SINCE THE SEASON STARTED, on Good Friday the 3rd April, would you believe there have been no less than 14 navigations closed.
This including the two reported on Friday.
So that just about works out at one a day—every day!
The two reported by Keith on Saturday include the ongoing saga of Keadby Rail Drawbridge on the Stainforth & Keadby Canal (pictured) that has suffered a failure and is non operational—again!
Let's hope it's not the failures of last year that stopped the bridge working when it was too hot. Any road up it's not the fault of Canal & River Trust, lets make that clear,
The other stoppage reported is on the Aire & Calder Navigation Main Line.
With Fishponds Lock closed due to a gate failure. But we are told the trust's direct services team will attend as soon as possible to assess and repair the issue.
We will provide a further update once the inspection has been completed tells the trust.
Paddles
Now to paddles—and their failures.
The many that are failing leads me to believe that they have reached their sell-by date and need replacing.
In the past few days three have failed—on the Aire & Calder, Lee & Stort and Chesterfield—closing the navigations of course.
Altogether this year there have been 17 paddle failures. 14 of them out of season when the waterways get little use.
However, some do get repaired rather quickly I have to admit, whilst others, like the paddle failure on the Huddersfield Narrow, do not.
That one failed on the 10th April on Lock 24E. (Picture by Pennine Waterways) It suffering a paddle mechanism failure, but now it is awaiting for a visit of the scaffold contractor to attend the site so there will be no further work able to be carried out until Wednesday.
It will also require the need for stop planks putting in place to allow this to be repaired.
Fresh fields
So now for our Spring cruise with the one last year only getting us from Mercia Marina to the Trent at Alrewas and back. Owing of course to the lack of the wet stuff.
We have now done all the canals north of the Thames, and that twice, except of course the canal that is rather far away for us—the Lancaster.
Ahh! but there is a problem, She Who Must has had her fill of tidal waters, having lost count of the times on the tidal Trent. Plus two on the tidal Thames, one going through London where she took charge of the tiller then off like a bat out of hell!—no speed limit on the tidal,
So no chance of the Lancaster and having to cross a tide to get there. But there was a solution—hire a narrowboat actually on that canal—and that has been done!!
We have hired it for the usual fortnight, but a problem, that I will tell when we start our rather short cruise.
The boat is from Crabtree Narrowboat Hire and will be the first we have hired in exactly 30 years, having had our own all that time.
Anyway, this hire company is somewhat different as plenty of information about both the boat and the canal itself, a map of all the handy places along the route and even a welcome pack to keep us going until we get to a supermarket. Good stuff, eh?
I shall keep you informed.
Victor Swift—telling tales for 26 years...