Autumn 2016
Les Hunt I want to begin my update by paying tribute to our dear friend Les Hunt, who sadly passed away a few weeks ago.
I have known Les for a number of years, and his passion for the Inland Waterways was absolute. Many of you will remember Les for all his efforts during the annual Ware Boat Festival. The hours he put in during the months and weeks ahead of the festival weekend were significant, in order to make sure we promoted the IWA as best we could, as well as bringing us all together to have a great time. At the Ware Town Council Festival AGM, the Mayor presented Les's sister, Daisy, with an award for his outstanding contribution to the Ware Festival over many years. Les doing his volunteer bit at Little Venice, But Les, as vice surrounded by Spring blossom
chairman of the IWA Lee and Stort Branch, did so much more behind the scenes. One of his legacies will be the creation of our Branch website and on-line bulletin, that dragged us into the 21st century. Les also attended many meetings and other events to publicise the work of the IWA, and represented our branch more than once at national level. We were all pleased that Les was able to realise his personal dream of owning his own narrowboat, when he bought Georgina D. He was never happier than when on his boat on the cut. It is our intention to honour Les's memory by purchasing a bench and plaque in his name, and have it placed at Ware close to our Festival site. God bless you Les, you will be missed. Craig.
Rammey Marsh Cruising Club is currently in the process of updating security, and provisions on their premises. The fencing around the perimeter has been extended, and personal power supply for boats has been installed. Foundations for a new covered play area for their very young members, or function room for the older ones, have been prepared. This will allow the children somewhere to play, in less favourable weather conditions, without being tripped over by their grown-ups carrying full glasses! The re-established
Bishop’s Stortford Boat Festival, which took place in June this year, was I believe, very successful, and I also believe that it is hoped to repeat it next year.
From the Chairman Well I hope you've all had a good summer of boating and got back to your home moorings safely. We certainly did well with the weather at the annual Ware Boat Festival, where again we had 80 boats gather with plenty of volunteers helping make the event another great success. The
Friday evening BBQ brought us all together, and we had a great turn out with boats taking part in both the parade and boat handling competition. I recall the Saturday night quiz involving a little bit of singing (I will say no more!!) and the Sunday service and coffee/cake morning attracting many of you. I'm not going to name anyone in particular to thank in fear of missing someone out. So many people got stuck in this year and so I just say a big thank you to you all. A great weekend was had and we once again out the river at the heart of the town carnival attracting many visitors to the towpath. On that note, over 500 people visited either the new CRT information centre that was formally opened by the Mayor or went on board Jena, The CRT community engagement boat, to learn more about the inland waterways. Don’t forget, throughout the gloomy winter months, we have our monthly get-togethers at the New Inn, always the 2nd Monday, always 8.00. Craig.
How Are Your Manners? It seems that the nation’s manners are at an all-time low, according to a poll recently released by Canal & River Trust, and CRT is endeavouring to do something about this on our waterways. The poll reveals what the public believe constitutes common courtesy in 2016. Old-fashioned manners such as saying please and thank you top the
list, but modern manners, such as not invading other people’s personal space, are becoming just as important. It also asked people what irks them when in public places. Amongst the top bugbears were cyclists speeding past people when they’re walking, pet owners not cleaning up after their dogs, people taking up too much space on footpaths and walkways, not having an awareness of personal space, and people not concentrating on where they’re going because they’re too busy looking at their phones. The Trust is asking people to set the example for good manners, by pledging to improve the harmony and politeness on the nation’s waterways. Simply make a pledge to change your manners for the better and share on social media using #SharetheSpace. Dick Vincent, Canal & River Trust’s national towpath ranger, explains: “For many people our towpaths are among their most precious green spaces, they are ‘super slow ways’, providing a slice of peace and calm through the centres of our busiest cities. Whether cycling, running, walking, mooring your boat or fishing, please help by being considerate of others, slowing down and remembering we are all there to enjoy the space in harmony. If you’re in a rush, the towpath is not the best place for you, so please choose a different route.” During 2015, 385 million visits were made to Canal & River Trust’s towpaths, by walkers, cyclists, boaters, anglers and runners, a huge number considering they were originally built for horses to tow boats laden with goods! Share your pledge to have better manners using #SharetheSpace. https://canalrivertrust.org.uk/about-us/our-campaigns/share-the-space-our-towpath-code
Suggested pledges I pledge to… Offer my seat on public transport to someone. Not look at my phone while walking. Always pick up my dog’s mess. Make a more conscious effort to be polite. Be aware of people’s personal space. Smile at people more. Stop, look and listen at nature around me. Pick up litter when I see it. Slow down when cycling on the towpaths. Help my fellow boater to enjoy life aboard. Say good morning to someone on my way to work. Not use the towpath to cycle if I am in a hurry. Not fish by the locks. Say thanks when I pass people jogging/on my bike. Look both ways as I step onto the towpath (as I would on a busy road). Turn down the music on my headphones.
