Are the Canals going to Last?

[brassedoff]

What do you think?

Sub Contracter's charging CRT big bucks.

Do I need to park my Boat in a farmer's field and plant Dafodils.?

 

Being serious I do worry it's all going a bit down hill. :-genuinely.

Edited January 31, 2018 by brassedoff

[Alan de Enfield]

18 minutes ago, brassedoff said:

What do you think?

Sub Contracter's charging CRT big bucks.

Do I need to park my Boat in a farmer's field and plant Dafodils.?

 

Being serious I do worry it's all going a bit down hill. :-genuinely.

One thing I learnt (it stuck with me) from a very expensive Management Course was :

"Don't worry about anything you cannot change or influence"

"Co-Operate with the inevitable - there are some things you cannot control. Accept them and plan how to deal with them so you can move on".

The canals as we know them are probably not going to exist much longer - There is no longer an effective Boating IWA, there is no 'cheer-leader' for the canals, people are now too insular in their lives, & there are too many divisive issues.

It is going to happen so why worry about it, get on and worry about things that you can have some effect on.

 

Edited January 31, 2018 by Alan de Enfield

[brassedoff]

3 minutes ago, Alan de Enfield said:

One thing I learnt (it stuck with me) from a very expensive Management Course was :

"Don't worry about anything you cannot change or influence"

"Co-Operate with the inevitable - there are some things you cannot control. Accept them and plan how to deal with them so you can move on".

The canals as we know them are probably not going to exist much longer - It is going to happen so why worry about it, get on and worry about things that you can have some effect on.

I guess your right Alan but am pretty new to boating and only 2 years into it.

A lot of money invested and all that,  like a lot of people on the cut.

 

 

 

[zenataomm]

When I went on my first boating holiday in my teens (1967) I fell in love with every aspect of it.

If I'd known how it was going to be in fifty years time would I have stayed around to watch it? Probably not.

Am I glad I did? Yes, but I am disappointed the way it went.

[brassedoff]

9 minutes ago, zenataomm said:

When I went on my first boating holiday in my teens (1967) I fell in love with every aspect of it.

If I'd known how it was going to be in fifty years time would I have stayed around to watch it? Probably not.

Am I glad I did? Yes, but I am disappointed the way it went.

It's gone pear shaped even in the short time I've been floating. :-(

Not the same now.

[MtB]

39 minutes ago, brassedoff said:

What do you think?

Sub Contracter's charging CRT big bucks.

Do I need to park my Boat in a farmer's field and plant Dafodils.?

 

Being serious I do worry it's all going a bit down hill. :-genuinely.

 

Excellent advice from Alan in post 2. Standard business skool stuff sadlyt not taught in ourt state skools.

But to answer your question, nothing ever stays the same but no you don't need to beach your boat in a field now. You need to stay out and about enjoying the canals while you can. I reckon there is a good ten years to go before we start seeing significant losses in the cruising infrastructure, before the C&RT begin to get overwhelmed by maintenance and locks here and there begin to break and stay broken. Possibly 20 years even. 

In the meantime use and enjoy them, for one day they will all be linear duck ponds. Just not yet.

[brassedoff]

1 minute ago, Mike the Boilerman said:

 

Excellent advice from Alan in post 2. Standard business skool stuff sadlyt not taught in ourt state skools.

But to answer your question, nothing ever stays the same but no you don't need to beach your boat in a field now. You need to stay out and about enjoying the canals while you can. I reckon there is a good ten years to go before we start seeing significant losses in the cruising infrastructure, before the C&RT begin to get overwhelmed by maintenance and locks here and there begin to break and stay broken. Possibly 20 years even. 

In the meantime use and enjoy them, for one day they will all be linear duck ponds. Just not yet.

I hope so Mike I really do.

I still enjoy mucking about randomly at will.

Maybe were the lucky ones that get to have seen it.

[LadyG]

56 minutes ago, Alan de Enfield said:

One thing I learnt (it stuck with me) from a very expensive Management Course was :

"Don't worry about anything you cannot change or influence"

"Co-Operate with the inevitable - there are some things you cannot control. Accept them and plan how to deal with them so you can move on".

