Up the Grand Union in drought

[cl@rkey]

there are two sides to every story, and i have just had the other straight from the owners themselves paints a different picture entirely!!

 

If there were extenuating circumstances, it seems a little strange they didn't let the waiting boaters know!

 

Or are the Emu and Archimedes saying the OP's report is factually incorrect?

[jenlyn]

there are two sides to every story, and i have just had the other straight from the owners themselves paints a different picture entirely!!

I was first boat behind them for half a dozen locks, so do tell :0)

[arpeeuk]

 

I would also hope that if I do end up stranded somewhere because of the restrictions, I don't find my boat "stickered", because I'm unable to move it on within the normally prescribed periods.

 

Don't hold your breath! They were stickering boats at Hungerford a few days ago between Hungerford Marsh Lock and Wire Lock which have both been closed for weeks for new gates. When challenged the patrol officer's response was "Oh are they closed? No one told me!" So if they BW can't communicate planned closures to its staff then we've no chance during the water restrictions.

 

Rik

[the grinch]

according to the skipper there was no boat on the lock mooring and as they were dragging the bottom they went into the lock rather than go aground in the very low pound, they also said that they did in fact shut the gates knowing the stretch i often had the gates swing open on there own.

[jenlyn]

according to the skipper there was no boat on the lock mooring and as they were dragging the bottom they went into the lock rather than go aground in the very low pound, they also said that they did in fact shut the gates knowing the stretch i often had the gates swing open on there own.

I like the idea of the paddles coming up when the gates swing open ;0)

[GUMPY]

according to the skipper there was no boat on the lock mooring and as they were dragging the bottom they went into the lock rather than go aground in the very low pound, they also said that they did in fact shut the gates knowing the stretch i often had the gates swing open on there own.

They certainly shut the gates at lock 59, I watched them go past (even took a break from my F1 viewing)

However one gate did swing half open as many do on the GU.

[magpie patrick]

They certainly shut the gates at lock 59, I watched them go past (even took a break from my F1 viewing)

However one gate did swing half open as many do on the GU.

 

And did the paddle wind itself up?

 

If Hamsterfan's interpretation is correct, a lot of ill-feeling could have been avoided by the crew going back to the waiting boats and saying "we are in the lock because we will go aground anywhere else, but we will back out in the morning and take our place in the queue". As Dominic pointed out, he was actually working, moving a boat for business reasons.

 

Or did the crew decide, for their own convenience, that the other boats weren't waiting...

[GUMPY]

And did the paddle wind itself up?

Do you mean the one on the bottom gate that should have been lifted on leaving the lock to keep the lock empty?

No it didnt, otherwise the gate would have stayed shut

[Keeping Up]

It's beginning to sound like 1976 all over again.

 

In the drought of that year, there were always long queues for the locks (up to 3 days at popular flights) and all sorts of boats would invent excuses for trying to go straight past the queues. "We're working" was commonly heard from many boats as a valid reason for queue-jumping, including:

• any unconverted working boat whether working or not - especially if it was on the way to an "event"
• any boat that was carrying passengers - including one particular council-run pair who carried "underprivileged children" on one-week holidays
• hire boats steered by an employee of the boatyard who had been sent out for half an hour for the specific purpose of jumping the queue

I'm sure there'll be plenty of additions to the list this year.

[Proper Job]

It's beginning to sound like 1976 all over again.

 

In the drought of that year, there were always long queues for the locks (up to 3 days at popular flights) and all sorts of boats would invent excuses for trying to go straight past the queues. "We're working" was commonly heard from many boats as a valid reason for queue-jumping, including:

• any unconverted working boat whether working or not - especially if it was on the way to an "event"
• any boat that was carrying passengers - including one particular council-run pair who carried "underprivileged children" on one-week holidays
• hire boats steered by an employee of the boatyard who had been sent out for half an hour for the specific purpose of jumping the queue

I'm sure there'll be plenty of additions to the list this year.

