The Pride? Of Sherwood - A Rant!

[cheshire~rose]

If you had no plans to meet a time schedule you probably wouldn't have been so frustrated.

 

I've found that planning and inland boating (especially where locks are concerned) don't go hand in hand. It works better when we go with the flow.

 

I agree

 

But some of us have to take time off work in order to go boating. It was only 2 hours delay which is not a big deal in the big scheme of things.

 

Crap happens and you get delays in all aspects of life.

 

If you are waiting at home for a new sofa to be delivered, they are late and you call to be told there is a traffic jam and they are sorry but they are delayed - you accept it. If you ring up and the operator tells you the problem is the company has bad management, they have a lack of staff, the van driver has not eaten all day and he does not care it is NOT acceptable.

I find this interesting. We did the Erewash last September and I did exactly what you say above. I kept a record of the state of the locks and anti vandal devices and reported them to CRT. I received a nice email thanking me for telling them as they wouldn't necessarily have found out quickly.

 

By the sound of it nothing was done.

 

Very interesting

 

I also have a list I was making at the time which I had to email to them (need to find the correct email address when I finish with this thread!) . When we reached the summit I realised I needed to make a list of exactly what paddle gear and/ir anti vandal locks had caused frustration.

I made a list of all the locks and Dave put ticks or scribbled a note of what the problem was next to each one as we worked our way down. Interestingly next to one lock he wrote "full of crane!"

I am trying to think what I would have done, albeit from the comfort of an easy chair, with time to contemplate, so perhaps what I am going to saying is how I would like to think I would have dealt with it (and not necessarily how I would have dealt with it if you understand the subtle difference). However it is the way I usually try to deal with things that get under my skin.

 

Ask if you can help - don't assume that what you do will actually help especially if you are out of sight of the 'problem'

However staff (CRT or not) present themselves they are the experts and it is, after all, their train set

Keep offering assistance even if it is just the piece of cake and tea/coffee

If you are going to complain I think the best place to complain is quietly, with thought, in an e-Mail or letter to the organisation concerned, in this case CRT. Putting a complaint on any electronic media is a more 'instant' reaction and reminds me (as a generalisation) of the old saying 'fools rush in where Angels fear to tread'.

 

Something my Mum taught me many, many moons ago, which I try to follow (but am not always successful at) is 'write the letter, put it away, get it out the following morning and ask yourself just one question - would I like to have received that letter this morning?' For letter read e-Mail, Facebook, Twitter and so on. Electronic media is so quick these days - too quick perhaps?

 

We took Sculptor to Crick yesterday, it looked, due to the amount of traffic at Watford, as if we may not make it up the flight despite leaving Stoke Bruerne at 08:30 so we just sat down and made arrangements for the following day in case we had to return. That passed the time and before we knew it we were on our way up and into Crick with no one stressed! No amount of pressure on the Voly Lockkeeper would have changed anything!

 

Greenie - yes you are correct. Exceot my original post was meant to just be me relaying my experience of what happened with the forum. Not an "official compliant"

 

Dave asked if they wanted him to go and let water down and they did so he went. Eventually when enough water had been let down that I could climb across the boat we had moored next to and reach the bank I decided I would also go and see if there was anything I could help with. My opening words were "What is the problem" and that is when it all went wrong! Having someone standing there deriding his organisation he works for and saying he did not care while my other hald was happy to go and assist was just wrong.

[cheshire~rose]

C - R has my sympathies, and knowing her and Dave as I do they are laid back but like to travel the canal and river network: they are also moving their boat from Calf Heath on the Staffs and Worse to Clayworth on the Chesterfield, okay they didn't have to go up the Erewash but if no one did any cruising they didn't have to do the canals would soon be in a sad state, so in response to this...

