Victor: In trepidation - A happier note

A happier note

On a happier note, we met the boat escorting the Breast Cancer Walk Half Marathon at Branston Lock, with the ladies walking from Mercia Marina to Alrewas, dressed all in pink of course and calling at the various pubs with their collecting buckets.

Robert Neff, Manager at Mercia who had organised the walk, told us that Avante Leisure Boats had given the boat Puck for two days, with Jo James hoping that they will raise  £1,000 from their efforts.

With the boat were Robert (holding the rope) together with Jo, Roy Whitehouse and Mike Coates, all three  moorers at Mercia.

Favourite lock

On to my favourite Branston Lock, where each gate swings with a gentle pull or push, where you can partly open a gate, step across holding the hand rail and push it open with a foot then open the other.  And such are its paddles that it fills or empties in very few minutes—if only....

A bit different from the later Bagnall Lock, where we met a boater coming out who just didn't know how he could keep the bottom gates closed.  You can't mate, and like Aston you cannot keep them closed when going in unless again you open a top paddle first. And with 'crooked' beams, they are a bugger to move.  I just wonder if the powers that be had different lock repair teams.  One obviously knowing what they were doing and the other who should have been sacked long ago. Mind you the new mural was very pretty and had not been attacked.

Here they are

I mentioned the lack of moving boats, even on a Bank Holiday, then we found them at Branston—26 no less.  Stretching from well before the bridge by the pub and past the piling and with many moored on pins.

Yet I well remember last  year, though a bit earlier when we passed, when the moorings were completely empty. One again it was obvious that the surge in continuous cruisers was making its mark.

Dredged and not

One thing that was noticeable on the Trent & Mersey along its narrow section towards Fradley that it must have been dredged as the boat scuttled away nicely without much effort, but a drastic change upon reaching the Coventry, where the first few miles were very shallow, though it did improved in some stretches.

Though somewhat concerned at tackling Fradley on a Bank Holiday Monday well after 9pm, we need not had worried, for the junction was completely devoid of moving boats. There was just one, that went ahead into Junction Lock only to have the bottom gates repeatedly swing open, until Jan reached them and told the lady that—and you know what's coming—they would not keep closed unless a top paddle was first opened to hold them.  Yes, the crap lock team had struck again!

Not right

It really was not fair of British Waterways and more latterly Canal & River Trust in promoting so many marinas yet at the same time are issuing so many continuous cruiser licences, thus guaranteeing these boaters would have no need of the marinas

King Orchard Marina on the Coventry is a prime example, with as can be seen from the picture, many empty berths yet scores of continuous cruisers moored all along the waterway.  It is about time CaRT stopped issuing the licences, as not only are the marinas they selfishly promoted losing out, but it is getting far from pleasure endlessly having to slow down past the vast increase in moored boats on the canals.

No doubt I shall 'strike again' later!

(Don't forget, the office is not manned so don't bother sending emails—no one to read 'em!)

Victor Swift