Volockies

[nicknorman]

4 minutes ago, Mike the Boilerman said:

 

Ok I'll persist. Why would one need to push a wedge into the gap?

I've not noticed a link to a video. Any idea what post number it is?

I've not heard of it before, but guessing, from the comments, and bearing in mind they are SLOW fillers (in contrast with their reasonably fast emptying) perhaps the general idea is that with 6" to run to level, you can either just put the kettle on for a cuppa, OR ram the gate a bit with the boat and at the moment the kinetic energy vector of the boat passes zero, pop in the wedge. Which keeps the gate ajar and means that there is only enough time for an instant coffee rather than a nicely brewed pot of tea.

[Dave_P]

I've done a tiny bit of pruning in this thread. I'd rather not do any more so will probably just close it if the personal attacks continue. People can hold differing opinions and have different ways of expressing them. Just play the ball and not the man. 

[MtB]

On 19/07/2017 at 22:46, nicknorman said:

I've not heard of it before, but guessing, from the comments, and bearing in mind they are SLOW fillers (in contrast with their reasonably fast emptying) perhaps the general idea is that with 6" to run to level, you can either just put the kettle on for a cuppa, OR ram the gate a bit with the boat and at the moment the kinetic energy vector of the boat passes zero, pop in the wedge. Which keeps the gate ajar and means that there is only enough time for an instant coffee rather than a nicely brewed pot of tea.

 

Ah I see. Thank you. Presumably the top gates are a pair then, so the wedge is driven into the mitre then shoved in further with the boat, to open them prematurely to speed the final filling. 

[nicknorman]

35 minutes ago, Mike the Boilerman said:

 

Ah I see. Thank you. Presumably the top gates are a pair then, so the wedge is driven into the mitre then shoved in further with the boat, to open them prematurely to speed the final filling. 

No, single top gate. But you can still put a wedge in the gap at the side, having opened it with the boat's momentum. But as I said, I'm just guessing.

53 minutes ago, Dave_P said:

I've done a tiny bit of pruning in this thread. I'd rather not do any more so will probably just close it if the personal attacks continue. People can hold differing opinions and have different ways of expressing them. Just play the ball and not the man. 

Would I be right in coming to the conclusion that those threads you have tweaked bear no telltale marker that you've done so? If so, isn't this at odds with Dan's "mission statement" about mod action? Perhaps a previously un-noticed consequence of the forum software upgrade?

 

edited to say - but you do seem to have made one of my posts slightly more insulting than it was. Not that I'm complaining particularly!

Edited July 19, 2017 by nicknorman

[MtB]

On 19/07/2017 at 23:31, nicknorman said:

No, single top gate. But you can still put a wedge in the gap at the side, having opened it with the boat's momentum. But as I said, I'm just guessing.

 

Ah I see. Even easier then. Each time one accidentally bumps the gate hard with one's boat, the wedge drops in a bit deeper and holds the gate that bit more open. Neat!

 

[MHS]

Be careful not to encourage ramming the top gates. Remember this old chestnut....

 

[Peter-Bullfinch]

The three wide locks of the Rufford Branch of the Leeds and Liverpool at Lathom have awkward heavy paddle gear with a small heavy footbridge across the top lock. The volunteer lock keepers I meet here regularly come along a couple of days  each week and have done for a numbers of years now. They are polite and friendly and a great help. They understand really well how these particular locks operate with boats of different sizes. My point is that they greatly ease the boaters passage up and down this branch with its variety of lock gear including the tiresome handcuff locks and clough paddles. I have been told by a few local boaters they would have moved moorings onto the " top line" if it weren' t for having help with some of the four swing bridges and eight locks in this seven mile branch.

 

[Midnight]

9 hours ago, matty40s said:

If you are so right about the Atherstone flight,

To be fair to Nick, Atherstone flight (and all the other baby locks in the area) is gentle by comparison to what I'm used to. The point about Atherstone (in hindsight I wish I just said "a lock somewhere") had little to do with the filling speed. I was just supporting Mac's OP about some vollies. Nothing as drastic happened and the mild rebuke I offered was more in jest than anything else. From my remarks, Nick makes a lot of assumptions, but then again I suspect he just likes the banter.

[mrsmelly]

27 minutes ago, Midnight said:

To be fair to Nick, Atherstone flight (and all the other baby locks in the area) is gentle by comparison to what I'm used to. The point about Atherstone (in hindsight I wish I just said "a lock somewhere") had little to do with the filling speed. I was just supporting Mac's OP about some vollies. Nothing as drastic happened and the mild rebuke I offered was more in jest than anything else. From my remarks, Nick makes a lot of assumptions, but then again I suspect he just likes the banter.

