More volockie hassle

[Victor Vectis]

45 minutes ago, ditchcrawler said:

You have to remember that some of them have specific duties and the strimmer guys may not been trained for lock work likewise the meeters and greeters 

 

They need to be trained to close lock gates?

 

[ditchcrawler]

8 minutes ago, Victor Vectis said:

They need to be trained to close lock gates?

 

I think they have to be trained before they do anything with a lock. Even if they are boaters. They are not free to just do as they like

[dmr]

13 minutes ago, MtB said:

What it boils down to is some of us boaters like working our own locks, and some of us would rather someone else did it for us. Personally, one of the big  reasons for having a boat is so I get to work the locks, but nowadays comfortably off middle class folk who also fancy working the locks on a nice summer's afternoon are competing with me for that pleasure, but not paying CRT handsomely for the privilege. So on that level it rankles a little.

 

When I got squirted up Atherstone like toothpaste from a tube it was a curious experience. Very slick and well organised. It felt like the pace of my boating was being set by the vollies, because as as soon as the top gates opened on one lock, I could see the open and empty lock up ahead with vollies hanging about obviously waiting for me, and felt a pressure to cruise up pronto, whereas what I really wanted to do was idle up there as I was unsure the cooling on my engine was working properly.

 

It would have been churlish in the extreme however to ask them to leave the locks completely alone so I could do them myself (as someone upthread suggested). On balance I think CRT are getting it about right now as being squirted unexpectedly up a flight is now part of the varied tapestry of canal boating, and I very much agree with Dave's comment about involving more people in canals means they are less likely to be abandoned as navigations turned into cycle tracks beside linear duck ponds.

 

The time I'd really like to find vollies on every lock in a flight is on a freezing and raining winter's afternoon in the gathering dusk when i'm tired and cold. Then they would be REALLY welcome but naturally being vollies, that's not when any want to do their volunteering.

 

 

 

Yes but....

The COV is so incredibly busy just now that even without the lockies we would have been locked into the "toothpaste tube" due to the number of boats going up and down.

You need to visit the Rochdale, you book the lockie to help and when it rains he puts his waterproofs on 😀.

 

Hillmorton next week, that and Bunbury are the epicenters of stroppy and incompetent volunteer lockies.

 

..........Dave

[Alan de Enfield]

7 minutes ago, dmr said:

Hillmorton next week, that and Bunbury are the epicenters of stroppy and incompetent volunteer lockies.

 

Ahhhhhhh the Bunbury shuffle

 

2-down & 1-up

 

 

[dmr]

3 minutes ago, Alan de Enfield said:

 

 

 

Yes, we did it, and the lockie was so excited he was waving his arms about and telling boats what to do, but failed to notice that one inexperienced boat had got its front fender caught on the gate, I shouted to him but he failed to respond, I managed to free the boat, the lockie never even realised what had happened..

[canalboat]

Vox Stellarum - Almanac of Francis Moore, specialising in prophecies and predictions of the future 😉

[dmr]

14 minutes ago, canalboat said:

Vox Stellarum - Almanac of Francis Moore, specialising in prophecies and predictions of the future 😉

 

I predict tomoro it will rain, the canal will be pleasant but not exciting (Ashby), and other stuff will happen too.

 

 

[MtB]

14 minutes ago, dmr said:

 

I predict tomoro it will rain, the canal will be pleasant but not exciting (Ashby), and other stuff will happen too.

 

 

 

I rode mebike up there a little way tonight. It all looked rather dull, except for that blue tent in the field on the offside, in which they were smoking the most wonderful smelling dope! 

 

P.S. Remember last night when I went back to check the valve clearance on the No.1 cylinder inlet valve? Well tonight I discovered I just *might* have been checking the exhaust valve rocker clearance, duhhhhh... and the inlet rocker clearance was about -0.010". 

 

I blame that cider you made me drink 🤪 🤣

[dmr]

13 minutes ago, MtB said:

 

I rode mebike up there a little way tonight. It all looked rather dull, except for that blue tent in the field on the offside, in which they were smoking the most wonderful smelling dope! 

 

P.S. Remember last night when I went back to check the valve clearance on the No.1 cylinder inlet valve? Well tonight I discovered I just *might* have been checking the exhaust valve rocker clearance, duhhhhh... and the inlet rocker clearance was about -0.010". 

