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More volockie hassle


nicknorman

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14 minutes ago, Alan de Enfield said:

When the volokie closed the big hyraulic gates (on the River Trent) on us it was only by giving full power on both engines that we got in and past the gates before we would be crushed (GRP boat)

 

 

Point of Order.

 

I doubt you'd have been crushed. The PRVs on the hydraulics would have opened (probably already had!) when the gates felt the resistance of your trapped boat.

 

They wouldn't want their hydraulics or gates damaged by excess pressure.

 

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5 minutes ago, MtB said:

I doubt you'd have been crushed. The PRVs on the hydraulics would have opened (probably already had!) when the gates felt the resistance of your trapped boat.

 

They wouldn't want their hydraulics or gates damaged by excess pressure.

I'm sure a narrowboat would be (mostly) fine, but GRP can be extremely brittle given point loads from unexpected directions.

 

Those are big gates with a lot of momentum even just swinging, and there must be an excess of force at normal levels to make sure they swing reliably when the river's up.

 

I certainly wouldn't want to try a GRP boat against them. Narrow lock gates swinging shut on my canoe and damaging it is enough for me!

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28 minutes ago, Francis Herne said:

I'm sure a narrowboat would be (mostly) fine, but GRP can be extremely brittle given point loads from unexpected directions.

 

Those are big gates with a lot of momentum even just swinging, and there must be an excess of force at normal levels to make sure they swing reliably when the river's up.

 

I certainly wouldn't want to try a GRP boat against them. Narrow lock gates swinging shut on my canoe and damaging it is enough for me!

 

Yes good point.

 

OTOH I bet the laying up of Alan's boat is a bit thicker than your canoe! 

 

 

Edited by MtB
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2 hours ago, MtB said:

 

 

Point of Order.

 

I doubt you'd have been crushed. The PRVs on the hydraulics would have opened (probably already had!) when the gates felt the resistance of your trapped boat.

 

They wouldn't want their hydraulics or gates damaged by excess pressure.

 

 

 

That was part of the C&RT reply, but when I questioned what the relief pressure was on the PRV they replied they did not have that information, but were sure that the system would have been built to open at the first sign of resistance.

 

I asked if they had any evidence of this, or, had ever tried it - all communication ceased.

 

 

 

 

1 hour ago, MtB said:

 

Yes good point.

 

OTOH I bet the laying up of Alan's boat is a bit thicker than your canoe! 

 

 

 

 

Even an eggshell is quite strong, but enough point-pressure will shatter it.

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19 hours ago, LadyG said:

No, I gave my windlass to an experienced CRT bod, he is an employee of an large organisation

Has this actually been established?   Did his clothing say CRT somewhere on it?   If it did how do we know he wasn't a volunteer?

 

I am wondering if it happened to be a case of organisation X had "adopted" this stretch of canal.   If that happened to be the case then the organisation might wear blue.  I happen to have a blue anorak and at times wear a dark blue baseball cap, I have frequently been taken as a volunteer when at a lock. 

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On 14/06/2023 at 16:59, IanD said:

 

Not being pedantic, but going by comments on here it's ensuring they know what they should and should not do that's the problem... 😉

 

They (hopefully!) know they can work locks, but some of them don't realise that -- at least, in normal canal locks, not big river ones or Bingley 5-rise -- the boater is in charge and not them, because -- well, it's their boat. They should *ask* if the boater wants help, provide it if the answer is "yes please", and not if the answer is "no thank you" -- and not argue or toss their toys out of the pram and go off in a huff in response.

 

Though I suspect some of the blame also lies with boaters who seem congenitally unable to utter words like "please" and "thank you" and see everything as confrontational... 😉

Being more pedantic it is may and should not

21 hours ago, system 4-50 said:

The volockies ought to have unique numbers on their hiviz jackets so that it is easier to report on them, either for praise or blame.  And maybe tatooed on their foreheads.

Same for boaters . . .