The canals as we know them are probably not going to exist much longer - There is no longer an effective Boating IWA, there is no 'cheer-leader' for the canals, people are now too insular in their lives, & there are too many divisive issues.

It is going to happen so why worry about it, get on and worry about things that you can have some effect on.

 

You are a stakeholder: ergo you can influence, and even change. 

 

[brassedoff]

19 minutes ago, LadyG said:

You are a stakeholder: ergo you can influence, and even change. 

 

I new I've seen Alan before!

[Laurie Booth]

1 hour ago, brassedoff said:

What do you think?

Sub Contracter's charging CRT big bucks.

Do I need to park my Boat in a farmer's field and plant Dafodils.?

 

Being serious I do worry it's all going a bit down hill. :-genuinely.

Yep, farmers field.

Roses not daffs though.

 

[brassedoff]

5 hours ago, Laurie.Booth said:

Yep, farmers field.

Roses not daffs though.

 

It might be difficult digging Roses up every 14 days.

[Movin' on]

Well that's a nice depressing post to wake up to...........sadly I agree particularly with post #4 which pretty well sums up our views and experience after 50 years floating about - when we sold our boat last year we had a major debate as to whether to stop but decided there was 10 years max left of the world we love and 5 years left in us to enjoy it so we have bought again - BUT we have left behind "proper" traditional classic deeper drafted boats and bought very much with resale I mind as I believe the only boats that will sell easily in the future are ones that can truly be lived on.

We are the lucky ones we have enjoyed the best years - IMHO the world started changing 5 years+ ago with the arrival of wide beams (apparently 3 have been craned in around Watford heading south this week alone) and floaters NOT their fault but a reflection of much wider economic factors too serious to debate here but the canals are not a housing estate populated by insular people they are by definition transport corridors where boats and water move about and keep the infrastructure "lubricated".

Rant over...........its still a great place to spend time and a much better community than anything else on offer so don't head for that farmers field (or did you mean marina?) just yet keep boating and enjoy it! 

BTW I don't expect everyone to agree with me..........................but it will be interesting to see how this post develops

 

Edited February 1, 2018 by Halsey

[Irob]

It would seem to me that as an ' industry'  the canal culture is growing more popular as escapism from the ratrace, fortunately that brings more funds in to CRT but also more traffic. Costs will always rise and maybe difficult to see how the poor and rich can live together on the cut. But where theres a will theres a way provided we can keep the spirit of respect and friendliness alive and impress on newcomers that tranquility is the culture and speed n noise are the enemy.

[dogless]

Perhaps what will happen, is that those who feel very negative will clear off the water, leaving more room for those feeling positive

Today is always somebody's good old days.

Happy boating.

Rog

[X Alan W]

Maybe it will have to revert back as it was in the 50's 60's & 70's & c&rt will have to allow volunteer organisations to carry out maintenance/repairs etc. but has the thinking changed are the canal enthusiasts still about & willing to put in the time/effort again only to see C&rt squander away on useless schemes a lot of folk +myself did our bit to ensure a good mileage of "cut" from becoming an over grown ditch or as a lot of town dwellers of that time wanted them filled in It was achieved then is the will there to possibly repeat the exerciser

[system 4-50]

Sorry, the farmer's field has just gone, for house building. The only vacant spaces left are for small creatures wearing tracking collars and personal video cameras, and have 4 film crews per sq foot.

[matty40s]

11 minutes ago, dogless said:

 

Today is always somebody's good old NIGHTS

Happy boating.

Rog

It was lovely last night, nobody in the way( except for the swans), no queues,  and you couldn't see the network collapsing in front of your eyes.

[alan_fincher]

7 hours ago, LadyG said:

You are a stakeholder: ergo you can influence, and even change.

How much have you personally tried to influence / change how CRT (and BW before them) have operated over the last few years?

I have been trying to, both just as a licence holder, but also as part of a CRT advisory group - trying quite hard in fact, and for some years.

Yes, you may influence a bit, but you'll be lucky to do much more than try to halt a few bad ideas, in my experience.  Producing real change to an organisation with so much "history" is a nightmare.  So much resource is wasted on things of little matter, while big problems go largely unaddressed.

I would be interested to those who really believe they have been able to make major impacts, and what those major impacts actually were.

