anglianman

Hi Martin, Yes I remember meeting Douglas Hayter once at Lesley and David Gerrans home in the village, we gone there before a T.H.C.A meeting, that,s while I was at Bates. I was in Australia visting family when David died, Then Lesley and her son ran it for a while before she sold it. Lesley and I kept in touch for a while re rug meetings and THCA meetings ,and I worked there during the hand over, Before returning to Norfolk as we sold the fleet off at Bates, That was a time when the Fibre Glass boats where begin to look tired, and the big boys where trying to sell yards and boats off ie Rank/ Ladbrooks etc , as they realised that boats need a lot more care etc than holiday homes etc esp the boats on the Thames took a lot more knocks etc than on the broads, plus wages where higher on the Thames than the broads. I was visting a friends a few months ago at Henley on Thames hardly any hire cruisers now

Hi, I worked at Bates ie Star Fleet at Chertsey for over 25 years,when it was all wooden boats before switching over to fibre glass and fitting out our selves and also for a few years ran some steel narrow boats fitted out by ourselves, Stan Timms at Staines had no Freemans, he later the fleet off to Robert Allen one of the Allens of T.W Allen at Ash Island near Hampton Court had some 22ft Freemans named River Fairy and River Gipsy there fleet all started River some thing, There was Pearl Line at Walton Bridge Rosewells old boat house and they had a huge fleet of 22ft Freemans . they didn't stay in the hire for very long, There was also Weybridge Marine, who,s boats where Miss something all wood, Ran by Terry Tapping, and Also Penton Hire Cruisers all called Penton etc , running out of Penton Hook Marine There boats came from Jack Powles of Wroxham. and of course Clarks of Sunbury the Vjera fleet sold out to Turks of Kingston, Hobbs of Henley with Girl class still hiring to this day. For record Benson Cruiser Station in the early years mid 60s ran a fleet on wooded boats all named after a broad in Norfolk as most where ex Broads boats, Also Bridge boats was owned by a family for many years , having built of fitted out most of there own boats before getting the Caribbean.s, and buying a lot of the ex Euro Cruiser fleet when they went broke, they have since retired and sold to Caversham Boat house next door, they and Caribbean Cruisers where not one firm ,Caribbean Cruisers was the old Pink Hill Cruiser Station at Eyesham before being brought by Frank Wilds of Horning Norfolk , then owed by the Gerran family, before they sold it on. There where a lot of Boat yards in the 60 and 70.s Hiring out Cruisers B. Ambrose From Hampton Court area later taken over by Allens , Maidenhead court boathouse above Boulters Lock. Safari Cruisers Rose island Oxford, to name a few there where 6 cruiser hire firms at Reading just Caversham boat house now, Hope this helps. Stewart

Hi Dave. The boat Eastern Star , was built by Gibbs of Teddington, and she did not go to Dunkirk, For many years she had port holes down the cabin sides and in her last few years in the fleet these where made bigger apart from the toilet and galley these where left with port holes. Like her larger Sister Ship Southern Star, My son has quite a colection of the Star line then Star Fleet as it became when the fllet was up dated with Fibre Glass boats, Booklets etc, but these are now all in Australia, . Hope this helps, ex boatman/manager of Bates Chertsey.