Victor: What's missing?

BRITISH Waterways had little option but to respond to our disclosing the dangers of the low metal beams erected on the bridges of the locks on the Staffs & Worcs, particularly Falling Sands Lock.

It responded with a long-winded, rather meaningless diatribe about safety and its concerns, that I certainly will not bore you with, yet in view of those head-crushing beams meant bugger all, and one sentence just about sums it up as far as we boaters are concerned:

Safety is our number one priority and we will always seek to minimise the risk of serious injury and damage to all our staff, visitors, volunteers, contractors and neighbours.

What's missing...?

Lifted or what?

Our regular contributor, Amy Dickerson, tells us she has had a letter from her MP saying that the lock tail hand rail at Falling Sands Lock has been replaced, with the new one allowing safe passage for boaters.

So British Waterways have  obviously told all those MPs you complained to, but anyone out there seen it?

Going down

I THINK we can take it that we have rather upset the British Waterways hierarchy by our continually pointing out its exaggerated visitor claims, as this became quite a debate I hear at a recent Board meeting, with quite a few alternatives to the word visitors being bandied about.

It was finally decided that in future there will not be visitors to the waterways, but  people who already enjoy or live on the waterways, with the latest figure now 10.5 millions!  Down, I am pleased to see from the grossly exaggerated previous 13 millions or even the later 11 millions—but alas still a long way to go down to the 3.7 millions that Robin Evans told a Parliamentary Commission—but very slowly getting there!

Realised?

I couldn't find that 300 millions claim previously made by the Inland Waterways Association anywhere in its publications, that I worked out equates to 410 people on every mile of towpath every single day of the year!

Perhaps it's has realised just how stupid it makes itself look, and ousted it.  Good for you.

Is everybody at it?

I should imagine we all know that the steam narrowboat President took part in the Queen's Jubilee Pageant on the Thames, but those at Staffordshire County Council, whom she represented would have us believe she did a 700 miles round trip in its Press Release.

Upon learning of this, our Thomas took it upon himself to tell those purveying this misleading information that the total mileage was exactly 376¼ miles—including the trips on the Thames....

The reason David

Our David Hymers just cannot understand why the powers-that-be give the information in Waterscape when the Severn is in flood, as does the Environment Agency on its rivers, yet there is ner a mention of the Trent when it is impassible, as it was when he was stuck at Shardlow last week.

Simple dear David.  British Waterways has two marinas on the Trent, and when it floods they are completely 'dead'—now't can move.

Though I know sometimes there is warning, at other times there is not, so could it be that two managements don't want prospective moorers to know that all too often they can neither get their boats out, nor if they are out when it rises, get them back.

Been there, done that and got the 'T' shirt—too may times.  And with the rain at present, it looks like yet another Tuesday moored on the Cut.

Closing gates

We all know there are certain boaters who are too idle to close gates or close paddles after them, selfishly leaving it to others, but now British Waterways tell us that where gates or paddles are persistently left open overnight locking will be considered at certain locations.

The picture shows Aston Lock bottom gates left open when approaching to go down. We have always closed all gates and paddles, and could not understand one, Adrian Stott who went to great lengths in Waterways World to persuade us that gates should be left open.

No doubt the idle sods will have leaped on to this as a good excuse—so to some extent we know who to blame.

One sure way of wasting water.

'Full chat'

A number of people have commented on the fact that it is private boats that make no attempt to slow down past moored boats, and though I may be the first to complain when boaters don't tie-up properly, the one in the picture can be seen with a bow wave and wake that would rock anyone, going full chat along Sawley Cut with moored boats on both sides.

Moored there a good 24 hours it was the quickest of the day, with the hire boats moving at a much more reasonable pace...

Now it's illusions!

We all know that though the reservoirs supplying the Tring Summit were full the lock gates were still being chained up, but now comes the reason from our masters:

The wet weather has improved our reservoir holdings substantially over the last few weeks. However, the four main reservoirs within the Tring group are not yet full, although visually they may look so.

What do you make of that? Our man up there showed the picture of two of them overflowing, looking very full—but oh no they weren't!

Silly sods!  They get dafter!

Victor Swift