Victor reckons it's all systems go!

IT IS ALL systems go indeed with the repairs to the Llangollen Canal.

This, as you could have read, is suffering a leak/breach—take your pick!

It seems, as our Keith tells me, Canal & River Trust can do a quick job when needed, but a pity it wasn't done this quick with other similar problems for us boaters benefit!

Supplies water

But the Llangollen, as many will be aware, supplies water to the residents of Crewe—an estimated 12 million gallons every day. And the citizens of that fair town cannot be without their wet stuff. Eh?

It is the Dee that supplies the canal that, via the Horse Shoe Falls (pictured), then supplies the Llangollen Canal that then goes on to keep Hurleston Reservoir full, it being situated where the canal joins the Shroppie.

We are told by CaRT that work is urgently under way to protect the site of the leak (now demoted from a breach you may notice) with a further assessment being made tomorrow, Monday.

This will be tested and monitored over the weekend to ensure the site remains stable, we are informed. Then the result of the further test on Monday morning will decide if restricted boat movement can be made through the site, and the stuck boats allowed to escape. As to the actual problem we are not any wiser, as it is now neither a leak nor breach but a 'potential breach'.

But whatever, it is set for a temporary repair, that really is neither use nor ornament, as it will still need to be permanently fixed to be secure and thus the section will need to be drained to be able to achieve such a repair.

Then it will be a matter of pipes to carry the water past the site (pictured) to keep the reservoir full. So methinks it would be better now as it is overflowing and should last quite a few days.

Ah! But it will be contractors that will take the expected Monday to Friday working to complete, and there's no telling how many Mondays to Fridays, until it is finally finished. To play safe the use of pipes sounds a better proposition. As to boaters, methinks they don't enter into the equation...

One thing for sure it will not take the months to fix as it has done for similar problems elsewhere. The reservoir will see to that.

Will sort 'em out

I bet CaRT would love to get the National Bargee Traveller Association and all its members classed as extremists and then blacklist them, good and bad for good measure!

I know quite a few continuous cruisers, and all they are looking for is a quiet, affordable way of life. I also know some that will always abuse the rules, any rules.

Victor Swift—telling tales for 23 years