Nick does like the banter and he know understands that a nod from the steerer re his readiness is prerequisite at ALL locks

10 hours ago, Mike the Boilerman said:

 

Ok I'll persist. Why would one need to push a wedge into the gap?

I've not noticed a link to a video. Any idea what post number it is?

Aint it good we can now quote post numbers again,,,,,,,,,,,,makes life so much easier dunnitt

[Midnight]

20 minutes ago, mrsmelly said:

Nick does like the banter and he know understands that a nod from the steerer re his readiness is prerequisite at ALL locks

Don't hold your breath!

PS hope you are back to full health and more mobile than when we met a few weeks ago.

[mayalld]

13 hours ago, nicknorman said:

 

I'm so sorry that you are struggling to understand that my contributions to this thread is split into two seperate issues. Perhaps this link will help:

 

OK, but the response is not specific to that lock, it reflects CRT policy for all locks.

Do you or do you not accept this statement;

it is not a matter of opinion as to whether you need the skippers say-so before opening the paddles, it is essential and critical to the safe operation of the lock.

[nicknorman]

1 hour ago, mrsmelly said:

Nick does like the banter and he know understands that a nod from the steerer re his readiness is prerequisite at ALL locks

No. For the first 30 years or so of my boating life we just got on with it. Boaters tended to know what they were doing and thus weren't insecure and underconfidently needing to be "IN CHARGE!". Recently (last 20 years) that has changed, HOWEVER we still come across plenty of boaters (ourselves included) who see no point in seeking or giving "permission" for the next action in the normal sequence of events to start. So yes I do these days attempt to seek "permission" because I know of the wailing, screaming and sobbing that might occur if I don't.  But lots of people still look blankly at me as I'm jumping up and down like Donkey in Shrek begging to be given permission to move on to the next step in the process. Sometimes I give up and just get on with it, otherwise we'd be there all day.

 

Edited July 20, 2017 by nicknorman

[mrsmelly]

14 minutes ago, Midnight said:

Don't hold your breath!

PS hope you are back to full health and more mobile than when we met a few weeks ago.

I thank you. I am very mobile now and feeling much better. I see the specialists end of next week and will then find out if I need to cancel my booked November holiday!! We need beer next time we meet.

[ditchcrawler]

1 hour ago, Peter-Bullfinch said:

The three wide locks of the Rufford Branch of the Leeds and Liverpool at Lathom have awkward heavy paddle gear with a small heavy footbridge across the top lock. The volunteer lock keepers I meet here regularly come along a couple of days  each week and have done for a numbers of years now. They are polite and friendly and a great help. They understand really well how these particular locks operate with boats of different sizes. My point is that they greatly ease the boaters passage up and down this branch with its variety of lock gear including the tiresome handcuff locks and clough paddles. I have been told by a few local boaters they would have moved moorings onto the " top line" if it weren' t for having help with some of the four swing bridges and eight locks in this seven mile branch.

 

That's fine, but at the other end of the scale there are those that know nothing about boats or locks at all and you can't tell the difference until it goes well or wrong. I know they all need to learn,but they shouldn't be beside a lock learning by themselves.

21 minutes ago, nicknorman said:

No. For the first 30 years or so of my boating life we just got on with it. Boaters tended to know what they were doing and thus weren't insecure and underconfidently needing to be "IN CHARGE!". Recently (last 20 years) that has changed, HOWEVER we still come across plenty of boaters (ourselves included) who see no point in seeking or giving "permission" for the next action in the normal sequence of events to start. So yes I do these days attempt to seek "permission" because I know of the wailing, screaming and sobbing that might occur if I don't.  But lots of people still look blankly at me as I'm jumping up and down like Donkey in Shrek begging to be given permission to move on to the next step in the process. Sometimes I give up and just get on with it, otherwise we'd be there all day.

https://youtu.be/NF95MMcn_B0

Some good points there, when we are locking its rear that I give any signal to Di or her to me. Where it does go pear shaped is when I enter a lock, she closes the bottom gate and some jumbo waps open the top paddle as soon as the gate shuts.

[DeanS]

22 minutes ago, nicknorman said:

 Boaters tended to know what they were doing and thus weren't insecure and underconfidently needing to be "IN CHARGE!".

Just for the record   I am not insecure, nor underconfident. It could be said that insecure boaters may feel obliged to let a volockie do what they want......