[Naughty Cal]

Some of you are being very pessimistic of late. Perhaps you should go out boating a bit more and enjoy yourselves.

[MtB]

2 minutes ago, Naughty Cal said:

Some of you are being very pessimistic of late. Perhaps you should go out boating a bit more and enjoy yourselves.

 

I nominate this for “trite comment of the week” award. 

[Alan de Enfield]

An old post (2007) by Liam :

 

Once upon a time, not so long ago, last Friday, Winston (or Win to all those knew him) was proud to be a British Waterways lengthsman. He was responsible for a length of canal and had a short dumb workboat which he moved along the canal to wherever he thought a job needed doing. The boat had a small wood burning stove and Win, using his boat as a work platform, would saw down overhanging branches from the offside, break them into short lengths, stow them in the hold and use them to warm himself on a freezing cold day and brew a mashing of tea for his lunch. Any trees or other problems which were a hazard to navigation would be reported by Win and dealt with by the maintenance gang. Win would walk a different length of towpath of his section everyday, carrying a long handled blade to clear away any small shrubs growing out of the towpath wall and trim long grass and towpath hedges as he went.

Win was responsible for several locks along his length. Every morning he would clear away accumulated rubbish from the by-wash, occasionally oil and grease the paddle gear, paint the balance beams and keep the lock surroundings clean and tidy. He knew the location of the culverts and the best way to keep them clear. Win would inform the local Licence Enforcement Officer of any boat navigating his section without a licence. Win would instruct novice boaters in the workings of a lock and show them the safe way to work the lock and how to wind paddles up and down. Boaters would wave and smile at Win. He would smile and wave back and tell them of any problems or stoppages to the best of his knowledge. Walkers would enquire of Win how the locks work and he found the time to tell them. Win was everybody’s ray of sunshine and instant point of contact and the fount of all knowledge on his length of canal.

Win never won awards in the best length competition but his work was respected by all. But ‘The Office’ said, “How does Win do his job without instruction?” So they created a planning position and hired two people, a Section Supervisor to write the method statements and one person to do time studies. Then ‘The Office’ said, “How will we know that Win is doing his tasks correctly?” So they created a quality control position and hired two people, one to do the risk assessments and one to write the reports. Then ‘The Office’ said, “How are these people going to get paid?” So they created a payroll department and hired two people, one to be time keeper and one to be payroll officer. Then ‘The Office’ said, “Who will be accountable for all of these people?” So they created an administrative position and hired three people, a Section Inspector, an Assistant Admin Officer and a Legal Secretary.

Twelve months later, ‘The Office’ said: “We have had this system in operation for one year and we are £125,000 over-budget, we must cut back on the overall costs.” And so, of course, the first thing ‘The Office’ did was make Win redundant...

[matty40s]

13 minutes ago, Naughty Cal said:

Some of you are being very pessimistic of late. Perhaps you should go out boating a bit more and enjoy yourselves.

I've just spent a week looking at how the network is deteriorating,  and how the CRT/ contractor repair works are failing almost before they are finished. Thank you for your advice.

[Athy]

I agree with Rachel. After all, many of our canals have been there for over 200 years, sometimes weathering hard times, and they are still open. There is no reason for that situation to change.

 

Slogan of the day: Trite is Right.

[Alan de Enfield]

15 minutes ago, Naughty Cal said:

Some of you are being very pessimistic of late. Perhaps you should go out boating a bit more and enjoy yourselves.

Maybe if you (could) get out onto the canals a little more you would see the problems for yourself.

[mrsmelly]

15 minutes ago, Mike the Boilerman said:

 

I nominate this for “trite comment of the week” award. 

But she is in fact right. We bought our first liveaboard at Ansty in 1989 and loved it immediately but were concerned as to how shallow the canal was and there were several cars and three piece suites every few yards. Even worse was Manchester and the maccy was shallow etc etc. 28 years later and the system is in far better shape than it was then, just one small for instance was in 90 the locks and paddles on the wigan flight were virtualy unuseable we had a hell of a job doing it, much better now. Enjoy you boating if its been two years then keep at it. We are CART have budget and management problems same as many others but life and boating will continue.