King Learie

Some of my earliest memories was being taken to see the Cutty Sark, I was really into sailing ships as a nipper and I remember the reek of tar that blacked the hull. I don't remember going on board which I think was due to the entrance price and parents of modest means but they did make up for it with the Woolwich Ferry and the tunnel and observatary on the hill. TV News this morning showed the yard at Chatham full of masts, spars, rigging etc, awaiting offsite restoration, the cast iron hull is a little warped but must be repairable even for just cosmetic purposes. Now while the current restoration was going on they were faced with a massive 6.5 million shortfall after recieving 15 m from the lottery. What they have now is a far greater restoration project but this must be balanced up against the many millions of free advertising that this fire has brought. They know this, and are busy capitalising on the advantage with a new fundraising website for all those millions of people who had never heard of the Cutty Sark before (except off a whiskey bottle!) so as long as they don't bollocks up this heaven sent opportunity I think the 'ol' girl' will grace her dock again some years in the future. Now the police are investigating the matter as arson.....mmmmm? King Learie - Avast thar me hearties!

Hi Tomsk With Choo choos you can only really argue about the livery for authenticity and the more recent the built the less options you have. As for working narrow boats the whole thing is far more complicated especially if you are sharing the responsibility and the decisions about how to go about restoring, fitting out and generally doing something useful with it. If you want a lot of personal dynamics, stress and some fun then go ahead but it will be a lot more expensive that it was 35 years ago. I could write a lomg essay on this subject but can't be arsed at the moment - ask Hairy Neil I'm sure he will have something to say on the subject due to his own personal experiences. It's an area of existance that attracts quite a high proportion of obsessives and their obsessions all differ slightly causing much debate and falling out. King Learie

Considering the furlore over Holly I'm surprise that this hasn't caused more 'ripples' on this site. I strongly suggest that you keep up the pressure on the police using every means to do that and be now very public in all your announcements. They won't be able to stonewall you over this forever and I believe compensation is due just simply for the gross inconvenience they've caused. The very best of luck King Learie PS Remember all that dredging plant stolen from Land and Water in Leicester over last Christmas? The police just could'nt be bothered to look for it despite it being worth a quarter of a million. The guy from L&W sounded just as pi55ed off as you two....

Hi Adam With no real experience to speak of in regards to boats but have followed the development of wind generators and solar cell since the 70's I would go for both to compliment the engine and generator as a suppler of electrical energy. In both cases they need to be mobile so that you can remove them for safe keeping. Carlt has recently has had his SC's stolen. Noise and vibration from the windmill should not be a problem if it is set up correctly and anyway it's a million times better for the planet and your ears than a generator. The day will come soon when these renewable energy sources are as common as satellite dishes and good thing too . King Learie

Well I think that puts that myth of a 'narrowboat to Dunkirk', to rest, althought the mention of a photo that showed what looked like looked like a grounded narrowboat on that harrowing beach is a tantilising clue.... Can this pic be posted up so that we can put it to our collective assessment? King Learie

Er.... buy the expensive tyres that don't allow punctures - a good bike shop will supply these, as after years of sporadic reliabilty and lots of inconvenient punctures from riding on the towpath I learnt from my friend and we haven't had any problems. King Learie

Well, that story doesn't seem so improbable after all and as it has been said on this topic it was the quickest way to travel in the 1800’s. Who were the historic version of G4 Security ?– small owners- ready to take on whatever was on offer? – ‘blindfolded prisoners in chains to London, just need a bucket, water and simple food for 5-6 days’. You could get 25 -30 humans in a hold and they wouldn’t weigh that much and the practice of transporting cattle by narrow boat on this canal had also been tried out – along with fast passenger boats between cities with teams of horses on other canals. The introduction of railways would have rendered all of this redundant very quickly and as the railways were new, brash and exciting, so stuff like this topic would have been very quickly forgotten…. Australia was a big place and needed colonising and consumed a large amount of souls before it became a stable economic environment producing wealth for the British Empire. Might not have been regular work for boaters/companies but not much recorded traffic of this nature survives and, of course, no photographs either….. But I would have thought that something about this matter must have survived the 180 years since…. Sitting blindfolded, chained up for days, in an old damp wooden boat under tar coated cloths would have certainly acclimatised them to the horrors of an old leaky warship, on a one way trip, battling the seas and climate all the way to the Antipodes. Just imagine it! - Poor folk King Learie

This is story related by a boater sharing a lock with us some years back. While waiting for the lock to empty he told me about a narrowboat that had crossed the channel in 1940. This was with all the other small river craft from the Thames to help with the evacuation of the Expeditionary Forces trapped on the beaches of France by the advancing Nazis. Does anyone know more or is this one of those stories that has become fact due to someone confusing the description of a vessel with another? Thames barges did take part and some survived and of course many people called narrowboats BARGES and boatmen BARGEES (and still do!) The chap told me the name of this boat but during the four years since hearing the tale new information has pushed the old out! But it was something grand sounding like 'Belvadeer'. King Learie