I think I'll find a nice shady spot down on the river and watch the world go by

 

[magpie patrick]

It's beginning to sound like 1976 all over again.

 

In the drought of that year, there were always long queues for the locks (up to 3 days at popular flights) and all sorts of boats would invent excuses for trying to go straight past the queues. "We're working" was commonly heard from many boats as a valid reason for queue-jumping, including:

• any unconverted working boat whether working or not - especially if it was on the way to an "event"
• any boat that was carrying passengers - including one particular council-run pair who carried "underprivileged children" on one-week holidays
• hire boats steered by an employee of the boatyard who had been sent out for half an hour for the specific purpose of jumping the queue

I'm sure there'll be plenty of additions to the list this year.

 

Indeed, I recall one lock keeper who had turn up at his lock a couple who claimed to have left a baby unattended and they must return to their mooring ASAP. He pointed out it would be far quicker if he took them in his car...

 

Idleness, you misunderstand, the claim is made that gates were left open and paddles up (as in old working boat fashion), so, as the gates opened themselves having been dutifully closed, did the top gate paddles also open themselves.

 

I'm glad Juno is only 23 feet long (those with long narrow boats will be dismayed to see us tuck into the back corner of a lock and jump the queue) and trailable. I here the Grand Western isn't short of water, and the Solent certainly isn't

[Naughty Cal]

Indeed, I recall one lock keeper who had turn up at his lock a couple who claimed to have left a baby unattended and they must return to their mooring ASAP. He pointed out it would be far quicker if he took them in his car...

 

Idleness, you misunderstand, the claim is made that gates were left open and paddles up (as in old working boat fashion), so, as the gates opened themselves having been dutifully closed, did the top gate paddles also open themselves.

 

I'm glad Juno is only 23 feet long (those with long narrow boats will be dismayed to see us tuck into the back corner of a lock and jump the queue) and trailable. I here the Grand Western isn't short of water, and the Solent certainly isn't

 

 

The benefits of a small boat

 

It seems that our biggest problem this year wont be a water shortage but excessive weed growth, again. We are going to have to replan at least a couple of our holidays to take account of the Witham being out of bounds

 

The coast is looking like a much better prospect this year

[Black Ibis]

We noticed a lot of 'continuous moorers' on the GU last year but had no trouble from them. As Alan says, I'd rather they stay put this year andlet the rest of us get on with boating but it will be even harder to move them on next year if they've got in the habit of staying put!

 

Any boating we do this year will only be if we buy a new boat from somewhere on the canals. I am actually quite looking forwards (if we do it) to a more leisurely cruising pattern, as we normally do 10-14 hour days and never get to stop and enjoy the local area. Of course if it gets really bad, then we're looking at getting anything we buy put on a lorry, which would be no fun!

[alan_fincher]

Do some of you people perhaps need to go back and read Dominic's original post ?

 

Where has the suggestion that the crew of Archimedes and Ara had come up to the summit leaving paddles up on the exit gates come from please ?

 

Dominic does say this.....

 

Tring summit was closed until 10am Monday morning, but all the way up we encountered locks with both gates left open wide, and paddles not closed down. The abiding impression was one of some people who care not a toss about the need to save water, and who live on the canal as a means of accommodation, and nothing more. How different from 20 years ago.

 

Only subsequently does he then say this....

 

At dusk, up turned Archimedes and Emu, on their way to the Droitwich Festival. They drove straight into the lock, and parked up overnight. Needless to say, this caused some ill feeling with every other boat waiting there. They had departed every lock below the summit leaving the gates wide open, according to another boat that had followed them up.

 

So Archimedes and Emu turned up at Cow Roast at dusk after Dominic, and all the other boaters got there ? Yes ??

 

So they would have been struggling to leave up the top gate paddles that Dominic encountered, would they not, (given that he was apparently ahead of the working boats up to this point).

 

So it seems, (to me at least) it can't have been them ? Can it ?