Rudest day of the week designated as Monday between 08:30-09:00. Most polite day of the week designated as Friday between 10:00 – 10:30. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Letter to the IWA Lee & Stort Branch magazine. The Wendover Arm Trust Grand Draw 2016 took place on the 4th September. I am writing to express the thanks of the Wendover Arm Trust, to all the L&S members for their support of this year’s Grand Draw. The total raised was about £4000, which whilst it is a fair sum, is not quite as good as last year. However, it is a great amount towards our Restoration Fund. The first prize was won by Mr Tibbett, and was very much appreciated. It was a great day on Sunday 4th September, with a considerable crowd of people arriving to view the work being carried out to demonstrate how things are progressing. The weather was kind too, and the tea and cakes only just lasted the day. The Mayor of Tring Town Council, Councillor Mike Hicks, joined us and watched the short video of restoration in the church, with other visitors, before making the draw of the twelve winning tickets. This year there were also the Promoters three ‘novelty prizes’.
On Tuesday 6th September, the Lord Lieutenant of Hertfordshire, Lady Verulam, visited the Wendover Arm Canal, along with the Trustees, to view the restoration and see the volunteers at work! The visit started at Bulbourne, where Lady Verulam boarded a boat to travel to Little Tring, where the party disembarked to walk the towpath to the workface. The party finally returned by boat to Bulbourne. The conclusion was that she was very impressed. The Lottery funding is progressing and CRT is working towards the next stage of approval, so that is more good news. The full list of Grand Draw prize winners is available on the Trust website: www.wendoverarmtrust.co.uk. A large selection of photos is also available, showing the Lord Lieutenant’s visit. This year’s minor disaster was when the prize of two cushions was ‘lost-in-the-post’. A disappointed prize winner advised that the prize had not been received and this led to a bit of additional paperwork. Matters have now been resolved, thanks to Royal Mail, and there is another satisfied prize winner.
Finally, again, the Trust thanks you for all your support. Best regards, Michael Wright, Grand Draw Promoter.
Future Meetings at the New Inn, Roydon, at 8.00 Mimi's presentation started our new season, after which we have: 14 November A cruise on the BCN - Les Hunt remembered 12 December Christmas mince pies and mulled wine 9 January Port of London Authority 13 February River Police 13 March Annual General Meeting For our Christmas mince pies and mulled wine, would you PLEASE send Terry an e-mail or phone him, if you are intending to take part. Last year we over-estimated, and had to pay the excess ourselves! Terry’s details are on the back page.
