Crinan Canal Re-opening?

[dutyhog]

I saw them working with a crane on lock 7 today, so some progress at least is happening on a bank holiday weekend.

There was another big crane earlier in the week, taking down some of those big trees that lean over the road and could maybe fall into the canal.

 

[JumbleDuck]

I saw them working with a crane on lock 7 today, so some progress at least is happening on a bank holiday weekend.

Do you know how many locks have had work and how many new gates? I had got the impression that it was only 1 - 4 this time round, but obviously that's wrong.

 

[Quandary]

No, you are right it is only one to four, it might have made sense to deal with five to avoid the need to drain the whole reach again but how would I know?
The Cairnbaan and Dunardry flights plus the top reach were also drained this winter after most of the fish had been stunned and taken down to the Crinan reach.
Next years project starts from Crinan Basin.
The gates have been in and out several times, the meeting arrangement seems unecessariy complex and on the basis of how hard they have been to fit threatens maintenance problems, not had a chance to swing one of the new gates yet but with the locks empty and no flotation it seems to take three guys to swing one. Let us hope it is easier when the wee woman that is sent ashore on her own turns up.

 

[JumbleDuck]

No, you are right it is only one to four, it might have made sense to deal with five to avoid the need to drain the whole reach again but how would I know?
The Cairnbaan and Dunardry flights plus the top reach were also drained this winter after most of the fish had been stunned and taken down to the Crinan reach.

Thanks.

Next years project starts from Crinan Basin.

Any idea how that will affect my nice new year-round berth at Bellanoch?

 

[Quandary]

Thanks.

Any idea how that will affect my nice new year-round berth at Bellanoch?

As far as I know you will probably not be able to go outafter mid October, they started on the Ardrishaig sea lock in October and are still 'working' at it. I presume they will put a dam across above 14 to keep you afloat and will have another one outside the sea lock, you may be able to go out at Ardrishaig if you want to get out between Oct and May, they usually tolerate moving about in winter when there is space. Because they did not tackle the lower gates on 5 they will probably be draining the eastern reach again when they get to the Cairnbaan flight but at the current rate of work I will probably be dead before then.
I launched on Friday and am currently waiting impatienty to get in to the canal but they are still dismantling and lifting the new gates out and in, seem to have a lot of problem with the fancy padded meeting stiles, the chamfered wood bolted to the old ones was a lot simpler, hope this is not going to be a perennial problem. Disappointing to see that it seems to need three workers to swing one, hopefully it will be easier when they are floating.

 

[Alicatt]

Will she get back on her mooring?

 

[JumbleDuck]

As far as I know you will probably not be able to go outafter mid October, they started on the Ardrishaig sea lock in October and are still 'working' at it. I presume they will put a dam across above 14 to keep you afloat and will have another one outside the sea lock, you may be able to go out at Ardrishaig if you want to get out between Oct and May, they usually tolerate moving about in winter when there is space.

Thanks. That's not too much of a problem, particularly this coming winter. I'm planning to keep her afloat there for 21/2 and 22/3 before bringing her back to the Clyde for a refit over 23/4 in preparation for my retirement and immediately subsequent disappearance on a long trip.

I launched on Friday and am currently waiting impatienty to get in to the canal but they are still dismantling and lifting the new gates out and in, seem to have a lot of problem with the fancy padded meeting stiles, the chamfered wood bolted to the old ones was a lot simpler, hope this is not going to be a perennial problem. Disappointing to see that it seems to need three workers to swing one, hopefully it will be easier when they are floating.

Am I right in thinking that they are using composite gates made in the Netherlands? If so, I'd expect the cloggies to know about lock gates, though not perhaps about poorly built and poorly maintained eighteenth century locks.

 

[JumbleDuck]

Will she get back on her mooring?
View attachment 114703

Unlikely. She was broken up in the 70s. I imagine the VIC32 will soldier on for a bit until the bottom finally falls out of her, at which point the VIC27 might finally find a reason for existing.