The Packet Boat - Summer 2020

Chester & Merseyside Branch

SUMMER 2020

Chester & Merseyside Branch Chairman’s Packet Boat Report What’s happening, and not!

The above title was used in my May report last year and it seems quite poignant to use it again as we find ourselves in lockdown with the coronavirus pandemic. Who would have thought that just three months ago that life would have changed quite so dramatically, in such a short space of time.

Group gatherings and social distancing have turned our lives upside down and thrown up challenges in keeping in contact with family and friends and general socialising.

The branch obviously had to cancel the April social but it was held “virtually” by Zoom conferencing facilities on the evening of Tuesday 28th April provided by Head Office. (See page 3 for details).

Hopefully the pandemic will be behind us by the autumn and our Social Secretary, Jim Mole is looking for speakers to resume our “normal” social evenings commencing on Tuesday 13 th October 2020.

Zoom conferencing has also been used for committee meetings and both branch and regional discussions have been able to take place using modern technology. I wonder what we would have done say 15 years ago without it!

Prior to the lockdown I did manage to meet up again with other IWA representative from around the country including our new National Chairman, Paul Rodgers, when I attended the IWA Parliamentary Reception at the Houses of Parliament in January. (See page 3 for details).

Beyond lockdown the branch is still hopeful of staging the Waterways Restoration Showcase 2020 at Anderton Boat Lift aboard the Daniel Adamson over the weekend of 22nd/23rd August but as time passes this is looking less likely. We will keep you informed as the situation progresses via the website and branch communications So, as we continue in these trying and challenging times, I encourage you to stay safe and keep healthy in the coming months.

Best Regards Jim Forkin Branch Chairman

Parliamentary Reception On 27th January 2020 branch chairman, Jim Forkin, was present at a reception at the Houses of Parliament where the IWA launched a Parliamentary Briefing document titled “The Future of the Inland Waterways” where attending MPs were brought up to date on the issues facing our inland waterways network.

The General Election in December 2019 resulted in new MPs in 25% of the constituencies containing a navigable waterway or one under restoration.

Update on news around the region At the moment as we go to print it’s the beginning of June and the rulings on using the canal are as follows: - Casual daily cruising is allowed but no-one can stay overnight unless you are a continuous cruiser or live-aboard. This means that we are unable to use our trailboat at the moment as we normally launch our boat for cruising, use it for a couple of weeks at a time then come home. There is no way that we can come home every night, it’s just not practical, so ‘Olive’ remains in dry dock (on the trailer), until such time as the rules change.

Chester sink hole; Graving dock – Dee branch.

Ray Buss reports that the contractors have made progress with the work but to a disappointingly poor standard. Despite what we were given to understand when they started, the 'solution' has just involved inserting an undersized plastic pipe into the culvert, packing around it with sandbags and filling the space above with concrete! This is regardless of the fact that they have all the sandstone blocks taken from the hole, so could have done a proper repair but apparently, the CRT bosses opted for a temporary fix instead!

We find it hard to understand how they can get away with such a shoddy job and one that ignores the historic significance of this listed structure - 'Heritage Crime!’ Not only that, but we worry that the operation of the dock might be compromised since the pipe is only 400mm diameter. This will give a much-reduced flow of water since the original sluice from the dock was nearly 3 times larger in area. The big worry is that this could result in the closure of Taylor's Boatyard as a going concern, which would be a great tragedy given all the work that Pete and Yvette Askey have done to make the business viable again.

Some pictures of their work are in a Google Photos Album. Access it here.

As you will see, it looks like they are nearing the end of the project, so the area and the lock might be reopened in the next couple of weeks. We are concerned about the standard of repairs and chairman Jim Forkin has written to CRT to express our disappointment with the repairs. As they stand at the moment it could take all day for the water to drain out of the lock in order that work can be done on boats in the dry dock.

Leadworks and City Road development, Chester.

