Timothy West/Prunella Scales - Channel 4

[Laurie Booth]

Well it was just as incorrect as the comment he made about 'all locks in France have lock keepers' which is also incorrect.

Very true.

I was boating in France and we came across a lock unmanned and was electricly operated with a key pad code required.

I thought we don't know the pin number for this, then I saw written by hand on the gate "The number is 4545" problem solved.

[Tim Lewis]

Well it was just as incorrect as the comment he made about 'all locks in France have lock keepers' which is also incorrect.

 

When we did the section of the Nivernais shown in last nights episode the lock keepers followed us up the canal in vans! (It was off season)

 

Tim

[Guest]

When we did the section of the Nivernais shown in last nights episode the lock keepers followed us up the canal in vans! (It was off season)

 

Tim

Maybe...there are however more canals in France than the Nivernais...this being my point....

[Albion]

 

When we did the section of the Nivernais shown in last nights episode the lock keepers followed us up the canal in vans! (It was off season)

 

Tim

They do indeed. In high peak season (July and August) the lock keepers are increased by adding students to the staffing. In main season, but not peak, they have VNF regulars plus some other more established helpers (whose category name I have forgotten now). Then in off-season (and the October when Tim and Pru cruised would normally be just that as the canal closes in early November) only the full time, regular VNF lock keepers are present and often have to cover several locks. One late season we had to wait while a single lock keeper took 5 of us up a group 5 locks and about 4 down. This could only be done with two boats at a time due to the length of the craft and so he took two all the way up, brought two all the way down, two all the way up etc. He was not a happy bunny at this level of unaided work and got on the mobile to his boss to complain. Having said that many of the VNF regulars consider that they have had a busy day if they do more than about 10 boats in a day in busy, but not peak, season.

Roger

[Ange]

Nobody's picked up on Tim's comment after they were worked through a lock by the young female eclusier, "In England the lock keepers are all middle aged men and a bit grumpy"!

Tee hee I picked up on that and wondered if we'd have a load of disgruntled lockies complaining

 

Thoroughly enjoyed it and sad that was the last one.

Edited April 1, 2014 by Ange

[Guest]

They do indeed. In high peak season (July and August) the lock keepers are increased by adding students to the staffing. In main season, but not peak, they have VNF regulars plus some other more established helpers (whose category name I have forgotten now). Then in off-season (and the October when Tim and Pru cruised would normally be just that as the canal closes in early November) only the full time, regular VNF lock keepers are present and often have to cover several locks. One late season we had to wait while a single lock keeper took 5 of us up a group 5 locks and about 4 down. This could only be done with two boats at a time due to the length of the craft and so he took two all the way up, brought two all the way down, two all the way up etc. He was not a happy bunny at this level of unaided work and got on the mobile to his boss to complain. Having said that many of the VNF regulars consider that they have had a busy day if they do more than about 10 boats in a day in busy, but not peak, season.

Roger

Yes but that is not what Tim West said.....he remarked all locks in France have lock keepers, whilst it might be true of the Nivernais that doesn't make it true of all French canals, this being my point.

 

oh never mind what the heck would I know.

Edited April 1, 2014 by The Dog House

[Tam & Di]

Yes but that is not what Tim West said.....he remarked all locks in France have lock keepers, whilst it might be true of the Nivernais that doesn't make it true of all French canals, this being my point.

 

oh never mind what the heck would I know.

 

You are certainly correct on that score. The little pleasure boat canals like the Burgundy, Nivernais etc do have lock keepers, and as already said they generally follow a boat on a bike or car and work a series of 3- 4 locks. They are augmented in the summer by students who generally know virtually nothing about canals or locks beyond the 3-4 where they've been told what to do, and whose ignorance can be very dangerous. You do have to insist they do what you tell them if you wish to remain safe and avoid damage to your boat. These canals are mostly closed in the winter.

 

There are also just a few which are operated manually by the user, but these are very much in the minority.

 

There are then plenty of other canals with automatic locks you operate yourself, with a telecommand (zapper), by breaking a radar beam, or by twisting a rod suspended over the canal. Those with more commercial use are generally operated by a lock keeper in a cabin in a lock side tower - those you can call on the VHF for them to be ready when you arrive.

