A BIT OF SENSE INDEED when the trust took up our Keith's suggestion of how to save water—and lots of water indeed.
Simply by temporarily halting the continuous cruisers rule whereby they have to move every 14 days whilst the lack of rain continues.
Here it is in Keith's own words:
We didn't get any real rain until late October last year. That's when they unlocked Atherstone and Glascote and let me out.
I still find it extraordinary that they are screaming for us to save water yet still insist that continuous cruisers must move every 14 days and use water by unnecessary locking up or down just so they can fulfil the rule to move every 14 days.
Why don't they suspend the 14 day rule until we get some rain? Makes sense to me—but then it's CaRT were dealing with so....
I'd go through anything up to seven locks in a move depending upon where I was going.
For example, from Rugeley to Shadehouse is just one lock, but from Shadehouse to Alrewas is seven locks.
Over 8,000 boats
In the waterways managed by the Canal & River Trust, there are 8,825 boats without a home mooring (known as continuous cruisers), based on the latest seasonal data. Approximately 84% of these vessels hold a valid licence.
So just think, out of these there will be around 8,000 going through thousands of locks and using millions of gallons of water.
So I can but wonder, with the saving so obvious, why was this not brought in at the start of waterways being closed through lack of the wet stuff? I guess no one thought, until Keith told of the saving...
The forgotten canal
There is a canal arm off the old Grand Junction Canal that has been lost and its facilities closed with Rodney Hardwick telling:
This is a picture (by my son Adrian) of a canal which has now succumbed to drought.
This is the arm into Weedon Barracks which now has no connection to the main canal. Apparently, it only survived because the officers kept it for their fishing.
CRT say they want to encourage use by canoeists, paddleboards. walkers, etc. But have closed all the toilets and all the facilities blocks.
Weedon Barracks and Royal Ordnance Depot was built between 1804 and 1816 and connected to the Grand Junction Canal. No military use since 1965 but now home to various small businesses.
I don't think so
The Inland Waterways Association (IWA) would have us believe—and here I quote:
We are the only national charity that campaigns locally and nationally for all the country’s canals and river navigations.
What about the National Association of Boat Owners (NABO) then—the independent one, that is not 'in bed' with the trust? That's the one that gets our vote.
Done very well indeed
There is one thing I must say about the trust and its workers, and that is that they have done their utmost under the most difficult circumstances in the attempt to keep the waterways open.
Working with both boaters and hirers to keep them moving against all odds and at all times of day—or night.
And working against absolutely no rainfall for months, but still managing to keep the system open, even when breakages disrupt their efforts.
They are to be congratulated.
Victor Swift—telling tales for 26 years