Lapworth "canal Rage"

[pendle]

I have done the Lapworth flight single handed and with volunteers-I know which I prefer!

 

There is no need for rudeness to volunteers-name and shame I say!

[Victor Vectis]

I must say, I much prefer the volockies to 'just stand there, chatting'.

 

As a single hander I am fully accustomed to doing the locks myself. When someone interferes helps I find it puts me right off my stride and I'm far more inclined to make mistakes, CRT volunteer or not.

Yes, but..............

 

When single handing it's a real pain to have to get off and open the gate(s) on entering a lock and ditto to shut it (them) on leaving.

 

Any help with this is always welcome.

[Delta9]

 

 

Any member of the public abusing a volunteer in whatever job they do is unnecessary and should be reported.

To whom and for what? Could you also point out which part of the OP's story you consider to be someone abusing the volunteer.

[AndrewIC]

In my book a good assistive lockie would be nowhere near my boat, he/she will be setting a couple of locks ahead

[DHutch]

I've got mixed feelings on this. There's no excuse for abusing the CRT volunteer - they are there to help

 

On the other hand, they are there to help, not to run the flight or take responsibility for my boat or actions

 

I am the same. Help, advise, suggest, but be open to my thoughts as a boater too, which wouldn't typically include stopping and waiting. I would however, be polite to them.

 

Daniel

[nicknorman]

I think volockies should be there to help, not to "run the flight". Clearly the latter is not necessary because flights run quite happily when they are not there. Some (most) are great, a few like to carry on as though it's "my train set, and we'll play with it how I say!". Probably they are henpecked at home. Anyway, in the confrontation mentioned above we don't know what was said by whom, and although perhaps the boater was the first to lose her cool she might have been provoked.

 

Ed: except for staircase locks / Bratch etc where a bit of organisation is a good thing.

Edited June 21, 2015 by nicknorman

[MtB]

In my book a good assistive lockie would be nowhere near my boat, he/she will be setting a couple of locks ahead

 

 

That's a very good point and bang on the money.

 

And as Victor Vectis says, they might also be saying "don't worry about closing the gate after you, I'll do that"

[magictime]

Three boats plus one volunteer lock keeper = up to four different opinions on the best way to get everyone through the locks smoothly, in a way that balances their conflicting interests as well as more general concerns with water levels etc.

 

In that situation, I think it makes perfect sense to defer to the lock keeper, whether he has any real authority or not, rather than have the boaters running backwards and forwards trying to decide who's waiting for whom and why.

 

And there's no excuse for the sort of rudeness described towards a volunteer who was just trying to help out. How are the CRT supposed to attract volunteers to offer help to those boaters who want it, if those who don't want it are going to behave like this? (I'm reminded of the miserable sod I once saw on the bus, pointedly taking offence at being offered a seat because of his age. All he achieved was to make it less likely that the person offering his seat would make the same 'mistake' when someone really needed it.)

[john6767]

In my book a good assistive lockie would be nowhere near my boat, he/she will be setting a couple of locks ahead

I would generally agree with that, and that is exactly what the volockie at Lapworth did when we came up a month ago. There was 2 of us but having the lock ahead set and opened for you saves a lot of walking back and forwards.

 

If the OP was actually asked to wait below lock 6 and not lock 7 (Kings Norton is lock 1 on the Stratford, not Lapworth top lock which is lock 2) to cross in that pound rather than below lock 7 then the volockie was making a sensible suggestion in my opinion.

[Boat&Bikes]

We came down this flight yesterday didn't see a volunteer, in fact didn't pass another boat either it's very quiet

[b0atman]

As a single hander I was a bit miffed when coming from Alrewas to Fradley no volunteers but on reaching Fradly 4 of them around the honey pot lock However when I asked one did go round the corner and do the swing bridge for me .For which I thanked him .

[bassplayer]

Aren't most of these sort of problems caused by impatient boaters who might be better off releasing tension at a track day?

 

We got stuck in a very long queue coming back from Crick. It was a great opportunity to chat to other boaters.

[NB Lola]

Odd to me. I have a pressurising, sometimes stressful job, as soon as I touch down on my boat I feel the stress and tension leaving me. After two hours I am chilled.

