David wrote: > It used to be a matter of pride among some boaters NOT to call BW out > when they got stuck. But if you do, a) it gets you on your way sooner, > and b) it lets BW know where the obstructions are so they can do > something about it.
When I went up to Llangollen a few weeks ago I had an interesting chat with one of the BW staff at Trevor who was telling me about the problems they have with people getting stuck in the last section of the canal and having to be towed off, which wastes staff time and can cause long queues. (The published draft is 2' in that section.) Having stopped to take advice (Bream draws 2'8" or so) they were happy for me to proceed carefully, but suggested that they do sometimes "discourage" people who they suspect may have a more cavalier approach. I found two problem sections on my first passage, one of which I avoided on the return journey by taking a slightly different line. On the second trip a couple of weeks later I didn't hit anything when going either way. If people are interested I'm happy to share my experience of shallow bits both there and on the Mont, on or off list. Steve NB Bream
