Extract from Thursday 17 July 2003
The unpredictability of the automated locks and their keepers causes a great deal of inconvenience on some occasions, whereas when working at their best they are fantastic. The main problem seems to be over their arbitrary hours. Punctuality is only assured when approaching lunch or finishing-up time. And when they go wrong, as has happened on a couple of occasions, we seem to engage in a complicated dance of going into the lock, tying up, reversing out, mooring – then the lights go green, all the aperitifs go flying about, hammers and stakes are rapidly thrown aboard and we resume the dance again.
Still….at least the waters are calm and flat….even if tempers can get a bit frayed.