SHUT THE PADDLES!

[Wanderer Vagabond]

The heading gives a clue that it is a bit of a rant but on my second trip down this piece of canal (Grand Union) I have again come across some half wit who leaves the paddles up after operating a lock, is this some sort of fashion on the GU? The last time it was down at Berkhamsted when some nugget left the paddles up on lock 53 draining the pound above it and wasting an hour of my life shifting water down to refloat my boat. Today I get to Church Lock to find that it was full so decided to finish my day's cruising and moored below the lock, which was leaking through the bottom gate like a waterfall. After mooring and tidying up I then realise that the water is still cascading through the bottom gates and decide to go and investigate, such enough some nugget has gone through and left both gate paddles and side paddles open so had I not bothered the pound above Church Lock (about a mile and a half) would have lost a lot of water overnight and probably delayed our continued journey tomorrow. I can see the argument for not shutting gates but can anyone tell me why people are dumb enough not to shut paddles!! Lazy? Stupid?? grrrr

 

And breathe, feel better now!

[NB Lola]

There is no logic to leaving gates open either, it's plain "cannot be arsed". CRT make it clear, close paddles and gates unless directed otherwise. It's people who are at fault - always.

[Ray T]

Not an excuse but could it have been a "Whilton Special" going south?

 

In March we went to Stoke Bruerne and back. On our return we decided to stop the night at Buckby Bottom Lock. As we were walking the dog a couple and her father came out of Whilton Marina and stopped at the bottom gate. The male tried pushing the bottom gate open whilst the lock was half full - I kid you not. Mrs T took the dog and suggested I help them through the bottom and next lock up.

 

Chatting to them they had just bought the boat and were heading to Braunston. This trio had obviously done next to no research as to how locks worked and Whilton had offered them no coaching whatsoever.

 

It was about 4.30 and they were hoping to get to Braunston by 6.00. Poor souls had no idea how many locks were involved, how long it took to negotiate a lock, plus that they had a tunnel and the Braunston Flight as well.

 

After visiting Braunston to have work on the boat their final destination was London.

 

Possible your paddles left open were some of these?

Edited May 9, 2016 by Ray T

[Dr Bradley]

I'm glad you sorted that out. I'm moored in the pound above Church lock. But it wasn't me honest.

[Jrtm]

I know its not an excuse but could be a person single handed with a deep draft and not able to get into the bank (no excuse for paddles being open) or gates could have swung back open had this a few timed get down te cut look back and the gate has half opened

[Burgiesburnin]

As Nb Lola says, it's people that are at fault and those people are us. It needn't be you leaving the paddles up but if you see a "fellow boater" as Rat T describes and don't offer advise and/or assistance then we are as guilty as though we left the paddles up ourselves.

I appreciate that sometimes any help to advise or assist can be aggressively declined but better to offer and get told to raffle yourself once in 10 times I feel.

Often "can I help you with that" is appreciated.

[Bettie Boo]

and sometimes it's simply a case of forgetting...a few weeks back we went through Fenny Lock and Dave simply forgot to lower the paddles on one of the gates. It wasn't intentional at all, but the furious boater who came out of the pub screaming at us didn't seem to appreciate our apology...guess he was one of those rare types who never get it wrong or make a mistake

 

Fortunately he had his windless with him in the pub, and shut the paddle whilst screaming - otherwise we would have pulled over and gone back and shut it ourselves

[Wanderer Vagabond]

and sometimes it's simply a case of forgetting...a few weeks back we went through Fenny Lock and Dave simply forgot to lower the paddles on one of the gates. It wasn't intentional at all, but the furious boater who came out of the pub screaming at us didn't seem to appreciate our apology...guess he was one of those rare types who never get it wrong or make a mistake

 

Fortunately he had his windless with him in the pub, and shut the paddle whilst screaming - otherwise we would have pulled over and gone back and shut it ourselves

I'm not coming across holier than thou, we all make mistakes, and in fairness I couldn't be bothered with shouting at anyone, I'd just explain the problem to them.I do wonder if it is a bit of a regular event here on the GU though. Last time at Berkhamsted my OH was walking back from the station and saw that the towpath was flooded, whilst I was frantically trying to shift water to refloat our boat(because of the nugget who left the top paddles and bottom gates open) and passing one of the locals he said to her,"Oh! it happens all the time".

 

I can see that it is easy to forget to shut one paddle, but on this lock today both ground paddles and both gate paddles were still open (rather pointlessly they had remembered to shut the gates ).

[adam1uk]

...because of the nugget who left the top paddles and bottom gates open...

 

That means they must have opened the bottom gates (and presumably taken the boat out of the lock), and then gone back and opened the top paddles. Seems like an odd thing to do.

[Horace42]

I'm slightly puzzled. Assuming normal locking the bottom paddles must be shut to fill the lock enough to open the top gates. Similarly the top paddles must be shut to empty the lock enough to open the bottom gates. It is not something you can forget to do.

 

In either case the top or bottom paddles must be shut on leaving to lock. So apart from bad leaks there is no loss of water, so how does that drain the pound??

 

Leaving paddles up is annoying and anti-social but not much else.

[BruceinSanity]

That means they must have opened the bottom gates (and presumably taken the boat out of the lock), and then gone back and opened the top paddles. Seems like an odd thing to do.

Or it was simple vandalism, of course, and not a boater at all in this case.

