

 

WhatEver's Law: "However much solar you get, it will be too much in summer and too little in winter."

 

MtB's Law: "The difficulty of any manoeuvre is directly proportional to the number of people watching."

 

 

Any more, anyone?

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14 minutes ago, Mike the Boilerman said:

Any more, anyone

Rusty's law 1. : There is a direct correlation between the amount of beer I have consumed and how much shit I write on the forum. 

 

Rusty's 2nd Law. The distance you are from an elsan/tap is inversely proportional to how full/empty your tank is multiplied by the cube root of Pi to 13 decimal places. 

Edited by rusty69
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11 minutes ago, Nick D said:

Just to confirm that we are not infirm, we know what we are doing, are interested in the surroundings and certainly not lazy, but when we see a volockie we appreciate their help as do many others.  Can see that not all boaters are the same. Each to their own!

If you read my post you will see that I cited a number of possible reasons that was clearly stated as not the exhaustive list. Add to it if you like “enjoy having volockies assist them at locks for no particular reason”. Personally I don’t really see the point of canal boating if one doesn’t want to work locks, but as you imply, each to their own. As I also said, I have no problem with people such as yourselves enjoying the assistance of volockies, right up to the moment they are rammed down my throat, and by inculcation become the norm.

Edited by nicknorman
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5 minutes ago, nicknorman said:

. Personally I don’t really see the point of canal boating if one doesn’t want to work locks, but as you imply, each to their own.

Absolutely agree.  It would indeed be boring if they were at every lock.  Sometimes though during or at the end of a longish day or in a big flight they are a welcome sight (to us at least). 

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Word Of The Day goes to Nick there, for "inculcation".

 

?

 

16 minutes ago, rusty69 said:

Rusty's law. : There is a direct correlation between the amount of beer I have consumed and how much shit I write on the forum. 

 

I think it might be better described as Rusty's Constant.

 

I.e. always the same!! :giggles:

 

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19 minutes ago, rusty69 said:

Rusty's 2nd Law. The distance you are from an elsan/tap is inversely proportional to how full/empty your tank is multiplied by the cube root of Pi to 13 decimal places. 

 

Ah. I see your point!! 

 

:giggles::giggles::giggles:

 

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6 minutes ago, Mike the Boilerman said:

 

Word Of The Day goes to Nick there, for "inculcation".

 

?

 

 

I think it might be better described as Rusty's Constant.

 

I.e. always the same!! :giggles:

 

 

2 minutes ago, Mike the Boilerman said:

 

 

 

Ah. I see your point!! 

 

:giggles::giggles::giggles:

 

You cheeky Boilerman you! 

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1 hour ago, nicknorman said:

they didn’t like to open the paddles too much in case it disturbed their boat (that was securely moored on the lock landing). First time I’ve heard of that one!

I always had the boat on the gates, in ahead, or is that wrong now?

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10 hours ago, Nick D said:

You do seem to be very unlucky. In many years of boating, both as a hirer and owner we have encountered many Vollockies and never once have had a problem. We are always pleased to see them on approaching a lock and never been disappointed! Maybe we’re just lucky

Have they always asked if you want any help, and what it is that you would like them to do, before doing anything?

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4 minutes ago, Horace42 said:

I was not aware of a problem with Volockies until Nicknorman complained. See #1 (and 29 replies to date)

Personally, like Nick D # 538, I welcome their help.

What about post 562, do they always ask, as per their training? 

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1 hour ago, Horace42 said:

I was not aware of a problem with Volockies until Nicknorman complained. See #1 (and 29 replies to date)

Personally, like Nick D # 538, I welcome their help.

 

There have been many threads here about volly problems, this is not the first.

 

I suspect you don't do much boating to have never encountered a bossy and awkward one who doesn't like you doing the locks yourself. 

 

Or maybe you just aren't that aware of the problems that crop up when you want to work the locks for yourself and you resist being told what to do a volly. For example I got told to "STAY ON YOUR BOAT" a while back when I always get off in locks, and I got off. Volly turned his back on me and stomped off in a huff back to his hut when I started to explain why I got off (odd that I should feel obliged to). Fine with me as I got what I wanted, but I'd rather not have this sort of shyte from vollies. Its not a big deal but this sort of thing makes my heart sink a little when I see the blue shirts bobbing around at a lock in the distance as now there is a degree of stress and uncertainty about how its all gonna go. I'd rather they Just Weren't There

 

Not all boaters perceive what you see as as 'help'. Some of us perceive it as 'interference'. 

 

 

 

 

Edited by Mike the Boilerman
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17 hours ago, Mike Todd said:

Yes, Tuel Lane is one place where boaters are definitely not allowed to operate the lock themselves. We had two excellent volunteers yesterday - one a retired bank official. Now that is someone  I definitely would put in a place where it may be necessary to say Do it my way or noway, Jose. At no time were they officious, authoritarian or unnecessary in their direction but I guess it is one lo ation where the training is realistically a tad more rigorous. I'd have those two helping any day - unlike some, perhaps . . . 

 

Just to add that they said that they now have full authority to deny passage to anyone not booked on a day when they are required (we came through on 'normally staffed' day. So don't bother arguing the toss!

