Victor: Does CaRT care?

SO IT was away from the now recommended Leicester pontoon and along the Leicester 'mile' of mooring rings and bollards, early morning, with not a single boat in sight, meaning its vandal reputation had remained, which is a pity with all that the city has to offer.

But alas we were not early enough as a broken down boat having been repaired at the pontoon left at 6.30am, a tad too early for us, meaning all the locks were against. Then we quickly realised the warning about St Mary's Lock—it's top cill was broken, so it was the hell of a job to get a bottom gate open against the inrush of water, even with both paddle up, but eventually we succeeded, and at least it filled quite quickly!

Two broken cills

Travelling up through the locks was so much different from last time, when we had no problem whatsoever, but this time most had water pouring out of the bottom gates or rushing in at the top gates, with obviously two broken cills. The apertures of the top paddles were often crammed with debris, with Gees Lock particularly bad, and the lock took ages to fill. Only three of the paddles allowed water in, the furthest one being completely jammed with debris.

Eventually we passed a boat, so an empty lock at last, and as we were coming in to moor a fella on the lock started filling it.  He was a hirer with a Kate hire boat, and his excuse was 'I didn't think you were moving'!  We were actually heading to drop someone I retorted, but the arrogant fella simply turned away—here is a picture of him.

I don't know if he was one of those who care little for others and who always does what he wants, and to hell with the rest of us, but surely Kate Boats give a little tuition in boating etiquette.

Auto opening

I can say that every boater we eventually met on the Leicester Section complained of the condition of the locks, with another boater on Stardust II telling us of the 'auto opening' ones we were to meet—and we did, with every single gate automatically opening both after we steered the boat in or after leaving the lock.  And the gates once open and back in position, the hell of a job to move.

Like most other boaters using broad locks we only of course open one gate, but time after time this was impossible as many had something fast behind them and were unable to be fully opened, and there was nothing we could do about it, though we tried. The picture above shows the  maximum amount one particular gate would open.

Paddles removed

But worse was to come! Instead of two ground and two gate paddles on the top gates, suddenly there was only a ground paddle.  It was whilst mooring overnight that we were told that when the gate paddles break, instead of repairing, they take off the mechanism, leaving the paddles firmly closed!  And this was occurring more and more, until the obvious happened—a ground paddle broke leaving only one, as shown in the picture.

The condition of the paddle mechanisms on so many gates was so bad that we all too often had to use our Yorkshire windlass to get them to move—using its long throw—many being so stiff.  In fact it reached the stage that all of us took it with us as a matter of course.

Unable to keep check

As my regular readers will be aware, normally I state lock names I am referring to, but the problems on the Leicester Section with its locks, literally one after another, was so bad that I was unable to keep check!

The picture shows the now normal sight on the Leicester Section of leaking water from the top gates as a lock is entered, though often balanced by similar leakage at the bottom gates, though not in this particular case—and all the paddles were firmly closed.

The condition of the locks above Leicester is diabolical, clearly showing the complete lack of maintenance, and further justifies Canal & River Trust's obvious new mantra—wait until it breaks then mend it.

Which leads me to ask 'does CaRT care?'

Though the cruise on the Leicester Section is through some spectacular countryside, giving it a pleasant aspect on a beautiful sunny day, it is all too often now spoilt by being unable to see it through either towpath vegetation or offside trees, that also  leaves little room in many places for boats to pass, so perhaps it was lucky there were so few boats about, as there certainly was all the way to Foxton Locks.

Taking decent mooring

Boaters travelling the miles up to Kilby Bridge know only too well the lack of decent moorings, owing to the lush vegetation along the towpath, so it was most annoying to see workers actually laying coir roles on the one length of decent mooring piling, that boaters could have used, making this a SSSI—if that is what it is—growing even more weeds, that are now in so many batches along this waterway making navigation so difficult.

It makes me ask just what is important to the new CaRT charity. It seems to have lost its dedication to boating and be giving its attention to everything but, and all too often to the detriment of navigation.

Scientific interest to whom?

What is the point of planting these weeds, how and to whom, are they of scientific interest?  Not many boaters for sure, wanting to either moor or pass another boat in their midst.  Moored overnight where farmers were working we brought up the matter of the weeds in conversation, and even they are against setting all these extra weeds, with one in very ripe language telling us: 'the #&#* are just setting #*#*#* for #*#*#* greenfly to ruin our crops the #*#*#*# stupid fools'.  Which just about sums it up!

Further conversation later with boaters I asked if they took advice and kept all their 'grey' water when passing these SSII's, their answers too were sometimes ripe, but I can tell the people behind this anti navigational scheme that boaters will not comply.  I only hope that CaRT for once are on our side and have nothing to do with their plans of making it compulsory to  install a separate tank in every boat to take 'grey' water. That will certainly get a few more thousand off the waterways.

But as I asked—does CaRT care?

Victor Swift