I AGREE entirely with T. Lang about the lack of vandals on the canals these days, as we have seen none this year, writes Margaret Topham.
Together with my partner we have just completed our 'tour' from Bristol to Leeds, taking it very slowly, with not a vandal in sight and no damage to our boat!
No problems
In the old days we made a point of never cruising near any civilisation during the weekends for fear of vandals, and in the past we have had things thrown at us all too often, but now we often cruise where we never would have dared in the past, with no problems whatsoever, so as Mr Lang suggested perhaps the vandals are all glued to their tablets or mobiles playing the silly games, which is better for us.
It was indeed a great relief to be able to moor up and leave the boat for either shopping or just to explore, knowing that it would still be okay when we returned, something that we did to our cost in the past, having been broken into twice, once after leaving the boat to go to the cinema and another time having to leave it for personal reasons. I know boats are still being broken into, but after ours was we got rid of the 'pretty' wooden doors and its pathetic padlock and installed steel ones instead with a flush Yale type lock. As to whether this has actually deterred anyone, we do not know, but it certainly makes us more confident at leaving it.
A cover-up
Again, like Mr. Lang, I don't believe that it is vandals that make locks unworkable, and it being no more than a cover-up for not doing maintenance on them, as we too have seen many obviously on their last legs, and it is a good job we were in no hurry as we have been stopped four times by closures through locks breaking down. Another thing we never experienced in the past.
Again agreeing with Mr. Lang on the scarcity of moorings, and the other writer who claimed there was plenty of moorings has obviously not cruised the 'bottom end' on the Kennet & Avon Canal where 'scruffy' boats abound filling every available space, with their detritus on the towpath a disgrace.