by Mike Newman
Ask most boaters about the prospect of taking a narrowboat up the Severn Estuary from Bristol to Sharpness (or the other way around) and the chances are they will think you daft. The more timid will think you’re daft because the Bristol Channel is SEA and has the second HIGHEST TIDE in the world and that causes the SEVERN BORE, and narrowboats aren’t made for that. The more experienced will think you’re daft because you might have to wait in Bristol’s Floating Harbour (no it doesn’t float, only the boats do – which they didn’t always!) for days or weeks until the conditions are right – and then you might have to turn around and come all the way back down the K&A. The more frugal will think you’re daft because you have to pay a pilot to take charge of the boat, and what about the cost of getting stuck in Bristol Harbour or, even worse, Portishead: but I’m getting too far ahead. All those are true, but you’re only young once even if that was a while ago and you’ve already forgotten the fact. So, anyway, doing the Bristol to Sharpness run became an integral part of our cruising plan this summer, and we’re back again in one piece to tell the tale so it clearly wasn’t too bad – in fact it was the undisputed highlight of our trip. The advice is to give the Gloucester Pilots a call about a week or so before your intended passage. That we did, in expectation of making the trip sometime in the first week of August. Now what I hadn’t appreciated, is that the pilots will not take a narrowboat out unless the conditions are absolutely benign – light wind and little swell – and such conditions are unusual even in August. So having arrived in Bath, I took a call from the duty pilot to say that the weather conditions for our intended week were not looking good, but if we could get to Bristol quickly, there seemed to be an opportunity to go on Tuesday. Now I should explain for the uninitiated that you cannot go direct from Bristol to Sharpness in one go because you’d be fighting the Severn’s notorious tide at some point in your journey. You have to go from Bristol along the Avon to an intermediate point (and nowadays everyone uses Portishead Marina) on one tide, and from there to Sharpness on a later tide. So we set off from Saltford, between Bath and Bristol on the Monday, in expectation that we’d go straight through Bristol and onward to Portishead the same day. However,
nearing Bristol I took another call to say that the forecast had worsened and there was no prospect of making the run at least for the next few days. So with all those warnings from the ne’er-do-well’s ringing in my ears I coughed up to stay until Friday (£100 including lockage) and prepared to make the best of it. We moored up on one of the plentiful visitor moorings directly opposite the SS Great Britain, and as it was, thoroughly enjoyed Bristol – a great mix of old and new with plenty to see and do. The open-top bus ride (2 days for the price of 1) comes highly recommended. And to add to our joie de vivre the pilot called on Wednesday to say that the weather conditions for Friday and Saturday were looking good. Whilst in Bristol Harbour, I handed over another £150 to the Diesel Bug man to extract whatever muck he could from my fuel tank. He didn’t find much, but I really didn’t relish the idea of my engine spluttering and dying somewhere between England, Wales and America. So, Friday morning we set off from Bristol onto the tidal Avon, straightway going under Brunel’s early masterpiece of the Avon Gorge Bridge and a couple of hours later emerging onto the estuary at Avonmouth. Turn left at the lighthouse and an hour later you are in the very swanky Portishead Marina. Hard to imagine that until the mid-1990’s this was just a couple of derelict coal-fired power stations, a timber wharf and a phosphorus processing factory. Tickled me, that, with all those Tupperware gin palaces about, most strollers were commenting on the two colourful narrowboats moored there: almost made the £45 fee (including lockage) for one day in the marina bearable. At least it gave us the opportunity of stocking up in the adjacent supermarket – Waitrose, as you might have guessed. A few hours after our arrival, the tide had gone out, leaving
nothing but mud as far as the eye could see and an appreciation of the estuary’s huge tidal range – and of the lock gates required to accommodate at least part of that range. Saturday dawned with absolutely glorious weather, warm and still. We made our way into the lock at the appointed time and soon were joined by our pilot, Bill. I sensed that Bill was a ‘big boat’ man who bemoaned the dwindling commercial traffic beyond Avonmouth and only did leisure boats – and canal boats at that – under sufferance. However we warmed to each other over the course of the trip and ended good pals with plenty of common ground to share. Now another bit of explanation: there is still a fair amount of big commercial shipping coming up the Severn Estuary and most of it is headed for Avonmouth. This main shipping lane, for some obscure reason, is called King Road and extends to within a couple of hundred meters of Portishead. So leaving Portishead heading for Sharpness in a narrowboat is a bit like entering a motorway from a side road at a blind bend on a bicycle. You have to dash across King Road, and only then turn right and head upstream. Inevitably, then, the first thing we saw after leaving the lock was a car transporter heading straight for us doing 20 knots. Bill, though, was absolutely confident that Annie & Walt wouldn’t let us down, while Lorraine and I were keeping everything crossed. Soon, though, we were safely across the shipping lane and turned towards the first (or second in terms of construction) of the Severn Bridges. Passing through the central span, we realised that, although we were doing maybe 6 miles/hour over water, the tide was also running at 6 miles/hour. Yeehaa!! It was between the two bridges that Bill’s expertise really came into its own. We entered an area of water that was flat, but full of swirls and eddies. Bill explained that the bed of the estuary is a very uneven and continuously