Work on both these sites has come to a standstill due to the developers calling in administrators, so a long length of canal remains blighted. On the plus side peregrine falcons are successfully breeding in the specially imported and newly 9installed nesting site at the top of the shot tower, there are currently four young.

River Weaver There are plans to open the locks from 9th June, the system of operation is to use one pair of staff to operate the locks in sequence. About an hour apart for all four. This will only happen on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays, and any boats going through the locks will have to make their own arrangements for getting back to their vehicles and returning home before midnight. I believe the timings can be viewed on the CRT website. The Anderton Lift remains unavailable at the moment but may possibly be open in July. We are still hoping that the Showcase event will be able to go ahead at the end of August, but of course this will be dependant on the regulations in force at the time.

Carr Mill Dam CRT have started on a million pound repair project at the dam, which is the original water supply for the Sankey Canal. The work will be on-going until December as it involves the removal of concrete asbestos pipes, new valves, and work on the structure to make it safer for pedestrians.

3 IWA Parliamentary Reception

by Jim Forkin

Prior to the lockdown I did manage to meet up again with other IWA representative from around the country including our new National Chairman, Paul Rodgers, when I attended the IWA Parliamentary Reception at the Houses of Parliament. It was in January, and the IWA launched a Parliamentary Briefing document titled “The Future of the Inland Waterways.” Attending MPs were brought up to date on the issues facing our inland waterways network. The General Election in December 2019 resulted in new MPs in 25% of the constituencies containing a navigable waterway or one under restoration.

The aim of the reception was to encourage the MPs present to join the All Party Parliamentary Group for the Waterways (APPGW) which was due to be reconstituted following the December election. , IWA representatives mingled with MPs from their respective regions and talked about local issues in their constituencies as well as the national picture with respect to the waterways.

Branch Chairman Jim Forkin with Paul Rodgers, IWA National Chairman

Branch Chairman Jim Forkin liaising with Bill Esterton, MP for Sefton Central

The Virtual ‘Social’ Meeting

by Jim Forkin

Due to coronavirus the April social at the Ellesmere Port Boat Museum had to be cancelled but the committee were determined to keep in touch with the membership through other means.

Having talked to Head Office a suggestion was made to host a “virtual” social using the Zoom video conferencing facility in conjunction with our advertised guest speaker, Ken Pye. We conducted a trial run with Ken and Head Office in the week prior to hosting the event and the invitations went out by email to the membership stating that the talk “Tales of the River and the Sea” would be broadcast at 6.00p.m. on Tuesday 28th April.

On the evening there was an audience of 30 attendees so, assuming in some instances that there was more than one person tuning in per computer, we would like to think that the true audience would be in the region of 40 to 45 people.

From initial audience feedback the virtual social was well received, with branch members appreciating that we had made the effort to keep in touch.

All being well the next social will be at the usual venue of the Boat Museum but with the possible fallback position of another “virtual” social in October.

Please see the website for further announcements and if we haven’t got your email address and you want to be contacted directly please give your consent to the committee via the branch chairman.

4 Summer is on its way and, if you put your boat away for the winter, it will soon be time to take the covers off and see how it has fared over the winter months.

To de-winterise your boat, you will probably need to: •

Locate service manual, tools, parts and fluids that will be needed.

•

Change oil and filters if not done before the winter.

•

Check batteries, clean terminals, top up with distilled or demineralised water and charge if necessary.

•

Have a look at the diesel, checking for signs of diesel bug (slime, jelly or cloudy fuel).

•

Check cooling system hoses for perishing and renew as necessary.

•

Tighten and, if needed, repack the stern gland.

•

Grease the weed hatch bolts' threads and check seal.

•

Make sure that prop has nothing wrapped round it.

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Connect water systems back together, close all taps, flush with sterilising solution and install water filter.

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Refill tanks, checking for leaks and ensure bilges are clean and dry.

