Awful awful locks on gu

[carlt]

My favourite lock so far was one on the flight we did yesterday, the one where you have to crawl through a gap in order to raise the gate paddle.

 

Would a real man have fitted through the gap, though?

[Chertsey]

recently we was going up the nene from whittlesea way.

 

obviously big double locks. found some of them to be so heavy that both me and my dad struggled to get them open. mainly in center northampton.

 

Anyway got onto the bottom lock at the northampton arm, double gates on a single lock, i lent into the lock gate to push it and nearly fell in the lock, it moved so quick, and was sooooooooooo easy!!!!!! diddnt bother me either way, i was doing the driving while dad sorted the gates out...

 

i did have to make a couple of cups of tea though!!!

Northampton Arm - now there's nice locks! Especially going up (cos the Nene's behind you at last)

[Pluto]

We've done Wigan now. Bloody hell. We set off far too late (we always set off far too late). It rained. Despite taking turns (four locks then swap over and drive), we were both half dead at the end. I've pulled my back. The locks are vast. We ran out of water when we got near the top, when I was driving and I had a very interesting half hour trying to get the boat over the cill of the lock we were supposed to drive into, because there was so little water.

Every lock is subtly different - different paddle gear, different positioning of handcuff locks, different methods of opening the gates. You have to walk a long way as there is only a bridge at the bottom gates (kind of like Lee Locks, but much bigger). They leak and theres only one ladder. The paddles are mostly not stiff (didn't need to use the long throw for most of them), unlike some in London (Hertford Union, some of the Lee), which I can't even shift. But it's not the paddles that make it difficult it's everything else!

Took us six hours. Note to self: take crew.

Still enjoyed it though!

Most of the old boatmen I've chatted to reckon that Wigan would have taken about two hours. Mind you, at one time you would pass a boat in almost every pound, so there was little waiting for levels - and you didn't have to close the gates after you.

 

I should have added that they were nearly all real men as mostl the boats were wooden. There were only a few of those nasty iron or steel things on the L&LC.

Edited July 17, 2009 by Pluto

[MoominPapa]

Northampton Arm - now there's nice locks! Especially going up (cos the Nene's behind you at last)

I'm feeling the need to start a defence of the Nene. I think it's a really pretty river. People, please ignore WarriorWoman and PaddingtonBear's irrational prejudice and visit the Nene. You won't be disappointed.

 

MP.

[sueb]

I love the Nene as well. Free pumpouts are a bonus. Water cascading over the locks so they are self filling. They just need to alter the wheels.

Sue

[Tiny]

The first time we went up Wigan the cloughs were a little more stiff than they are now. I actually bent a Grand Union windless into an L on one Jack Clough. This made me mad so I bent the windless straight again - it still has a kink. Before or since I have not had the strength to make it bend - so it just shows what extreme lock working does for you.

 

We were 8 locks up that day when the locky rushed up and said we (working alone with no help from him!) must wait for a boat which was just stating up the flight. He then made no effort to help them but made sure we went no-where for the next two hours. When they finally arrived he walked off - it now being well after 4pm.

 

The other mob were useless and we crawled up a few locks. Then one of the workers came on the boat (leaving one very weak woman who could not move a paddle so we had to do the lot.) I was in the bottom of one of the deeper locks when from the cabin of the other boat came this god-awful noise.

 

It turned out that the person who had come on the boat alway practised the BAGPIPES for an exact hour each evening and this was the hour. It was horrible - talk about frighten the dead - the pipes might be OK if the person can play them but all we got was ear splitting noises. Finally they stopped (after the hour) and the piper resumed lock duties. And so, having entered the bottom lock at 2-30pm we got out the top in the dark at around 10pm. Nowadays Wigan is a doddle!

 

[wannabe]

For the women having trouble with lock gates - get yourselves a REAL man. Problem solved.

Sue

Real men listen to what their wives want

Mine doesn't want to be in the boat in locks.