shifting mix of sand, mud and rock. That unevenness coupled with the speed of the changing tide causes vertical currents that extend all the way to the surface. Perhaps not so much on the day we passed through, but these eddies are so extreme they can easily spin a small boat around. Or perhaps that was Bill justifying the £200 fee for his services! After the excitement of ‘the swirlies’ the water became as flat as a mill pond and we criss-crossed the estuary, under the second (or first depending on which way you look at it) bridge, past the massive concrete squareness of a nowdecommissioned nuclear power station and onwards towards Sharpness. Here again Bill earned his fee; you have to arrive at Sharpness before high tide but not so early as to fight the turbulence caused at the lock entrance by water coming in fast over the shallows. The other boat that had set off at the same time as us had gone roaring off (not that Annie & Walt could have gone roaring off in the same way) and was now having to kill time before going into the lock entrance. We, though, arrived and went straight in. Nice one, Bill! Throughout the passage Bill had been in contact with the Sharpness lock keeper, and there was talk of a ‘yacht’ intending to arrive for the same (one and only) locking up as us. I think we were all a bit surprised, though, when a twin-masted wooden schooner seemingly straight out of ‘Pirates of the Caribbean’ arrived complete with piratical crew. And as we tied Annie & Walt up against this boat (which was going into a traditional boat builders in Gloucester docks for repairs), we reflected on what a strange, exciting and wonderful world boating can be, all in one day! ---Mike--With apologies to the Stort Boat Club members, who also have this article in their Newsletter.
IWA London Region 200 Club The club was formed some years ago to help fund the running of the Region, so that other sources of income could be devoted more fully to campaigning and donations to waterways causes. At the moment the Club is well below its target of 200 members. If you've not yet joined, why not do so now? If you are a member, you can always take out an extra membership or two! Members of the Club must be IWA members aged 18 or over. The annual subscription to the club is £12, payable by annual cheque or standing order (either for £12 annually or £1 monthly). A member may hold more than one membership of the Club. Prizes are awarded by a draw which takes place six times a year. When the Club has its full quota of 200 members, each draw awards four prizes of £100, £50, £25, £25. When the Club has less than 200 members, prizes are reduced so that the ratio of prizes to subscriptions remains the same. The present officers of the Club are: Chairman: Robin Bishop; Secretary: Vernon Draper; Treasurer: Carole Beeton. All queries should be addressed to Vernon Draper. The two halves of the form should be sent to:
Vernon Draper 12 Chipperfield Close, New Bradwell, Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire, MK13 OEP. Rules of the 200 Club 1 Name - The name of the club is ‘The Inland Waterways Association London Region 200 Club’ (‘the Club’). 2 Object - The object of the Club is to raise funds for the ‘Inland Waterways Association London Region’ (‘IWA London’).
3 Membership - Membership of the Club shall be limited to 200 persons; each person must be over 18 years of age and a paid up member of the Inland Waterways Association. 4 Officers - The Club shall be administered by three officers appointed annually by the committee of IWA London. The officers shall select one from amongst their number to be responsible for keeping the accounts of the Club and arranging for the payment of prizes and the transfer of surplus income to IWA London. The decision of the officers in any matter relating to the operation of the Club shall be final. 5 Subscriptions - The annual subscription to the Club shall be £12 payable either on admission to the club or by monthly payments of £1 paid by standing order. The annual subscription may be paid by cheque or standing order for £12 annually. A member may hold more than one membership of the Club. 6 Prizes 6.1 A draw shall take place on six occasions in each year. There shall be four prizes in each draw in the amounts of £100, £50, £25 and £25. 6.2 In the event that the membership of the Club is fewer than 200 members in any year the officers shall be entitled to reduce the amounts of the prizes or the number of draws (or both) provided however that the ratio of prize money to subscriptions shall not be affected. 6.3 Each draw will be made by or under the direction of the officers. The results of each draw will be announced in the issue of the journal of IWA London next following the date of the draw. 6.4 Prize winners will be notified in writing of their entitlement to receive a prize and payment will be made by cheque posted to the address shown on the membership form or to such other address as the member may subsequently have notified to the officers. 7. Accounts - The accounts of the Club shall be kept by the Officers and shall be examined annually by a suitably qualified person. The Officers shall keep a roll of membership and each membership shall be allocated a roll number.