 

Canals were mostly brought up to Freycinet guage in the 1800s to accept barges roughly 39m x 5.10m with an airdraft of 3.5m and draft south of Paris 1.8m and north of Paris 2.5m. Those canals which were not brought up to this standard were the first to lose their commercial traffic. e.g. the Berry canal system accepted boats (Berrichons) about 90' x 9', not dissimilar to UK narrow boats in their proportions. That meant the standard Freycinet peniche could not get onto them, and the Berrichons were soon too small to be economic elsewhere. The same problem occured on the Midi where the locks are only 30m long, and the Nivernais, Burgundy and Orleans canals where there are tunnels or other restrictions preventing Freycinet craft to use them.

 

These smaller canals which had lost their trade were the ones where (mostly) Brits set up pleasureboats operations from the 60s onwards.

 

Tam

[Cruising Mike]

 

Then you won't like our local waterways much either. They are very similar in width to the Nivernais, for much the same reason ie they were built to carry much bigger boats.

 

 

 

From experience (albiet a while ago) canals in the UK are majorly narrow and it's only the rivers which are wide. Im not saying the Nivernais isn't nice as it look beautiful. But again from experience, i loved the overcrowding effect on some of our waterways with high banks, cliffs or overgrowth. Also i much prefer myself or our crew to do our own locks and i felt sorry for Pru having little to do in this sense!

 

The K & A episode was my personal favourite of the 4 i think.

[Albion]

Yes but that is not what Tim West said.....he remarked all locks in France have lock keepers, whilst it might be true of the Nivernais that doesn't make it true of all French canals, this being my point.

 

oh never mind what the heck would I know.

But Martin, I was adding info to Tim Lewis's post about the Nivernais (that's why I quoted it). It wasn't a comment on what you had said or anything to do with it, as you are perfectly correct and it didn't need comment.

Roger

 

Edited to correct Tim confusion (Lewis v West)

Edited April 2, 2014 by Albion

[Athy]

I see Tim West has popped up in 'Enders....

Yes, he first appeared several weeks ago and I remarked to Mrs. Athy at the time that perhaps their mooring fees would soon be due.

 

I viewed the programme yesterday evening and was quite charmed by it (and by the Wests). It also brought back happy memories, as the section of the Nivernais (and River Yonne) which they travelled was roughly the same as the trip which we did.

 

As for Pru not having much to do because of the presence of lock keepers, in view of her steady but enthusiastic absorption of local vintages it's perhaps just as well.

[Dharl]

 

 

 

The K & A episode was my personal favourite of the 4 i think.

 

yep agree with you there! Poss bias as I know that stretch the best, but soon getting a boat based up at Gayton (or share in one anyway) and so will start to get to know the Grand Union an bit better!

[Nightwatch]

 

As for Pru not having much to do because of the presence of lock keepers, in view of her steady but enthusiastic absorption of local vintages it's perhaps just as well.

Perhaps she's not poorly, just pi**ed! Smilie.

[Guest]

Albion, on 02 Apr 2014 - 07:17 AM, said:

But Martin, I was adding info to Tim Lewis's post about the Nivernais (that's why I quoted it). It wasn't a comment on what you had said or anything to do with it, as you are perfectly correct and it didn't need comment.

Roger

 

Edited to correct Tim confusion (Lewis v West)

 

Fair enough, perhaps I misunderstood.... I wrongly surmised my lack of actual boating in experience in France was being dragged up again.

 

It's just I have 'gongoozled' enough boats (Though agreed not yet boated) through French locks to know that many locks on the their system are done by the boaters themselves as Tam & Di and you have confirmed.

 

Hopefully we will get to do it on a boat next year (Though of course we will have lockies if we do the Nivernais, and Tam's comments about students 'assisting' were particularly interesting)

[Athy]

Stoodents aren't stoopid in general. perhaps. like boaters, they mess things up at first but quickly become more skilful.

Best not to go through their locks in their first week in the job, then!

[Albion]

 

Fair enough, perhaps I misunderstood.... I wrongly surmised my lack of actual boating in experience in France was being dragged up again.

