[EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: > [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: > >> Waterways Ireland's response was to issue a dreaded "Marine >> Notice"..certainly not the result of vandalisim. >> http://www.waterwaysireland.org/index.cfm/section/article/page/MarineNotice7of2 > > Err... something not quite right... > > "Boats will only be permitted entry between 06.30am - 07.30am at the > 1st or 12th lock..." > > ...but... > > "During lock-keepers' hours (8.30am to 3.00pm) they can offer > attended passage through the locks... There will be no attendance > outside these hours. Due to the gate padlocks it will therefore be > impossible to use locks between the 1st and 12th outside of these > times..." > > Martin
Martin...it's Ireland! ;-) One of the other Marine Notices out at the moment is the one about NOT flinging your ropes at a locky, as they will take them with a boat hook. Even on a couple of the big Shannon Locks we sat there sheepisly holding a loop of rope up for the locky...only to be told to fling them up! In the interest of good relations (we were known as soon as we met the first locky on the Shannon!) we have tried to be as compliant as possible with the WI staff. One of the biggest unknowns is now much you "tip" the lockies on the Shannon (normal charge 1.5 Euros), with a couple you would not see change out of a 2 Euro coin. It is amazing how long certain bits of waterway take to do. On the way up the 3 locks and couple of miles of the Lough Allen Canal took over 4 hours...we have been known to do Tarebigge in not long over that time! We now like our "home" waterway locks on the SEW, great fun trying to get freebies. They have totally harmless paddles and the best approach is to stay near the back when going up and just get the paddles fully up as soon as possible. Let say we bought one 20 unit card and still have 9 units left, even though we past both ways through the canal (32 locks = 32 units) The spindly looking hydraulics are actually quite powerful and you can crack the top gates with about 4 inches head. Dublin Our locky (Martin Fogarty, his patch is Lks 14-18, but got lumbered with doing the passage down / up from Main Line Locks 1-12, due to the normal locky, Ray Moore being off sick) turned up at 08:30 going down at Lk12 and 07:30 at Lk1 going up. The going down is not a problem because the "badlands" of Clondalkin are cleared before the "normal" 11:00 time the yobs wake up, wheras even starting at 07:30 at Lk1 going up, you will pass Clondalkin around yob wake-up time. I have heard that the yobs mainly like to bait the Waterways Ireland staff and tend to leave boats alone. Of course the kids are more used to seeing a rally load of boats going down, that rather draw attention. We had some harmless, inquisitive kids jumping on the back of the boat around Lock4 going down, but then they were rendered harmless, by the front (AND REAR!) doors being locked and the cratch cover down, fones in pockets and hand on camera. With a narrowboat you do not have to worry that a good proportion of the lock gates will not open completly and there are a good few sections near Dublin (Hazelhatch to Lock13 and the top of the Circular Line) are shallow and infested with much blanket weed. By our standards the whole "scary" episode was a bit like a Sunday school outing...maybee were were lucky. -- Neil Arlidge - NB Earnest - Shannon Reg 7410...not here anymore... Follow the truly independent TNC at : http://www.tuesdaynightclub.co.uk Visit this site and help save our waterways from the DEFRA cuts http://www.saveourwaterways.org.uk/
