Tim Carter

Well done Team Rebellion on taking William round the Challenge, enjoyed following it, come and visit the boat for real when things get back to normal.

Speculation on the condition of Tadworth, yes Alan you're right I did shout across to you 'not that bad' all things considered its better than had been expected and Andrew the small hole you made is in a fairly localised area but I think you'll be able to judge the boats condition more accurately when you come and see it out of the water. Of course it will need a lot of work doing to it, it has now been surveyed 'properly' by a qualified surveyor with experience in this type of craft and the restoration options will be discussed with the owners. I'm very pleased to be involved in this and will be keen to preserve the original fabric of the vessel wherever possible and as Andrew said it does retain a lot of original features. Dave if you're thinking of popping in you're very welcome but just give me or Andrew a shout first as we are not generally open to the public . Actually Matt I don't think it was leaking when it came past you, the small hole was made during the clearing up and the fibreglass patches that have been mentioned on the uxter plate are really good, quite impressed with them, could be the way forward ?

Yes 'Gloucester' is lovely isn't it, 12 years old belongs to a friend, a replica of the tug Worcester. The little dutch boat at our place 'Frieslan' equally as fine out the water, Built in Holland 1923 and has been over here since the early 80's. At 50ft x 9ft handles a treat, Gardner 4LW.

Seems a little bit harsh Matt. The dredging programme was only ever for spot dredging, approximately 1,920 cubic metres were taken out this summer. CRT's supervisor for this project is very experienced, it's definitely better than it was but I share your frustration it would have been nicer to have had more. The pound is particularly low at the moment but I don't think when it is back on level it will top the nicospan, the low water levels during the summer did hamper the dredging, there were problems with oxygen levels, the dredging company was a new company and there were staffing problems as I understand it quite a few construction projects round here have been struggling for staff but all said and done for what it cost, for the amount that was shifted and all the problems encountered, it doesn't compare too badly with the majority of other dredging projects and actually I think we should be grateful we got anything done in this pound and that the money wasn't all spent further south on the GU where the backlog in maintenance is more serious. What we need to look at locally is the ongoing water level problems and the historic leakage in this pound which I can talk to you about next time I see you. Cheers, Tim

That's fantastic Steve, really pleased you got Prince. Be sure to stop in again with Prince this time! I was told that George had been used for guniting?

1986 I was away all summer steering Plover and Kildare for the Warwickshire Fly Boat Co. Dan , I'll give you a ring in the week. Billybobbooth which boat, how long for?

The George and Mary is a great little book both the original and the more recent editions are very informative. George has been in my family longer than I have, my Dad bought it from a scrap yard in 1963 and we were lucky enough to get Mary to go with it over 30 years ago. That's a great picture you have posted there IanM must have been taken just after the Royalty Class motor William also joined us. Yes you're right George is out on the bank at the moment, it is out on the bank owing to an issue which is being dealt with and does of course need a bit of work as part of an ongoing maintenance programme. The tracked cranes Alan are almost as addictive as boats but I am in the process of having a bit of a cull and if you'd like one of the smaller ones which sports the British Waterways green livery and the famous bridge-ol- fulla- reeds logo let me know! Yes there's a fine collection of historic craft here at the minute, far more than usual, as they tend to muster around this time of year ready for Braunston.

Really pleased to have won the BCN Challenge,Julie, Pete, Ryan, Alan, Alex, Bridget and I made a great team, well done guys especially to Julie for superb route planning all those winter time BCN planning pub meetings paid off. Thanks again to the BCN Society having never done this before it was great, brilliant atmosphere and camaraderie with the other challengers, I'd recommend it to anyone who hasn't tried it yet, it supports and is good for the BCN. Thanks Alan thats a lovely picture of Leighton Buzzard Canal Society 2015 day out. Probably see you at Stoke Breurne Festival this weekend, I'll be there with a group of scouts on William for a few hours Sunday lunchtime on one of our regular trips. www.inlandnavigators.co.uk

Thoroughly enjoyed the BCN Challenge 2016 with William and Gosport www.inlandnavigators.co.uk Many thanks to the BCNS www.bcnsociety.co.uk

Just to confirm both Coleshill and Virginis which came from Foxton are now owned by the Carter family. The restoration of Coleshill is progressing slowly, Virginis was partially dismantled owing to its condition and the logistics of moving it and it is intended it will be restored as a butty at some point.

Ok, I'm not going to debate how many lock keepers I can remember throughout the network, to clarify, we now have volunteer lock keepers and we are all in a position to help shape the future of this in a way that works for everybody.

There have been a number of interesting comments regarding volunteer lock keepers. Without debating whether or not volunteer lock keepers should or should not have been introduced, they have been, and it's up to us as waterway users to make the best of this. At one time locks had full time British Waterway's lock keepers who generally lived on site. This was fazed out and replaced with roaming lock keepers who over time became very thin on the ground; surely a volunteer lock keeper who knows and understands what they are doing has to be an improvement. Managing the logistics of a busy flight and reducing waiting times, ensuring the most efficient use of water and improving safety, the training of volunteer lock keepers lies with CRT staff. There are a number of boat clubs, trade associations etc who are working with CRT to try and improve this and as has been said it's early days yet and we can all help by feeding our concerns and experiences back to CRT. It would be a shame if volunteers/potential volunteers were put off by an unfriendly reception. Absolutely one of the pleasures of boating is doing the locks yourselves and for sure the option to do so must be retained and, yes, clearer boundaries as to who is in overall charge is essential. Obviously CRT want to log volunteer hours, it is relevant to the way in which they are funded and their own assessment of how they're doing.Now the way in which CRT operates is a whole other debate. WRG is an exceptionally well run organisation and if CRT aspire to something similar then great, lets encourage it.

Volunteer lock keepers sometimes get a bad press. Last week we took our historic camping narrow boat William to the IWA Festival of Water at Northampton. We had a great run down the flight with a volunteer lock keeper at virtually every lock. They were all fantastic, it was busy and they had it running smoothly, many thanks to everyone involved that day. Generally speaking, since volunteer lock keepers were introduced, my experience with volunteer lock keepers has been good. They are here to stay and this could be a good thing. At a recent seminar on the subject of volunteering, it was made clear that recruiting volunteers is not easy and it's already known that CRT haven't managed to recruit as many as they were hoping. We need to look after the volunteers we have. I appreciate that you do get the odd dud and there have been some unacceptable incidences but the key is education and feedback to CRT which should, in theory, help improve the standard of volunteering as time goes on.

Yes the boat in the top picture is built by the Uxbridge Steel Barrel Company it was up the Kay's arm at Stockton for a long time owned by Eric, it was called Pumpkin and I did at one time make him an honorary member of The Uxbridge Steel Barrel Co. Narrow Boat Association!

Thanks for that, love the stem fenders! Is that child about to pole vault off the back? Lovely picture, do you know where it is? Ah yes it could have been a River Class butty, 1991 I was running in and out of Chester quite a lot with M&F, certainly remember Pine being around.