Victor: Going around in circles

Published: Sunday, 15 March 2020

THE latest whizz from Canal & River Trust is a Maelstrom Art Installation.

Art installation ShroppieConfused?  Me too, but what it is—and here I quote—it's a light projection onto the canal giving the impression of a whirlpool which appears and disappears'.

Yes my friends, something or other going around in circles, one could suggest very much like dear CaRT itself going around in circles with its cash, with ways to spend.

The projection started on Friday 13th March and will show from dusk till dawn on the Shroppie by George Street Bridge (123G) in Chester.

Oh dear, oh dear!

Oh dear indeed, with a tiff between our esteemed editor and River Canal Rescue, or if you prefer, Canal River Rescue, as favoured by the stoppage notices.

Our Thomas dared to mention that most of the grounded boats featured in an article showing those removed by River Canal Rescue were cause by inappropriate mooring—that indeed they certainly were.

But the afore mentioned River Canal Rescue called this a 'sensationalist' element —that indeed it was certainly not.  So without further ado the lad 'pulled it', in case any of you wondered what happened.

Which reminds me

Reminds me indeed, that this month sees narrowboatworld  20 years old, and still 'telling it like it is' that makes the real difference between the rest.

As well as its many regular contributors it is open to all and it is exceptionally rarely that anything submitted is rejected or amended, as there are no waterway advertisers to pander to, and only rejected if inappropriate by containing bad language or personal attacks.

Which means that most of its content is exclusive, making narrowboatworld the most widely read of any of the waterway internet publications or magazines—notwithstanding their many and varied claims!

Inappropriate mooring

InapropriateMooringHere's a good case of 'do as I say not as I do' concerning inappropriate mooring.  Two Canal & River Trust's boats moored virtually opposite each other at Hopwas on the Coventry.

There was recently a long missive from the Trust listing where boaters should not moor including restriction the width of navigation by mooring opposite others and near bends—these are guilty on both counts.

Mooring on rivers

Our contributor John Coxon gave some good advice when he stated it was better to get off the rivers at the end of October and stay off until the beginning of April, adding that there is no such thing as an unsinkable boat.

SunkJettyOver the years I have known of many instances where boats have been moored on river banks and either sunk through being moored too tight to the bank or stupidly moored by pins with the boat ending up on the towpath—as many have in the recent storms, with, we are told, over 50 having to be rescued.

River marina moorings

Mooring in marinas situated on rivers is another problem for those who know no better.

The boat in the picture above was tied by the roof to the top of the ring that allows the boats to move up with the flood. so it couldn't—and down it went.

Sawley boats tiedHere are two more boats whose idiot owners hadn't the sense to realise the purpose of the sliding ring, both securely tied to their roofs by a ropes taut to the top of the slide thus preventing any rise of the boats in a flood.

But luckily for them they cleared off before the storms arrived and most likely saved themselves a dipping.

Two caught

Then of course there are those that don't realise that a boat has to be prevented from its fender/rudder from going back under a jetty when a storm raises the water level—there were two in our marina so caught and others only saved by the quick action of staff, but unable to save all who hadn't the sense to attach a 'string' to stop the boat going back under the jetty.  Newark Marina on the Trent and Upton Marina on the Severn were two others with boats suffering similar fates, and no few I gather on other river marinas.

And best not to moor too near or on the Calder or Hebble when heavy rain is in the offing.

As I have mentioned before, the river marina owners should make an effort to point out these dangers that can so very simply be avoided, even erecting notices explaining how to tie safely, which is no real effort.  Methinks they do not tell as it points out the dangers, something they would rather not reveal in case it would perhaps prompt the prospective moorers to take to a safer marina mooring on a canal.

Victor Swift