We have been through Tuel Lane numerous times as we have been on the Calder & Hebble / Rochdale for 13 years. We have never had an issue with BWB / CRT lock keepers and got to know a few who were the more regular ones. A couple of years ago vollies started appearing alongside the employed lock keeper and I had the experience of one getting very angry shouting at my wife at the bow. The norm is to pass the working end of the bow rope from right to left around the strop. To save passing lots of rope around the strop we pass the bitter end from left to right, same result the rope is not cross and saves faffing on. Much shouting from the volly "right to left", it was apparent he had learnt the phrase from rote but did not actually understand what was being done and why. I had to shout at him very loudly to desist and that she was doing it right at which point he cottoned on, but when we got to the top he had made himself scarce in the hut. I always dreaded finding them "helping out" after that and worry that they are now running the show. I have now relocated so will never know.

Edited by PeterF
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26 minutes ago, Horace42 said:

I was not aware of a problem with Volockies until Nicknorman complained. See #1 (and 29 replies to date)

Personally, like Nick D # 538, I welcome their help.

Me too Horace and if I dont require it , then I tell them Politely .

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There does seem to be a theme emerging.

 

The occasional and low usage boaters see them as helping and love having them around.


Those who boat more seriously/continually seem to find a few of them interfering and difficult and are growing to resent all of them

 

 

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56 minutes ago, Mike the Boilerman said:

There does seem to be a theme emerging.

 

The occasional and low usage boaters see them as helping and love having them around.


Those who boat more seriously/continually seem to find a few of them interfering and difficult and are growing to resent all of them

 

 

“growing to resent all of them” is perhaps a bit strong. But it is a source of stress. We have just traversed Stenson lock (lower T&M). I am aware of several other people complaining about an obnoxious bossy rude female volockie there. So as we approached, I was apprehensive and steeling myself for confrontation. Phone in pocket in case videoing required etc.

 

 But with heart rate slightly elevated at the sight of blue uniforms, I was relieved to find 3 male volockies (ie none could be the rogue female one), one of whom was very pleasant and chatty, one was Ok and one was a bit taciturn - but none of them caused us any grief and whilst they didn’t actually ask if we wanted help and yet did help with gates and other side paddles, after I’d raised the paddles on the non-boat side, (which is weirdly correct for these few T&M wide locks). So no complaints on that one but I preferred doing Swakerstone a little earlier this morning, with no possibility of a bad volockie encounter because no volockies present. What I am trying to say is that I could do without the uncertainty - uncertainty that arises because CRT fails to monitor volockies for compliance with their expected behaviour, once they have received their training and been let out into the wild.

11 hours ago, Chris Williams said:

I always had the boat on the gates, in ahead, or is that wrong now?

Does that work on wide locks?

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3 minutes ago, nicknorman said:

What I am trying to say is that I could do without the uncertainty

 

This exactly. Its why I said "growing to resent all of them", because when you see them present at a lock ahead, you just don't know what you are going to get until you get it.

 

"Resentment" was perhpas too strong a word but the dismay evaporates if/when they turn out to be good ones, but not all are. So vollies collectively initially cause the emotion of 'dismay' in me when I see them present. Often it is unwarranted but not always. 

 

 

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48 minutes ago, Mike the Boilerman said:

 

There have been many threads here about volly problems, this is not the first.

 

I suspect you don't do much boating to have never encountered a bossy and awkward one who doesn't like you doing the locks yourself. 

 

Or maybe you just aren't that aware of the problems that crop up when you want to work the locks yourself, and resist being told what to do a volly, e.g. "STAY ON YOUR BOAT" when you want to get off.

 

Not all boaters perceive it as 'help'. Some of us perceive it as 'interference'.

Yes,  there have been threads about volly problems, but this one struck me as trying to convert us to dislike volly's.

Your are right about me not doing much boating. Regretably, but it's a pastime, not a life style.

But over many years in that short trips, I have not met many volockies that were officious - perhaps it's me - I just let then get on with it - and carry on doing what I do anyway.

On a positive note the 'officiousness' of a volockie is helpful with 'sequence' at staicase locks -  Bratch, Foxton, Grindley  and especially comes into play when boat passage has to be 'rationed' at busy times.

Otherwise if you were going the 'wrong' way you could be stuck there all day waiting your turn.

 

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2 minutes ago, Horace42 said:

But over many years in that short trips, I have not met many volockies that were officious

 

That is prolly because vollies are relatively new phenomenon, and have only existed for about 5 years!!

 

3 minutes ago, Horace42 said:

On a positive note the 'officiousness' of a volockie is helpful with 'sequence' at staicase locks -  Bratch, Foxton, Grindley  and especially comes into play when boat passage has to be 'rationed' at busy times.

 

I agree, here the lockies have always existed (volly or PAYE) and perform a completely different function to the randoms you meet at odd locks here and there out on the system.

 

 

 

 

Even coming down Atherstone the other day I think I met a vollie at just one of the locks, and he was too busy chatting to notice the boat in 'his' lock had the fender caught in the gate until my crew pointed it out! 

 

Given I managed all the other locks without a volly, they really are pretty superfluous. 

 

 

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1 hour ago, Midnight said:

Those who prefer to do their own locks should consider moving to the Calder Navigation I've never seen one - fortunately.

Calder and Hebble? We encountered a couple of volockies on one of the mechanised ones. Apparently there are only volockies on a Wednesday, and it was a Wednesday. Seems pretty pointless to have 2 people there to press buttons, but to be fair they were armed with stuff to do light maintenance.

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40 minutes ago, nicknorman said:

Calder and Hebble? We encountered a couple of volockies on one of the mechanised ones. Apparently there are only volockies on a Wednesday, and it was a Wednesday. Seems pretty pointless to have 2 people there to press buttons, but to be fair they were armed with stuff to do light maintenance.

Mechanised locks on the Calder and Hebble?

Don't recall any.

Are you perhaps confusing with Aire and Calder?

Edited by alan_fincher
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