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More volockie hassle


nicknorman

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As regular readers will know, I am not a great fan of Volockies because half the fun of boating is operating locks. We don’t really want people operating our locks simply because it removes some of the fun. However I am quite happy to have the odd gate opened / closed / locks prepared etc, as happened today as we descended most of the Wilmcote flight. The volockies were polite, friendly and helpful without trying to take control.

 

All that changed as we approached the bottom. Arrived at last but one lock to find bottom gate left open by boat ahead, which was in the pound to enter the bottom lock whose top gate was just being opened. A boat was waiting to enter the bottom lock. A volockie was visible on the bottom lock. The bottom lock had to empty and fill before the upcoming boat would be ready for next lock. Our lock had to be filled and emptied for us to pass through, which takes the same amount of time. The bywashes were running strongly, something that the volocky at the top had commented on - “there’s loads of water coming down today, you won’t have a problem with low pounds”.

 

So I decided I’d close the gate and cycle the lock. There was a boat hot on our heels behind us. I closed the gate and was aware that the volockie at the bottom lock was waving and shouting at me. I ignored him and proceeded to close the gate and just managed to open the top paddles before he arrived at the gate and presumably would have opened it again. He shouted at me to leave the lock empty. I said “No.” He came up to me, and rather angrily said “I told you to leave the bottom gate open”. I said “you are not in charge, there is plenty of time to cycle the lock before the upcoming boat will be ready to enter it, and there is a lot of water coming down the bywashes so saving water isn’t an issue.” He said “I’ve been working this flight for 10 years <something else blah blah blah>“. I said “I’ve been boating for 50 years”. He said “Well you wouldn’t think it”. which seemed quite rude. I said “what is your name, I want to make a complaint about your rudeness”. He refused to give his name and wasn’t wearing a name badge. He stormed off to the bottom lock.

 

Needless to say the lock was cycled and we passed the upcoming boat in the pound with no delays to either party as per normal practice. I was fuming a bit and decided to identify this guy by photographing him, so I got my phone. As I approached him again and pulled my phone out, he turned away and there followed a somewhat comical attempt for me to take a photo of his face whilst he was ducking and weaving at avoid being photographed. Ok maybe I “got in his face” a bit but anyway, having got a bit too close he swiped at me with his windlass and hit me on the shoulder with it. I was not impressed, but I had the photo anyway.

 

Somewhat shocked at being assaulted by a volocky’s windlass (even though to be honest I don’t think it was entirely intentional) I phoned CRT and told my tale. I was called back by a nice guy from Hatton who took notes, was sympathetic and apologetic and said that volockies should of course be wearing name badges. But anyway, he seemed to know who I was talking about and promised to ”have a word”. I forbore to mention that really I should call the police and report an assault.

 

Bottom line of what this was all about was that the Volocky wanted to be in control, and when I refused to be controlled by him for no good reason other than he wanted to tell me what to do and waste time just for the sake of it, it all escalated and ended up with him hitting me with his windlass.

 

So this is why, whilst plenty of volockies are perfectly pleasant and helpful, I dislike the principle because there will always be the little Hitler who is only there because they enjoy bossing other people about. It sucks all the fun out of boating, and my heart sinks when I see that volockies are on a flight (which is a shame, because there are plenty of perfectly fine ones).

 

Edited by nicknorman
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I'm thinking of getting a sign made to go on the front of the boat the says "No volunteer help required thanks".

 

As you say the problem is there are volunteers who are fine with setting ahead or closing up behind and there are others who want full control. Not knowing what you are going to get doesn't help so I now think it is better too say no help required.

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I'd have called the police and totally screwed up his day. At the very least, he would have been more careful next time he decided to swing his windlass about. I also have the greatest admiration that you didn't deck him in self defense. Maybe calling a proctologist rather than the police so he could get the windlass removed.

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6 minutes ago, Nightwatch said:

Atherstone flight has Volockies. The majority of them good oh! Sort of chaps. But there’s always one aren’t there.

I had one volockie at Athersone start to open a bottom gate as I was mid stepping across the gates

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1 minute ago, Rob-M said:

I had one volockie at Athersone start to open a bottom gate as I was mid stepping across the gates

The Atherstone lot hardly go further then the top lock in my experience 

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I've had problems at that same lock with that same volocky. Last year, as I walked down to the full lock, with the boat loosely tied to the lock mooring, I was about to open the gate to go in when he quickly wound up the bottom paddles for a boat that was yet to even enter the bottom lock. When I challenged him he got very angry and said that I should show more consideration because the upcoming boat was being steered by a disabled single-hander. When we met the other boat, it turned out to be a hireboat with a fit crew of 6 adults.

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3 hours ago, nicknorman said:

I have been running a book to see who would be the first! I was right!

Glad that you have achieved overbearing satisfaction. Did you not impress him with your classical education?

 

Edited by buccaneer66
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1 minute ago, Tracy D&#x27;arth said:

Glad that you have achieved overbearing satisfaction. Did you not impress him with your classical education? Bigot

 

In the absence of a smilie I have to ask if that last word was necessary.

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I have to say I and many others I know feel the same as @matty40s. I try and do known vlockie hang outs at times when they won’t be there. I’ve also long given up being polite if they start to throw weight about. I really don’t care if they feel offended…I’m in charge of my boat not them. 

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If that volocky is there tomorrow, or any other day, or ever at any other lock, it is a clear statement from C&RT that they are prepared to let their volunteers control any lock they are at, and behave in any way they like. I no longer boat, but if I did, I would, on principle, not allow any other than a full-time paid employee of C&RT work or assist at any lock I was passing through.

 

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To be honest I wouldn't be chuffed if after a heated conversation let's call it, you came back with a phone trying to take my picture...