 

I blame that cider you made me drink 🤪 🤣

 

More cider tonight, it was going to be a non drinking day but the no alcohol beer and the proper beer come in very similar tins so accidentally drank some real beer, once started no point in stopping.  So far the Ashby is just nice and green, but after the Cov is rather boring. The boat having a bad case of PLDP (post lockdown prattism) was rather fun.

Any clearance at all should get the valve to fully close and seal, I think its gotta come out and be looked at. There must be very few engines where you can get a valve out without taking the head off, but you have one.

But still worth opening the clearance up a bit to see what happens ?????? Its such an unusual arrangement that all sorts of odd things could be going on.

 

[MtB]

16 minutes ago, dmr said:

Any clearance at all should get the valve to fully close and seal

 

I think you mis-read wot I rote... 😁 ... the negative value was meant to indicate the valve WAS being held slightly open as we hypothesised yesterday, I was checking the wrong valve!

 

Yes that pirrock, it looked to me was trying to intimidate you into backing backing out from the bridge 'ole, which is why I came up so close behind, so he had to let me through too. He was definitely seeing the red mist as I passed! 

[Dharl]

On 03/07/2021 at 09:23, Alan de Enfield said:

 

 

Yes - but that is not unusual. It allows them to take action irrespective of doing, or not doing something.

 

Even the Bible has conflicting instructions

 

Luke 6:29. states, “If someone strikes you on one cheek, turn to him the other also.” 

 

Leviticus 24:19-22 states  "And whoever causes an injury to a neighbor must receive the same kind of injury in return: Broken bone for broken bone, eye for eye, tooth for tooth. Anyone who injures another person must be injured in the same way in return".

getting picky on that, as @Athy (nice new avtar btw, though will miss the picture of old Trojan) those two bible verses are from from the New and Old testament respectively and in fact the New Testment verse is written stating that in the Old testament you should take an eye for an eye, however the new commandment is that you should love your neighbour and if struck turn the other cheek!     

 

Here endeth the lesson

 

back to boating terms, most Vlockies i have encountered have been helpful and ask if we would like help...however always one who likes to take charge (thats MY job he he he) - providing they arnt doing anything dangerous then let them crack on, life is too short. 

    

[nicknorman]

Bit of thread resurrection but just to say that on our recent trip this last couple of weeks there were no volockies to be seen anywhere. Not even at Bratch in the middle of a sunny afternoon. It was great! Well actually there was one who approached us at the top of Farmer’s Bridge. But guess what his first utterance was … yes it was “Would you like any help?”. Fantastic! Let’s hope this is the new paradigm.

[Rob-M]

We had two volockies on Farmer's Bridge last week, they asked if we would like them to set ahead which I said yes please.  They then wondered off and had every lock open ready for us.  They were much more helpful than trying to interfere in the lock with the boat in. 

[Private Fraser]

dropping down Middlewich yesterday i was approaching the first lock after all the moored boats i passed a boat that had just come up, its a tight squeeze isn't it? my wife had walked on ahead from Wardle lock and told the vlockie i was on my way, but he emptied the lock to allow a boat up and forgot to put the ratchet on the paddle, lost his grip on the windlass and knocked his radio off as it spun around taking his glasses with it 😂 the Mrs challenged him and he just said there were boats waiting to come up?

[churchward]

Personally, I have only had one occasion over the years to gripe about the actions of a volunteer Lockie.  All the other times they have been very helpful.  It was nice yesterday to have some on the Hurleston flight to get us up to our home mooring from a long trip that started mid-April.

[ditchcrawler]

21 minutes ago, Rob-M said:

We had two volockies on Farmer's Bridge last week, they asked if we would like them to set ahead which I said yes please.  They then wondered off and had every lock open ready for us.  They were much more helpful than trying to interfere in the lock with the boat in. 

I think they are boaters

[MtB]

6 minutes ago, churchward said:

Personally, I have only had one occasion over the years to gripe about the actions of a volunteer Lockie.  All the other times they have been very helpful.  It was nice yesterday to have some on the Hurleston flight to get us up to our home mooring from a long trip that started mid-April.

 

Which is great if you like other people working the locks for you. 

 

Quite irritating if you like working them yourself.

 

 

[Rob-M]

8 minutes ago, ditchcrawler said:

I think they are boaters

Yes they were.

