Victor wonders how they will get more through the tunnel
IN THE latest edition of Canal & River Trust's 'Brag Rag' or Boaters' Update as it prefers to call it...
Damian waxes lyrical telling—in his own words—So, if you’ve ummed and ahhed about ‘doing’ Standedge, now is the time – it’s never been safer!
Must admit his statement took me a while to understand, then I realised he meant if you have any doubts now is the time to do it!
Why safer, I don't understand, as it's safe enough, otherwise we would not have been through it both ways, And dear Thomas also with the Press before it actually opened way back on the 9th January 2002.
Every time we went through there were regular stoppages at places to telephone showing that everything was fine, and our being informed that if these calls were not made then something would be done to get the boat out.
Now, it is about getting more boaters to actually use the Standedge Tunnel, for it is obvious that all those restrictions of a very limited number allowed through, nine a week I believe, with the trip boat and canoes having priority, both preventing use by private boats.
Then of course there are the many stoppages on the Huddersfield Narrow Canal itself, with, it seems hardly anyone now taking the risk of cruising it.
Let's look at those stoppages—At the start of the season In April there were five on the 1st, 2nd, 13th, 21st and 24th. June saw three stoppages on the 22nd, 24th and 25th. This month, July already two on the 2nd and 12th.
So 12 stoppages in three months on the Huddersfield Narrow. Little wonder 'they' are attempting to persuade boaters to use it, as obviously not many do! And who's to blame 'em?
Too many boaters
It would seem there are too many boaters on the system for the number of waste disposal points at their disposal, as from reports we receive, many of them are overflowing, with the new one at Stone already full.
Brian Jarrett tells us, and his picture well shows, that the bottle disposal facility at Nantwich can’t cope, with all the general waste bins also overflowing.
Overflowing rubbish bins have for years been a problem when the boating season starts, that makes me wonder if the contract is for them to be emptied on certain days all year round, which is certainly not enough come the summer.
Now it's a bicycle seat!
My regular readers will have realised there are some peculiar things at Mercia Marina, and the latest we heard of was a bicycle seat so had a search, but to no avail.
Then our official guide, Mary, came to the rescue. But it wasn't a bicycle 'saddle' as we thought, but a seat with bicycles attached! Whatever next thought I?
This seat is celebrating the life of one Simon Latimer, with the inscription 'Life is better with a bike and a furry friend'—the furry friend being Murphy, on the end of the seat. Picture courtesy of Mary Collington.
Whatever next indeed!—the place is full of weird and wonderful things with, I hear, more to come! And have yet to find the sculptured seat. It's certainly different from other marinas! Vastly different.
Going down...
There seems to be quite a number of boats sinking these days, the latest on Friday, at Bridge 17 on the Paddington Arm.
As usual the navigation has been closed and booms are being installed to ensure any pollution is reduced to the minimum until a proper assessment can be made.
This is the third this year that has sunk with the one previous in the centre of the navigation (pictured) with other boats this time being able to ease past as it was on the bottom with no diesel leaking.
The only explanation as I can see for a boat sinking out of a lock is a leak, showing the unsafe condition of the boat, brought about, perhaps, by the very high cost of boating, so some not being able to afford to replace. Makes you wonder.
Victor Swift—telling tales for 24 years