Hanwell High Spot

Any boater who has passed through Hanwell locks is likely to have met the Hanwell high spot.  Well that’s what the CRT guys at Adelaide dock call it.  We have certainly encountered it on more than one occasion. It’s the underwater reef of silt and tree branches and all that stuff hat the river Brent dumps into the canal when the fast flowing little river suddenly meets the comparatively still waters of the Grand Union.  When I was at Adelaide the other day they were planning to fence off the high spot with stakes and tape to warn off boats following a number of recent groundings. 

Around once a year they dredge out that particular spot and I think that might be due shortly, so hopefully, it’ll be better for a while.  The Brent doesn’t seem to like us boaters.  After dumping all its silt and submerged junk at Hanwell it then goes on to leave all its floating rubbish just down the way at Osterley lock.  That gets a regular clearout by CRT, but it only take a good rainstorm to replenish the huge raft of logs, pallets, footballs, coke cans, plastic bottles and goodness knows what else the Brent collects on its way from Barnet to join the Thames at Brentford.  I can’t recall a half mile stretch of canal anywhere on the system that’s as mucky as that short stretch.

I asked about the number of overstaying residential boats that moor just near the foot of the locks outside our beloved Fox Inn, and was told that action to get them to move on was escalating.  A number of notices had been served and overstay charges of £25 a day would be added to the fee when those boats’ licences were renewed.  we understand that people living on boats have to moor somewhere but not for extended periods on visitor moorings.

We hope to take Herbie down to Brentford sometime over the winter, so I hope CRT manages to sort all these things before we get there.

The good ship Jena now sits back at Adelaide dock having a few final bits and pieces fitted.  We took it there from Packet Boat marina yesterday.  I was particularly pleased and not a little surprised that I managed to reverse Jena out of the marina and turn her to face the GU junction without touching any part of the shore.  I was even more surprised that I managed to do it with an audience.  That’s not the way it usually goes is it?