A collection of your emails

Over the past few weeks we have received many emails for publication from both regular and new contributors on many waterway subjects, but though mostly being very short they still deserve publication, so we are including them.

A fixation

I just do not see the point  of all those millions being squandered on Bow Back Rivers, not only by CaRT but by BW before it, both seemingly having a fixation on pouring money into what after all is just a couple of miles of waterway.

The 20 odd millions by BW on that lock for barges, had a perverse reasoning, it was to get kudos from the Olympic Park, though it would have been more sensible to discover if it was needed first, and not find out later that it was not.

T. Lang

Why the IWA?

We all must know that CaRT has little thought what it does with its cash, but I thought the IWA had more sense, but see it too is giving money for that pathetic restoration of that mile or so of waterway [Bow Back Rivers] around the former Olympic Park.

Dredging the Macclesfield

I have read that the Trust is at last to dredge the Macclesfield Canal.  We too travelled that canal this month, and time and time again we were brought virtually to a standstill by the lack of any decent depth of water underneath our boat, but the I only hope they dredge every bridge hole while they are at it, as there is little water under any of them.

Helen Cripps

Waste of money

Not knowing any better, I must admit, I have purchased every new edition of Nicholson's when it came out over the past five years, believing it gave up-to-date information, until a fellow boater pointed out the things in it that were completely out of date, and then I realised the information is just transferred to the new edition.

The boater pointed out the pubs listed that were no longer there, rubbish points that had long gone and misinformation about moorings, that I particularly was interested in. As to the pubs, these change frequently as do their offerings, so it seems pointless to me to show such, and I was told of another publication that leaves them out, giving more boater information, that I have now changed to.

J Ford

Pleased it stopped

I have been pleased to note on my cruising around the canals that there has been no more of those silly slogans etched on to lock gates.

Canal & River Trust called it poetry, but there was nothing of poetry about them, just daft.

William Stines

Better training

First of all I will mention that I have been boating for 17 years, and I mean boating, now being able to take the boat out for the past four years since retiring for at least six decent cruises a year, but have found that there are too many hire firms that loan their boats without proper instruction, and I am relating to locks.

Too many times I have met people who just do not seem to know how to lock through properly, with the biggest problem not knowing where to sit their boats when locking, very often having it in the middle when locking up and too far back when locking down, and cannot understand why hire companies don't have simple instructions pasted on where it can be seen.

W. Gregson

Not  CaRT's fault

Though the trend is to blame CaRT for all the problems with locks, I saw something this week that shocked me, that shows that there are boaters themselves that cause problems, and this was a trading working boat I pulled out behind at Alrewas heading for Bagnall Lock, and though the lock gates were closed, he made no attempt to moor and go up and open them but crashed his boat into the gates so hard, though full, water momentary escaped.

When I went up I noticed that both the struts holding the bottom gates closed had broken off, and the reason was obviously, this man was responsible. I should have taken his boat's number and reported him, but was too shocked to do so.

Brian Hawkins