VIctor learns the Rochdale is closed for at least two weeks

I MADE a point of not reporting stoppages during the weeks of our cruise, but let's get back to reality!

And that is that the Rochdale Canal is closed for two weeks just prior to the May Bank Holiday!  But a double whammy as it suffers two closures!

The two weeks closure is to repair a 'blown' cill on Lock 73 at Newton Heath, our Keith reports.

Yes, my friends now two weeks for contractors to repair a cill instead of what was usually one week and what under the old British Waterways was one day—we actually being there just as it was being reported, and away the day after.

And the other stoppage on this so neglected waterway is undoubtedly caused by the leaking locks as the pound between locks 25 and 26 was reported dry at Todmorden on Friday. Alas that is not all as on the 3rd of this month the navigation was closed at Lock 15 due to a problem with head gate paddles and on the 13th with low water between locks 8 and 9.  A neglected waterway indeed. Anyone willing to risk it?

Toeing the party line

Whilst away I thought I would scrutinise the other waterway publications and see what stoppages I was missing.  But would you believe, I could find ner a one reported!

So calculating when we returned, I discovered that over the period of the 7th to the 24th May there were no less than 17 waterway stoppages!

Yet none of these publication had reported any—all obviously toeing the party line, eh?

Oh yes, there were all the Press Releases prominently displayed of course, telling of the wonderful things being devised,

So a word for these so-called editors—any self respecting publication always gives both sides of any situation, otherwise they are little better than those countries with presidents who decide what should and should not be published so have to  (and I'll use the phase again) toe the party line.

Hardly the situation on the waterways. Shame on you.

Closed or open

It certainly is make your mind up time for those who churn out the CaRT stoppage notices.

For  here we have them telling the Erewash was closed as someone had left  a lock gate open. How that can occur is not however revealed!

Then later we have a notice telling to make sure a gate is left open  on the Grand Union.

So which is it? I have to ask.

Fencing the 'dangerous' canals

There have been far too many drownings in the waterways recently, with a couple more over the past week, that makes very sorrowful reading indeed, especially for those left bereaved.

But what was particularly alarming was that in one report there was a demand that to prevent drownings the waterways be fenced off.

In the past when the Ribble Link was created, a new lock near to a housing estate was fenced-off as demanded by local councillors, to prevent children falling into the lock.

But alas, children could not resist climbing the fence with one falling off into the lock and drowned, as we reported.

Not a good idea. Yet our photograph could show the future... 

Winkwell broken four times this month

Our Keith has just told me that the 'Wink is on the Blink' yet again. Yet this now infamous swing bridge on the Grand Union had only been repaired after its last failure on the 22nd, and then on the 11th then before that on the 5th.

Four failures in a month is crazy and shows the sheer incapacity of whoever is attempting to repair it.

(I wonder if those other publication will help boaters by reporting it?) Doubtful, eh?

Victor Swift—telling tales for 23 years