What’s going on in Wigan?

[nicknorman]

Apparently CRT have “sacked” a couple of long standing volockies on the Wigan flight - aka “Wigan Flight Crew” for reasons unknown to me, and the rest of them have gone off in a sulk walked out in sympathy. Regular viewers will remember that I had a major falling out with WFC and personally am happy not to have volockies interfering helping , but still I know a lot people find them helpful on that flight. Does anyone know what the story is?

[ditchcrawler]

I thought they were not official CRT Volockies, I will have a nose on FB

1 minute ago, ditchcrawler said:

I thought they were not official CRT Volockies, I will have a nose on FB

5 minutes ago, ditchcrawler said:

I thought they were not official CRT Volockies, I will have a nose on FB

 

[nicknorman]

They are (or were) official CRT volunteers. However their “Wigan Flight Crew” Facebook group was their own thing, not under the control of CRT.

[Midnight]

Perhaps C&RT didn't like the WFC getting the limelight?

[Moke]

We’ve just come up the flight today, and to be honest, it was a disaster. 

[Unicorn Stampede]

Disaster in what way?

 

I'm disappointed to hear the Wigan guys have had trouble. They've felt invaluable to the flight (and they work for free, which CRT must love!) We've gone up and down the flight with them and they were great. Friendly, chatty, informative. Shame to see things come to an end, or seem to?

 

 

[MtB]

Hopefully the contagion will spread across all sites infested with vollies.

 

 

[jonathanA]

I'm struggling to see what crt could do if some members of the public turned up with windlass in hand and started helping boaters.... 

[MtB]

6 minutes ago, jonathanA said:

I'm struggling to see what crt could do if some members of the public turned up with windlass in hand and started helping boaters.... 

 

If some random member of the public started "helping" me in a lock, words would be exchanged. 

[Midnight]

1 minute ago, MtB said:

 

If some random member of the public started "helping" me in a lock, words would be exchanged. 

Yes but the question was "What could C&RT do?"

[MtB]

1 minute ago, Midnight said:

Yes but the question was "What could C&RT do?"

 

Get an injunction telling them to "Get orf of my land"? 

 

 

[ditchcrawler]

What happened to the one on the Northampton flight that expected payment 

[Midnight]

6 minutes ago, ditchcrawler said:

What happened to the one on the Northampton flight that expected payment 

Retired and apparently sadly missed

[dmr]

13 minutes ago, Midnight said:

Retired and apparently sadly missed

You mean the bloke who saw an approaching boat, drained the pounds in front of them, then said he knew how to sort things out for a small payment? We've met him twice and he will not be missed 😀

[Moke]

5 hours ago, Unicorn Stampede said:

Disaster in what way?

 

I'm disappointed to hear the Wigan guys have had trouble. They've felt invaluable to the flight (and they work for free, which CRT must love!) We've gone up and down the flight with them and they were great. Friendly, chatty, informative. Shame to see things come to an end, or seem to?

 

 

Out of the six boats we saw coming down while we were ascending four were following each other singly through the locks. By the time we got half way up we were aground the water was that low compounded by several feet of steel wire round the prop. When I rang the CRT to get someone out to run some water down I was told I shouldn’t be on the flight as it was closed and the pounds were drained for repairs ! Apparently the North Western Team hadn’t got the update telling everyone the flight was open. 
  So, yes, I did ring and get people out at six in the evening because, after all, if there had been some volunteers on duty with experience of the area then things wouldn’t have got to such a state 

[Dave123]

The Wigan flight is one of those places where many boats do need volockies, and the Facebook group they had was very useful for coordination of boats so that people could buddy up and share locks. Agree the volockies elsewhere can be useless, Napton comes to mind - as they don't leave the bottom lock! 

 

The WFC had an enormous amount of interesting and useful information about the quirks and character of each lock on the flight in a file on the fb group.

But as has been asked already, if they weren't official anyway, what's to stop them continuing and helping those boats that want help? 

[nicknorman]

18 minutes ago, Dave123 said:

 

The WFC had an enormous amount of interesting and useful information about the quirks and character of each lock on the flight in a file on the fb group.

 

This is the kind of thing I dislike. Micro analysis of every minutia of what is actually a fairly ordinary lock flight. When we went up the flight we just operated the locks, nothing out of the ordinary and no issues.  The only drama was on the one lock where we met WFC coming the other way and they started ordering us around. Making a huge meal of the flight is, either intentionally or unintentionally, a means to demonstrate how important the WFC is. But it is just a lock flight, albeit not the easiest to operate with limited crew.

 

And as I keep saying, they were official volockies. Could we try to get that one in our heads?

