The "Word on The Cut"

Sunday, 11 December 2011 14:21

Like all communities the inland waterways system of canals and rivers has its own way of communicating. It is surprising how fast stories spread, whether they be true, conjecture or just plain rumour! Blogs possibly have something to do with it - so I cannot be blameless, Facebook and Twitter have taken our world by storm, while the towpath telegraph feeds on them. 

Reflective 14D moorings - but muddy towpath

So what is the latest I have learned? ,,,,,, 

ICE. No, not an early weather warning, but the latest updates from boaters across the system. Ice in Braunston, ice on the Kennet and Avon, ice oop north etc etc..... The good news is no ice in Oxfordshire, or at least on this bit of the South Oxford Canal.

In fact, I am going to celebrate Spring - these planters are all the way up the towpath from here to Aubrey's Lift Bridge and even at the sani-station. 

Blooming marvellous

The members of the Thrupp Canal Cruising Club sponsor tubs and flower beds and they all have signs naming the sponsors and asking moored narrowboat owners or hirers to water them if necessary. They make an attractive display and hopefully will stay devoid of cans, bottles and cigarette butts over the busy "boating season".

Other "communicators", such as Waterscape, warn of high winds and suggest boaters "batten down the hatches", boaters are advised to check mooring ropes, take things off the deck and roof if they are not fastened down and to move from a mooring if a tree looks "old and weak"." Now, if moorings are correctly maintained, surely old and weak trees should have been cut down and those paying for these moorings would surely expect that. Sadly this is not the world we live in now, but I would certainly be complaining if I had to move my boat because it was in so called danger. Read the "definitive advice" here.

We are moored in a wooded cutting - a quick check out of the porthole - none of them appear to be in this state, but I am not a tree expert, so how do I know if one is going to fall down? It is not until the canal reaches The Boat Inn that the trees lessen.

Towards The Boat and Thrupp Canal Cottages

So I think we shall continue to do what we always do - look out of the porthole in the morning to see what the weather has brought us. We are prepared for bad weather; we plan for potential icing-in, but hope that we can keep moving around another winter boating problem: stoppages!