•

Check around windows for signs of leaks, sort out any mould or condensation damage.

•

Remove build-up of leaves and rainwater.

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Wash and wax paintwork, clean and preserve cratch covers.

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Check condition of ropes.

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Replace batteries and check smoke and carbon monoxide alarms.

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Clean kitchen and toilet areas with mild disinfectant.

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Evict spiders.

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Bring back kitchenware, linen and bedding.

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Stock up with essentials for the food cupboard including beer and wine.

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Dust down the boat log book for recording journeys and good times.

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For trailboats; check your trailer tyres for bulges, wear and air pressure.

•

Check wheel bearings, adjust brakes, check lighting board & grease hitch.

Now the boat is ready to go, it's time to dream about waterways to hopefully visit later this year.

5

DAPS Presentation Team to Promote the Weaver.

“Coal Up Salt Down” is to be new title The volunteer presenting team who promote the steam ship “Daniel Adamson (the “Danny”) giving talks throughout the North West, are not letting the lockdown and subsequent postponement of the 2020 programme hamper their future efforts to promote the “Danny” and local waterways. The new presentation under development tells the story of the trading relationship of the Sankey Canal and the River Weaver tracing the developments right up to current day.

They had been looking forward to a record year for bookings in 2020 with some 31 historical and education groups already requesting talks thus putting firm dates in their calendar by April.

With the ship now firmly based and cruising on the River Weaver, the team of six presenters and four supporters had a forecast of achieving 35 plus talks by the end of the year but that was until the virus struck, lockdown imposed and the postponements began.

From humble beginnings in 2014 the group had developed an enviable reputation on the heritage circuit and in 2019 they completed their best year with 28 bookings. The team also gave talks and tours of the vessel when berthed at Sutton Weaver or at the Anderton Boat lift taking the total to approaching 50 bookings for the year, of which only a small proportion can now be completed.

Taking the message of the restoration of the 1903 built steamship “Danny” to audiences sometimes numbering up to 150 around the North West and Wales, the team were a firm favourite with University of the Third Age (U3A) and local historical societies. Whilst there are now actions by government to progressively ease lockdown, the team are fearful that because the average age of their audiences tended to be retired people and thus more vulnerable to the virus then organisers will be reluctant to rearrange quickly.

Hopefully the team will see a new record in 2021 as virtually all the customers have requested to postpone and one of the smaller groups wants an internet presentation via the “Zoom” app so matters could get back to normal next year. The team have two successful presentations, one about the unique history and restoration of the “Danny” and the other tracing the story of the Manchester Ship Canal.

Teamwork Established as an important part of the outreach programme required by the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) when a £3.8 million restoration award was made, the team prides itself on being professional at all stages. Normally they work in teams of three irrespective of the size of booking which gives members of the audience plenty of time to ask questions or share their experiences with the team at the end.

The ship has an extensive education programme working with local schools and colleges, participating in apprenticeship schemes whilst offering many and varied opportunities for volunteers to help run the ship and organisation.

Sheila Leonard (Presentation team administrator) said “The teams give a really polished presentation which tells the story of both the ship and the canal with facts and information that cater for many differing interests. The vast majority of the bookings we get are from personal recommendations and now with a number of different presentations we are getting repeat bookings”.

It is hoped that the ship will be returning to Sutton Weaver some time later in the year after winter maintenance in Liverpool and be ready to receive visitors subject to government social distancing rules, the safety of volunteers and market condition.

Full details of the vessel can be found on the societies website at www.thedanny.co.uk or email enquiries@danieladamson.co.uk Social Meetings from October 13th 2020. We are hoping to start the winter programme of talks from Tuesday 13th October, these will be held at the Boat Museum in Ellesmere Port. If you know of any interesting speakers, please contact jim.mole@waterways.org.uk It should be noted that the views expressed in this publication are not necessarily those of the IWA. They are published as being of interest to our members and readers. The IWA is a registered charity No 212342