But..... I have a real wife

We're a team

Complelement each other

Works for us. Maybe others are different

[Radiomariner]

Real men listen to what their wives want

Mine doesn't want to be in the boat in locks.

But..... I have a real wife

We're a team

Complelement each other

Works for us. Maybe others are different

 

 

My situation exactly!

 

Did you notice that the last post in this thread was a long time ago. Lots of changes since then, women can now vote for instance.

Edited August 9, 2012 by Radiomariner

[Ange]

Woo hoo a good bit of grave digging!

 

Sueb I'll have you know my man is a real man.

 

I refuse to steer the boat through locks and prefer to work them. We're both thoroughly fed up with judgemental comments against Dave, particularly as he spends a lot of time jumping on and off the boat winding paddles and opening / closing gates.

 

Why does everyone have to be so judgemental!!

[LEO]

Woo hoo a good bit of grave digging!

 

Sueb I'll have you know my man is a real man.

 

I refuse to steer the boat through locks and prefer to work them. We're both thoroughly fed up with judgemental comments against Dave, particularly as he spends a lot of time jumping on and off the boat winding paddles and opening / closing gates.

 

Why does everyone have to be so judgemental!!

 

Hi,

 

My 'trouble' and I have been boating together since '89 and she has never worked a lock up to now.

 

We have just got back from a short trip on the southern GU and she worked all the locks. It transpired she has become fed up with standing steering the boat (especially the recent replacement one) over the years and wanted the exercise.

 

I felt guilty standing checking the boat in the lock (and making sure she used the safety catch) especially when passers by looked at me and then her - but most times she explained to them why the 'BB' was holding the rope and she was using the windlass.

 

She did feel the Volunteer on the GU flight was a bit sexist as he chatted to me but told her to stand by a swinging gate.......

 

Leo

[Chertsey]

I keep saying I am going to have some T-shirts printed. The back will say 'I also steer' and the front will say 'I also do locks'.

Although given that on our recent jaunt to Stourport PB got on the bike at Compton and didn't get off it until York Street (except to go to the pub and to sleep...)... And the same on the way back as far as Botterham after which he drove home in the new car and I did both.

 

I will say this though, if you have one of those awkward/useful (delete according to taste) partners who insists on doing all the locks, put them on a bike - it makes it much more worthwhile, especially on a canal like the Staffie.

[Zayna]

Buckby locks... crikey, they were the very first locks I did when we picked our boat up last week. I was wondering what on earth we had taken on, buying this boat, we only managed to pair up with a boat through two or three of them so I had to manage the rest on my own. At the end of the first day I'd done 13 in total and could barely move the next day.

 

I don't want to drive the boat in the locks, I am a bit scared of doing it. Also, I sometimes moan about working the locks but it's got rid of my bingo wings. Every cloud...

 

Another bonus is that my excuse for carrying an extra bit of ballast is that if I was any lighter I wouldn't be able to open the lock gates.

 

Win - win, imho.

 

And doing the Buckby locks first made all the others seem sooooooo easy.

[BlueStringPudding]

Buckby locks have always been hard work, mainly because of the short balance beams on fairly deep gates, but they are not awful, and are in generally very good condition. Of course they would be easier if the beams were longer, but that would also entail widening the lock platforms which would be impossible on some locks because of obstructions.

 

We go uo and down the Buckby flight on a regular basis, and I frequently see people heaving and tugging trying to move the bottom gates, rather than useing their own weight to do the job properly. If you have ever seen a horse start to move a heavy cart,(or boat) it doesnt make a lot of fuss, it just leans forward into it's collar until it's own weight starts to move the cart, only then does it start to pull. it is the same with lock gates.