 

 

Thank you MP

 

Yes we are moving the boat. Canal Plan said our trip (without the Erewash diversion) would be 7 days based on 8 hours a day. We had 10 days to use. We were very aware that there was a potential for hold ups as there always is. Our journey north has already been held up by a couple of months due to the stoppage at Holme lock. Because of that we have found ourselves in a situation of having to pay for 2 moorings. .. like I have said - on the canal, crap happens. We had a window of opportunity to move the boat so we took it.

 

We had never done The Erewash. It is the only bit of canal in that Nicholsons book we had not done. It is a one way canal, one which people tend not to visit. 15 wide locks up and 15 wide locks back again. Because of that it has far too few visitors. It is a stunning canal with some really beautiful countryside and a generous helping of wonderful old industrial architecture. I would strongly advise anyone to make the time to do that detour if they can. The Erewash Canal Preservation Society are clearly doing a grand job on their stretch and the least people could do is go and take a look at it for themselves.

 

We decided we would press on with the first part of our journey and not make a decision about whether to do The Erewash or not until we reached close to Trent Lock. We were very fortunate that a friend met us and lockwheeled for us down the last 4 (or was it 5?) locks into Shardlow. If he had not done that then maybe we would not have done the Erewash.

 

Even adding in a 2 day trip up The Erewash and back it still left us a full day extra in our schedule factored in for the unexpected. The delay was not a problem. It is all part of the adventure! It was the attitude that was the problem.

 

We are now at Newark and seriously considering squandering another half day of our contingency time by exploring the town in the morning or else we will be at Cromwell too early!

[Guest]

Newark is well worth an explore...

[keble]

I have no idea, I don't work for CRT.

 

However I suspect some CRT staff do see licence payers as their 'customers''

I DO have an idea, as I "work " as a C&RT volunteer. I get treated with a lot of respect, probably more than I deserve. Some of this may be down to my natural charm(!) But also I suspect because I'm a boater.

Mind you there's one C&RT youngster who's a bit casual!

[bassplayer]

I agree

 

But some of us have to take time off work in order to go boating.

I have a rule that if I have a gig I never cruise on that day for the very reason things can go wrong. Life is always a juggling game wherever you are in it.

[jelunga]

 

I used the term "young chap" because he is not only much younger than me but I felt he was probably the youngest of the three of them. "Young" is a comparitive term. I probably should not have referred to him in this way in these days of ageism being wrong but the reason I used the term was to differentiate between the people in the group. Another time I should perhaps refer to people as "person number 1" etc.

The person who I suspect was the team leader (but I do not know for sure) certainly came across to me as being extremely conciencious and professional. I can believe a person like that is an assett to CRT but what a shame he is let down by other people?

As you seem to know at least one of the individuals personally perhaps you know that the person I referred to as "the young chap" is an inexperienced newbie? If that is the case then how can he possibly have kown enough of the difference between BW & CRT to have been bad mouthing the current management compared to the good old BW days? Or perhaps he is a newbie who has had an indoctination by his co-workers?

 

I am unsure who you feel it is I owe an apology to?

 

I have related an experience we had to the forum. I have not read any of the other posts after yours yet Jelunga so I do not know if other forum members have been upset by anything I wrote. When I wrote my rant I was in a state of shock. I was shocked that I should hear the words "I do not care" aimed at me by a CRT worker. I do not see how me relating my account of events is likely to have upset other forum members?

 

Perhaps you feel I owe an apology to a guy who told me he did not care? Well no sorry - I DO care and that is what I told him. I did not say it in a nasty way and to prove I meant no malice I offered cake (I was genuinely concerned that he had not eaten all day)

 

With regard to the point that Bizzard made about it being potentially dangerous to let water down with the crane under the bridge. When I read that I took it to be tongue in cheek so did not reply. In fact when the crane was under the bridge it was CRT who had been letting water down (and in doing so left the pound above very low) As we appraoched Sandiacre Lock (the one above the problem) we had no way of knowing what form the problem was taking below. We had been told by passing cyclists that there was a boat stuck in a bridgehole and a suggestion of it being stuck on the bottom. If it had been dangerous for me to draw the paddles on Sandiacre lock then they should have put come sort of closure notice on the lock of send one of the team up to that lock to warn appraoching boaters not to send water down. I do not believe drawing those paddles caused any harm at all because it was only when water had been let down for around 30 minutes that the bywash started running again. Dave only went to run water down when the crane had risen up in the lock and was stuck once again

Addendum.

