Recent content by Mushroom2

Low cost airline crews are severely restricted as to how much of their leave they can take during the busy summer months. As far as I know permanent lockkeepers have no such restrictions - just to add to boaters misery.

Just to add a couple of points to Thamesinsider’s excellent and entirely accurate post. Lock keepers can take their leave as single days, so with some judicious manipulation of their shift pattern they can get quite long periods off with very few leave days used. The EA go to great lengths to...

Just come past. Very few places above the swing bridge - fishing club only signs everywhere. However plenty of places below the bridge up from Pangbourne.

I have half completed the form, but loking through the rest of it quickly I could not see anywhere to raise concerns like these.

My thoughts exactly.

The lock was opened at 1100. 48 hours after the collar broke for a job that I was told by many EA staff should have taken 2 hrs at the most. Good to see that there were 2 senior managers at the lock helping boaters through! No doubt expecting to take the plaudits for fixing such a complex...

Further to the above, evidently the EA had a recent elfnsafety issue and has forbidden their own people to fix the probelm. The outside contractor wont do the lift untill the lifting point has been stress tested. The EA can't find someone to do the test. You couldn't make it up! elfnsafety...

Nothing changes for the better. This week for us Monday Shiplake to Beale Park - 5 locks with 2 manned. Return Tuesday 5 locks - none manned! Even Caversham, although at 1410 it may have been late back from lunch.

It certainly seems like at times!

You wouldn't be moaning if you were going the other way!

No doubt posted by a fish-head! (The orginal post I mean).

If you moor up on the Reading side of Caversham Bridge it's a short walk to the petrol station on the roundabout. Assuming you're on the river.

Oh well. Here's hoping they have a change of heart over the winter.

As of Wednesday this week (23rd) all the " No Mooring" signs at Beale Park had disappeared. I was told it was possible vandalism, but if so it was very thorough as there were a hell of a lot of them along the whole length of the park land. Some hope of a reprive.

As we’re on to war stories……(no boats but water is involved). Many moons ago as a wet behind the ears but keen helicopter pilot I was tasked to take a party over the sea off the North Norfolk coast to scatter the ashes of a well known local. Trundling slowly down the coast at 50 feet with a...