BLUEMOMENT

From the BW news letter.

Assisted Lock Operation

Early next season, there will be courtesy assistance at the locks for those customers with only two people on
board or who feel that they would like help.

The new service has been introduced in response to feedback from those who find lock operation difficult. It
will, of course, appeal equally to those new to the pleasures of sailing through the Scottish canals.

It is expected that those with well crewed vessels will still operate the inland locks themselves and the team
will be able to focus the service at Ardrishaig Sea Lock, Lock 4 and on the main inland flights between Lock
5 and 13, on those who need it.

To ensure prompt assistance, visitors planning to use the new courtesy service should contact the canal
office during the week prior to arrival by telephoning 01546 603210.

On both my trips through last year I got the very strong impression that boat with pilots were given priority over those doing it themselves. If this moves ends that situation, jolly good.

ubergeekian wrote:On both my trips through last year I got the very strong impression that boat with pilots were given priority over those doing it themselves. If this moves ends that situation, jolly good.

Hope that -and the weather -holds true for our planned trip through on Friday

wully wrote:
Hope that -and the weather -holds true for our planned trip through on Friday

Could you report back on the new "facilities" at the Crinan end, please?

marisca wrote: Could you report back on the new "facilities" at the Crinan end, please?

I'll make sure the crew ramps up the tea ration as we approach Crinan.

wully wrote: Hope that -and the weather -holds true for our planned trip through on Friday

The best trip I ever had through was a winter one in my old boat. There was just me, so I used my usual approach (no pilots in those days, children) of preparing to wait a few days until someone else was going through, then join in and make myself useful with cups of tea and other refreshments.

As it happened, though, a fishing boat was going through the day after I arrived. "No problem, pal. Just tie alongside, put your feet up and we'll do the work." There were about eight of them with two cars to shuttle between locks.

In those days, chickabiddies, the canal speed limit applied to power boats as well as sailing yachts, and passing through was a gentle and civilised experience. Normally. They damn nearly had me planing the whole way through. Well organised, too - I suspect they were preparing lock 2 as we left Crinan. Yee-hah.

That was the swiftest transit of the canal by a long way.. In at 0900 out by 1315.

No time to stop off and inspect facilities I'm afraid.

I can highly recommend Mr Hugh Kirk if you need a pilot.

And it was a stunning day. Cold, but the snow on Scarba and Mull was very picture-skew.

ubergeekian wrote:On both my trips through last year I got the very strong impression that boat with pilots were given priority over those doing it themselves. If this moves ends that situation, jolly good.

It is not so much that they get priority as crews that are taking too long being asked to speed up or step aside. They can be VERY annoying. On one of my trips through (in the days before pilots) we encountered one crew who were very slow ahead of us. We put up with this from locks 2 to 4 then they got away up the reach. We were caught by the lunch break at 5 and were surprised when we caught up again when they were in 8 and we were waighting to leave 7. We walked up and found them in the lock with half a sluice open and having lunch. Very slowly. Now I do like the canal on a good day (and it was one such) but I was also hoping to get out and take the tide down towards Gigha, so I asked them if they would mind getting a move on. The reply cannot be printed or Nick would delete it. Just then. both sluices opened full and woke them up. There was a fishing boat coming the other way. They did then clear the lock and wait in the top reach to complete their lunch.

Yes, Hugh is a great pilot and makes the trip easy. I can hardly believe how much I used to dread the canal. Certainly some of the methods used should have been obvious to anyone with half a brain, but how many of us have been trying (and failing) to throw ropes ashore instead of having the person ashore lift them with a boat-hook? And we also find hath handling the ropes aboard is less trouble as we used to keep too much tension on rather than just taking in the slack. We are also getting less fit now and find the long walks to prepare locks before entering and after leaving are a bit beyond us so I for one will be glad that he canal are returning some of the service that we used to enjoy.

Wight Dawn wrote:

ubergeekian wrote:On both my trips through last year I got the very strong impression that boat with pilots were given priority over those doing it themselves. If this moves ends that situation, jolly good.

It is not so much that they get priority as crews that are taking too long being asked to speed up or step aside.

Not in my recent experience, I'm afraid. I quite agree about irritatingly slow boats, and used to pride myself in getting through with one crew faster than most boats manage with three or four - it's a wee bit slower now that I have a boat needing both gates opened.

Hire a pilot and, it seems, you will get priority in entering the canal from the sea lock and you will get very much better service at the bridges. It's a real shame, as it has destroyed the friendly spirit of cooperation which used to prevail. Now he who pays most goes first and fastest.or perhaps that should be "used to go" as it sounds as if BW have decided to put us all on a more equal footing again.

Piloted boats also seem to have complete immunity from the rules regarding speed limits.

And ... breathe .. and ... relax ...

Piloted boats also seem to have complete immunity from the rules regarding speed limits.

That was not my experience with Hugh on any of the trips we did in the last two years. As we left lock 4, he told us to keep to the speed limit in the reach as he had to finish up and then get to lock 5. The same advice was given at the start of all reaches. I also did not find that we jumped the queue at bridges. At lock 5 this year there was a delay as a BW team were investigating why the gate was not closing using a ROV with camera. When they started work again, they stuck to the order in which boats had arrived except for one who decided to stay there for the rest of the day. The same happened the previous year except that the lock keeper warned us that the lot ahead were clueless. Hugh had to have a word with them after they had tried to fill lock 7 with the lower sluices open and we could not open lock 5 due to the rush of water.

Regarding the "facilities" planned for Crinan, it is not before time. The facilities in the canal in general leave a lot to be desired. This is particularly true of Crinan and Cairnbaan. The public toilets at Crinan are inadaquate and fairly disgusting. The ones at Cairnbaan are totally inadaquate. On one occasion I went to the ones there for my morning constitutional and came round the corner to find a queue of 4 people with towels under their arms waiting to shower. I estimated that I would need to wait up to an hour and nature drove me to head for the woods. Fast. The same year we encountered similar problems on the Caledonian . With so many boats in one place, there is a heavy demand for toilets. It is plain daft to put the shower in there as well, thus rendering the loo unusable for long periods.

Wight Dawn wrote:

Piloted boats also seem to have complete immunity from the rules regarding speed limits.

That was not my experience with Hugh on any of the trips we did in the last two years.

I hasten to add that I would not wish to cast any aspersions on Hugh. I haven't met him in person, but everyone assures me he's on of the Good Guys. I have, however, heard two other pilots boast about the speed at which they get boats through, and those speeds were not compatible with 4kt on the reaches ...

Regarding the "facilities" planned for Crinan, it is not before time. The facilities in the canal in general leave a lot to be desired.

My trips through and back last year were the first for ten or twelve years, so I was quite surprised to find any facilities at all. I was sad to find Cairnbaan Stores closed.