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Are single-handers the pariahs of the system?


nicknorman

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So now I'm 'judged' to be inefficient, wasting energy, a bimbler and lacking any sense of achievement.

You have a nice day ;)

Rog

You're not judged by me to be inefficient, I've no idea how you conduct yourself at locks. But it is exactly how you described yourself. Perhaps you should check how you have described yourself before launching into passive aggressive behaviour?

 

being efficient......just not my thing.

 

Edited by nicknorman
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I have found that half the time (depending who I am sharing locks with) I am quicker working the locks as a single hander than with others.

 

More so on a lock flight. I can arrive and tie up with the gates open quicker than a lot of boaters can get their crew on board and back off again.

 

Having crew seems to only make me marginally faster.

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You're not judged by me to be inefficient, I've no idea how you conduct yourself at locks. But it is exactly how you described yourself. Perhaps you should check how you have described yourself before launching into passive aggressive behaviour?

I'm sorry I passed comment on your post.

 

I'll not make that mistake again, but I thought you were seeking opinions.

 

Sorry again

 

Rog

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As a single-hander, I like to start on big flights early in the morning, like dawn, so I can go at my own pace.

I think I travel at a medium-ish speed, but I never set more than one lock ahead.

Travelling in the middle of the day I sometimes find myself in the situation where the most efficient process is for me to stay on my boat and let other crews work the locks - but this is tedious and no fun, I like doing at least some of the work.

One method that sometimes works is for me to leave gates open on exit. This speeds me up and slows boats behind me down, on average we both go faster. But I have to hope they understand and don't think I'm just being lazy!

 

What I was wondering is if on wide canals people would be happy to tie up my boat beside theirs and then they get to drive both together and leave me free to help with the locks. If some would then I would be prepared to have some suitable short ropes set up ready.

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What I was wondering is if on wide canals people would be happy to tie up my boat beside theirs and then they get to drive both together and leave me free to help with the locks. If some would then I would be prepared to have some suitable short ropes set up ready.

 

I have done that with someone. Only the once going up the Braunston flight. It was fun and would do it again. Once I got used to the width and how it steered it was just fine. We seemed to whizz up the 6 locks in no time partly because of the efficiency of the people working the locks while I steered but also just because of the fun we had.

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One method that sometimes works is for me to leave gates open on exit. This speeds me up and slows boats behind me down, on average we both go faster. But I have to hope they understand and don't think I'm just being lazy!

I am trying to get my head round this. If you leaving the gates open, by your own admission slows them up, how can you both go faster?

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I have done that with someone. Only the once going up the Braunston flight. It was fun and would do it again. Once I got used to the width and how it steered it was just fine. We seemed to whizz up the 6 locks in no time partly because of the efficiency of the people working the locks while I steered but also just because of the fun we had.

 

David Schweizer and I have done this a couple of times when single handing going to the Buckby Banters.

 

 

 

Confuses some folks coming the other way!

Edited by Ray T
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I am trying to get my head round this. If you leaving the gates open, by your own admission slows them up, how can you both go faster?

 

Because he's not holding them up so much because he's going faster! But like him I would hope that they would understand the reason for this, like I do. It gives the crew behind ( a bit) more work though, but that doesn't matter if there's enough of them. I've never actually done this, though. In fact, once the crew behind were so very pleasant but clueless that I lifted a paddle or more as I left the locks (on the Diggle flight).

ifted

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Because he's not holding them up so much because he's going faster! But like him I would hope that they would understand the reason for this, like I do. It gives the crew behind ( a bit) more work though, but that doesn't matter if there's enough of them. I've never actually done this, though. In fact, once the crew behind were so very pleasant but clueless that I lifted a paddle or more as I left the locks (on the Diggle flight).

ifted

Surely the boat behind would go faster if he allowed it to catch up and then pulled in to let them pass.

 

I am afraid I wouldn't feel very friendly if I found all gates left open against me. But I suppose I am just a miserable old so and so.

  • Greenie 1
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Surely the boat behind would go faster if he allowed it to catch up and then pulled in to let them pass.

 

I am afraid I wouldn't feel very friendly if I found all gates left open against me. But I suppose I am just a miserable old so and so.