Edited July 4, 2024 by nicknorman

[dogless]

The WFC facebook site is unofficial ... the volunteers are official C&RT volunteers (or were upto sackings and protest resignations).

 

Rog

[jonathanA]

22 minutes ago, nicknorman said:

This is the kind of thing I dislike. Micro analysis of every minutia of what is actually a fairly ordinary lock flight. When we went up the flight we just operated the locks, nothing out of the ordinary and no issues.  The only drama was on the one lock where we met WFC coming the other way and they started ordering us around. Making a huge meal of the flight is, either intentionally or unintentionally, a means to demonstrate how important the WFC is. But it is just a lock flight, albeit not the easiest to operate with limited crew.

 

And as I keep saying, they were official volockies. Could we try to get that one in our heads?

Totally agree Nick.

 

We've done Wigan quite a few times. Mostly on our own. Occasionally sharing probably predating WFC or we didn't know about them. We had issues with low pounds but nothing difficult to sort. 

On one occasion I asked for help on the crew help forum here and a nice fella came and helped us, he was new to boating and wanted to learn about locks....

 

Mostly the paid CRT staff either ignored us, went about their own business or were nonexistent.. 

 

9 hours ago, MtB said:

 

If some random member of the public started "helping" me in a lock, words would be exchanged. 

Fair enough  I should have said " turned up and offered to help...."  to Yours and Nicks points that we don't always want others helping .... although I bet you would on a rainy day in march on the Wigan 21..... 

[dogless]

I am conscious that there are less physically able boaters than we are who would want assistance on lock flights.

 

We enjoy working locks as a major part of the canal boating experience, so prefer to be left to 'crack on' without assistance.

 

These days at flights like Watford and Foxton the Volunteers have taken possession of the flight and it's virtually impossible to work them without instruction and direction, which is disappointing. But  it seems the majority prefer and actively seek volunteer assistance.

 

I suppose it's a perspective thing  ...  do you see locks as an obstacle to be overcome or part of the fun and enjoyment of canal boating and why you do it ?

 

For us the latter has always been the case.

 

Rog

[bizzard]

My cousin and I in 1994 went down the Wigan flight in 2 hours 15mins, no volokies then. We did it from way up the Aire & Calder to Stoke on Trent in 6 days with an Old Rugby boat with Lister SR2.

[nicknorman]

1 minute ago, bizzard said:

My cousin and I in 1994 went down the Wigan flight in 2 hours 15mins, no volokies then. We did it from way up the Aire & Calder to Stoke on Trent in 6 days with an Old Rugby boat with Lister SR2.

 

In the late 70s me and my mates did the Bingley 5 rise. OMG, there were no volockies (or lockies) and yet we managed it without drowning ourselves or the boat. We must have nearly died, although I didn't notice it at the time. But we did have an SR3 which probably helped!

13 minutes ago, dogless said:

I am conscious that there are less physically able boaters than we are who would want assistance on lock flights.

 

We enjoy working locks as a major part of the canal boating experience, so prefer to be left to 'crack on' without assistance.

 

These days at flights like Watford and Foxton the Volunteers have taken possession of the flight and it's virtually impossible to work them without instruction and direction, which is disappointing. But  it seems the majority prefer and actively seek volunteer assistance.

 

I suppose it's a perspective thing  ...  do you see locks as an obstacle to be overcome or part of the fun and enjoyment of canal boating and why you do it ?

 

For us the latter has always been the case.

 

Rog

 

Yes this is the thing. If only volockies would help those wanting help and not interfere with those wanting to operate the locks themselves, all would be sweetness and light. But they (some) really struggle to not take ownership of a flight and assume that all boaters are stupid and should be grateful for their help. I would be quite happy if they ceased to exist but I am not so selfish as to want that to actually happen, as I know some people want and need them.

[bizzard]

1 minute ago, nicknorman said:

 

In the late 70s me and my mates did the Bingley 5 rise. OMG, there were no volockies (or lockies) and yet we managed it without drowning ourselves or the boat. We must have nearly died, although I didn't notice it at the time. But we did have an SR3 which probably helped!

Barry, can't remember his surname was on the five rise when we did it, very efficiant chap.

[Rob-M]

3 minutes ago, nicknorman said:

In the late 70s me and my mates did the Bingley 5 rise.

I'm surprised you lived to tell the tale.

 

We had to tell the vlockie at Sutton Stop we didn't need assistance the other day, must be one of the most treacherous locks on the system.

[nicknorman]

Just now, bizzard said:

Barry, can't remember his surname was on the five rise when we did it, very efficiant chap.

Yes I think he was OK, but it was much more fun to arrive at the fairly impressive structure with nobody there and have to work out how to get through it in one piece ourselves. And boating is supposed to be about fun, not about following ze orders.