MEMBERSHIP APPLICATION FORM To: The Officers, I wish to become a member of the Inland Waterways Association London Region 200 Club. I have completed and enclose the standing order/enclose a cheque as payment for..............membership(s) at £12 each. Full name .................................................................................................................. Address..................................................................................................... ...................................................................................Postcode………… Phone day)........................................(evening)…………………………………… e-mail ……………………………………………………………………………… I am a member of the Inland Waterways Association and I agree to be bound by the rules of the London Region 200 Club. Signed......................................................................Date........................ Cheques should be made payable to ‘IWA London Region 200 Club’ STANDING ORDER MANDATE To: The Manager ...............................................................................Bank/Building Society Address..................................................................Postcode...................... Please pay to Barclays Bank plc Kettering Branch, Sort code 20-45-77 for the credit of the Inland Waterways Association London Region 200 Club Account no. 80204234, quoting reference ................* as follows: (ANNUAL OPTION) the sum of £ ................(pounds only) with immediate effect and on the first day of.............................each year thereafter until further notice from me. (MONTHLY OPTION) the sum of £ ...............(pounds only) with immediate effect and on the first day of each month thereafter until further notice from me. Please debit my account in the name of ......................................................................................... Account no ......................................................,accordingly Signature........................................................................Date…………....... * will be inserted by Officers when processing.
I have been asked by the Harbour Master at PLA to alert you, it is so unbelievable, you could just not make this up! So I have copied it verbatim. There has been a number of incidents in recent months of various recreational river users passing underneath the weirs at Richmond Lock as they are being raised or lowered. This is a highly dangerous practice for any river user to attempt to pass underneath the weirs during these operations, as there is a high probability of falling debris from the gates at this time. Please can all safety officers remind your members of this and to ensure that the weirs are fully ‘lifted’ and the arch closure signs have been removed prior to proceeding through the arch. Or, if the weir gates are being ‘lowered’, proceed with caution to the lock or the boat rollers on the north shore, and continue your transit along the Thames. Failure to follow the above safety advice or guidance given to you by the Duty Lock Foreman, then we will be taking firm action with the Master’s [of vessels].
The following was recently un-earthed from an old and yellowed newspaper. You’ve all heard the one about the Scotsman, the Irishman, the Welshman and the Englishman. Well, this is what a Belgian thinks of the four races: ‘The Scots keep the Sabbath, and anything else they can lay their hands on. The Welsh pray on their knees, and their neighbours. The Irish don’t know what the devil they want, but are willing to die for it. The English consider themselves a race of self-made men, thereby relieving the Almighty of the dreadful responsibility.’
Does it still apply, I wonder?
Committee Members Chairman Craig Haslam m: 07956 848 025 e: boatyboy96@hotmail.com Secretary, Membership Secretary Mike Jones h: 01992 584 310 m: 07976 517 749 e: mike.jones10@ntlworld.com
Treasurer Carole Beeton h: 01992 468 435 m: 07905 701 948 e: robandcarole@msn.com
Joint Events Officers Banny Banyard Terry Stembridge h: 01923 854 996 h: 01992 575 702 m: 07860 669 279 m: 07709 205 498 e: banny@tesco.net e: terrystembridge32@btinternet.com Magazine Editor Monica Hawes m: 07943 169 800 e:monicaforboats@hotmail.com
Tony Plunkett m: 07944 678 228 e: tplunkett@hotmail.co.uk
Mike Newman George Cutting h: m: 07721 654 410 m: 07887 540 398 e: georgecutting@btinternet.com e:mike.newman2@btinternet.com The IWA may not agree with opinions expressed in this newsletter, but encourages publication as a matter of interest. Nothing printed may be construed as policy, or an official announcement unless otherwise stated. IWA accepts no liability for any matter in this newsletter. Registered Charity No212342