 

As a singlehander I would find it very hard going if I let a crewed boat past in a flight and then found all the locks against me. In these circumstances (and it happened this week) I would offer to let them past but express the hope that they might raise a paddle for me at each lock. In this case they were happy to do so.

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As a singlehander I would find it very hard going if I let a crewed boat past in a flight and then found all the locks against me. In these circumstances (and it happened this week) I would offer to let them past but express the hope that they might raise a paddle for me at each lock. In this case they were happy to do so.

 

 

Have to say I'm inclined to agree. If I was single handing up a flight where all the locks were set in my favour, I wouldn't want to risk letting a boat past either.

 

I've let too many faster boats past me only to find they twonk about at locks ahead and hold me up big time. Grrrr....

  • Greenie 1
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As a singlehander I would find it very hard going if I let a crewed boat past in a flight and then found all the locks against me. In these circumstances (and it happened this week) I would offer to let them past but express the hope that they might raise a paddle for me at each lock. In this case they were happy to do so.

We open a paddle for the boat behind when there are only two of us

 

Well, until we leave them too far behind that is

 

Richard

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It's simply because working locks efficiently and expeditiously is rewarding,

I totally agree with the first part. If I knew what "expeditiously" meant, I might well agree with you on that as well.

 

If we're going uphill and no one is coming, we do sometimes stay in the lock to eat our lunchtime sandwiches, rather than eating them on the move. It means we can stop for ten minutes without having to tie up. Now that's what I call efficiency of movement.

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SLOW DOWN!!!!

No speed limits exceeded. No moored boats passed above tickover. No gates rammed or slammed. No water wasted. Perhaps we should have done the whole thing backwards in reverse gear just to keep you happy? Mind you at least we didn't have to stop to listen to the Archers, that saved a lot of time.

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Not if you shout, only if you ask nicely.

OK then......

 

Slow down.

 

Please nicely.

 

smile.png

No speed limits exceeded. No moored boats passed above tickover. No gates rammed or slammed. No water wasted. Perhaps we should have done the whole thing backwards in reverse gear just to keep you happy? Mind you at least we didn't have to stop to listen to the Archers, that saved a lot of time.

Now come on Nick.

 

Even you ought to know that 'The Archers' isn't broadcast on a Saturday!

 

laugh.png

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OK then......

 

Slow down.

 

Please nicely.

 

:)

Yeabut

WHY?

 

Being expeditious and efficient and scampering around at locks keeps me youthful. That's why despite being 59 7/8ths I only look ... Errrr ... 59 3/4.

Now come on Nick.

 

Even you ought to know that 'The Archers' isn't broadcast on a Saturday!

 

:lol:

Nope, I've absolutely no idea when the everyday story of cuntry folk is broadcast. Jeff knows he isn't allowed to listen to it live on the boat, he has to download it and then listen to it in the dead of night on headphones whilst hiding under the duvet. Edited by nicknorman
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You're not related to Rob Titchenor are you?

Jeff now says he secretly listened to the Marchers between locks 9 and 10 and locks 10 and 11 of Aston <OUTRAGEOUS> but he confirms I'm definitely not related to Rob Titchenob.

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Jeff now says he secretly listened to the Marchers between locks 9 and 10 and locks 10 and 11 of Aston <OUTRAGEOUS> but he confirms I'm definitely not related to Rob Titchenob.

 

 

He's secretly winding you up... :D

(Not saying about which bit .. )

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What I was wondering is if on wide canals people would be happy to tie up my boat beside theirs and then they get to drive both together and leave me free to help with the locks. If some would then I would be prepared to have some suitable short ropes set up ready.

 

I have done that a few times - e.g. two occasions going up Braunston. Being single handed I don't like sharing wide locks and not doing any of the lock work. If i meet another single handed boater I will suggest we breast the boats up.

 

Second time I did this the other boater was Trevor Maggs on Corona, only I didn't know him or his history. I just thought he looked a bit feeble to be doing the locks! Little did I know! It took him about 30 secs to think about it before he agreed. So he steered and I worked the locks, Trevor doing his side once in the lock and me closing up after on both sides.

 

As someone else has said, it confused some boaters we met who were coming down the flight!

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