 

Clearly he shouldn't have swung the windlass, by accident or not, but you can't go shoving cameras in people's faces when they don't want you to, regardless of who they work for. 

 

Poor form and the wrong person might remove the phone from your hand without asking...

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1 minute ago, Unicorn Stampede said:

To be honest I wouldn't be chuffed if after a heated conversation let's call it, you came back with a phone trying to take my picture...

 

Clearly he shouldn't have swung the windlass, by accident or not, but you can't go shoving cameras in people's faces when they don't want you to, regardless of who they work for. 

 

Poor form and the wrong person might remove the phone from your hand without asking...

If they weren't wearing a name badge but did have a shirt on saying they were a vol how else are you to identify them to a manager?

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Just now, nicknorman said:


well I take the point to some extent, that is why I played down the fact that he hit me with his windlass, but the bottom line is that people representing an organisation you are interacting with should be identifiable. If he had been wearing his name badge as he is supposed to, or if he had given me his name when I asked politely, the camera wouldn’t have come into it. But if people try to hide behind anonymity then the camera is the only resort.

Blimey....second agreement in one thread......i feel faint.....

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1 hour ago, nicknorman said:

As regular readers will know, I am not a great fan of Volockies because half the fun of boating is operating locks. We don’t really want people operating our locks simply because it removes some of the fun. However I am quite happy to have the odd gate opened / closed / locks prepared etc, as happened today as we descended most of the Wilmcote flight. The volockies were polite, friendly and helpful without trying to take control.

 

All that changed as we approached the bottom. Arrived at last but one lock to find bottom gate left open by boat ahead, which was in the pound to enter the bottom lock whose top gate was just being opened. A boat was waiting to enter the bottom lock. A volockie was visible on the bottom lock. The bottom lock had to empty and fill before the upcoming boat would be ready for next lock. Our lock had to be filled and emptied for us to pass through, which takes the same amount of time. The bywashes were running strongly, something that the volocky at the top had commented on - “there’s loads of water coming down today, you won’t have a problem with low pounds”.

 

So I decided I’d close the gate and cycle the lock. There was a boat hot on our heels behind us. I closed the gate and was aware that the volockie at the bottom lock was waving and shouting at me. I ignored him and proceeded to close the gate and just managed to open the top paddles before he arrived at the gate and presumably would have opened it again. He shouted at me to leave the lock empty. I said “No.” He came up to me, and rather angrily said “I told you to leave the bottom gate open”. I said “you are not in charge, there is plenty of time to cycle the lock before the upcoming boat will be ready to enter it, and there is a lot of water coming down the bywashes so saving water isn’t an issue.” He said “I’ve been working this flight for 10 years <something else blah blah blah>“. I said “I’ve been boating for 50 years”. He said “Well you wouldn’t think it”. which seemed quite rude. I said “what is your name, I want to make a complaint about your rudeness”. He refused to give his name and wasn’t wearing a name badge. He stormed off to the bottom lock.

 

Needless to say the lock was cycled and we passed the upcoming boat in the pound with no delays to either party as per normal practice. I was fuming a bit and decided to identify this guy by photographing him, so I got my phone. As I approached him again and pulled my phone out, he turned away and there followed a somewhat comical attempt for me to take a photo of his face whilst he was ducking and weaving at avoid being photographed. Ok maybe I “got in his face” a bit but anyway, having got a bit too close he swiped at me with his windlass and hit me on the shoulder with it. I was not impressed, but I had the photo anyway.

 

Somewhat shocked at being assaulted by a volocky’s windlass (even though to be honest I don’t think it was entirely intentional) I phoned CRT and told my tale. I was called back by a nice guy from Hatton who took notes, was sympathetic and apologetic and said that volockies should of course be wearing name badges. But anyway, he seemed to know who I was talking about and promised to ”have a word”. I forbore to mention that really I should call the police and report an assault.

 

Bottom line of what this was all about was that the Volocky wanted to be in control, and when I refused to be controlled by him for no good reason other than he wanted to tell me what to do and waste time just for the sake of it, it all escalated and ended up with him hitting me with his windlass.

 

So this is why, whilst plenty of volockies are perfectly pleasant and helpful, I dislike the principal because there will always be the little Hitler who is only there because they enjoy bossing other people about. It sucks all the fun out of boating, and my heart sinks when I see that volockies are on a flight (which is a shame, because there are plenty of perfectly fine ones).

 

This time coming up they were fine but I did have a barny last time when one told my wife not to touch that lock. We were going down, no water running so our normal practice, Diana draws the second lock before I empty the top, He wanted it the other way round. He lost.

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There are two issues that deserve comment

(1) Not wearing a name badge

(2) Refusing to give a name

 

The Volunteers have a responsibility to the boaters who use the waterways and part of that responsibility is identification. Yet stating this it should be possible to trace the said person through the work allocation schedule, I would have thought.

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We came down Wilmcote about a month ago, go no help at all from the volockies, all they seemed to want to do was help the boat in front down, despite the fact they had loads of crew, and I don’t think it was a hire boat.  Perhaps that was a good thing in retrospect.

 

The week before that I gave a volly on Hatton a telling off, as he turned a lock on us for a boat he was helping that was not even in the pound above and we were about 30 yds from the lock in the pound below.  He said the lock was more than half full and it was to save water, so I pointed to the by-wash which was pouring over, he just could not understand.  This was at the bottom of the flight, and we moored in the pound 4 locks up overnight, and we actually got very good help from the bunch on the next day.  It is so variable, you have no idea how it is going to go.

 

As an aside to something I saw on Twitter, anyone know if there is any truth that CRT’s insurance does not cover the volockies?  I find that hard to believe.

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