I heard a strange story yesterday about a narrowboat that took prisoners from Leicester (and possibly elsewhere along the route) and took them down to London where they were put onto ships bound for Australia. The specifics of the tale was that a local magistate held court in a old coaching inn called the Talbot in Belgrave, near Leicester and those found guilty were hooded and led through a tunnel to the adjacent navigation and put on a boat They were kept hooded until they entered the Bay of Biscay! The chap who told this tale to my friend appeared quite sure of his facts although I know the history of the area quite well and have never heard mention of this barbaric treatment of folk anywhere. Now I do remember that soldiers were moved by canal from London to Liverpool on their way to Ireland but prisoners? King Learie

No sightings here in Leicester or by boaters passing through - who knew nothing of the issue - they do now! King Learie

Hi all Nothing seen here in Leicester as yet and BW, the Council Rangers, the Kings Lock Tea Rooms, and myself have been keeping our eyes peeled (along with others) for Holly (preferribly with the red berries on) But nothing yet. We've talked to passing boaters to alert them but most are already alerted so the guy, if he is heading this way, will have to travel quietly by night to miss being spotted. Stiil it gives a certain frisson to walking the dog and riding the bike each day! If he's mad - its sad. If he's a thief - it's bad. If he's having a laugh - he'll pay! Still, what fun- eh? - The Great Escape! etc. Make a good book subject - 'Narrow Boat to Leicester Nick'! I'd buy it..... King Learie

As a follow-on to my post yesterday, here are a couple of pix of the grand opening of the Tea Rooms at Aylestone's Kings Lock in Leicester. Tony and Julie had worked 20 hour days leading up to the Good Friday and raised a good £700 for the chosen charity but they made a big loss on the day. But as lots of new people discovered this hidden treasure of tranquility and good nosh and of course, with any growing venture, the pay-back will be in increased numbers of customers in the months to come. Boaters generally don't stop as they are DESPERATE to get through this 'renowned' city of bandits before they get stuffed - the trouble is, they've stuffed themselves with old rumours so thus miss out on an interesting city with lots to offer!! Sad.... King Learie PS I agree with Carlt's sentiments wholeheartedly on the current 'Bandits' topic.

After a period of bitter north easterly winds it's a relief to be able to work outside without layers of clothes and cold hands! I spent Good Friday midday at Kings Lock Tea Rooms at Aylestone, Leicester. The tea rooms celebrated the start of it's forth season with a grand fundraising do for the local children's hospice and the place was heaving in the sunshine. The local BBC radio broadcast the event live from the garden where wave after wave of punters shelled out their fiver for a cream scone and a pot of tea to accompaniment of local musicians. I counted 4 Mad Hatters and three Alices but the host Tony was dressed as a furry bee for some reason. The long winter was all the longer for the place being shut - for me it was like your favourite local being closed for refurbishment so I'll look forward to stealing away for a few more visits soon. King Learie

Hi all Yes, things here down south on the Soar aren't to good either but that is mostly due to those floods we experienced a month ago which produced an amazing amount of drift wood, human produced rubbish and other matter that has defied the effort of the small team of the local authority, BW and their contractors to quickly clear up. Many trees were blown into the cut and these WERE quickly cleared only for the local dim wits to throw the diced up logs into the water for an extremely low level thrill which have choked some of the city's lock gates. But this is too in hand and passage through our fair city of Leicester is no problem according to the many boaters passing through on Good Friday. Much of this mixed debris has ended up in heaps - nay - islands in the side/back waters of the Soar which aren't and haven't been navigatable for many years. As for the Floating Pennywort weed, all those responsible for the navigation recognise its potential for serious disruption and have, after three years of bureaucratic prevarication, mounted a campaign to eradicating this pernicious invader from the local waterways over the next five years. Quite honestly you couldn’t ask for more, (well you could, but you would wasting your breath!) King Learie

Yes it's also the book that I recommend to anyone new to the subject of our canals as she seamlessly presents many different memories of boatwomen as one story. Like a TV soap, (for it's eventful narrative) it engrosses the reader it a lost world and imparts a vast amount of background information that would otherwise be very indigestible. I think it is a classic of canal books, up there with Narrowboat. This was Sheila's second book and I believe she did follow it up with another book about canals but the publisher didn't want to issue it for some reason. If anyone knows her address perhaps we could get it published by someone more sympathetic, like David Blagrove’s small set up, as there are so few books on the subject that are so generally satisfying and informative. Tony, who runs the Kings Lock Tea Rooms with his partner Julie in Aylestone, Leicester (Now open again after a winter break), found it invaluable as it helped him to quickly integrate into the world of canals and serve the needs of passing boaters. But because it is an amalgam of many real people, some canal enthusiasts look down on it as it doesn’t faithfully record history but on the other hand it has helped so many to understand the life and culture of the people of the cut that I think that far outweighs Sheila’s ‘artistic’ licence to recreate the past in such an interesting way. King Learie

