Crinan Update

[Quandary]

I thought I had posted about this yesterday but must have forgotten to press the button.
The Canal is now full as far down as lock 3 where it is pissing through the new gates despite two winches and cables straining to keep them closed, so it looks as if they might manage to open by Thursday, though the coffer dam at the sealock is still in place. The water coming down is stinking, black with mud and covered in thick floating debris. If it does open this week there will still be a lot of tidying up to do so bring your gardening wellies. It might be worth giving it a day or two to flush and settle if you are worried about your raw water pump?

 

[ctva]

Nice and fresh at this end.

 

[dunedin]

Thanks Quandary. Any views on what maximum draft of boat you would recommend going through at an early stage (Thursday / Friday).

Also this year’s arrangements re assistance / pilotage. Asking for a friend who is thinking of going that way.

 

[Quandary]

Thanks Quandary. Any views on what maximum draft of boat you would recommend going through at an early stage (Thursday / Friday).

Also this year’s arrangements re assistance / pilotage. Asking for a friend who is thinking of going that way.

I would not count on making a passage on Thursday yet, SC are big lovers of the H&S excuse and there are a lot of pontoons to be recovered and secured, the paths do not yet meet the walkways on the locks and there has been no dredging, I am not sure if they even removed the underwater tree trunks. The draining revealed that most of the hazards appear to be closer to the south (west) bank which is also overhung by trees. For instance there is a considerable hump mid way between 3 and 4 and most other places where streams run in from that side. The dredgers working in the harbour will want to clear a route to the lock. Practical max. draught is still probably about 2.3m. though it can be less off some of the landings, depends how much water they put in, over 2m. it might be best to give them notice.
'Pilots' are listed on SCs website though the list is several years old and not everyone on it is active. My name with landline number is deliberately last on the list as I am sometimes away sailing so not always available. I will post again here if things change but my advice would be to give things a day or two to settle out even if they do open on Thursday.
I understand the waiting pontoon where my own boat is this week will be removed as soon as the sealock is operational, the old moorings in the harbour will be compromised by the harbour dredging which is well under way but it is possible to overnight in the lock with fenders both sides or weight on shore lines. At present there is less than 1.6m. on the north side of the pontoon, at least 1/2 metre more on the south.
I have heard it rumoured that there has been an error with the position of the motors on the sealock and the gates may have to be manually operated if the water gets in to them until they can get it rectified
I will keep posting on progress through the week.

 

[Quandary]

Nice and fresh at this end.

Yeah like crystal, do you put it in you whisky?

 

[dutyhog]

“My name with landline number is deliberately last on the list”

Check the list, Joe. Looks like there are others after you on the page I see.

 

[Quandary]

Thanks for that they have rearranged them though If I was busy I would be recommending Andy, another sailor, who is now last. Some of the names on the list are long gone and others have never done it before, anyone can put their name forward and they go on the list. If you want someone who can tie a bowline try Andy or Joe.

The divers have been here and the temporary steel coffer dam has gone letting water in to the sealock for the second time since October, looks hopeful though there is still a lot to do..

 

[Quandary]

Assured by lockeepers and the contractors men that they will be open Thursday, may not be many places to tie up and the place will be a mess. Pontoons are still floating about but only the basin to be filled up now. One swing bar on lock 3 is about 3" clear of the ground so bring your slimmest limbo dancer or wear kneepads.

 

[penfold]

Assured by lockeepers and the contractors men that they will be open Thursday, may not be many places to tie up and the place will be a mess. Pontoons are still floating about but only the basin to be filled up now. One swing bar on lock 3 is about 3" clear of the ground so bring your slimmest limbo dancer or wear kneepads.

Does quality control not exist in the field of lock gate maintenance?

 

[Quandary]

Does quality control not exist in the field of lock gate maintenance?

Never has, this is a contract for a quango, it is a new gate installed this month, part of a contract for 16 gates at several £million, the trouble is the main and sub-contractors are all railway specialists, it was unfortunate that Scottish Canals could not have spared someone who had seen a canal for a clerk of works role on site. They talked about lowering the ground but the site is already vulnerable to flooding. I could fix it if they would let me use their big bandsaw, the gate it replaced was normal height.
Seriously think that there are going to be back injuries.

 

[Deleted member 36384]

Never has, this is a contract for a quango, it is a new gate installed this month, part of a contract for 16 gates at several £million, the trouble is the main and sub-contractors are all railway specialists, it was unfortunate that Scottish Canals could not have spared someone who had seen a canal for a clerk of works role on site. They talked about lowering the ground but the site is already vulnerable to flooding. I could fix it if they would let me use their big bandsaw, the gate it replaced was normal height.
Seriously think that there are going to be back injuries.

Is it not beyond the wit of man to fabricate and extension to push / pull against?

 

[Quandary]

Is it not beyond the wit of man to fabricate and extension to push / pull against?

Yes the old swing bars had steel hoops on top of them though over time these seemed to get loose or come out. Usually about 20cm. high, it would help but your nose would still be close to the ground and my favourite technique of pushing with my bum might not be very comfortable.

 

[claymore]

Pushing with your bum...are we in danger of getting drifted a tad here?

 

[penfold]

Pushing with your bum...are we in danger of getting drifted a tad here?

Even that will be challenging as the top of the bar will be at most 18-20" off the ground; a quick and dirty fix would be to chainsaw the bars off the old gates and clamp them on top, it will look a bit rubbish though.

 

[Quandary]

The balance beam below the gate end of the swing bar is approx 30cm. square, lift it off and take it to the workshop, cut a wedge half the length of the beam and 20cm. deep, place said wedge on top of the other half of the beam and replace, it should lift the outer end of the swing bar by almost 40 cms. They might need to use 3 or 4 bolts to fix the wedge to the beam. Could be done in an afternoon. I talked to the engineer he did not want to know.

 

[penfold]

Surely the SC staff have at least some oversight? Or are they clueless as well?

 

[Quandary]

No comment. (I live here). There are a couple of guys working on the maintenance team who could have sorted it out if they had the authority but the supervision was carried out by a young lady in Glasgow.
A day to go, there is water but the reaches are not full, loats of floating crap inc. some quite large floating boards and other bits of timber, current headroom under the temp. bridge about 1.2m. Each lock is still enclosed with heras fencing but they have started work on connecting the paths to the walkways and some of the pontoons have been pulled back to the bank. It may be possible to get in tomorrow but making a transit might be difficult.

 

[Railbob]

First boats going through this morning

 

[Quandary]

First boat was an X 43 so that should test the depth. No shortage of manpower there, the truck in attendance with hiab is to open the sluices with a bit of chain, down at the sealock they have two diggers doing the same thing and chewing up the remaining patch of grass. They have left lengths of wood that can be used to prop the swingbars open as the locating pins have been overlooked. dry day but still mud everywhere. Some of the very low swing bars are catching on the mooring hooks. Rafts of plastic floating everywhere gradually making its way seaward, forests of used cable ties all over the beach. The pontoon is to be removed today.
But it is calm, dry and almost sunny.

 

[Deleted member 36384]

You would think that as a professional canal operator for 200 years they would understand how to order replacement items, update designs based on operational history and set up the gates by now.