Assistant lock keepers

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Roysie

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At the weekend entered a lock my wife at the bow approached a bollard she threw a rope and hit her target I then nudged reverse to bring stern round then left the helm to throw stern rope as just about to drop rope over bollard when stern violently moved away from side caused by assistant lock keeper removing bow rope and pulling without saying anything Iwas lucky not to fall in. Do they not train them has this happened to anyone else
 
Seasonal lock assistants can be wildly enthusiastic when they first start but most have little or no knowledge of boats and how to handle them.
A Lock Keeper can only give them basic instructions on how to operate a Lock. The little nuances that we take for granted can only be learned from experience.
 
Only way they can learn is if you kindly and patiently explain that yanking on the bow rope to stop a boat (assuming that's what he thought he was doing) always results in the astern swinging out and that the best way to stop a boat is from the stern. Explain also that unless a privately owned craft or crew is clearly in trouble it's best to leave well alone.

This, of course, may not apply to hired boats, whose one aim in life is to score as many hits on expensive boats in as short a time as possible to qualify for some obscure record known only to them.
 
Nice to have them there i think but if you know how to handle your boat then point out that your fine but the next boat may need some help .
 
Common I have found with inexperienced assistants is that with fore and aft tied and engines off they release bow line from the bollard and heave you forward and onto next bollard. You have to release the stern to facilitate this, then they stride off leaving you to stop the boat moving forward, either towards the gates or the boat in front. Often there is no convenient bollard at stern and I have had to start an engine to prevent ramming the gates.
I have also had lockies pulling at my stanchions and had to point out that they will snap off.
I prefer lockies to tell me where they would like me to be and allow me to get there
 
Its not just the assistants, we had an incident last year coming back up river from a few days away when an "enthusistic" lockie started closeing the gates on us and caught the back of the boat causing damage to the rear.
 
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Common I have found with inexperienced assistants is that with fore and aft tied and engines off they release bow line from the bollard and heave you forward and onto next bollard. You have to release the stern to facilitate this, then they stride off leaving you to stop the boat moving forward, either towards the gates or the boat in front. Often there is no convenient bollard at stern and I have had to start an engine to prevent ramming the gates.


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Then maybe the best bollard for your stern was the one you where already on ? Or are your ropes to short /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif
 
Never had an issue!

We get in smartly, tie up without too much fuss and get well left alone!

Perhaps some of you guys look a bit sloppy and attract attention /forums/images/graemlins/laugh.gif
 
I don't want to get drawn into this , as it could very well degenerate into a slanging match.

Nobodys perfect , and everyone has to learn . Perhaps if the people who have had 'incidents' were to speak to the offending keepers / assistants and explain rather than just moaning on a forum or in a clubhouse to their pals , the incidences of it happening would reduce.

No one is out to damage your boats , everyone is trying their best and are just trying to help.

I don't start threads grizzling about all the boat owners that i see doing stupid things , and there are a fair few , because i accept that no one is infallible and mistakes do happen . So i'll leave it at that.
 
That fella at Teddington is the worst ! He threw an empty gin bottle at me once for asking the time /forums/images/graemlins/shocked.gif /forums/images/graemlins/laugh.gif
 
Sure you didn't ask him for 'A good time'?

Last I heard of him, he was doing a little 'punting' with some ladies... /forums/images/graemlins/shocked.gif

It's true, I tell you! /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif
 
Don't you start. All us Teddington types are beyond reproach. It is the foreigners from other places that cause all the trouble!

/forums/images/graemlins/laugh.gif /forums/images/graemlins/laugh.gif
 
Perhaps the solution is to pull up in the right place to start with?

I passed a Pedro yesterday who was so far down the lock cut that I assumed he'd stopped for water or the pump out, but, no, he followed me in.

Other boats also pull up astern but on the opposite wall, effectively blocking off the space opposite.

Perhaps the "training" should be aimed at boaters too?
 
[ QUOTE ]
Perhaps the solution is to pull up in the right place to start with?

I passed a Pedro yesterday who was so far down the lock cut that I assumed he'd stopped for water or the pump out, but, no, he followed me in.

Other boats also pull up astern but on the opposite wall, effectively blocking off the space opposite.

Perhaps the "training" should be aimed at boaters too?

[/ QUOTE ]

I have to agree. Too many do not move as far up as they can when there is clearly others waiting behind them. Once at Marlow a Shetland 535 was the first in and took the first bollard. He remonstrated with the Lockie when beckoned forward. When the Lock was full he let go and banged into an Ocean 37 and proceeded to cuss out the Lockie for having other boats in the Lock.
I have helped out on Locks on many an occasion and wonder sometimes how the Keepers keep their cool at some of the bad manners shown.
 
A timely comment

As the promise of summer has materialised - for this week at least, and the river has almost stopped flowing (suggesting that lock restrictions may not be far away), now is the time to persuade folk to move up in the lock if needed, and do the same on the layby.

I've noticed an increasing reluctance for lockies to ask peeps to move up, or even direct craft to one side of the lock or another. I suspect it's due to the incident a Boveney years back when the Resident got a bollocking for remonstrating with a bolshy boater.

Boating on the Thames is fun and not just for getting from one drinking hole to another.
 
And don't forget the lovely little Freeman that followed you out /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif

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BTW, the Bell Weir lockie was very helpful yesterday.
 
We do try and get people to move up believe me ... ( if only because it's one less time we have to walk up and down the lockside if we get them in /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif )

Trouble is , some people become quite irate when you ask them , huffing and puffing and generally creating a bad atmosphere in the lock. Gone are the days of people using the same bollard the boat in front has its stern line on , and tucking your bow rope under it . Nowadays , its different bollards and 30 feet between each boat. The exception to this , beleive it or not is narrowboats who are happy to raft up ( 3 deep in Tedders regularly , you could walk from one side to the other across the roofs if you wanted /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif ) and use the same bollard for their bow rope as the stern of the other boat .... i do appreciate though though that this is because they are made of steel and have big rope fenders ...

We do pack 'em in when needed though ...

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28 narrowboats in the barge lock , the keeper at Brentford was none too pleased when they all rocked up en masse...

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