Crinan Canal facilities
Posted: Mon Aug 24, 2015 2:01 pm
I used the Crinan Canal last week.
The helpfulness of the staff is increasing as the season progresses. Generally they want to do a good job, but their circumstances make it hard for them.
I noted an internal memo to staff (hanging on the office wall) about mealbreaks - and while it was perhaps reminding staff that they must take their breaks, it did (pleasingly from my customer's viewpoint) allow that customers might work the locks themselves during this time to progress their journey.
Anyway that wasn't required. We arrived at the Crinan sealock at 1655 (closing time 1700), and they allowed us in, and into the basin. That was nice.
Then part journey along, lunch breaks were rostered to allow continuous progress of the 4 yachts locking together. One keeper was a bit reluctant that we put 4 together, but I've found that if the boats are well fendered, jamming them in together avoids a lot of wild swinging if someone is a little over enthusiastic in opening the sluice on locking upward.
So we have an uneventful if slow transit. It took just over 6 hours. That's compared to 6.5 hours 2 weeks earlier, when we were fighting against the flow of WHW returning boats.
But in the old days of self operation, my record was 3hrs 50mins sealock to sealock, 2 handed, but with good coordination, and only opening one lock door (we being so narrow that one was plenty wide enough).
I used the shower at the Crinan basin. (not plural showers, note!)
Four standard showers and one disabled facility in that building. The four ordinary showers were all out of order. Apparently for long enough that signs have been made to "apologise for the inconvenience", and pointing customers to the Crinan Boatyard facilities.. The disabled persons shower was therefore in big demand.
This facilities block was opened last year, and I'm amazed at how many small details seem difficult to get right.
For example, showers I such a facility are typically for those who go to sea. We wear lots of clothing, and when showering need to hang that somewhere. Showers need a place to rest the soap, shampoo and suchlike. Without hooks (you could hardly have too many), soapdish, and a dry place to put back the socks and footwear, then a shower becomes a contortionist act standing on one foot drying the other to pull on the sock that got accidentally dropped on the wet floor as there's nowhere dry to stand.
I have this idea, that the best way to assess such a facility is to use it. I mentioned this to the excellent management at Inverness Marina last week, and that is exactly what he'd done. Tried it out. Being an experienced fisherman and seaman, he knew what people want, but was also quite open to suggestion.
It is quite difficult to figure out what's wrong with such amenities without using them yourself as if a customer.
I'm unlikely to go through the Canal again this year (at that price, 3 times was enough), but wonder what will happen next year.
I experienced the Caledonian Canal for the first time this year too, will make that another post with times. I reckon that canal is "do-able" in under 2 days, though the Inverness Police didn't allow me to do so last week!
The helpfulness of the staff is increasing as the season progresses. Generally they want to do a good job, but their circumstances make it hard for them.
I noted an internal memo to staff (hanging on the office wall) about mealbreaks - and while it was perhaps reminding staff that they must take their breaks, it did (pleasingly from my customer's viewpoint) allow that customers might work the locks themselves during this time to progress their journey.
Anyway that wasn't required. We arrived at the Crinan sealock at 1655 (closing time 1700), and they allowed us in, and into the basin. That was nice.
Then part journey along, lunch breaks were rostered to allow continuous progress of the 4 yachts locking together. One keeper was a bit reluctant that we put 4 together, but I've found that if the boats are well fendered, jamming them in together avoids a lot of wild swinging if someone is a little over enthusiastic in opening the sluice on locking upward.
So we have an uneventful if slow transit. It took just over 6 hours. That's compared to 6.5 hours 2 weeks earlier, when we were fighting against the flow of WHW returning boats.
But in the old days of self operation, my record was 3hrs 50mins sealock to sealock, 2 handed, but with good coordination, and only opening one lock door (we being so narrow that one was plenty wide enough).
I used the shower at the Crinan basin. (not plural showers, note!)
Four standard showers and one disabled facility in that building. The four ordinary showers were all out of order. Apparently for long enough that signs have been made to "apologise for the inconvenience", and pointing customers to the Crinan Boatyard facilities.. The disabled persons shower was therefore in big demand.
This facilities block was opened last year, and I'm amazed at how many small details seem difficult to get right.
For example, showers I such a facility are typically for those who go to sea. We wear lots of clothing, and when showering need to hang that somewhere. Showers need a place to rest the soap, shampoo and suchlike. Without hooks (you could hardly have too many), soapdish, and a dry place to put back the socks and footwear, then a shower becomes a contortionist act standing on one foot drying the other to pull on the sock that got accidentally dropped on the wet floor as there's nowhere dry to stand.
I have this idea, that the best way to assess such a facility is to use it. I mentioned this to the excellent management at Inverness Marina last week, and that is exactly what he'd done. Tried it out. Being an experienced fisherman and seaman, he knew what people want, but was also quite open to suggestion.
It is quite difficult to figure out what's wrong with such amenities without using them yourself as if a customer.
I'm unlikely to go through the Canal again this year (at that price, 3 times was enough), but wonder what will happen next year.
I experienced the Caledonian Canal for the first time this year too, will make that another post with times. I reckon that canal is "do-able" in under 2 days, though the Inverness Police didn't allow me to do so last week!
We manged to get through WHYW and into LochAline and then Kerrera before the stampede. Tobermory we skipped this time. I totally forgot about WHYW until we saw clouds of sails just as we came round Ardnamurchan. There was a good wind down the Sound of Mull fortunately..