[nicknorman]

7 minutes ago, DeanS said:

Just for the record   I am not insecure, nor underconfident. It could be said that insecure boaters may feel obliged to let a volockie do what they want......

Ah but you don't know what you don't know!

Anyway, I think we should bear in mind the many worlds theory. There is one world which is a benign narrow lock with a narrowboat in it, that is well constrained laterally. These don't really require any attention other than to ensure that boat doesn't get cilled etc. This is the world to which I'm referring.

Then there are wide locks which bring in the possibility of lateral loss of control, banging into the side having had the space to pick up speed etc. One has to be more careful with those. This is your world.

Then there are the enormous river locks with possibly lots of boat in, some plastic ones that pop open like a bag of crisps if you nudge them, large paddles, and puny people trying to restrain a 20 tonne boat with a bit of rope in their hands. These require even more care. This is Mrs Melly's world.

[Jim Riley]

Much of this s only relevant to narrow locks. It would be foolish not to seek agreement to open paddles etc in the wide locks of the Rochdale and even more so the Calder and Hebble, which has big ground paddles and bow deck flooding gate paddles.  Mind you I was impressed by a long term ccer I met on the Rochdale a couple of weeks back, "half open?" "Nah! Whack em up, I enjoy riding the waves, it's my only excitement in a day." So we whacked em up and he enjoyed himself !

We have a fairly short boat so I sometimes leave it well back and open it all up. Unless swmbo is having a nap on board, in which case do it gently. 

 

Edited July 20, 2017 by Jim Riley
Haha, cross posted with nick, where he agreed before I said it!

[billS]

13 minutes ago, Jim Riley said:

 Unless swmbo is having a nap on board, in which case do it gently. 

 

You could be on dodgy legal ground there. You have to have express consent - even from your Mrs...

[Jim Riley]

27 minutes ago, billS said:

You could be on dodgy legal ground there. You have to have express consent - even from your Mrs...

Thanks for tapping that one in!

Btw she is legitimately allowed to nap in the daytime, she has Narcolepsy. She also prefers the slow train to the express one. 

[Midnight]

1 hour ago, mrsmelly said:

We need beer next time we meet.

Yes deffo but I'll pay (Yes a Yorkshire man too, must be serious) if you come 'oop norf' - one of the perils of the Oxford canal - couldn't find a good pint with a head on top!

edited to exclude 'The Folly' at Napton from that comment

Edited July 20, 2017 by Midnight

[mrsmelly]

6 minutes ago, Midnight said:

Yes deffo but I'll pay (Yes a Yorkshire man too, must be serious) if you come 'oop norf' - one of the perils of the Oxford canal - couldn't find a good pint with a head on top!

edited to exclude 'The Folly' at Napton from that comment

Goodo. Even worse than trying to find a decent pint which is possible is the fact that south of Nottingham it is simply not possible to purchase good fish and chips ............. not even nearly...

[Athy]

7 minutes ago, Midnight said:

Yes deffo but I'll pay (Yes a Yorkshire man too, must be serious) if you come 'oop norf' - one of the perils of the Oxford canal - couldn't find a good pint with a head on top!

edited to exclude 'The Folly' at Napton from that comment

The Landlord Bitter at the Brasenose (last tested 2 weeks ago) comes suitably headed. They also had Black Sheep, which I didn't try, on tap.

[Midnight]

1 minute ago, Athy said:

The Landlord Bitter at the Brasenose (last tested 2 weeks ago) comes suitably headed. They also had Black Sheep, which I didn't try, on tap.

I'm talking about propa beer!

[Athy]

4 minutes ago, Midnight said:

I'm talking about propa beer!

...as was I. They also have Hook Norton Bitter on draught, does that meet your standards?

Perhaps you prefer that fine Northern brew John Smith's, or a refreshing pint of lager?

Just don't tell me you want Doombar (which, come to think of it, was the fourth draught beer at The Brase, nice to see them catering for people who require a flavour-free drink).

[MtB]

On 20/07/2017 at 11:39, Midnight said:

Yes deffo but I'll pay (Yes a Yorkshire man too, must be serious) if you come 'oop norf' - one of the perils of the Oxford canal - couldn't find a good pint with a head on top!

edited to exclude 'The Folly' at Napton from that comment

 

Down here we like to get the whole pint of beer in our pint glass we just paid for, not 7/8 of a pint of beer and 1/8 of a pint of bubbles.

After all it just cost us approaching a fiver!