I now understand the team leader was on another job at the time.

Also that was a very large boat for that canal as Bizzard quite rightly noticed and it will have taken considerable skill and determination to get it there anyway.

I cannot comment on anything else since I was not there

[jenlyn]

I have a rule that if I have a gig I never cruise on that day for the very reason things can go wrong. Life is always a juggling game wherever you are in it.

What's the point in having a gig if you don't use it?

(sorry, couldn't resist) :-D

[bassplayer]

What's the point in having a gig if you don't use it?

(sorry, couldn't resist) :-D

...very good!...

[Peter X]

 

 

We've got cake! (Well...Brioche).

 

Perhaps we have here the solution to motivate the hungry young fellow the OP mentioned.

I'm sitting here eating a nice slice of home made Dutch apple cake

http://allrecipes.co.uk/recipe/22405/easy-dutch-apple-cake.aspx

and feeling very ready for whatever I might wish to do next in life.

I'm not offering to take some up to the Erewash, but maybe he'd be wise to take up baking so he can turn up for work with his own fuel supply.

[Pykebird]

Sorry you guys had trouble, it was nice to have a quick chat! Maybe I ought to make sure I have some fresh carrot cake baked before I attempt the erewash next week??

[RLWP]

Sorry you guys had trouble, it was nice to have a quick chat! Maybe I ought to make sure I have some fresh carrot cake baked before I attempt the erewash next week??

I've had a thought about your dog/catflap problem. It only looks like your woof is stuck with his head through the cat flap when he is ok. You just can't see how big his head actually is. So, to stop people worrying about him, shave his head

 

Richard

[Pykebird]

The problem has been solved with a posh laminated sign to explain he is not stuck or in distress, just in his preferred guard position. This is attached to the side of the boat when I go out to avoid phone calls/ announcements over supermarket tanoys!

[luctor et emergo]

As an aside, it can be very wearing, when working in a public space, and having run into a problem, to have the public chip in with funny remarks, or offering their 'expertise'. You don't know the person who offers you 'advice' on how to do your job, but in the vast majority of cases they are ill informed nitwits..

It's easy to get the hump on a bad day. Not right, but it happens.

 

Not calling C-R a nitwit btw.... :-D

[David Mack]

(I'm stuck in a public inquiry,

Which inquiry is that? I have colleagues stuck in one at the moment.

Edited May 23, 2014 by David Mack

[George1973]

Dear all,

 

firstly I apologise for taking up space on this tread to ask a question, but for the life of me I cant seem to start a question of my own.

 

That said, Im looking for a tow, from Rose Narrowboats either a short distance to Braunston Marina or further to Rugby boat sales at Stow Hill, any advice would be helpful owing to the fact the vintage Dorman in my boat has a little problem, they call it back pressure!!!

[matty40s]

Dear all,

 

firstly I apologise for taking up space on this tread to ask a question, but for the life of me I cant seem to start a question of my own.

 

That said, Im looking for a tow, from Rose Narrowboats either a short distance to Braunston Marina or further to Rugby boat sales at Stow Hill, any advice would be helpful owing to the fact the vintage Dorman in my boat has a little problem, they call it back pressure!!!

George, you have to post at least 5 times before anyone can PM you or you can post a topic.

so if you reply to this, and one other,you may get some assistance.

Unfortunately, I cannot assist as picking up a boat to take to London in the morning.