Hi Carrie Whats in the picture? Despite it being mid-winter when this photo was taken the Floating Pennywort weed is still growing and is capable of trapping everything that is bourne by the flow of the Soar until a beaver type dam is created which doesn't do much for the dispersal of flood waters or the passage of boats.. But symbolically the photo is there to represent the quality of some of the printed matter between the covers of all the waterways magazines. Last night, I did write a brilliant (so it seemed to me!) follow on to the purpose and our support of such magazines tin response to Phil Speight and how much very good historical written material is printed only to be lost unless you collect and store a huge pile of mouldering magazines. But it was sods law that this gem of lucidity was lost when the Canal World DS crashed as I posted it and now after a day of continuing to construct a new workshop, can't be arsed to repeat it ! But you get my drift I am sure..... King Learie

Hi all I have an arrangement with my friend that he buys two mags and I buy the other two and then exchange, and finally keeping the ones that have the articles and photos we each wish to keep. From this position of reading all those in the survey I would say Watery World and Canal Boating & Wet Waterways are a more or less equal first with Towpath Chatter and the other that I can't be bothered to remember, in second and third place. This way you experience confusing deja vue as you read the news and the repetative articles about the finite list of things they find to write of canals about. It's all a bit sad. Mojo's a good read though and really refreshes the mental palet! King Learie

Hi Workhorse My experience is with working boats and they are breasted up so that just two people can get the pair through locks - one on the motor and one on the paddles and gates. To be breasted up, the following boat is allowed to overtake on the starboard side and the stern lines are first tied off, followed by the front ends and you are then 'breasted up'. There is not so much speed, and slow to respond to reverse, and two boats, lashed together, to insert into a container a few inches larger - phew! (strange how I revert to imperial measurement when concerning the boats) This does take a little time to get use to the change in control but easily mastered with practice. I find looking down between the boats and lining up the the join in their hulls with the line where the two far gates meet and checking on your port side to make sure you are clearing the lock side by an inch! Just go slowly and get the pleasure of doing it right to the amazement of the watching gongoozlers. Only draw back can be lock gates that don't quite open due to debrie behind and you get stuck like a cork in a bottle ands the same with bridge holes too. Last month we had the motor pushed back by a JCB's long arm, reaching down from the bridge above, while I held the butty fast - wish I had a camera! It was the adjacent boatyard's fault (and their JCB!) as they had moored one of their boats too near to a angled bridge hole and 72 foot and two boats wide, we needed a clear run at it. Best of luck King Learie

Carlt is right, Belmont is at Snibstone and as far as I know they want rid of her! Belmont was on display at Leicester's Abbey Pumping Station which is a great old technology museum when Snibstone was starting up and due to her rusty appearance donated it to enhance the old mine site. Last year Snibstone moved her by crane in one go as the site was needed for an adventure playground. So if someone, representing a heritage/museum style organisation, who is willing to move Belmont and get her back into the water in original style, I'm sure they would listen intently - so just ring the museum if you have the right credentials - or not, - if you are a rich chancer! Thats all folks King Learie

I didn't expect the Spanish Inquision! King Learie

Crikey! Christina There are two things about drawing boats (and anything else) that you must master - 1. is perspective ( a whole ball game/science in itself) and 2. Reference material and expert interpretation of said material (HERE!) and 3. being able to put paint on paper convincingly. As you can see 2. is sorted here but 1. is learning and practice unless you have a bit of an 'eye' for it like me (got through me City n' Guilds Technical Graphics 35 years back, by winging it!) 3. - lots and lots of practice. I'm not much good at it despite the trying but then again I don't like much of the canal art on offer as most of those who do it have had to compromise their talent (like me) to paint 'realistic' chocolate box pictures to suit the market which ends up being just an illustration. But there was a women from the west country, who I saw at Stoke Bruerne church hall, displaying wonderful impressionistic views of working boats in their environment with no clear detail visible. They knocked the spots off those painfully 'accurate' paintings on the cover of 'Narrowboat'. Hey! How about a discussion about art ? I know what I like.... King Learie PS Keep painting Christina, despite what gits like me spout....

There you go Christina More information than you can shake a stick at. Its great on this site, all you have to do, is ask a seemingly innoscent question and all these blokes fall over themselves spouting all manner of answers, all of it pertient and logical- but does it help put a painting together? Over to you Christina King Learie PS As one painter to another I would love to see it when its finished and I'm sure all these guys would too, they've earnt it!

Opps! I lost a bracket on the accompanying code for the photo illustration in my last post This shows a breasted-up pair (motor and butty) with empty holds and thus high in the water. King Learie

Dear Christine Tony Lewry or Phil Speight could answer this specific query exactly but my understanding is that they do act as warning signs for other boats and also show if the boat is loaded or not. Today most narrowboat cruisers with the 'traditional motor stern' have them painted the same just to look 'traditional' although they rarely change how deep they are in the water so you always see the red and white. IMG]http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t181/KingLearie/BlisworthTunnelCelebrations19-06-05.jpg[/img] King Learie