 

It s a good analogy except a heavy lock gate, which may or may not be poorly balanced, will often take a lot more than my body weight to start it opening. Just leaning into it will not always get it moving even when the water levels are balanced. There are a couple on the Southern Stratford and the wierd diamond shaped stop lock type one on the Southern Oxford that spring to mind that required a darn sight more weight than I have (and I have plenty, unfortunately!). And that means getting my body weight as low as possible and pushing as hard as I can from the legs for as long as I can to get them past their "ping back" stage. And sometimes that length of exertion is a problem, coz if your strength fails before the gate is past it's ping back stage, it just closes itself again and takes you with it!

 

A lot of it is technique. Whereas it took both my brother and my dad together to push the gate open on the one on the Southern Oxford, and they are both built like the proverbial brick sh*thouses. I did it on my own. It was hard but I did manage it after a coupe, of attempts. It was bloody heavy though and I wasn't sure I would succeed. There were some strained muscles the next day too.

 

Fine if you're a lumping great horse. Less fine of you're a bint with a boat.

Edited August 10, 2012 by BlueStringPudding

[sueb]

Someone's scraping the barrel resurrecting 3 year old topics. I love how the conversation just carries on as though there has been no break. Priceless

[twbm]

Real men don't eat quiche.

 

Ooh I dunno - s'just a pie 'baht crust innit?

[Zayna]

Someone's scraping the barrel resurrecting 3 year old topics. I love how the conversation just carries on as though there has been no break. Priceless

 

I didn't even notice!

[carlt]

Someone's scraping the barrel resurrecting 3 year old topics. I love how the conversation just carries on as though there has been no break. Priceless

So you've changed your mind about "wimps" and "real men" then Sue?

 

Welcome to the 21st century.

[BlueStringPudding]

[carlt]

Ooh I dunno - s'just a pie 'baht crust innit?

I prefer a quiche to those upside-down meat flans they tend to serve these days.

[Nine of Hearts]

Ooh I dunno - s'just a pie 'baht crust innit?

 

Hardly. Unless the pies you normally eat are made by someone eating a load of cheese and bacon, throwing up into a pie tin, and then putting a pastry lid on the result.

[carlt]

Hardly. Unless the pies you normally eat are made by someone eating a load of cheese and bacon, throwing up into a pie tin, and then putting a pastry lid on the result.

I used to think that until I had a quiche from the butcher's in Ruswarp, just outside Whitby, which contained 90% bacon and an even 5% egg and cheese.

 

Their bacon rolls and "bacon pie" are equally well stuffed with the tasty stuff.

 

I now make my quiches with the same proportions.

[Chertsey]

Why do people thing steering into locks is scary? The worst that can happen is a bit of a bump. Steering round shallow bends, now that's scary.

And another thought. Why do people (men) who can quite happily steer into a seven foot lock, seem to require twice that amount of space to pass a boat?

[Zayna]

Why do people thing steering into locks is scary? The worst that can happen is a bit of a bump. Steering round shallow bends, now that's scary.

And another thought. Why do people (men) who can quite happily steer into a seven foot lock, seem to require twice that amount of space to pass a boat?

 

It's not the actual steering into it, it's keeping it in the right place. I am sure that eventually I'll get the hang of handling the boat but not just yet. It's a big bugger and I've never handled one before (oo-er matron), but my chap has so I leave it to him.

[mykaskin]

Steering round shallow bends, now that's scary.

 

No, but I tell you what is scary, steering round shallow bends with boats moored on the outside (Ansty for example), now that gets the heart racing - I swear one day I'm going to take someones cabin off if I get the fore-end into someones "picture" window.

 

Mike

 

ps. Ansty is far more scary in the dark!

[koukouvagia]

No, but I tell you what is scary, steering round shallow bends with boats moored on the outside (Ansty for example), now that gets the heart racing - I swear one day I'm going to take someones cabin off if I get the fore-end into someones "picture" window.

 

Mike

 

ps. Ansty is far more scary in the dark!

 

Couldn't agree more - even with a much smaller josher I've had a few near misses - especially when the moored boat's a widebeam.