A light-hearted look at the lock-keeper's job, be it a rural little
lock on the canals, or an ultra-modern affair at a huge marina. Jake
Kavanagh presents a humorous survey, using his inimitable cartoons and anecdotes, of the
scrapes people get into when trying to use locks. He focuses on notable
events like the Henley Regatta which afford many opportunities for
horrors to unfold. Readers have enjoyed Jake's tales for decades; this is the perfect book for his devotees.
'Do not read this book while edging your 52ft hired narrow boat towards
an impossibly small lock. It would seriously damage shipping.'
Southern Evening Echo
'Excellent reading whilst queuing for those over-busy Thames locks on a summer weekend.'
Waterways World
Jake Kavanagh was born into a boating family and for many years lived by the Thames at Marlow. After a variety of jobs the River eventually drew him back; Jake joined the Thames Water Authority as a lock-keeper, working the locks around Windsor for many years. Jake, well known as a boating cartoonist and freelance boating writer, is also the author of Ups and Downs of a Lockkeeper, also published by Adlard Coles Nautical.