[Graham Davis]

I have asked the Mods to move George's request to it's own thread

[tagulablue]

Just wanted to say not all the staff are like this.......... came across the 'gang' on the Watford section .......... cheerful and brilliant .......... they loved their job and they were so cheerful they made me smile all day...

[Toots]

George, you have to post at least 5 times before anyone can PM you or you can post a topic.

so if you reply to this, and one other,you may get some assistance.

Unfortunately, I cannot assist as picking up a boat to take to London in the morning.

 

If you pass Durham girl near Hemel say hi to my dad x

[Unmani]

I've been asked by a friend of mine, who is not a member of this forum, to post a reply to this thread.

 

"I wonder if the lady who wrote this post has considered its consequences.

CRT do read this forum and by her own admission she posted, ‘ it was a bit of a rant.’ but

posting this on a social media site is not the same thing as having a bit of a rant with friends,

where you can vent your frustration and then the conversation goes on to something else and

its forgotten.
We all have bad days at work occasionally and I am sure we can all relate to having a moan
about our boss/management at some point in our working life, (especially if the person you

moaned at seemed to have a sympathetic ear, even offering you cake!) but we wouldn't expect

it to be published nationally for all, including our bosses, to read.

I hope after reading this the lady may consider deleting this post and photographs.

 

I often watch this team working, and they are all (including the one this post is aimed at)
hard working men, one of the best teams in the region.

Are we at an age where we dare not share our thoughts with anyone incase they are posted on
social media and photos are taken without our permission as evidence!"

[Lockie Junior]

I've been asked by a friend of mine, who is not a member of this forum, to post a reply to this thread.

 

"I wonder if the lady who wrote this post has considered its consequences.

CRT do read this forum and by her own admission she posted, ‘ it was a bit of a rant.’ but

posting this on a social media site is not the same thing as having a bit of a rant with friends,

where you can vent your frustration and then the conversation goes on to something else and

its forgotten.

We all have bad days at work occasionally and I am sure we can all relate to having a moan

about our boss/management at some point in our working life, (especially if the person you

moaned at seemed to have a sympathetic ear, even offering you cake!) but we wouldn't expect

it to be published nationally for all, including our bosses, to read.

I hope after reading this the lady may consider deleting this post and photographs.

 

I often watch this team working, and they are all (including the one this post is aimed at)

hard working men, one of the best teams in the region.

Are we at an age where we dare not share our thoughts with anyone incase they are posted on

social media and photos are taken without our permission as evidence!"

 

Greenie awarded.

[Jerra]

I've been asked by a friend of mine, who is not a member of this forum, to post a reply to this thread.

Is there a reason why they couldn't join and express them selves directly? They obviously follow the forum.

[Guest]

Greenie awarded.

Why? I don't see any attempt at somebody's putting their side of the story but rather somebody on behalf of somebody else suggesting why the post as it stands 'may have consequences'

 

Time for their friend to clue up me thinks.

Edited May 29, 2014 by The Dog House

[Lockie Junior]

Why?

 

Because I believe that Unmani's friend made a good and valid remark. This website is watched by CRT after all...

 

I do not disagree with the OP having a rant, free speech and all that. However, I personally don't like the naming and shaming of a hard working and knowledgeable gang just because one lad had a bit of a grumble. Everyone says things that in hindsight they may have been best to keep quiet about, but I feel sorry for the lad and his gang for having it put on a social media website.

 

You may have your opinion, as I intend to have mine.

 

Regards,

Lockie.

Edited May 29, 2014 by Lockie Junior

[tagulablue]

Been a boater for over 15 years (were do the years go) and I can honestly say I have never met a crew that were not helpful to me as a customer no matter what they thought of new or old management. Anybody met the crew on the Cassiobury Park section .... they are so cheerful it brightens your day. I think the new be is called Paul and he thinks he's the luckiest guy in the world to have his dream job in the best 'office' in the world. It just made me realise what a miserable 'crew' I've got! .