 

I suppose some boaters are just always impatient ungrateful jerks.

Edited June 22, 2015 by NB Lola

[b0atman]

In my last marina the regular saying was when I come through those gates I feel relaxed.

[cuthound]

Odd to me. I have a pressurising, sometimes stressful job, as soon as I touch down on my boat I feel the stress and tension leaving me. After two hours I am chilled.

I suppose some boaters are just always impatient ungrateful jerks.

I used to find this too when I was working. Probably because my job always involved very onerous deadlines.

 

I used to take my watch off as soon as I stepped off the boat, and not !put it back on until the time on the boat was over.

 

Last time I wore a watch was my last day at work, and I find I rarely get stressed now that I'm retired

 

Back on to the topic, I always appreciate competent volocky help, whether single handed or not. I think you should always show respect to anyone until their actions show that they aren't worthy of respect.

[ditchcrawler]

As a single hander I was a bit miffed when coming from Alrewas to Fradley no volunteers but on reaching Fradly 4 of them around the honey pot lock However when I asked one did go round the corner and do the swing bridge for me .For which I thanked him .

If it was just after lunch they were probably returning from their break. That happened to us the other day and two of them walked up to Shadehouse and middle lock as we worked up.

[Athy]

With the Atherton rage that makes 2 on here .

 

Pardon? I am polite, helpful and (usually) cheerful at locks.

 

I wonder if you may be confusing me with Atherstone.

[Graham Davis]

To whom and for what? Could you also point out which part of the OP's story you consider to be someone abusing the volunteer.

 

Perhaps you need to go back to the opening posting and read the third paragraph again.

 

Quoted, as you probably won't bother:

 

By this time their boat was already halfway in the next lock. Then the lockie arrived. There was a heated exchange during which this woman told the lockie to "bugger off" and away they went.

 

Note the underlined part!

[Delta9]

 

Perhaps you need to go back to the opening posting and read the third paragraph again.

 

Quoted, as you probably won't bother:

 

By this time their boat was already halfway in the next lock. Then the lockie arrived. There was a heated exchange during which this woman told the lockie to "bugger off" and away they went.

 

Note the underlined part!

I don't think telling someone to bugger off constitutes abuse. Especially as we don't know what was said during the 'heated exchange'...

[Neil2]

Just to set the record straight, there was no provocation of any sort here, the woman on this boat was being totally obnoxious from the start, claiming that the lockies actions were creating a queue at the top of the flight - totally untrue - as someone pointed out the locks were very quiet yesterday.

 

On reflection it was quite bizarre, I recall an innocent passer by stopped and gazed open mouthed at the unfolding scene describing the woman in question as "a dervish".

 

Though they leapfrogged us we actually reached the GU in front of them as for some reason they went straight on at the bottom before turning left, so much for being in a hurry.

 

What puzzled us even more is the owners of said boat seem to be operating some sort of business selling, among other stuff, tiller pins. I guess some of you will figure out who it is.

[Chewbacka]

I don't think telling someone to bugger off constitutes abuse. Especially as we don't know what was said during the 'heated exchange'...

Depends upon the tone of voice, but it was described as a heated exchange. I wound't say it to a policeman if having a 'heated exchange' as I think it would be treated as abuse.

[Delta9]

Depends upon the tone of voice, but it was described as a heated exchange. I wound't say it to a policeman if having a 'heated exchange' as I think it would be treated as abuse.

But a volunteer lockie is not a policeman so it is not comparable. A policeman has a violent gang to back him up and arrest you if he misguidedly decided that telling him to bugger off was abuse, the lockie does not.

[Graham Davis]

I don't think telling someone to bugger off constitutes abuse. Especially as we don't know what was said during the 'heated exchange'...

 

If anyone told me to bugger off I would consider it abusive, especially when I was at work, paid or as a volunteer.

[Guest]

Sounds like another example of car driver mentality on the cut, to me. Some people would be better just taking the f*******g train.

[b0atman]

Pardon? I am polite, helpful and (usually) cheerful at locks.

 

I wonder if you may be confusing me with Atherstone.

Have you ever bought me a pint ? then I will have a better opinion of the s police Is my space still available .