 

Oh, and if either boat was loaded, if you do stop and shut GU top gates, they will almost inevitably get pulled open again, as you try and motor away from them. Almost impossible to get a lot of them to stay shut, even as a lightly draughted leisure boat moves away from them.

 

I can (absolutely) guarantee many of the Whilton/Buckby flight gates will not stay closed as we draw away from the locks in a few days time, (and we are only carrying about 2.5 tons of extra load on Sickle).

[BenC]

Council tax. For the place they live in and the services they use. For a contribution towards the education and health services within the local authority they "continuously cruise" in. For the right to utilise the towpath that the taxpayer funds. For the cost of collecting their rubbish. For the right to vote. For the right to live in Britain.

 

Edited to add: To pay for their membership of society, and not expect others to fund it for them.

Most people in marinas don’t pay council tax either, lets please not even get started on that one, it can be hard enough talking to land lovers about that, let alone other boaters.

 

They certainly shut the gates at lock 59, I watched them go past (even took a break from my F1 viewing)

However one gate did swing half open as many do on the GU.

A lot of boaters seem to have forgotten the etiquette of shutting gates. It’s just laziness. BW needs to enforce this with signs at every lock so that there is no excuse. Emu is usually very good at shutting gates. They passed me at lock 69a on Sunday and left the lock shut. But if they did leave the gates open then there is no excuse, boats that work the canal regularly, should be setting an example to others so that they see how things should be done.

 

As far as CC go. Some may blur the law a bit and move within an area but keep their boat looking good, never pile things on the tow path and move every 2 weeks. Admittedly returning to that spot once or twice in a calendar year. Not the biggest crime in the world.

Surly the real problem is the unlicensed, unloved doss boats, rubbish in the hedge, rubbish on the roof, and rubbish in the boat.

Forgot to say, please see link http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Pyrotronicdisintegrator.gif

If only

Edited March 28, 2012 by BenC

[Dekazer]

A lot of boaters seem to have forgotten the etiquette of shutting gates. It’s just laziness. BW needs to enforce this with signs at every lock so that there is no excuse. Emu is usually very good at shutting gates. They passed me at lock 69a on Sunday and left the lock shut. But if they did leave the gates open then there is no excuse, boats that work the canal regularly, should be setting an example to others so that they see how things should be done.

 

Paddles I'm not so sure about, but gates are a sticky one. As many have already posted, lots of gates on GU wide locks swing open the second you power away from them, hardly the crew's fault.

 

Second, opinions differ about what is the best thing to do. If we're meant to be waiting to share locks, and waiting for oncoming boats rather than turning a lock, wouldn't leaving the gates open be sensible?

 

Happy to be corrected, I'd rather understand...

[BenC]

Paddles I'm not so sure about, but gates are a sticky one. As many have already posted, lots of gates on GU wide locks swing open the second you power away from them, hardly the crew's fault.

 

Second, opinions differ about what is the best thing to do. If we're meant to be waiting to share locks, and waiting for oncoming boats rather than turning a lock, wouldn't leaving the gates open be sensible?

 

Happy to be corrected, I'd rather understand...

 

You are right about the gates swinging open. Maybe the gates should be fitted with weights like on some of the Avon locks. You can drop these to the ground once you close the gates and then they will not swing.

Leaving the gates would work fine if they didn’t leak so badly!

Just buy a Butty then you never have to wait

[frangar]

Unless another boat is following then I personally dont see anything wrong about leaving a gate open.....the next boat has a 50% chance of going that way!....the trouble seems to be nowadays that people dont look further than the lock they are in! Several times I have had locks stolen from me and gates shut as boats leave despite the fact we can be seen approaching...when we have politely pointed this out I have been met with blank stares or a hostile reaction.....most of these people seem to be on newish expensive boats as well....all the gear and no idea!!

