Victor Swift tells a tale: Ner a murmur...

DID you realise that last Thursday was the Canal & River Trust's third birthday?  Of course not, for it could not find anything to celebrate after its three years in office, and certainly no sign of those celebratory flags and bunting that were purchased at its inception at a cost of £23,720.

As I forecast then (Victor: In the CaRT), things would get worse under this new regime if this sort of spending was to be the norm, and alas it was the norm, and things have certainly become a damn lot worse.

So little wonder no celebration—bugger all to celebrate.

Didn't last

There was one thing though that did please me three years ago. The new Trust was being more honest in its number of visitors to its waterways, stating that the annual number of visitors was down from 13 millions to 10 millions.

But alas, now three years later, the Trust tells us that the annual number of visitors has risen from—wait for it—10 millions to 360 millions!  Yes my friends, in the past three years the annual number of visitors has increased by 350 millions. Those fools at CaRT want everyone to believe that in just three years visitors to its canals have risen 35 fold!

Just how absolutely ridiculous is that?  Who is it attempting to fool? But can we now believe anything it tells us?

Food going waste

I hear that those relocating the fish from the part of the Lancaster Canal that has the leaks were amazed at the increase in the number of fish since the stretch was de-watered (as Cart calls it) six years ago, mentioning 'large quantities of perch, roach, tench and bream' that have been rescued.

I well remember after the war my father catching fish at a local pond, and like others at that time, a 'fish supper' was the result.

I was surprised to learn a few years back that people were being prosecuted for doing just this, as obviously it must now be against the law, yet according to those people the canal is well overstocked—just so those few anglers can catch them and throw them back in again.  Seems daft to me.

Tragic

It really was tragic that a father reversed his hired narrowboat to pick up his son who had fallen off, and so badly damaged the boy's legs in the revolving propeller, resulting in four months of multiple operations and very much pain.

There are a great many things that people ought to realise when steering a boat, and reversing to pick up either a child or an animal is one of them as it is extremely dangerous, as in reverse the propeller draws water back towards the boat. Throwing the life ring is safer, and in the case of an animal let it swim back, but first always immediately turn off the engine.

Then there was the Canaltime hirer who reversed into a wall at Alrewas on the Trent & Mersey with the rudder clouting the wall, swinging the tiller and the man into the water where he was killed by the propeller. The lesson here being never to stand by the side of the tiller when reversing.

Though many take little notice of instructions there are those who do, and it would surely be wise to have standard instructions for those new to boating, emphasising such dangers, instead of the many 'do' and 'do nots' concerning the actual boat and its workings.

Peace and quiet

I too have been regaled by very loud music from a narrowboat, this time from one I had the misfortune to share a lock with, and like the one at Reading from speakers on the roof.

As it was a crew of men, and a half empty crate of beer was also on the roof, I thought it wise to hold my council, but moored-up to let them go on to the next lock alone, as in the lock chamber the thump, thump thump of the noise—no way could it be classed as music—reverberating from the lock walls was horrendous,

One crew, obviously, that did not take to the waterways for its peace and quiet... But should realise that there are others that do.

Victor Swift