Going the extra mile

I am in agreement with just a few of the comments about CaRT staff and their management so often made on these pages. However, I have always found that the staff on the ground, the 'Blue Shirt' boys and girls are made of much sterner stuff than their management, writes Bob Hallam.

My recent experiences on the Severn have reinforced my views of the extreme helpfulness and willingness 'to go the extra mile'.

Capricious Severn

Our home mooring is on the Gloucester/Sharpness Canal and to get to and from 'The System' we need to travel up and down the often capricious  Severn. On the last occasion, last week, having been ‘oop North', we found ourselves in Stourport Basin with the river in flood and no safe navigation possible. Quick phone call to CaRT non-emergency number for their information and we left the boat in the basin for a few days, while the river subsided.

A few days later, a phone call to Gloucester Lock (Mike) and then Lincombe Lock (Martin) and we booked down, the upper four river locks being open under 'Caution' conditions. At Lincombe lock, (first lock down from Stourport), lock keeper Martin advised that Upper Lode Lock (Tewkesbury) was probably closed.

Permission granted

We pressed on to Holt Fleet (next lock down, also operated by Martin during winter opening) where, after he'd made a few more calls after we had left Holt Fleet, he would call Colin at Bevere Lock (the next lock down) with what he'd found out. At Bevere, Colin confirmed Tewkesbury WAS closed, so we requested permission to enter Diglis Basin at Worcester—permission granted.

At Diglis, we carefully manoeuvred into the basin, assisted by the cheerful and hard-working Graham, a local modern equivalent of the much-missed lengthsman. The boat was now left in Diglis for the next two days, the river being closed then anyway during the winter opening period. We booked again for the first available day.

On the river again

So, two days later, after locking out onto the river again, we met Simon, the Diglis (river) lock-keeper for both here and Upper Lode (Tewkesbury) locks, as well as three other boats crews held up by the swollen river. Now we were on the way, efficiently and courteously locked down by Simon, now sure that all locks were open. We called Ken, the Gloucester lock keeper (Mike being on leave) to tell him we were on the way—he already knew, since Simon had called already! We also found that two more boats were already on their way down ahead of us. Tewkesbury lock appeared, where (with very little change in level!) we were dealt with by Simon again and the tricky approach to Gloucester lock loomed for we four boats travelling in close company.

Since serious holding back on a flooded river is not the easiest or most desirable thing to do, as we approached Gloucester, a call on the VHF radio to Ken for advice. He suggested that the safest thing to do was for him to hold the two boats already in the channel in the lock while we four separated a little, run down to the lock and six boats would lock up together. This was calmly accomplished by Ken and we were all safely raised once more to the Gloucester Basin level.

Knowledgeable, helpful and cheerful

So please, don't run down the staff! Certainly in my experience, reinforced by last week's episode, the staff we boaters meet know what they are doing and are always knowledgeable, helpful and cheerful.

Please give the new organisation a chance. It won't succeed if we all moan all the time and point out only the poor points. What about the so many good ones—and mainly the staff we deal with!