 

Cheers

 

Gareth

[Black Ibis]

Unless another boat is following then I personally dont see anything wrong about leaving a gate open.....the next boat has a 50% chance of going that way!....the trouble seems to be nowadays that people dont look further than the lock they are in! Several times I have had locks stolen from me and gates shut as boats leave despite the fact we can be seen approaching...when we have politely pointed this out I have been met with blank stares or a hostile reaction.....most of these people seem to be on newish expensive boats as well....all the gear and no idea!!

 

Cheers

 

Gareth

 

Last time we went down Cowroast, we diligently waited until another boat was passing so we could share locks (although we are quicker by ourselves ) and pushed off behind them, only to find them shutting the lock gates against as as we approached despite much sounding of our klaxon! When I went over to ask if they could wait and at least share the next lock, he gave the impression that he genuinely hadn't seen us nor had he any idea that it might have been a good idea to check if anyone was coming before closing the gate...

[hughc]

If you are towing, especially singled out, then stopping to close gates can be dangerous for the butty steerer who then has to get back on the boat which can be difficult especially at locks where there is no towpath through the tail bridge. It is sometimes not easy to hold the motor in such a way as to ensure that the tow is in a suitable position and the whole problem is exacerbated if the motor cannot approach the bank because of lack of depth. The complaint that camping boats would leave gates should be seen in this context as the last thing any steerer wants is children trying to board a moving boat. Regards, HughC.

[Proper Job]

The best one I came across last year was starting to go up Marsworth.

 

We were on our own and could see that the boat going up infront of us was on it's own as well.

 

Crew went up to ask if they would wait for us at the next lock so that we could go up together.

 

Reply was: "we've had a bad experience sharing locks and would rather be on our own" !!!!

 

It beggared belief

[Naughty Cal]

The best one I came across last year was starting to go up Marsworth.

 

We were on our own and could see that the boat going up infront of us was on it's own as well.

 

Crew went up to ask if they would wait for us at the next lock so that we could go up together.

 

Reply was: "we've had a bad experience sharing locks and would rather be on our own" !!!!

 

It beggared belief

 

We have had boats down right refuse to share locks with us because we are "plastic"

 

We have only had one bad experience of sharing a lock with a narrowboat and that was on the way up to Loughborough. We had shared all the other locks up to this point with other narrowboat with no problems at all sitting the boats side by side so that there was little room for either boat to move around. The owners of a shorter narrowboat insisted that we went in behind them rather than next to them, the lady holding the ropes let go of the bow rope which let their boat drift backards pinning us against the bottom gates, she wasnt flavour of the day with her crew or us. They wouldnt share the next lock either

[adam1uk]

The best one I came across last year was starting to go up Marsworth.

 

We were on our own and could see that the boat going up infront of us was on it's own as well.

 

Crew went up to ask if they would wait for us at the next lock so that we could go up together.

 

Reply was: "we've had a bad experience sharing locks and would rather be on our own" !!!!

 

It beggared belief

 

I hope you pointed out that you were giving them an opportunity to have a good experience!

[GUMPY]

Agree with some of what you are saying. I feel there's just no consistency with BW policing the towpaths. I think they are concentrating far too much of their resources on the Olympics area of GU. The gates and paddles were left open from Cowley to Ricky last Saturday as well, every flippin one!

I was first boat behind them for half a dozen locks, so do tell :0)

 

This is the reason that people thought it was them.

 

Also South of Tring it has always been the custom NOT to shut the gates as much of it is river fed.

Edited March 28, 2012 by idleness

[Chris Pink]

Thinking through what you say, Alan, the logical and fair thing would be for those who claim exemption from council tax because they may or may not be permanent in one local authority's area, would be for them to pay a fixed amount by way of tax equating to the Band A rate average.

 

Are we talking about poll tax here?

 

As your first post, why did you bother to listen to them (or slow down). I don't.

 

As you say if they can't be bothered to tie up their boats it's their lookout.

 

As for their lifestyle, that's their problem not mine and none of my business.