A LITTLE LATE PERHAPS, but after all nothing to really tell of our September cruise this year.
With all the closures and prospective closures we only managed to get from Mercia Marina to Alrewas and back!
That was a total of just 13 miles there and back—with over two weeks to do it in!
There was one thing we certainly confirmed, which was that the lock that Canal & River Trust told has had its paddles left open by boaters for weeks on end at Fradley, actually needed volunteers to let water down to fill the pound below every day it leaking so badly! As others have so told.
So blaming the boaters was just an excuse, clearly shown as its leak is now being repaired
Another excuse
And there is one other massive excuse all summer—climate change, that as been blamed for so many things, including that lock on the Rochdale Nine in Manchester, that was discovered to show three holes in it!
This time it was climate change.
Going up
It's going up indeed—the new construction named the Promenade, that will face the existing Boardwalk across Mercia Marina.
Work has really been going a pace with the pilings and footings being done in August and the steel work now finished, with steps being built-in and then will come the brickwork.
Gas and water connections have also been completed, with the water main diverting to its final route on Monday 6th October. We boaters may experience a drop in pressure for a short period on Monday 6th whilst this changeover takes place, but water services will remain live throughout.
Throughout October, the staircases and floors on all levels will be installed. There are now only two apartments remaining following a further reservation this month, with the prospective Mercians' excited to join the community.
Must be emptied more often
I must confirm that I feel for all those boaters that are having less and less service facilities, with four being closed—and still closed—since September.
One of those we use is by the A38 above Barton Turns, to find this time it was no longer there, so had to hang on with two weeks' waste until we arrived back at Willington. And the picture shows its condition—it needed emptying.
For alas, it is obvious that though Canal & River Trust close its services down, it obviously does not seem to realise that those left will get more waste, and so need emptying more often.
It leaves those continuous cruisers in an unenviable position struggling to discover a service facility that is open for their waste and more importantly those with Elsans' to empty.
But as will be seen below, the actual closures are not the trust's fault.
Coir rolls
I had thought that after the problems with coir rolls under the then British Waterways, they were a thing of the past.
But no, here they are again, but alas will not last as those others did not—here's that picture of the failing rolls on the Rochdale, after just a couple of weeks.
They just cannot stand the wake and propellers of boats that cause such movement, especially if you get two boats passing near the rolls, their then getting a thump.
But of course its all for wildlife... So important, don't you know, even though most of the waterways are surrounded by foliage and the like for the wildlife, that has well kept them for millions of years.
Still they come
Even with so many navigations closed by that dreaded climate change those failures on our waterway still occur as our Keith relates.
1 The sorely blighted Rochdale is one with another stoppage due this time to a complete failure of both paddles on Lock 86, again on the 'Nine' our being told the local team have been out to try a temporary repair which unfortunately wasn't successful! But no blaming boaters this time!
2 And another closure, this time that dreaded Marsh Lock that is cutting-off the Weaver, and leaving the vintage steam ship 'Danny' marooned from its bookings.
Our being told engineers have been evaluating the issues on site. But the issues involved are complex and require further investigation before a long-term solution can be confirmed. Is this a reason or an excuse—take your pick!
3 Now it's the Shroppie that has a stoppage at Lock 1 on the Audlem Flight with its head gates, so the flight is closed.
The trust tell that its operations team has been on site but the cause of the blockage is still undetermined and further investigation is needed during normal working hours. So no week-end working here!
4 The Ashton has a stoppage at Lock 18, with additional damage identified during inspection to the lock gate heel. Further investigations are now required to assess the full extent of the problem issue and to develop an appropriate repair method—of course!
It really is amazing that with very little, and sometimes no navigation, these breakages occur. As I have told a countless number of times—prior maintenance would have prevented most of the stoppages... And saved a lot of cash for those contractors who so often require jobs needing 'further investigation'...
Making it difficult
With a total of four Customer Service Facilities closed since the 24th of September, it is indeed making it difficult for boaters—us included—to get rubbish disposed of, Elsons' emptied and suchlike.
But this is not the fault of Canal & River Trust, as it is now forced to maintain these facilities to the new requirements of the government's Simpler Recycling legislation. As they do not meet these requirements they have to be closed.
But alas they are certainly not simpler, but extremely extensive with its rules and regulations that will be most difficult for the trust to implement.
Ever since the waterways were opened to private boating these facilities have been in existence, with the only complaint being they are often not cleared.
But now the government, harking no doubt to the climate change bods, have brought in rules for such as different bins for different products, among other things, that not only pose problems to boaters keeping thing separate, but problems collecting different bins from the service areas.
Always providing the trust is able to meet the requirements of Simpler Recycling legislation—that will take some doing.
Junk
Getting a deal of junk emails these days? Join the club! But there is always one way of telling junk from the real thing—take notice of its emal address.
We had one this morning just like the real thing, from our provider Ionos, with the email addres <
That certainly is not the real thing. So if you don't do so already, then always check...
Victor Swift—telling tales for 25 years...