Stuck in Stenson Lock

I was very pleased that Victor Swift pointed out the very real problem of Stenson Lock with two full length boats, writes Eric Neaves.

Myself and a friend had just left Mercia Marina in just under full length boats for a trip up the Soar, had filled Stenson Lock, with little difficulty, wondering what all the fuss was about until our wives attempted to raised the bottom paddles, but needed one of us to climb the ladder to help wind the very stiff mechanism.

Could not exit

But much worse was to come when we found that there was no way any of the boats could exit the lock, even though one went right back under the 'waterfall' from the top gates. As very rightly pointed out neither of the two bottom gates would open fully, with at one time three of us giving our whole weight to each one. I mentioned to the others what Victor had written, so we had to give it up as a bad job. [The photograph is of two other much shorter boats that managed to exit, with one going right back.]

So we filled the lock again against a storm of advice from others wanting to use the lock, attempting to explain to them, but it became worse when my friend backed out and we would not allow another boat to share with out boat, pointing out that if they did they would not be able to exit, it becoming somewhat fraught, but you can just imagine what happened when we filled the lock again but could not let any other boat share the second time with my friend's boat, as they were all fairly long. The other owners became rather abusive.

Over an hour

All in all it took over an hour to lock the two boats down through a broad lock, yet Canal & River Trust tell us all is well. It most certainly is not.

The next lock was okay with both getting our boats in and out, Swarkestone I believe, but then it was a matter of the wife's steering and us two males attending to the paddle gear, after seeing two ladies struggling [bottom gate paddles] for another boat.

No trouble

As you can imagine it was a similar thing at the very much warned about Aston Lock. Yet later we worked numerous broad locks on the Soar with no trouble whatsoever.

I can really see why the chief executive of Canal & River Trust will not cruise those locks, but if he ever did he should take a woman with him to let her try and work them.

Thank you Victor, no matter what others may say you do a very good job indeed.