 

It's just I have 'gongoozled' enough boats (Though agreed not yet boated) through French locks to know that many locks on the their system are done by the boaters themselves as Tam & Di and you have confirmed.

 

Hopefully we will get to do it on a boat next year (Though of course we will have lockies if we do the Nivernais, and Tam's comments about students 'assisting' were particularly interesting)

We have found the students generally to be OK, but in some instances inexperienced. We were coming down the Sardy flight (Nivernais) one time when the lad below had already filled his lock, and closed the paddles (les vannes) but without opening the gate first. As the water was released from the lock above (the one we were in) it raised the level of the very short intervening pound very slightly and he just could not work out why he couldn't open the gate. Despite us telling him to open the paddles again he was insistent that there was a problem and went off to find his supervisor. He was most surprised to find, on his return, that we had the gates open and were inside the lock. He just couldn't understand how we had managed it. Generally though the students are very willing and on many occasions will work you through a lock if you are only arriving slightly before their scheduled lunch hour. The VNF regulars are very particular about their lunch and will often refuse you entry to the lock if it will mean that your passage will intrude into their lunch break, even though there are no other boats scheduled and they could add the few minutes on to their hour at the back end of the break. You just have to adapt to the different way of boating but c'est la vie.

Roger

[Tam & Di]

We have found the students generally to be OK, but in some instances inexperienced.

 

We have had one or two bad experiences with them, down largely to their inexperience but also because they have been given authority and are unable to deviate from their instructions. Travelling uphill on the canal du Centre the bottom gates will try to close on the boat due to the water pressure as you go in. They have pawls (little catches) that should be used to prevent this happening, but one student could not be bothered (or did not know) and it involved threats of official complaint after the second lock with them in attendance to get them to do the job properly. They will not generally have been told which paddles to raise first to minimise how a boat will bang about or not, and again it took several locks to get them to respond. They are almost invariably only employed on canals with a large hireboat use, and most hirers do not realise the potential damage which is being caused to the craft they are on and that it could be avoided. At the other end of the spectrum some students put paddles up so slowly you could fill the lock faster by peeing into it. Again it was difficult to get them to accept that it was not necessary, certainly for our craft, and that we did have somewhere we had to get to that day.

 

On the one hand it is within the regulations that you must do what you are told by a lock keeper, but on the other hand you are the captain of your ship and it is you who has ultimate responsibility for it.

 

Tam

[Nightwatch]

Mr West and Miss Scales passed us today being filmed on a Natrrow Boat that had a temporally sticker sign with the boats name. I guess it was their own boat but was disguised.

 

Watch out for another great series in the future. I nodded at him and he shouted hi Martyn!!

 

No he didn't, yes he did..............no he didn't, correct he didn't.

 

Martyn

[Canalwatcher]

My wife had a short chat with Timothy West when we were filling with diesel at Sovereign narrowboats in early August; he was moored there too confirmed they would be filming for a new series.

 

Mick

[Athy]

My wife had a short chat with Timothy West when we were filling with diesel at Sovereign narrowboats in early August; he was moored there too confirmed they would be filming for a new series.

 

Mick

That's their home mooring. The boat is called something like 'Dorothy Perkins'.

[billS]

That's their home mooring. The boat is called something like 'Dorothy Perkins'.

 

Close - but no cigar, Mr Athy

 

"Peggy Thompson"

[Athy]

Close - but no cigar, Mr Athy

 

"Peggy Thompson"

Atypically, I was being flippant.

 

maybe it was Peter Jones, or Marks Spencer....

[Laurie Booth]

 

Close - but no cigar, Mr Athy

 

"Peggy Thompson"

His accountant

[ditchcrawler]

Mr West and Miss Scales passed us today being filmed on a Natrrow Boat that had a temporally sticker sign with the boats name. I guess it was their own boat but was disguised.

 

Watch out for another great series in the future. I nodded at him and he shouted hi Martyn!!

 

No he didn't, yes he did..............no he didn't, correct he didn't.

 

Martyn

Yes it caused them hassle when they did the very first one about the K&A on Honey Street. They had to have the boat renamed and repainted