Forth and Clyde Closure

[AllanD]

Weed growth has been a problem for quite a while; it is this that prevents us from being able to simply moor alongside the canal towpath but requires us to moor in specified locations. 

[Up-Side-Down]

20 hours ago, 13-10 said:

A good letter. Should also be sent to the the Government Cross Party Committee for Recreational Boating and Marine Tourism. Have heard that hire boat bookings are already down by 20%

If anybody fancies it rattle off an e-mail to the below MSP's who sit on said committee. I've written to the Deputy Convener Liam Kerr

Group Members

• Angus MacDonald
• Clare Adamson
• Jackie Baillie
• Joan McAlpine
• John Finnie
• Kenneth Gibson
• Lewis Macdonald
• Liam McArthur

Good thinking 13-10. Certainly the MSPs listed will have had a copy.

[Jokar]

Could any Bowling boaters please comment on this please, I have proposed  that Scottish canals adopt a boat movement  booking system for the sea locks, where  boaters must give at least 48hr notice to get out the seal lock, and 24hr notice to get back in. This needs to be available  7 days per week between 8am and 8pm. Obviously on days when tides don't suit during vthe 8am till 8pm times the sealock can be closed to bookings, allowing scottish canals to get the guys off site if that is the intention. Obviously  this will also give them the full winter to do what they like unless n odd boat books in.

Boaters who are out at sea  must be able to get back to their berths to escape dangerous  weather etc. We must not be put at risk by having no choice but to get our boat in due to work commitments  etc or face being locked out for days.

Please let me know what you think, as this was my suggestion to Katie Homes, who is dealing with my official complaint, she has offered very little to give me confidence of any changes to their plans, but as business sense goes this would be my solution to save funding, if it was me running the business.

[Up-Side-Down]

2 hours ago, Jokar said:

Could any Bowling boaters please comment on this please, I have proposed  that Scottish canals adopt a boat movement  booking system for the sea locks, where  boaters must give at least 48hr notice to get out the seal lock, and 24hr notice to get back in. This needs to be available  7 days per week between 8am and 8pm. Obviously on days when tides don't suit during vthe 8am till 8pm times the sealock can be closed to bookings, allowing scottish canals to get the guys off site if that is the intention. Obviously  this will also give them the full winter to do what they like unless n odd boat books in.

Boaters who are out at sea  must be able to get back to their berths to escape dangerous  weather etc. We must not be put at risk by having no choice but to get our boat in due to work commitments  etc or face being locked out for days.

Please let me know what you think, as this was my suggestion to Katie Homes, who is dealing with my official complaint, she has offered very little to give me confidence of any changes to their plans, but as business sense goes this would be my solution to save funding, if it was me running the business.

This would be the sensible way to set about things Jokar and the way all the tidal locks are manned on CART (and other) waters doon soooth.

 

However, you have to bear in mind that up here you are now dealing with estate agents – who have taken over running the navigation – and who confidently advise boaters, taking up Living on Water residential moorings on the F&C (entering the canal from the Clyde) that high tide Bowling is 10.10 ......... every day! (you couldn't make it up)

[Jokar]

Could any Bowling boaters please comment on this please, I have proposed  that Scottish canals adopt a boat movement  booking system for the sea locks, where  boaters must give at least 48hr notice to get out the seal lock, and 24hr notice to get back in. This needs to be available  7 days per week between 8am and 8pm. Obviously on days when tides don't suit during vthe 8am till 8pm times the sealock can be closed to bookings, allowing scottish canals to get the guys off site if that is the intention.

Boaters who are out at sea  must be able to get back to their berths to escape dangerous  weather etc. We must not be put at risk by having no choice but to get our boat in due to work commitments  etc or face being locked out for days.

Please let me know what you think, as this was my suggestion to Katie Homes, who is dealing with my official complaint, she has offered very little to give me confidence of any changes to their plans, but as business sense goes this would be my solution to save funding, if it was me running the business.

Edited May 2, 2018 by Jokar

[Jokar]

I have actually  heard that before, seemingly the folk who make the decisions know bugger all about tides, they need to realise that Bowling harbour has no water at low tide, maybe if they visited Bowling at low tide and high tide they could understand  it a bit better. A site meeting with boaters at low tide would be good.

[AllanD]

You may need to be Scottish to understand the following, but when you talk to some people about "Springs and Neaps" they assume that you are talking about cabbage and turnips. A severe interpersonal gap in upbringing often leads to a drastic lack of interest. 

Edited May 2, 2018 by AllanD

[13-10]

New poster being adopted by SC ?

 

 

 

 

[Waterway2go]

Even worse, the poster depicts someone "interfering" with a lock gate, which has been declared illegal in Strathclyde & Central - but not in Argyll

[AllanD]

Do you know if anyone took up SC's generous offer to operate locks yesterday to allow movement from Bowling or intend to make passage through Twechar or Bonny Bridge bridges tomorrow? If so could you please let us know how you got on. 

