Told off in lock

I hope you lot never have to use a lock in France,There is no such thing as a que. when the lock opens it's full throttel and every man for himself, and thats before the other lot have got out.:D:eek:
 
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Just because they have not been as successful in life as others does not give them any right to be rude to people.

In my past I was a Sergeant in the Police. Bristol riots, miners dispute, Orgreave, Beanfield, I was there. I then left and became a professional yachtsman for 15 years, skippering large charter yachts in the Caribbean and Med. Came back to England and ran pubs for 5 years. I own a 44 foot sailing boat, have no mortgage and am now a full time Lock-keeper ! Unsuccessful ? I think not.

Chris
 
In my past I was a Sergeant in the Police. Bristol riots, miners dispute, Orgreave, Beanfield, I was there. I then left and became a professional yachtsman for 15 years, skippering large charter yachts in the Caribbean and Med. Came back to England and ran pubs for 5 years. I own a 44 foot sailing boat, have no mortgage and am now a full time Lock-keeper ! Unsuccessful ? I think not.

Chris
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The point is what is meant by 'success'. It has been suggested that I equated success with wealth, but I never said that. [Except jokingly when I quoted Mrs Thatcher when replying to a later post]

In my mind success equates with having a happy and fulfilling life. You obviously have one, and so do I; although another few £k a year certainly wouldn't go amiss.

What I can't be doing with is the snarling chip-on-the-shoulder jobsworths [sadly all too common in this country] who never lose an opportunity to show their resentment and jealousy of those who they think have done better out of life than they have. They are the real 'losers'.
 
told of in lock.... "toil" done a bit of toiling myself over the years... I started working life in the Happy Fish and Chip shop in Mablethorpe before becoming a Dodgems and Waltzer operative at the local fair for a while whilst having a second job as a Bingo caller. Left those positions to join the RAF as an aircraft technician fixing head up displays, autopilots and the like and then gained a 1st in Computer Science on leaving and going to university digging push bikes out of skips to sell on and make ends meet whilst studying... I've spent the last decade and a half in various IT jobs ranging from techy zip head spanner in hand type geeza to head of a Global Centre Of Excellence team designing and delivering Voice, Wireless and Video IT services to APR, GAR, LAR and EMEA within an 80,000 strong corporate. I've finally ended up as a Prince 2 Practicing Snr PM after dabbling with software programming and over a decade of network management and think I've finally found what I'm truely good and happy at doing (only took 30 years to get there!).

A wide and varied experience I guess and not once in all that diversity have I thought I'm second to someone else or indeed, better than them and find the post suggesting Mr Lock Keeper as not being successful as a tad short sighted.. the guy you see digging around in a skip one day, may be your boss the next! lol i.e. with obvious exceptions, never in my opinion, judge anyone on a single encounter, get to know them first before passing judgement.
 
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Lock guy shouts out "Oi, did you ask to be locked in?", "Nope", says guy on boat.

Is that locked 'in' or locked 'out' as you don't need to ask to be locked 'in'. Just join the queue if there is one and proceed on the green light.
 
Good on the lock keeper. In my opinion they are fantastic in Chi. I wish I had been in the lock at the same time, I'd have given the boat owner a mouthful too. Of course he could have been a visitor and not know the 'rules'.

I guess it depends on his response. Was he apologetic of bolshy?
 
Is that locked 'in' or locked 'out' as you don't need to ask to be locked 'in'. Just join the queue if there is one and proceed on the green light.

I might be imagining this but I think that Premier asked earlier in the year that people do call to request to be locked in (other than when freeflow is operating). I usually call the lock when I am approaching the pile at the start of the channel for Birdham Pool and no-one's ever asked me why I'm bothering to call.
 
Also: confession time now. Some years ago when I had a rag n stick I accidentally jumped the queue (genuine mistake - I thought someone wasn't about to leave the waiting pontoon). The lockie ticked me off and I was absolutely mortified. I was in the wrong, no question of that and I did offer to exit the lock.

There you go, bl***y raggies: no manners. :D
 
Baksheesh

The only effective answer is a return to the time-honoured practice of tipping, an activity that has almost disappeared in New Labour's I'm-as-good-as-you-are socialist Britain.

Issue the lock-keepers with a clog, a length of string and a pole and let them solicit a tip from each lock user. Then they would be helpful and courteous. If anyone inadvertently jumped the queue he would be shamed into giving a larger tip to appease the angry lock-keeeper, which would punish him in the pocket and amuse the rest of us. Any rich toffs could, of course, proffer a substantial tip and be respectfully ushered to the front of the queue, which is how it should be in a well-ordered society where everyone knows his place. Any socialist toe-rag refusing to tip would find himself unable to get out.
 
The only effective answer is a return to the time-honoured practice of tipping, an activity that has almost disappeared in New Labour's I'm-as-good-as-you-are socialist Britain.

Issue the lock-keepers with a clog, a length of string and a pole and let them solicit a tip from each lock user. Then they would be helpful and courteous. If anyone inadvertently jumped the queue he would be shamed into giving a larger tip to appease the angry lock-keeeper, which would punish him in the pocket and amuse the rest of us. Any rich toffs could, of course, proffer a substantial tip and be respectfully ushered to the front of the queue, which is how it should be in a well-ordered society where everyone knows his place. Any socialist toe-rag refusing to tip would find himself unable to get out.

Brilliant ! I'll put it to my boss:D I rather think you and I would get on quite well....
 
We don't have any locks out here, but we have a swinging bridge through a man-made canal that is manned by a permanent government employee.
After he opens the bridge for you, he holds out a pole with a basket on the end, for a nominal tip. Most put in a couple of stubbies (small bottles of beer), or $2.00 (GBP 1.00) if non-drinkers.

The beer payment thing possibly goes back to early colonial days when the local currency was rum.......:)
 
I might be imagining this but I think that Premier asked earlier in the year that people do call to request to be locked in (other than when freeflow is operating). I usually call the lock when I am approaching the pile at the start of the channel for Birdham Pool and no-one's ever asked me why I'm bothering to call.

On their web site it says...

Premier Marinas Lock info

"Inbound

* There is no requirement to call our lock keeper inbound. Join the queue and monitor VHF channel 80 at all times
* Please do not overtake in the approach fairway and keep a reasonable distance from the vessel in front
* Do not hang back in the approach fairway, use the outer waiting pontoon. During peak times a member of staff will assist you with your ropes"


I guess they just humour you :D
 
The only effective answer is a return to the time-honoured practice of tipping, an activity that has almost disappeared in New Labour's I'm-as-good-as-you-are socialist Britain.

Issue the lock-keepers with a clog, a length of string and a pole and let them solicit a tip from each lock user. Then they would be helpful and courteous. If anyone inadvertently jumped the queue he would be shamed into giving a larger tip to appease the angry lock-keeeper, which would punish him in the pocket and amuse the rest of us. Any rich toffs could, of course, proffer a substantial tip and be respectfully ushered to the front of the queue, which is how it should be in a well-ordered society where everyone knows his place. Any socialist toe-rag refusing to tip would find himself unable to get out.

This reminds me of a scene from "Train to Hell" by Alexei Sayle. The hero of the book hands a taxi driver a business card which says "I don't pay tips; I fight for a decent living wage for all workers".

The taxi driver hands him back a card saying "F*** off, you tight-fisted bastard". :D
 
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