Richard Swan

on boating

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Bollards again

LAST week I was watching a training boat with the instructor teaching some novices how to operate single locks. To my surprise he made no use whatever of the newly installed bollards. Perhaps Robin Evans could explain how one is able to obtain a certificate of competence in boat handling without being taught how to use this important feature of lock operation safety?

Voluntary bonus

IT IS increasingly being rumoured that the growing enthusiasm of British Waterways for volunteers is driven by 'volunteer hour' targets being used towards the bonuses of our lords and masters.

If this does prove to be the case I can see that current volunteers will be deserting the waterways in droves. There seems to be little point in the value of their work being used to pay bonuses rather than leaving British Waterways more cash to spend on maintenance of the system.

Museum pieces

THE Motor and Canal Museum at Llangollen, which many boaters will have visited on trips to the town, is being reorganised as it needs more space for the motoring side. They are therefore having to be dispose of the canal exhibit and there are a few items available to any canal organisation that can house them.

The photographs on this page are by the author.

Listed

RECENTLY I was watching a British Waterways employee pointing a bridge over the canal. He was using lime mortar which is the new gospel with the heritage officers at British Waterways. All well and good but in my book it should never be used to repair masonry constructed with Portland cement, as in this case.

It seems that British Waterways want to try to take advantage of new legislation governing listed structures which permits a more streamlined approach to getting planning consent. In order to do this they will need to show that they have a responsible attitude towards the preservation and maintenance of the structures and the knowledge to look after them. Hence, presumably, the over enthusiasm for the use of lime mortar.

Diesel

ALTHOUGH boaters are now having to grapple with the complexity of the new VAT regulations on red diesel I wonder just how much effect the increases in the price of road fuel have had on British Waterways. It runs a sizeable fleet of road vehicles, and it sometimes seems that its staff spend more time driving than actually working on the canal.

The linear nature of the canal system obviously makes it difficult to get to sites without driving, but the reorganisation of British Waterways into relatively large areas does seem to have had the effect of seeing more men driving longer distances than they used to. A case of penny wise pound foolish perhaps?