[junior]

through Fenny Lock and Dave simply forgot to lower the paddles on one of the gates. It wasn't intentional at all, but the furious boater who came out of the pub screaming at us didn't seem to appreciate our apology...mistake

 

Fortunately he had his windless with him in the pub, and shut the paddle whilst screaming - otherwise we would have pulled over and gone back and shut it ourselves

Sounds like the landlords usual behaviour.

[mark99]

 

 

Fortunately he had his windless with him in the pub, and shut the paddle whilst screaming - otherwise we would have pulled over and gone back and shut it ourselves

 

 

No that's his speciality. He came screaming out at me cos I left the gates open so I invited him to obverse the boat coming round the

bend needing to go in the lock. He slunk off.

[b0atman]

I am single handed and do not often have to moor up on bollards after doing locks but stop the boat at the entrance or exit guides then close gates paddles are closed whilst opening .

[Martin Megson]

No excuse for leaving paddles up. However, when I came down the GU I found that many locks south of Tring had CRT signs stating that the lock should be left empty with bottom gates open ( probably due to leakage through the lock walls). I got used to this and then realised I'd passed through a couple of locks that didn't have the sign leaving the lower gates open.

[GUMPY]

Wait till you get down past Berko

You will have to get used to not shutting bottom gate paddles as the locks have to be left empty with lower paddles up.

 

It was always convention not to shut gates on lower GU (sth of the summit) as the canal is river fed for most of its length.

[mark99]

A couple passed me on GU Harefield recently when I was on a mudbank and offered to drag me off and were really helpful / concerned (I did not need their help I just needed them to pass so I could blast off). Once free, I descended two locks which they had left lower gates both open and paddles up.

 

It can only be genuine ignorance in that instance (showing lots of concern does not equate to leaving locks against me) - it was I suspect, a passing Whilton Wobbler.

Edited May 9, 2016 by mark99

[b0atman]

Wha Hey Its London Tomorrow Or Nowhere

[alan_fincher]

A couple passed me on GU Harefield recently when I was on a mudbank and offered to drag me off and were really helpful / concerned (I did not need their help I just needed them to pass so I could blast off). Once free, I descended two locks which they had left lower gates both open and paddles up.

 

It can only be ignorance in that instance - it was I suspect, a passing Whilton Wobbler.

 

Assuming of course they were not any of the very many (and increasing number of) locks on the lower parts of the Southern GU that now have signs saying they should be left in this state, (as mentioned by Loddon).

 

Paradoxically there are large numbers of boaters who choose to ignore the signs, and to leave the locks full, despite clear instructions that they should be drawn off, and a bottom paddle left up.

[NickF]

I'm slightly puzzled. Assuming normal locking the bottom paddles must be shut to fill the lock enough to open the top gates. Similarly the top paddles must be shut to empty the lock enough to open the bottom gates. It is not something you can forget to do.

 

In either case the top or bottom paddles must be shut on leaving to lock. So apart from bad leaks there is no loss of water, so how does that drain the pound??

 

Leaving paddles up is annoying and anti-social but not much else.

That's exactly the point, bad leaks!

[mark99]

 

Assuming of course they were not any of the very many (and increasing number of) locks on the lower parts of the Southern GU that now have signs saying they should be left in this state, (as mentioned by Loddon).

 

Paradoxically there are large numbers of boaters who choose to ignore the signs, and to leave the locks full, despite clear instructions that they should be drawn off, and a bottom paddle left up.

 

 

No these are locks that must be left closed and paddles down.

[mark99]

Wha Hey Its London Tomorrow Or Nowhere

 

 

We Hope It's Like Time On Narnia

[Athy]

No one has yet mentioned the obvious suspects: inexperienced holiday boaters who have not received proper tuition at the hire fleet base.

[Wanderer Vagabond]

That means they must have opened the bottom gates (and presumably taken the boat out of the lock), and then gone back and opened the top paddles. Seems like an odd thing to do.

At the Berkhamstead Lock there is a notice on the gate to leave the bottom paddles open (to stop the lock refilling). The problem is caused by those who don't know the difference between the top and bottom gates.

 

I'm slightly puzzled. Assuming normal locking the bottom paddles must be shut to fill the lock enough to open the top gates. Similarly the top paddles must be shut to empty the lock enough to open the bottom gates. It is not something you can forget to do.

 

In either case the top or bottom paddles must be shut on leaving to lock. So apart from bad leaks there is no loss of water, so how does that drain the pound??

 

Leaving paddles up is annoying and anti-social but not much else.

I think you'll find it's a bit more than anti-social. If you leave the top paddles of a lock open and the bottom gates open the water passes straight through the lock draining the pound above the lock, hence the reason at Berkhamstead that I then had to spend an hour moving water to re-float my boat.

[Scholar Gypsy]

....

 

I think you'll find it's a bit more than anti-social. If you leave the top paddles of a lock open and the bottom gates open the water passes straight through the lock draining the pound above the lock, hence the reason at Berkhamstead that I then had to spend an hour moving water to re-float my boat.

 

As well as wasting a lot of water, this is also rather dangerous. If one of the gates moves, or is moved, then the flow of water will catch it and slam it shut. The balance beam will clobber anything or anyone that is in the way.

 

For the avoidance of any doubt (I suspect you already know this) all gates should be shut when running water through a lock, with a paddle open at both ends. (One exception to this rule is guillotine locks eg on the Nene).