Dav and Pen

When I was chairman Northampton IWA in the 80s we tried to get together with the angling fraternity after a big fishing match was held from bottom of stoke nearly to gosgrove with very little notice. I think we had two meetings in the Boat at Stoke Bruerne and learned that they wanted boats just to slow down and stay in the middle, it seems they sit on one side of the cut but fish on the other side. We asked if they would give advance information and put notices up stating when the match would start and finish so that if it was say finishing at 11am it gave the boaters the option of waiting until then. This did happen for a little while.

These large fishing matches are a nerve racking experience but it was really interesting when we went past one of them loaded. They didn’t seem to understand that we moved quite a lot of water on a shallow canal so we were shouted at for speeding,pulling their keep nets out of the ground and anything else they could think of. Occasionally one would thank us as it seemed we pushed the fish onto his hook.

Today in 1999 there was a solar eclipse. We were in Leitrim village on the Shannon Erne link and there were a lot of people waiting to see it. However it clouded right over and there was only a very brief view of the sun and my photo is not worth seeing. These are 2 of the locks on the waterway instead. Our Lister HA attracted some attention with quite a lot of people knowing the noise and coming to see

Probably written as he spoke. Agricultural and boat diesel was certainly green in the Irish republic when we were there and red in the north although there were people who knew how to remove the red dye and sell it on as road fuel.

At Gergy on the R. Yonne. 2016. Big crane turned up early and lifted out the Le Boat (das boot) hire boat. The previous evening he had tried to reverse inside the wooden jetty because all the space had been taken and picked up this lump of wood. The hirer a novice German boater said he would be given the bill by Le Boat and he hoped his insurance would pay!

2016 approaching Auxerre. The 2 arches on the left side are marked as the correct navigation ones whilst the third smaller one has a sign (cevni) indicating its shallow but it has the best headroom. I had seen hotel boats using this one on previous trips so that’s always been the one we used.

4 of us had nice lunch at the Boat Birdlingbury wharf yesterday. Well organised and decent pint as well

Lucky old you, I brought a Harris angled brush which shed hairs from the first stroke. Complained to Harris who said that Particular brush wasn’t made to the same standard as their other brushes. They sent another one however which was ok. One of the problems I have found with the cheap sets is that the bristles are often shorter than branded ones. I started my painting on the superstructures of Tankers which were white with a brown cutting in bottom band, all done by hand with international paint. No rollers except on the hull when we were alongside a suitable jetty and then with the roller on the end of a very long bamboo pole you proceedEd to put some black stuff on the ship and a hell of a lot on yourself. on one ship the mate took great pleasure in having us paint white with the sun behind so difficult to see where you had been. He then inspected it later and his favourite saying was “theirs more holidays in this than a Chinese f.... calendar do it again” Hard apprenticeship on Joe Shell in the 50’s

I have always painted my boats by hand. Our narrow boats were painted using Dulux coach enamel mixed for handainting by the local motor factors Brown Bro’s to our specific colour. Good preparation is essential of course with a suitable undercoat to help enhance the top coat. Our barge was big enough to use rollers mostly 4” ones from screwfix and always the best quality brush’s you can get. The roof being very large I mixed some owtrol in to stop the leading edge drying to soon. I used a marine enamel when in Belgium from a company called Levis part of the group that now own dulux and the most popular amongst the commercials. This brand was not available in France so I used to take paint over which I brought from a company called paints 4 trade who supply branded and their own marine paints. Recently I have used some gloss by rust oleum on my metal garage doors which has given a good glossy finish and was easy to apply. The main factor in success is the weather and location because just as you finish the local waterway idiots come and strim the bank.

Today 2008 we went through the tunnel on the Burgundy canal for the first time. When I went to get the radio and paperwork from the lock keeper he asked if we would take a Swiss family and their bikes through with us. Ok but it made me even more nervous. The lock house part way down the flight after the tunnel has all these tools on the side of the house and given the size of his woodpile looked well set up for some cold winters. 10 years later there is even more stuff there.

We crossed the Briare Aqueduct this day 2013. It is actually the start of the canal lateral a la Loire and was built by the Eiffel company and opened in 1896 as originally the barges locked down in the Loire and and used the river as far as Digion but as the Loire is a free flowing waterway Either in flood or shallow they eventually built the canal but still had a shorter crossing Of the river until the Aqueduct was built.

8.30 August 1st 2013 Briare canal summit. Our S African friends in their Piper heading off in the opposite direction to us after a very pleasant evening together quite by chance but that’s the beauty of boating.

I believe the original were 27 x 4.3 and it would have been very difficult to widen the staircase although they were extended. It must have been a major hold up when the canal was busy.

Today 2013 leaving Rogny les sept Ecluses. The staircase opened in 1642 and was in use until near the end of the 19th century when it was replaced by 6 locks of standard size. On the last Saturday in July this small village puts on what they claim is the third biggest firework display in France. The village is shut off and visitors pay to come in and watch. The display and lighting centers round the staircase.

Thought this might be of interest, probably better than towing it.

At least these had a wheel house. I did some steering for Land and Water at Fazely when they were dredging there. The tug was one of UCC ‘s which when single wanted to dive in given any revs and when pushing a loaded pan had a problem stopping if somebody decided the bridge hole was theirs!

This barge was built by Peter Nicholls for Les Samson Seen on Logh Erne. Les had taken his NB Leo built by Nicholls to Ireland for the Shannon Erne opening and decided to stay settling into the Shannon Harbour Community and even serving in Liams bar. He decided to have this wide beam built and the NB was part exchanged. When the new boat was ready the exchange was made and the new boat came back to Ireland. Unfortunately it did not perform well and to cure the problem a plate was fixed over the top of the prop and the different prop fitted. This improved it but still some cavitation noise and vibration.

Further to my post#2581 The Irish barge 45M. This barge sank in Lough Derg on 1st Dec 1946 whilst on passage from Dublin to Limerick with a cargo of Stout in barrels during very strong wind which caused the cargo to shift and the towline from the tug snapped .Large waves swept into the hold and the crew were thrown into the water. 3 where lost and 1 made it ashore. In 1971 Donnacha Kennedy brought her and went about raising her with the help of the Limerick sub aqua club using plastic barrels and lots of Irish imagination. He says that without an overhaul or complete dismantling the engine started and ran after 26 years under water. Swedish engineering. Subsequently the barge was restored to its original condition. (The stout was un drinkable)

The old Grand Canal/ Guinness barges have a very enthusiastic following M45 is or was unconverted and I thought the engine was a Gardner. Fox is a maintenance boat seen on the upper Shannon.

Found the Album with the Irish photos. This is Penny using the card system on the Shannon Erne link or the B and B canal. its a system of connected lochs and river through beautiful country (if the weathers good) A great mooring called Houghton Shore and sign at end of the Woodford River.

We had our 50ft NB in Ireland 1998 and 99. Went across the Shannon Erne link and the card system for the locks bit hit and miss. My photos must be in the loft will try and find them. Did well from the Hire boats who gave us their cards which had some credit left on them. Moored for the winter in Shannon harbour at the magnificent price of 100 Punts for the year which included navigation Licence. The old roller made an usual garden ornament 9

That was the late Tony Warwick who was involved with David Blagrove in the coal trade.

Working down the Braunston flight with lots of helpers. July 1977. Tadworth and Alton then with the Narrow boat Trust. Watneys red barrel at the Nelson things do change for the better after all.

Used to be Gnosal or maybe that was the pub at that time

Nice sunset tonight 2016 Auxonne R.Saone