Considerate Boating

[Naughty Cal]

That won't be a problem now. I've decided that I shan't now be inviting any visitors until the water situation improves even if that means waiting for a couple of years. I wouldn't want their impressions of boating to be adversely influenced by the attitude of a few.

 

In the meantime I trust that your cruising plans and practice are never upset by nature.

 

Mybe it would give your friends a more truthful insight into boating, rather than the rose tinted spectacle version.

 

Nature has a habit of throwing us a bit of adverse weather along the way. We have had our fair share already. You just have to grin and bear it and get on with it. You cant choose the weather.

[Proper Job]

.............Nature has a habit of throwing us a bit of adverse weather along the way. We have had our fair share already. You just have to grin and bear it and get on with it. You cant choose the weather.

I'm predicting that we'll all be queueing in the rain and those who have escaped to the rivers will be stuck due to flooding

[14skipper]

think that those who are already inconsiderate i.e pinch locks,bully their way through ,l have a expectant mother on board etc will still try on their old tricks.Can,t see them changing their ways just because there is no water.

would like to think everybody would play the game but Can see a lot of raised voices to come this year.

14skipper

[debbifiggy]

By restricting the lock openings to 5 hours a day last year at key sites, BW reckoned reduce water usage by 45%. Of course, depending on how busy the locks usually are, the saving varied from site to site. For example, weekly savings on the Oxford summit were 380Ml; Hillmorton saved 1500Ml; but only 50Ml was saved on the Tring summit.

 

At the meeting with Jeff Whyatt on Saturday one of the boaters made the suggestion that passage through key locks should be spread between a morning and an afternoon session with the locks closed for lunch. The thinking behind this was deliberately to cause a queue of boats which could then have to share the locks. JW seemed to think this was something worth considering. Ray would then always have another boat to share his lock. This, apparently, is what happens on the continent when lockies go off for lunch.

 

Whatever measures are taken, it's going to be a grim year down south.

 

Agreed. We've decided to abandon our cruising plans this year altogether and concentrate on boat maintenance and gardening. The only short trip we will do (subject to restrictions) is to a dry dock for blacking. Fortunately we don't have far to go for that. I think canal rage/conflict over lock use, long queues and waiting times would make a holiday less enjoyable than it might have been. That said, we've met some lovely people in lock queues in the past and had very enjoyable chats.

 

D

[alan_fincher]

think that those who are already inconsiderate i.e pinch locks,bully their way through ,l have a expectant mother on board etc will still try on their old tricks.Can,t see them changing their ways just because there is no water.

would like to think everybody would play the game but Can see a lot of raised voices to come this year.

Blimey! - Where do you do your boating - I think I'll try and avoid it!

 

We did about 900 locks last year, I think. Whilst we did from time to time experience locks being turned that ideally should not have been, I'm very prepared to believe that well over 90% of the time anything like that happened, it was from ignorance, or just lack of concentration, by the crews involved, rather than any attempt to bludgeon their way around with a "me first" attitude.

 

We did a fair amount of queuing too, even where there were no restrictions, and in all cases found people patient, and prepared to wait their turn.

 

I don't know if we were lucky, or you unlucky ?

[Laurie Booth]

10-4 good buddy

Catch you on the flip flop.

[Naughty Cal]

I'm predicting that we'll all be queueing in the rain and those who have escaped to the rivers will be stuck due to flooding

 

Hope not. We have already done the stranded in a flood bit and didnt like it

 

In three short years of boat ownerhip we have been subjected to floods, Force 8 storm conditions on the coast and arctic winters. Think there is only a blistering heat wave and drought left so thats no doubt what we will be having this year

[Proper Job]

Hope not. We have already done the stranded in a flood bit and didnt like it

 

In three short years of boat ownerhip we have been subjected to floods, Force 8 storm conditions on the coast and arctic winters. Think there is only a blistering heat wave and drought left so thats no doubt what we will be having this year

I love your optimism

[Taslim]

Mybe it would give your friends a more truthful insight into boating, rather than the rose tinted spectacle version.

 

Nature has a habit of throwing us a bit of adverse weather along the way. We have had our fair share already. You just have to grin and bear it and get on with it. You cant choose the weather.

 

Your right, The OP & guests need to learn to Gin & Beer it.

[haggis]

I'm not sure I see too much benefit in that on a flight of several locks because you get a queue at each end to start with and it is possible that three (or more) pairs will manage to get through the top & bottom locks before boats travelling in the other direction start to appear. Does this not mean that for the first half hour or so the locks will get turned time and time again withour boats in them? Wouldn't it be better to extend the opening hours but stagger the flow so that, for example, the first boats from each end cross in the middle of the flight and the next boats weren't allowed into the flight until the pairs already therein reached the respective end of the flight?

 

 

But, if both ends of a flight are locked at the same time, boats in the flight will be "locked in" and if they remain in the pound they are in till the locks reopen, in busy periods, boats should be able to use all the water and not waste any turning locks.

Last year when we did Atherstone during the restriction, many boats planned to moor in the flight when the locks shut (although they could have carried on to the locked bottom or top lock) , and thus when the padlocks came off in the morning, there were boats moving in both directions sharing water quite quickly.

 

haggis

[Ray]

But, if both ends of a flight are locked at the same time, boats in the flight will be "locked in" and if they remain in the pound they are in till the locks reopen, in busy periods, boats should be able to use all the water and not waste any turning locks.

Last year when we did Atherstone during the restriction, many boats planned to moor in the flight when the locks shut (although they could have carried on to the locked bottom or top lock) , and thus when the padlocks came off in the morning, there were boats moving in both directions sharing water quite quickly.

 

haggis

 

BW usually indicates the last time that boats will be allowed to enter the locks with all restrictions. All boats allowed to enter the flight would be allowed to leave, turning locks if necessary, to allow them to do so. They'd still only waste one lock full of water because there would only ever be a maximum off two pairs of boats in the (Marsworth) flight.

 

It is possible for several pairs of boats to work down and several pairs of boats to work up at the same time under the usual method of working when lock opening is restricted (and there's normally no requirement to wait to share those locks).

 

I'm suggesting that the restriction is eased in return for perhaps waiting from time to time (as we would be expected to do so at other locks) during the period when the locks are open.

 

By extending the opening hours but limiting the number of boats in the flight in return, the amount of wasted lock turning should be minimised.

[haggis]

BW usually indicates the last time that boats will be allowed to enter the locks with all restrictions. All boats allowed to enter the flight would be allowed to leave, turning locks if necessary, to allow them to do so. They'd still only waste one lock full of water because there would only ever be a maximum off two pairs of boats in the (Marsworth) flight.

 

 

 

Ah, they did it a bit different at Atherstone. The time for padlocking top, bottom and one in the middle (6, I think) was given (all the same) and boats could move after that time but obviously not through one of the locked locks. A guide time of how long it would take to operate the flight was given, I think, at the top and bottom. Boats were not "let out" of the flight after the "padlocking" time.

Maybe this is what they do in longer flights (Atherstone is 11 locks) and shorter flights are done as you suggest.

 

haggis

[14skipper]

Guess if their not padlocked the night crawlers will be out and about

 

14skipper

[cazberry]

Guess if their not padlocked the night crawlers will be out and about

 

14skipper

 

like someone else has already mentioned....you're definitly living up to your signature...