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Well only this week I watched a Motor and a Butty ascend the 3 locks at Hillmorton. The well respected boaters were ably assisted by the vlockies and did not have any problems.

 

I also notice that nobody has mentioned the other useful thing the Vlockie's provide. Local Knowledge as in where are the shops, which pub is best & where is the deep bit of mooring are an example

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4 hours ago, Tonka said:

 I also notice that nobody has mentioned the other useful thing the Vlockie's provide. Local Knowledge as in where are the shops, which pub is best & where is the deep bit of mooring are an example

Not all of them, the last ones I met, didn't have much of a clue about  boats, couldn't understand why I drew the bottom paddles after leaving the lock with a boat working the lock behind me and no one coming down the flight, arrived in his car that morning and said the next day he was on a lock miles away.

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2 minutes ago, ditchcrawler said:

Not all of them, the last ones I met, didn't have much of a clue about  boats, couldn't understand why I drew the bottom paddles after leaving the lock with a boat working the lock behind me and no one coming down the flight, arrived in his car that morning and said the next day he was on a lock miles away.

There are *some* volockies who don't know such stuff, just like there are some jobsworths and control freaks. But in my experience *most* of them do have useful local knowledge and are helpful. YMMV... 😉

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11 minutes ago, IanD said:

There are *some* volockies who don't know such stuff, just like there are some jobsworths and control freaks. But in my experience *most* of them do have useful local knowledge and are helpful. YMMV... 😉

 

A vollie having local knowledge is neither a deal maker nor a deal breaker. Unlike running into a group of three or four of the 'control freak' types as a single hander, especially going uphill.

 

They tend to hunt as a pack and overwhelm a single hander with helpfulness. I never even get a chance to express my wishes when I encounter such a pack. They are operating the lock around me before I've even engaged astern to stop the boat as I go in (through the gates they helpfully opened as I approached!)

 

 

 

 

Edited by MtB
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3 minutes ago, MtB said:

 

A vollie having local knowledge is neither a deal maker nor a deal breaker. Unlike running into a group of three or four of the 'control freak' types as a single hander, especially going uphill.

 

They tend to hunt as a pack and overwhelm a single hander. I never even get a chance to express my wishes when I encounter such a pack. They are operating the lock around me before I've even engaged astern to stop the boat as I go in (through the gates they helpfully opened as I approached!)

 

 

Presumably they think they're being helpful, and that most single-handers would welcome such help.

 

They may well be right in most cases, except for old hands like you... 😉

 

(which still doesn't excuse them not asking whether you want their help before giving it...)

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1 minute ago, IanD said:

 

Presumably they think they're being helpful, and that most single-handers would welcome such help.

 

They may well be right in most cases, except for old hands like you... 😉

 

 

Yes I just edited my post just before you posted to account for this.

 

I'm sure you're right but it's terribly assumptive. It assumes single handers are in a hurry to get somewhere are are being held up by the presence of a lock, and want to get through as fast as possible. It assumes someone turning up to speed them through is actually 'helping'. 

 

In my case I enjoy working the locks myself at my own pace using my own well-worn method. As soon as someone (volly, MoP, anyone) turns up desiring to be involved in me working my lock, I'm jolted out of my reverie and forced to communicate with other human beans. I don't like it!! 

 

 

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8 minutes ago, MtB said:

 

 

Yes I just edited my post just before you posted to account for this.

 

I'm sure you're right but it's terribly assumptive. It assumes single handers are in a hurry to get somewhere are are being held up by the presence of a lock, and want to get through as fast as possible. It assumes someone turning up to speed them through is actually 'helping'. 

 

In my case I enjoy working the locks myself at my own pace using my own well-worn method. As soon as someone (volly, MoP, anyone) turns up desiring to be involved in me working my lock, I'm jolted out of my reverie and forced to communicate with other human beans. I don't like it!! 