[churchward]

5 minutes ago, MtB said:

 

Which is great if you like other people working the locks for you. 

 

Quite irritating if you like working them yourself.

 

 

I like working locks too and on our 7-week trip we have done around 150 or more but sometimes it is nice to get some assistance.  

 

However, if all that irritates you is someone trying to help I would consider myself lucky and try and relax more. 

[MtB]

36 minutes ago, churchward said:

I like working locks too and on our 7-week trip we have done around 150 or more but sometimes it is nice to get some assistance.  

 

However, if all that irritates you is someone trying to help I would consider myself lucky and try and relax more. 

 

 

It would irritate me if they tried to get on the counter and drive my boat, too.

 

I take issue with you seeing it as "trying to help". I don't want their help. I want them to "not help".

 

It is not "help" when they interfere with my boating as I have no idea about their competence, and they usually turn out to be less competent at locking than I am which creates stress, it does not "relax" me. If you find random strangers operating your locks for you "relaxing" then I don't think you understand the risks. 

 

Further, they are doing it for their own pleasure at the expense of mine, not out of some altruistic desire to "help" boaters who all manage just fine when there are no vollies out "helping".

 

I can perhaps understand how people like George Ward feel when Lady Bountifuls pitch up interfering in their lives with their "help", and for which they are supposed to be grateful.

 

 

 

 

 

Edited June 7, 2023 by MtB
Turn it into a right ol' rant!

[nicknorman]

1 hour ago, Rob-M said:

We had two volockies on Farmer's Bridge last week, they asked if we would like them to set ahead which I said yes please.  They then wondered off and had every lock open ready for us.  They were much more helpful than trying to interfere in the lock with the boat in. 

I might have suggested similar but the visible locks were all full, and in fact all 13 were full. And no other boats on that flight, or Aston. And here was me thinking it was summer!

[magnetman]

I'm happy that my canal boating is in the past now. I just go around in nice places in the electric canoe these days on the Thames. 

 

When I did do quite extensive canal boating the best bit by a considerable margin was being able to transit through the locks without anyone assisting. It was a very pleasant experience and I would have found it poor form to have someone attempting to help me through. 

 

I can't help thinking that if the locks arrr a problem or some sort of impediment perhaps one should be considering other behaviours not involving having  a canal boat.  

 

To me the locks were the best bit ! 

 

Get orf my lock you cheeky blighter. 

 

Volockies go away.

 

 

 

Edited June 7, 2023 by magnetman
Edit to remove racist sex references

[nicknorman]

33 minutes ago, churchward said:

However, if all that irritates you is someone trying to help I would consider myself lucky and try and relax more. 

Perhaps I wasn’t clear but I was not in the slightest bit irritated by the offer of help. I actually felt slightly bad about declining the offer. What irritates me is help being forced upon me. But even that is not too bad, what really gets my goat is operation of the lock and the boat being taken over by someone who thinks they should be in control of the proceedings.

 

But hopefully that is on the decline. It’s interesting that we were told many years ago not to force help on disabled people (blind, wheelchair bound etc) in that, for example the bloke forcing help on the blind person to cross the road, being eventually told that “actually, I didn’t want to cross the road”. Maybe the message is eventually getting through to the volockies. Let’s hope so.

[Mike Tee]

I was singlehanded last week and arrived at Watford at 18:10 - last boat in is 18:15. The lockie was just taking in all the signs as it was quiet, no other boats around. He asked if I wanted to go through and the pair of them were so efficient I was through the flight in 30 minutes! At the end of a long day I was more than grateful to have help.

[churchward]

Just now, nicknorman said:

Perhaps I wasn’t clear but I was not in the slightest bit irritated by the offer of help. I actually felt slightly bad about declining the offer. What irritates me is help being forced upon me. But even that is not too bad, what really gets my goat is operation of the lock and the boat being taken over by someone who thinks they should be in control of the proceedings.

 

But hopefully that is on the decline. It’s interesting that we were told many years ago not to force help on disabled people (blind, wheelchair bound etc) in that, for example the bloke forcing help on the blind person to cross the road, being eventually told that “actually, I didn’t want to cross the road”. Maybe the message is eventually getting through to the volockies. Let’s hope so.

I was not responding/quoting to your post but MTBs.

 

I am not a fan of help being forced on anyone either.  But I am grateful for the help when I want/need it.