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Stenson Lock, T&M


JamesWoolcock

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Notice Alert

Trent & Mersey Canal
Location: Stenson Lock - Trent & Mersey Canal
Starts At: Lock 6, Stenson Lock
Ends At: Lock 6, Stenson Lock

Wednesday 2 June 2021 until further notice

Type: Navigation Closure
Reason: Boat damage


 

Original message:

 

Due to a boat sinking in Stenson Lock, the Lock is currently out of action to other users. 

Canal River Rescue is being called out as a point of urgency to assist the boat out of the lock. 

As soon as we have more information, we will update the website. 

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1 minute ago, Rob-M said:

We went through both ways a few weeks ago and there weren't any volunteers around which surprised us. 

 

We used to moor at Mercia and regularly passed through that lock and actually never ever saw a lockie. That was a few years ago though.

 

The biggest problem was gongoozlers from the cafe, it was always teeming with them on a sunny day, they could prove very distracting or often got in the way.

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30 minutes ago, frangar said:

Well that’s an improvement in my book! 

That is the closest I've ever got to thumping someone when a volunteer there had a go at my wife for putting the paddle up by more than the six clicks he told her she could do when we went through a couple of years ago.

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13 minutes ago, Rob-M said:

That is the closest I've ever got to thumping someone when a volunteer there had a go at my wife for putting the paddle up by more than the six clicks he told her she could do when we went through a couple of years ago.

We had much the same experience last year…a firm but polite (eg no blows were exchanged) conversation followed…pointed out it was my boat in the lock therefore my rules…I have had enough of the vlockies that think they know best…although to be fair more were asking last year if we wanted help and waited for direction…maybe the message is getting through slowly. 

10 minutes ago, Tracy D'arth said:

Are RCR the only approved salvage contractors to C&RT now? They seem to always be involved and closely joined these days.

They do seem to be…although a good surveyor friend of mine refloated quite a few boats on the Weaver after the floods with a team he’d organised but he didn’t crow about it like RCR do…just got on with the job!! 

Edited by frangar
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1 hour ago, Rob-M said:

We went through both ways a few weeks ago and there weren't any volunteers around which surprised us. 

That was lucky

33 minutes ago, frangar said:

 although to be fair more were asking last year if we wanted help and waited for direction…maybe the message is getting through slowly. 

 

I think you are right on that point

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We came through there at 12:25 today. There were no volunteer lockies. There were a couple of CRT bods trying to clear gravel fron behind the offside bottom gate. They had finished and were still around but weren't working the lock at all.

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Always hated that lock. We have had the bow fender caught on the sill there, so we are always cautious,  and lift it before going up. Had a volunteer last week having hysterics last week as we touched the gates going downhill, in a narrow lock.
Had to firmly explain it was our lock ,our boat , our liability, and our working practice for the last 40 odd years to ride the gate downhill. He wandered off muttering.

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I'm always surprised by the number of boats I see out of the water, which is quite a few as my home mooring is opposite Crown Wharf and Canal Cruising Co's dry docks in Stone, which have a portion of the base plate protruding out in front of the stem post, just ready to catch up of on such a cill which carries a goodly amount of iron guard fendering.

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7 minutes ago, roland elsdon said:

Always hated that lock. We have had the bow fender caught on the sill there, so we are always cautious,  and lift it before going up. Had a volunteer last week having hysterics last week as we touched the gates going downhill, in a narrow lock.
Had to firmly explain it was our lock ,our boat , our liability, and our working practice for the last 40 odd years to ride the gate downhill. He wandered off muttering.

I have say I have had a moment there too when sharing with a canal time….I was too busy explaining to them how a lock worked that I didn’t notice my centre line had locked on the bollard…no problem I’ll just flick it off I thought…it didn’t come and while I was yelling “drop the f*****ing paddles” we got to an entertaining angle. Good job we don’t have any low level vents! Moral is never take your eye off the ball & don’t think you can always sort stuff. It doesn’t take long for a small incident to become a large moment! 

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16 minutes ago, roland elsdon said:

Always hated that lock. We have had the bow fender caught on the sill there, so we are always cautious,  and lift it before going up. Had a volunteer last week having hysterics last week as we touched the gates going downhill, in a narrow lock.
Had to firmly explain it was our lock ,our boat , our liability, and our working practice for the last 40 odd years to ride the gate downhill. He wandered off muttering.

Which is why the endless advice on here to newbies to "ride the gate" is criminally stupid.

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We had a guy explaining about the lock, I don't think he was a volockie, I got the impression he was a helpful boater from the marina. He advised we should keep right back while the lock was being filled. I didn't get the impression he was trying to be 'clever' he was trying to be helpful. There are several locks along that stretch which are hairy.

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3 minutes ago, Arthur Marshall said:

Which is why the endless advice on here to newbies to "ride the gate" is criminally stupid.

No it’s not! Not in a narrow lock…unless the riding plate is damaged…it’s far safer than being too far back or thrown backwards & forwards if you are a shorter boat. No one is suggesting riding the gates in a wide lock. 

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4 minutes ago, Arthur Marshall said:

Which is why the endless advice on here to newbies to "ride the gate" is criminally stupid.

With a 72 foot boat going downhill you have to ride the gate on most single locks, you put the boat on the gate wind the paddle and watch,  closely. If you ride the gate uphill you must remove the fender, even if it has break links. Big boats are capable of lifting a single gate on a narrow lock, and certainly can put a lovely curve on the little white rail, and going downhill are excellent at putting the stempost over the v on worn bottom gates and hanging up, in style. But hey we used to go up the GU breasted putting the boats on the gates and winding the paddles. I swear sometimes you could see the tips of the blades, and it used to run all the water forward on the butty and fire the bilge pumps.

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18 minutes ago, frangar said:

I have say I have had a moment there too when sharing with a canal time….I was too busy explaining to them how a lock worked that I didn’t notice my centre line had locked on the bollard…no problem I’ll just flick it off I thought…it didn’t come and while I was yelling “drop the f*****ing paddles” we got to an entertaining angle. Good job we don’t have any low level vents! Moral is never take your eye off the ball & don’t think you can always sort stuff. It doesn’t take long for a small incident to become a large moment! 

Did you remember that you have a horn?  I have found most forget and just try shouting to attract attention.

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24 minutes ago, Jennifer McM said:

Looks like the boater had the front doors open going up the lock? 

 

There always used to be a 'healthy' flow through those top gates and paddles.. Not sure what it is like nowadays.

 

 

Screenshot_20210602-180755_Photos.jpg

Edited by The Happy Nomad
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