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Any volunteer lockies at Atherstone?


Andrew Denny

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48 minutes ago, Andrew Denny said:

I'm headed up Atherstone locks singlehanded next Saturday afternoon (5th March) & would appreciate a hand. Any volunteers on duty there? Thanks. 

Think they usually stay up at the top two or three locks near the kettle

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I have been screamed at whilst ascending lock 6 by a vlockie who told me I was wrong to turn a lock against a boat that hadnt even entered lock 5 yet. 

All lockies then took refuge in the T hut until I had opened the last gate of top lock.

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Last couple of times we did it it looked like there were one or two enthusiasts who do the whole flight whilst for the rest its a sort of social club centred on the top lock. There is absolutely nothing wrong with this, it gets more people involved with the canal and adds a bit of life to the top lock. Some would even say keeping the volunteers out of the way of boats is a good thing 😀

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4 minutes ago, dmr said:

Last couple of times we did it it looked like there were one or two enthusiasts who do the whole flight whilst for the rest its a sort of social club centred on the top lock. There is absolutely nothing wrong with this, it gets more people involved with the canal and adds a bit of life to the top lock. Some would even say keeping the volunteers out of the way of boats is a good thing 😀

2 there yesterday manning No 1 and 2

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5 hours ago, Andrew Denny said:

I'm headed up Atherstone locks singlehanded next Saturday afternoon (5th March) & would appreciate a hand. Any volunteers on duty there? Thanks. 

 

 

I find this SUCH a distressing post. 

 

I find Atherstone one of the most lovely, delightful flights on the whole system to work up as a single hander. If I ever get to do it again without interference from CRT vollies, it will be the highlight of the trip! 

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I think you'll find that using the side ponds correctly wouldn't increase the speed of passage -  I've used them myself in the past. What it needs is the centre paddles(removed a lifetime ago) would need reinstating........

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1 hour ago, ditchcrawler said:

2 there yesterday manning No 1 and 2

Thanks, ditchcrawler. My, but the responses to this thread make me smile. I have to get from Tamworth to Atherstone top lock on Saturday, and I'm getting old. I've not done it for a few years. The trouble is, I have to get to Hawkesbury by Sunday afternoon, so I can get a bus into Coventry and catch a train. I just know that without help on Atherstone I will read the top at 10pm and be too tired to get to the pub, then sleep in on Sunday until 11am. 

 

If there are lockies at the top, they aren't going to bother going below Baddesley unless they know in advance that there's an ageing boater in distress. 

1 hour ago, Tracy D'arth said:

I would phone CRT and ask for a volly to walk down to help you up. You will never get one further than 3 from the top normally. Its a lovely flight, very slowwww filling now that all the side pounds are out of use.

Well, I emailed, & tweeted @CRTcontactus but haven't had a response yet. I don't bother phoning CRT normally. The usual response from the Norwich call centre is something like "how do you spell coventry canal"? 

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2 hours ago, matty40s said:

I have been screamed at whilst ascending lock 6 by a vlockie who told me I was wrong to turn a lock against a boat that hadnt even entered lock 5 yet. 

All lockies then took refuge in the T hut until I had opened the last gate of top lock.

They are there to assist if you want them to. Not to shout orders at you. Unless you reported the behaviour to CRT you were condoning it…😱
 

 

Edited by nicknorman
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Yes, but my original question was: How do I find out if vlockies are there, and how do I contact them to say that there's an old man at the bottom of the flight who would be pathetically grateful for their help? And is there a phone number for them at the top so they would know it's worth their while walking down the flight to help me? This is something CRT won't know, but I hoped Canalworld would 🙂 

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13 minutes ago, Andrew Denny said:

Yes, but my original question was: How do I find out if vlockies are there, and how do I contact them to say that there's an old man at the bottom of the flight who would be pathetically grateful for their help? And is there a phone number for them at the top so they would know it's worth their while walking down the flight to help me? This is something CRT won't know, but I hoped Canalworld would 🙂 

 

What you need is someone from here, who is close to the top lock, to go let the vlockies know you're at the bottom of the flight and coming up and could really do with some help.

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20 minutes ago, StephenA said:

 

What you need is someone from here, who is close to the top lock, to go let the vlockies know you're at the bottom of the flight and coming up and could really do with some help.

 

Or even better somebody from here who lives close to go and do a bit of lock hobbling 😀

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47 minutes ago, Andrew Denny said:

Yes, but my original question was: How do I find out if vlockies are there, and how do I contact them to say that there's an old man at the bottom of the flight who would be pathetically grateful for their help? And is there a phone number for them at the top so they would know it's worth their while walking down the flight to help me? This is something CRT won't know, but I hoped Canalworld would 🙂 

I guess you could phone CRT number and ask for the local volunteer supervisor, and take it from there. I found it quite easy to get in touch with him after a volockie on the wilmcote flight assaulted me with his windlass for turning a lock to his disapproval.

Edited by nicknorman
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1 hour ago, nicknorman said:

I guess you could phone CRT number and ask for the local volunteer supervisor, and take it from there. I found it quite easy to get in touch with him after a volockie on the wilmcote flight assaulted me with his windlass for turning a lock to his disapproval.

The crime number is?

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12 hours ago, Tracy D'arth said:

I would phone CRT and ask for a volly to walk down to help you up. You will never get one further than 3 from the top normally. Its a lovely flight, very slowwww filling now that all the side pounds are out of use.

 

The odd time I did it using the side pond AND the top paddles speeded things up, but that's not how side ponds are supposed to work! 

The side pond paddle also removed any illusions that a narrow boat can't go sideways in a narrow lock - it clouted the other wall, not a nudge but a thump

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26 minutes ago, Gallyleigho said:

So you were assaulted with a windlass and didn't report it? I don't believe it actually happened. 

You can believe what you like but considering you weren’t there, your opinion seems worthless, and of course you do have a dog in the fight so you are hardly impartial. Your accusation that I am lying reflects badly only on you, not me.

I did make a detailed report about it by email to Adnan Saif (W Midlands CRT boss) and after investigation he made no attempt to deny it, he was very apologetic.

 

I did consider reporting to the police, mostly out of anger, but once calm resumed I realised that it would be his word against mine (there were no witnesses), there was no visible damage to my shoulder, and I probably had some culpability because at the time I was trying to photograph him - since he refused to give his name and was not wearing a name badge. I was to some extent “in his face” since I was clearly close enough to be struck by the length of an outstretched arm plus windlass. The police have more important things to worry about.

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