Caledonian Canal warning!

[Quandary]

My wife tells me that I may be singlehandling myself shortly so I have a lot of sympathy with those who do, though transiting the Crinan behind one who is not willing to share does try my patience.
On this canal there are guys who insist on strictly following policy, stand well back, touch nothing just open and close the bridge and there are those (a majority) who apply common sense and are happy to get involved and help as much as they can, it is a much less boring day. I suspect our friend may have been unfortunate to speak to one of the former.

 

[Elessar]

We were on the North Pier pontoons in Oban yesterday, a neighbour in a small yacht had just come back down from Corpach. He explained that he was returning to Yorkshire via the Cally but was refused entry because he was single handed, they advised that while the Covid emergency lasts they will not handle lines or assist boats through locks, so no single handers. His means of navigation seemed to be Navionics on a phone. He was faced with the prospect of going round the top with little knowledge of Cape Wrath or the Pentland Firth. I gave him some booklets and scanty advice about where to seek shelter, but thinking of it since, I should have given him a chart and my CCC pilot. The weather is set to deteriorate and I realize I should have helped more but think Scottish Canals were acting unreasonably in sending him away, his boat was small enough to be walked through the locks and surely a pair of gloves would give protection if it even is possible to catch covid from a rope.
In the past many single handed sailors made the transit with help and advice from the lockkeepers but apparently not this year, so if you know of anyone in a similar position worth warning them. The Canal people could do a lot more too, most yachts approach via Oban. The lobby at the Oban pontoons is full of free bumpf, Welcome Anchorages, Royal Highland YC journals, a warning notice there would have saved this guy and I am sure others at least two wasted light weather days when the passage might have been easier and safer.

Covid is a carte blanc excuse for crap service everywhere it seems.
I’m sick of it.

 

[Elessar]

Why, has sensible safety, suddenly become madness?
People, run our economy, so would more victims dying, help?

Explain what’s sensible about it and how it improves safety in any way.

 

[davierobb]

Just back from a failed delivery trip, mechanical issues. The calle canal situation is a shambles. The don't answer phone, or emails. Also turned up in person at office in Inverness but no one there.
We moved through without permit but with agreement to buy one at Corpach on our way out. Canal between Inverness and fort Aug working ok, lines were taken and staff were all helpfull. We had been told that fort Augustus to Corpach was hit or miss, what we found is there is only one passage a day through fort Augustus locks, 8.30 up and 10ish down. Hire boats are out in full numbers so much delay and disappointment.
The canal is pretending to be open but they are only supplying about 20 to 30% of service, laundry facilities closed and various showers and toilets closed due to failures.

 

[Mark-1]

there is only one passage a day through fort Augustus locks, 8.30 up and 10ish down. Hire boats are out in full numbers so much delay and disappointment.

Meanwhile Chichester Marina has been locking lock-fulls of boats in and out all day every day for months. Several hundred boats a day at weekends. Lines cheerfully passed and recovered by several marina staff.

 

[Quandary]

Aaaaaah! But you guys don't have Nicola to tell you when to panic.

 

[cherod]

Covid is a carte blanc excuse for crap service everywhere it seems.
I’m sick of it.

Exactly and we should not be apologists for the little hitlers or pandering to theIr bullshit

 

[Deleted member 36384]

Scottish Canals are underfunded, under invested in teh network and with a huge backlog of spend, apparentl

Exactly and we should not be apologists for the little hitlers or pandering to theIr bullshit

What would you have done if you went single handed and were refused passage because of line handling?

 

[duncan99210]

If you’d care to read the notification I linked to earlier, the Caledonian is short staffed because they’ve not recruited their normal seasonal staff. That’s why they’ve insisted on boats managing their own lines. They haven’t laid down any specific crewing requirements just a simple statement that boats must have enough crew to handle their own lines.
So it’s not covid per se that has led to handle your own lines stuff (I’m not touching that stuff ‘cos you touched it) but simply not enough people to be able to guarantee being able to handle your lines for you. They’ll have done a Risk Assessment on the topic and concluded that the safe option is to insist on enough crew to handle a boats own lines. Any fiddling round the edges, fitting hanging lines and the like will have fallen foul of the same RA.
Where they have been less than good is drawing people’s attention to the restriction.

 

[NorthRising]

are there any cases in the Caledonian Canal ?

Not of whisky, no.

 

[ProDave]

What would you have done if you went single handed and were refused passage because of line handling?

Come on this forum looking to hire a crew member for 2 days.

 

[Quandary]

Come on this forum looking to hire a crew member for 2 days.

On my presumption that finding someone with their own tent not bothered by social distancing on a very small boat and the means to do the full sixty miles and return was unlikely (impossible?)
i would have told the jobsworth that my super fit granny and her mother were meeting me in Banavie tomorrow, walked the boat through the double lock and up the staircase. (In the event that I could not find a bigger yacht willing to tie me alongside in exchange for walking one of his lines.) The lock keepers on the 'staircase' and at Muirtown would probably help anyway to speed things up, probably not at Ft. Aug. but I would be surprised if even in the absence of the hordes of Chinese tourists there is not a likely lad happy to hold my stern line. Walking small boats through the flights is not something new. The staff manning the long flights is normally no more than two anyway, any less would be unsafe, the exception where they may have three or four is only at Fort Augustus because they have to herd the hire cruisers.
Scottish Canals have some obligation to provide a service, otherwise what is the point of our funding them, to send an inexperienced sailor in a small boat round the top in the sort of weather we are experiencing is shameful.

 

[awol]

It's only the up-locks that are a problem though lassoing the nails is possible with practice - except perhaps at Gairlochy. Downhill is a piece of p**s. And, yes, I've done it single-handed but long before Covid was thought of.
I made the mistake once of letting an apparently willing tourist take a line - I don't recommend it!