 

 

I'm similar, I like to work a lock myself rather than just standing on the counter all day and not moving.  On a flight my wife will go ahead and set and I single hand the boat through the lock.  Nothing worse than having someone thinking they are helping when all they are doing is messing up your routine.

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15 minutes ago, MtB said:

 

Yes I just edited my post just before you posted to account for this.

 

I'm sure you're right but it's terribly assumptive. It assumes single handers are in a hurry to get somewhere are are being held up by the presence of a lock, and want to get through as fast as possible. It assumes someone turning up to speed them through is actually 'helping'. 

 

In my case I enjoy working the locks myself at my own pace using my own well-worn method. As soon as someone (volly, MoP, anyone) turns up desiring to be involved in me working my lock, I'm jolted out of my reverie and forced to communicate with other human beans. I don't like it!! 

 

 

If the locks are busy (I don't know if they were or not...) then a boater insisting on single-handing through them slowly without assistance is holding other boats up, which some people might say is selfish -- a bit like dawdlers refusing to let other boats pass.

 

Not saying this was the case for you -- you could be quite quick even on your own, or maybe there weren't any other boats -- but this is the kind of thing the volockies may be thinking. And in most cases it might well be justified -- and they can't see the invisible "Experienced solo boater, please leave me alone" badge you're wearing to know any different... 😉

 

5 minutes ago, Rob-M said:

I'm similar, I like to work a lock myself rather than just standing on the counter all day and not moving.  On a flight my wife will go ahead and set and I single hand the boat through the lock.  Nothing worse than having someone thinking they are helping when all they are doing is messing up your routine.

 

Which is why they should ask first. But I expect many (most?) single-handers will be grateful for the help, especially in a flight of locks. So they should find out if you're one of these, or like @MtB 😉

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1 hour ago, Rob-M said:

I'm similar, I like to work a lock myself rather than just standing on the counter all day and not moving.  On a flight my wife will go ahead and set and I single hand the boat through the lock.  Nothing worse than having someone thinking they are helping when all they are doing is messing up your routine.

We seem to find the single handers who don't have a routine and I end up single handing while Di is working the bloke ahead through. Last trip we approached a lock as a boat was just coming in from below, Di closed the gates for him, filled the lock, let hem out and he didn't even step off to drop the offside paddle 

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30 minutes ago, ditchcrawler said:

We seem to find the single handers who don't have a routine and I end up single handing while Di is working the bloke ahead through. Last trip we approached a lock as a boat was just coming in from below, Di closed the gates for him, filled the lock, let hem out and he didn't even step off to drop the offside paddle 

and if it was like some we have met, Di got no acknowledgement or thanks from the guy who had to keep hold of the tiller at all times in case the boat went sideways in the narrow lock 🙂 . 

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2 hours ago, MtB said:

 

A vollie having local knowledge is neither a deal maker nor a deal breaker. Unlike running into a group of three or four of the 'control freak' types as a single hander, especially going uphill.

 

They tend to hunt as a pack and overwhelm a single hander with helpfulness. I never even get a chance to express my wishes when I encounter such a pack. They are operating the lock around me before I've even engaged astern to stop the boat as I go in (through the gates they helpfully opened as I approached!)

 

I encounter this much more with boaters coming down...

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2 minutes ago, Arthur Marshall said:

"the running of the canal system... Is totally dependent on these volunteers" ?

About as accurate as everything else in the Telegraph, then. CRT will be chuffed...

Bu**er CRT, I hope the vollies will be chuffed. Being on the whole a self effacing lot, they will know that the system isn't totally dependant on them but surely boaters need to commend them on the variety of work they do to help to keep the deteriorating waterways open? 

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14 hours ago, wandering snail said:

Bu**er CRT, I hope the vollies will be chuffed. Being on the whole a self effacing lot, they will know that the system isn't totally dependant on them but surely boaters need to commend them on the variety of work they do to help to keep the deteriorating waterways open? 

Indeed. Wouldn't have the canals at all without volunteers back in the day, and another such day may well be on the way.

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