[Alan de Enfield]

8 minutes ago, AllanD said:

Do you know if anyone took up SC's generous offer to operate locks yesterday to allow movement from Bowling or intend to make passage through Twechar or Bonny Bridge bridges tomorrow? If so could you please let us know how you got on. 

And, if no one did use them it could reinforce BWS argument about lack of use.

 

I would suggest that Scottish boaters need to co-ordinate as much as possible, or it'll be like the 'Village Shop' - "use it or lose it".

[Jokar]

Scottish boaters don't need to coordinate things, scottish canals do, if they organised boat movement bookings and made the canal more useable more boaters would move around,  when we were at Auchinstarry we would go with a few boats to the stables at Kirkintilloch  or lock 17 underwood lock house, now destroyed by fire ,  but given that folk cant move freely then they won't move. To be honest there isn't much left on the Forth and clyde to encourage  boat movements anyway. And even boats at the sea locks don't move much, maybe only a few boats at each end venture out to the rivers. Hence why scottish  canals see no reason to give any service now

[ronnietucker]

Anyone know if everything went OK with the moving of boats through the knackered bridges the other day?

Didn't go to the boat this weekend. Lovely weather today, so I wish I had gone down  

[AllanD]

Don't know about passage through the bridges, but did notice a cruiser moving along between Kirkintilloch and the Stables Restaurant this afternoon. 

[ronnietucker]

11 minutes ago, AllanD said:

Don't know about passage through the bridges, but did notice a cruiser moving along between Kirkintilloch and the Stables Restaurant this afternoon. 

From their last email, SC was going to use this weekend to try and open all the dodgy bridges as a one off to get everyone to where they should be. Just hope it went OK.

[13-10]

There's a few boats I passed who've come up from F&C on to the Union Canal (I've heard there'll be 9 in total). Not sure where they're all mooring. As an aside if you phone the assisted passage line don't leave a message, good chance it won't be checked

[Jokar]

I called Bowling sea lock on the 2nd 3rd and 4th May, no answer, is this a new method of not moving boats? This is the first wasted bank holiday weekend where it was pointless going out not being able to get back in till Wednesday,  if they even answer a phone

[ronnietucker]

2 minutes ago, Jokar said:

I called Bowling sea lock on the 2nd 3rd and 4th May, no answer, is this a new method of not moving boats? This is the first wasted bank holiday weekend where it was pointless going out not being able to get back in till Wednesday,  if they even answer a phone

Where in the hell do you moor up on the Clyde (or where ever you happen to be) if you can't get back in until Wednesday?  

[13-10]

2 minutes ago, Jokar said:

I called Bowling sea lock on the 2nd 3rd and 4th May, no answer, is this a new method of not moving boats? This is the first wasted bank holiday weekend where it was pointless going out not being able to get back in till Wednesday,  if they even answer a phone

Well having the same mobile number for locks, bridges,pump outs,diesel etc was never going to go well. I kept phoning until I got an answer

[ronnietucker]

26 minutes ago, 13-10 said:

There's a few boats I passed who've come up from F&C on to the Union Canal (I've heard there'll be 9 in total).

1

Cue playing the convoy song, but at quarter speed.  

[Alan de Enfield]

1 minute ago, ronnietucker said:

Where in the hell do you moor up on the Clyde (or where ever you happen to be) if you can't get back in until Wednesday?  

Maybe a 'bit of a trip' for you but we stopped at Rhu Marina.

Very nice.

[13-10]

3 minutes ago, ronnietucker said:

Cue playing the convoy song, but at quarter speed.  

Including a feckin wide beam that didn't slow or move over. Moved to the side and ran aground on one of the many collapsed canal walls now lying on the bottom

Edited May 6, 2018 by 13-10

[ronnietucker]

5 minutes ago, Alan de Enfield said:

Maybe a 'bit of a trip' for you but we stopped at Rhu Marina.

Very nice.

Big river stuff is for the grown-ups. I'm still a kid at this lark.  

But I fancy some small river trips once I get more experience.

[Jokar]

RHU isn't that far, but why should I need to pay for a marina  to berth my boat when I already have a mooring? I've had to pay before when the sealock was burst but they are just taking the piss, no phone answered on Wednesday, no answer on Thursday at mid day, and no Answer on Friday morning, so we decided  not to go out as we would have been waiting till 4pm on Friday night and then need to be back in on Sunday before 4pm, fecking joke , certainly  not a leisure  activity  having a boat there.

[13-10]

11 minutes ago, Jokar said:

RHU isn't that far, but why should I need to pay for a marina  to berth my boat when I already have a mooring? I've had to pay before when the sealock was burst but they are just taking the piss, no phone answered on Wednesday, no answer on Thursday at mid day, and no Answer on Friday morning, so we decided  not to go out as we would have been waiting till 4pm on Friday night and then need to be back in on Sunday before 4pm, fecking joke , certainly  not a leisure  activity  having a boat there.

Jokar, did you phone the assisted passage number