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Who weilds the windlass?


NB Alnwick

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On our first two trips my wife did most of the steering and I or others did most of the locks. On our last trip we made sure all four on board had a go at steering as well as locking which gives everyone more of the overall experience. As long as you keep to a reasonable speed and take your time entering locks it's not that hard.

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On a few occassions i've jumped right across the lock, they're not very wide after all...

Casp'

 

Ah, yes, most people could probably jump 7 feet on level ground, but it's that 10' deep brick lined hole with either 3' of water above a pile of bricks or a steel boat at the bottom that adds the deterring danger factor. Similary, I would have no problem walking along a foot wide plank laid on the ground. Put it between two tall buildings and I'd tell you to... well, I wouldn't be walking across it.

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Just come down the Audlem flight on a hot morning. With the solitary exception of a bunch of hireboating lads and girls, all the locking was being done by the women of the crews we met. Not only that but their men stood motionless at the tiller throughout. And is it either cause or effect of this that many of the women were lean and fit while many of their menfolk were, er, not?

(For info I enjoy locking - don't tell Starwoman but as you can see it's a chance to chat to other women But while I might walk a flight, setting locks, once she has brought the boat in to a lock we share paddle and gate work, then she hops onto the boat and heads for the next.)

 

Being a bloke what steers while my wife works the locks it seems to be me who gets asked by others if they can wind paddles. By this time the wife has normally arrived and does the work but, going up she looks at me to tell her what to wind and when. On some its Ok to slap them up using her very slow smooth turn method with the boat rising as in a lift. But others need much more careful effort and I like to thing I am not unlike Christopher Plummer as a Klingon in Startrek who indicated when the crew should fire the whatevers at the Enterprise. All the different hand signals took years to develop but seeem to work if you do locks in our (don't try this with your boat) methods. Luckily I remember the tricks of most locks over the system - most do little but others,if you wind the wrong paddle can be unnerving.

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Ah, yes, most people could probably jump 7 feet on level ground, but it's that 10' deep brick lined hole with either 3' of water above a pile of bricks or a steel boat at the bottom that adds the deterring danger factor. Similary, I would have no problem walking along a foot wide plank laid on the ground. Put it between two tall buildings and I'd tell you to... well, I wouldn't be walking across it.

 

I'm quite good at walking along the foot (well, 11") wide plank now...

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On a few occassions i've jumped right across the lock, they're not very wide after all...

Casp'

 

One year (a long time back) we arrived at the narrows before you turn off the Coventry at Hawkesbury to find the local choir boys outing (with them in cassocks and priests in full gear) having a jumping contest across the lock. It was like something out of an Irish Bet-Noir film with this lot leaping againt the backround of the engine house and the (then) waste land behind. We had previously gone up the arm to Coventry which was then full of charecter and rubbish - not like the almost clean canal that people complain about today. We counted ball cocks versus fire extigushers - and the ballcocks just won. Now that was a proper canal though strangely the locks were easier to work then as they got plenty of sump oil to lubricate them. As for stepping over - no thanks - the wife does the minimum walking round locks - unlike most people who buzz around expanding shoe leather like blue arsed flies.

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One year (a long time back) we arrived at the narrows before you turn off the Coventry at Hawkesbury to find the local choir boys outing (with them in cassocks and priests in full gear) having a jumping contest across the lock. It was like something out of an Irish Bet-Noir film with this lot leaping againt the backround of the engine house and the (then) waste land behind. We had previously gone up the arm to Coventry which was then full of charecter and rubbish - not like the almost clean canal that people complain about today. We counted ball cocks versus fire extigushers - and the ballcocks just won. Now that was a proper canal though strangely the locks were easier to work then as they got plenty of sump oil to lubricate them. As for stepping over - no thanks - the wife does the minimum walking round locks - unlike most people who buzz around expanding shoe leather like blue arsed flies.

If you are the single lock-worker, and you do have to walk round (short legs and no bridge), narrow lock and closing the gates after you, what is the most efficient way of doing it, with least distance walked?

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I'm quite good at walking along the foot (well, 11") wide plank now...

 

Does anyone have trouble with the metal walkway across the lock tail below Awbridge lock on the S&W? The wife has no trouble one way but the other she does not like.

Edited by Tiny
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If you are the single lock-worker, and you do have to walk round (short legs and no bridge), narrow lock and closing the gates after you, what is the most efficient way of doing it, with least distance walked?

 

With a boat hook on the end of the handrail of the gate

 

Richard

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Does anyone have trouble with the metal walkway across the lock tail below Awbridge lock on the S&W? The wife has no trouble one way but the other she does not like.

 

Yes, I noticed those this weekend. I saw the same casting as the fenced off death traptm at Stourport on 3 more locks up the S&W.

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ya know that leap of faith people talk about??? applied to real life :D

 

being single crewed 99% of the time you get used to doing all the jobs possible!!! (even when i had a girl with me they were more often better off in the cabin making the tea than steering the boat!!!) no i am not insulting female steering the circumstances are purely based on the individuals!!! and i have seen some fantastic women steerers!!!

 

but when i have crew of 3 i send 1 ahead to the next lock, keep one with me and me steering, the one with me works the lock i am on which works a treat when in a hurry to get somewhere!!!

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If you are the single lock-worker, and you do have to walk round (short legs and no bridge), narrow lock and closing the gates after you, what is the most efficient way of doing it, with least distance walked?

 

Its easy to work out. For most narrow locks the trick is, at the bottom when the lock is empty to open towpath side, (walk round) open other side, let the boat out or in, then close other side, (walk round) close towpath side. If you arrive from below at a full lock you wind towpath side paddle, walk across gate, wind other paddle then, when lock is ready open offside gate, walk round, open towpath side gate, boat in close towpath side gate, walk round close offside gate. On the top gate when lock is ready, wind down offside paddle, walk over gate, open gate wind down towpathside paddles. On the bottom gates get one open before you wind down the paddles.

 

(While approaching a lock a boat was about exit when we were still some distance off we witnessed a command performance by a lady who wound all paddles down then could not open the gate, wound the paddles up (after much arm waving) got a level, wound them down, could not open gate and finally, with hubby screaming at her to leave one open, got the idea, just as the wife arrived. Incidentally this was a private boat not a hire or a share and to get where it was it had gone through a lot of locks.)

Edited by Tiny
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Yes, I noticed those this weekend. I saw the same casting as the fenced off death traptm at Stourport on 3 more locks up the S&W.

 

We like all the others but the Awbridge one with the closeness of the roadbridge is a little bit hairy.

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Stepping across presents a risk that I deem unnecessary when there is a safer (to me) way of doing it ie using a bridge or walking around. It may be something other folk find easy to do and good luck to them.

One benefit of a trad boat, when descending locks, is the ability to temporarily hold the boat in the jaws of the lock on the way out, thus permitting passage across the roof for those wary of jumping the gap between gates.

 

It doesn't always work so well with a cruiser stern, though, particularly if it's got a pram cover.

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