Victor wonders why?

I REALLY have to wonder why the Anderton Boat Lift repairs cannot be done in winter.

It's being done at the start of the 'season' in March, then closed all year, as has been scheduled.

I wonder about this repair, especially as it was only 23 years ago that it was completely restored. Then just two years ago had its two cylinders, that operate the caissons, completely restored together with 'complex work to the gates' undertaken.

Surely it does not need further work that will close it for '12 to 18 months' as we are told.

It took less time than that to completely rebuild it, our picture showing work then in progress.

Methinks it's all rather strange.

Still they come

Still they come indeed—those infernal stoppages, our being caught-out again on our last trip out.

September saw a total of 37 stoppages, not counting bridges being hit by vehicles or trees preventing navigation, as such are hardly the fault of Canal & River Trust.

But the 37 are mostly equipment breakages and failures, caused by the now lack of prior maintenance.

Alas, they keep coming with seven already this month in the four days up to Friday.

That takes me back

Takes me back to our trip and what I did not tell at the time:

We had a sign on each side of our boat displaying narrowboatworld, and had many 'keep up the good work' being shouted from passing boats—so thank you to you all, we try!

Then came the visits from fellow boaters telling of their experiences—all bad!  Every single one had been held up and those having long cruises were absolutely fed up of the stoppages and too many telling of a stoppage but no one there doing anything.

I had this all in confidence so can only give the general feeling against CaRT, that is bad—very bad.

But quite a few boaters laughed about that 'No 1 for news' site telling me it only gives the goody-goody, and ner a word about what affects boaters the most—stoppages. Incidently since my last piece we have given you over 50 articles, to compare...

That was a surprise!

Being non drinkers and therefore not into going to pubs of an evening, instead we watch a bit of telly.  Not the usual inane stuff, I quickly add, but films we have liked the sound of and recorded in the past, then bring the player and plug in.

One we picked was Hobson's Choice, it seeming somewhat interesting, but what a shock, for it was ancient black & white film starring none other than Charles Laughton and John Mills, but interesting enough as it was without the so normal guns, violence and sex.

But what was so surprising and made it interesting to us canal people, was that it starred a very young girl—by the name of Prunella Scales...

(But no Timothy West!)

Not the way

I must tell you of a boater stuck with others at the bottom of Bank Newton Flight on the Leeds & Liverpool in July waiting for it to reopen after a fairly long closure, telling us about the volunteers.

These volunteers insisted they let those at the top down first as in a hurry, so could not waste time allowing those at the bottom up, even though the lock was there, empty and waiting.  They closing the gates then sending it every time up empty, ignoring those below.

But the boaters at the bottom became angry at this stupidity and then stopped the volunteers closing the gates after the boats had left the lock at the bottom and getting two boats in as they could then pass those coming down the flight in a pound between the locks.

This happening, when there was an accute shortage of water, just did not make sense.

Gave up the ghost

I see that Cow Shit Lock, where we were stuck did not work for much longer, it giving up the ghost just a few days after we passed through.

The top gate beam on the lock had finally snapped in two, but instead of being replaced I gather had angle iron fixed to hold it together, as the one in the picture an now normal. But the problem is how long will it last?

One thing about all these breakages is that they are giving boaters a rough time, and I can see why so many are giving up.

It certainly shows why there are so many moored boats and so many marinas with so many liveaboards'...

And it's still closed

It was way back on Monday the 12th August that a spillage of cyanide was discovered in the Walsall Canal and it was very quickly closed.

And it is still closed—nearly two months later, though the Environment Agency relate the pollution was now at an 'acceptable' level and the towpath would reopen from Thursday, although the canal will remain shut to boaters.

Altogether, it has been found that 879 gallons of cyanide was illegally drained into the canal, decimating the fish population for miles as it drained away,

The the towpath is now open  but no fishing, including magnet fishing is allowed, and pets should be kept out of the water, or in fact anything that may disturb sediment in the canal which is likely to still be contaminated, the Environment Agency state.

Adding—Navigation along the canal will, for the foreseeable future, remain closed. Again, this is to avoid disturbing silt on the bed of the canal.

Which is not looking too favourable for boats...for a long time.

Victor Swift—telling tales for 24 years