Victor tells a right tale...

Published: Saturday, 01 June 2024

A RIGHT tale indeed of why there was no 'Victor' as is usual during or after our recent cruise.

There was nothing from me whatsoever, though I always treat my readers to my tales when on our cruises. But the reason was simple—for though I had my faithful laptop and was prepared to make my offerings, someone had forgotten to bring the power pack for our browser.  So no internet!

We tried to connect by mobile but without success.  So there could be nothing from me.

Ahh, but all was not lost, as I used our LibreOffice Writer to record our happening along the way, leaving the necessary images on the camera to be included when we returned.

But alack and alassomeone forgot to bring back the camera!

So, my friends, there could be nothing from me after all as those photographs are rather a must.

Yet all is still not lost, as after our visit on Tuesday to our boat at Mercia Marina, I shall see the camera is returned and text and images will be together at last and my efforts presented come Wednesday...

Figures again

A quick look at the news and I see that Canal & River Trust has done a boat countbut not by a second party as that alas could be suspectbut we are told the National Boat Count was by 'a physical sighting of boats carried out by the trust’s towpath teams during March'.

How accurate is that I have to ask? It signified people along the waterway actually counting the boats as they pass! So someone must be there from 7.30am to record our boat, then perhaps someone else counts us before we finish for the day.

Or those boaters attempting to do such as the Four counties during 10 hours days to get it done, ending their days in the dark, but still being counted? But how many times are they counted as they pass through the many different areas. How absolutely ridiculous.

Any-road-up, as we say up here, our last three cruises have shown us a diminishing number of boats, being very much as scarce as visitors during our last one. We are told however by CaRT there is a reduction of just 512 boats.

Add a nought making it 5,120 would be more like it, from out own observations. And other boaters too have agreed that there are a lot less boats about these days.

Guesswork?

Just had an email from Bill Ridgeway who sums up the inability of CaRT with its numbers:

Given the inability of CaRT to come up with even a reasonably acceptable count (not an estimate) of the number of people using canal towpaths. on what grounds should this count (not an estimate) be accepted as accurate and what is the underlying reason for and use of this count?

Well put indeed Bill, for the count most certainly cannot be accurate.  And the reason for it? I reckon it's to cover the actual number of less boats on its waterways.

A long job

So there is to be another long stoppage on the Wigan Flight, with another lock cill giving up the ghost.

It took nine weeks for contractors to repair the cill on another Wigan Flight lock earlier this year, and no matter how they source 'a method of repair' it is going to be another nine weeks before the flight is opened, you can be sure.

Better for boaters

So 'Better for Boaters' is the latest from CaRT. Well, there wasn't much better for us, with the lack of facilities and Stone still without its rubbish facilities.

Okay, okay, I shall add no more, as boaters are all too aware of the 'service' we get and the promises, promises...all yet to come.

Victor Swift—telling tales for 24 years