I WAS really hoping to make this an account of our cruise without having to resort to my sometimes most three complaints concerning Cart—ridiculous visitor numbers, waste of money and the state of the waterways.
I managed to avoid the ridiculous visitor numbers to a large extent and even the waste of money, with the exception of those daft signs, but alas the state of the waterways is getting so bad, I just could not avoid it.
Broken all season
That hypocrisy with the lock really got to me, and was exacerbated by discovering the next lock, Wood End, from the 'showcase' one, was also in a shocking condition, but even worse the broken paddle I reported on the 9th of May was still wrapped in black plastic on the 17th September—the whole boating season—with no attempt at its repair.
It seems now it is not a case of 'wait until it breaks' before it gets maintenance or even repair but wait until it causes a stoppage then repair it—which would certainly account for so many stoppages these days.
I have lost count of broken paddles, but have noticed that they are no longer advertised by being wrapped in plastic, though obviously quickly found as being out of order by boaters. Then I realised by not being so wrapped those important visitors to the canal would not know they are broken! Devilishly clever, and a further example of Cart's hypocrisy.
Only one Smurf
Here we are at Fradley with Shadehouse Lock being just a little too far for visitors, so lacking any maintenance or a lick of paint, but then dropping down to the junction, out has come the paint pot where the visitors congregate, together with one of those Fradley Smurfs, but being just 8.30 in the morning perhaps a little too early for more volunteers.
And the paint had been out by the lock next to the car park of course, but dropping down to the next lock away from visitors its lid had been firmly closed, as the gate was back to normal—but what worried me much more was the very loose coping stones at the bottom of the lock where boaters get back on their boats.
Dangerous
Though there was the also now normal 'Aware' notice, the coping stone shown at the top of the photograph was definitely loose and rocked, being ready for tumbling into the water, with a boater standing on it following or crashing into the boat.
This one is very dangerous, and surely a bucket of mortar would have been much more sensible than two notices. Obviously too much to ask. I just wonder how long it will be before there is an accident, as I can't see it being repaired very quickly.
Beyond the visitors
We are now well past the visitors, with very few tramping from Fradley all the way to Alrewas or back, and not only no paint on the locks, but they in a terrible condition. as the lock beam in the picture shows.
I never understood why so many with long lasting steel beams were discarded for rotting wooden ones, but I expect it was because of an outcry from the silly traditionalists, who haven't the gumption to realise that many of today's stoppages caused by failing lock beams would not be occurring should they have remained in, or replaced by steel. It is certainly not the cost, as the dumping of steel makes it cheap these days, whilst wood takes many hours of work.
And please don't tell me it provides labour, as the replacement of nearly every lock keeper by unpaid volunteers shows what Cart thinks about its labour...
Just missed them
Noticed that the Breakfast Club at Fradley—moored on the top of the Coventry by the junction—took off somewhat earlier than the others, all hoping to miss the queues at the junction no doubt, but so many leaving at the same time actually caused the queues! The usual early start made sure we arrived there in time to miss them.
Then on to Common Lock, now well away from any visitors, with quite a bit of the lock beam missing, but if you boat in this neck of the woods you will be well aware of its state.
Fitting-out boats
What I just cannot understand is that, according to our log, there has been someone fitting out boats just topside of Common Lock for four years, at first under a red trade licence which is illegal, but which was obviously stopped. But now there are three, with two obviously being fitted-out, and one seemingly completed, yet not a licence between the lot.
Something not quite right here, that has been going on for a long time. I reckon that someone from Cart should pay a visit, for there has been someone in a boat there every time we have passed—three times this year.
In distress
Approaching Bagnall Lock there was man having closed the bottom gates walking back to fill the lock and obviously in distress, for the bottom gates—as they have done for years—had both swung open. So he did what everybody has to do—open a top gate paddle so that when the bottom gates are closed, they stay closed.
The problem of course is the amount of water coming through the open top gate paddle causes the bottom gates to crash together. But when there is not enough crew to hold the bottom two gates and open the top paddles it is the only way to get a boat up the lock. Or even get it full when coming down, as the bottom gates will of course be wide open.
Crap installation
Sensibly Cart realising that the crashing gates were not doing them any favours inserted a strut on each of the bottom gates to hold it shut and so solve the problem. But they were not very well secured, being fastened with screws just into the wood instead of being bolted right through.
So last May when we passed through the crap installation had allowed one to be pulled out and was lost, but now they are both missing. I just wonder how long it will be before they are replaced—if ever.
Another problem
Another problem at Bagnall is that part of the lower lock moorings have 'bent' and are out of action, surrounded by the iniquitous orange fencing, and of course not to be used.
This has been in this state for a while, but still quite a time to go to the four years that it usually takes for such repairs.
Totem gone
But things are getting really bad around here, for even the totem that displays the lock mooring signs has given up the ghost and now lays by the side of the hedge. It is not for me to suggest that it has 'purposely' been removed to mask the now unusable moorings for the lock. Would I ever?
But the picture shows it, and at a foot square I have never seen another in such a condition, so makes you wonder.
Keep clear
All this lack of maintenance is distressing me, so I'll change the subject, to one of noisy neighbours.
We had settled on our own on a deserted length of canal just by a road bridge when a somewhat decrepit boat towing a tender full of camping equipment moored just ahead of us, and with the result of the boat's rather large 'household', split between boat and tent on the towpath and other detritus, and alas a generator, that we really had enough of at 10pm, so objected. So, if you see such and want a bit of peace, give it a wide berth.
Repaired
A bit of good news at last, with the complete repair of the broken lock landing at the bottom of Barton Turns Lock, that had been out of action for a few years.
Being the lock by the entrance to Barton Turns Marina as well as a busy section of the Trent & Mersey with its many other marinas, it had caused many problems to boaters, with the moorings being limited by access to a water tap. Problems not only for boats wishing to moor but those newcomers descending the lock, wanting to moor, who had not yet mastered getting back on the boat as it exits the lock.
Luckily all is now well, with once more plenty of space for boats.
On pins
So here we are at the moorings at Branston Water Park, but such was the number of semi-permanent boats at the rings that being rather early after a short 'day' we had to moor on pins.
One thing I noticed this cruise is that there are far more empty spaces in marinas—even allowing for those cruising—than previously, and at the same time there certainly seems many more boats moored on the decent moorings, usually by a pub or the shops, as others have complained of, their being unable to find space themselves.
Increased costs
I believe that the increasing cost of marina moorings is killing the 'golden goose', and many boaters are no longer prepared to pay upwards of a couple of thousand quid a year to a marina, so are taking to the more handy bankside moorings, moving on to another as required. Some of course not even doing that.
The one thing that a marina has is power for its boats, but the advent of the advanced solar panels has changed all this for the cruising boater, they providing the power that otherwise would have had to have been provided by the engine, being both expensive and anti-social.
With water and radiator heating from both a moving boat and a diesel heater, with topped-up batteries from solar panels that in the daytime are always 'on', life can be good indeed, if boating is the life you want.
Victor Swift