Working Boats

How about this...

Details of our trip have been added on the Sickle website. Excellent weekend, although very hard work. Click here to see the pics and videos

Think it was either Roger Farringdon or the bloke who was there before him?

I believe she was built at Braunston Bottom Lock. Photos below, the first is of her when she was in working trim and carrying coal, the second is as she is now at Warwickshire Fly.

Excellent photos Alan, nice seeing Sickle doing some work. Below are a couple of photos of Sickle when partly loaded with timber during 2008 Kind Regards Matt

Brinklow Boat Services New website launched at http://www.brinklowboatservices.com/

Hi, The Big Woolwich motor Chertsey is the one photographed at Valencia Wharf, Oldbury. She has been moored there for 20+ years now, fitted with a twin cylinder Lister. Barnham currently moors at Delph Marine, Stourbridge and as far as I am aware is currently up for sale. Kind Regards Matt

Hi, Quite a few boats have dropped out of the Jam 'Ole run this year, below is a list of the seven boats attending the run Little Woolwich motor CORONA Modern boat SHOESTRING Large Northwich STANTON (possibly) C&C motor SWALLOW Middle Northwich THEA Large Northwich TOWCESTER Small Northwich WARBLER Kind Regards Matt

Hi, Hadley's cabin is currently wood, although the owner is thinking about having it replacing with steel. Here's a pic of the cabin when i passed her earlier in the year. She moors at Tattenhill Lock on the T&M. Kind Regards

i think... Number 1 = FMC motor DRAGON (outside) and RENFREW (inside) Number 2 = Little Woolwich AQUILA and butty BINGLEY Number 3 = Big Woolwich BARNHAM Number 4 = Little Woolwich CERES (outside) and Small Northwich / Erewash Canal Carrying Co motor ELM (inside) Number 5 = Big Woolwich FULBOURNE Number 6 = Big Woolwich butty BIDEFORD Number 7 = Big Woolwich HADLEY Number 8 = Big Woolwich GAINSBOROUGH (outside) and Little Woolwich AQUARIUS (inside) Number 9 = Ex Little Woolwich butty DODONA Number 10 = Little Woolwich PHOBOS Number 11 = Big Woolwich BAINTON & BERKHAMPSTEAD Cheers

Hi, Yes Stewarts and Lloyds Tug Number 2 was the former GUCCCo 'little woolwich' motor Algol. There are a few photos below of her at the Stewarts and Lloyds gathering in May 2007, she was restored by Dennis Cooper in 1986 and now moors on the lower Grand Union, (i think) Kind Regards Matt Parrott Sickle

Hi, This message should probably be in the "For Sale" section but thought it would get more response here. A friend of mine is reluctantly selling the Small Woolwich motor Vesta, shortened to 45ft for Stewarts and Lloyds in 1947. To see the advert click the link below Vesta advert Kind Regards Matt Sickle

Hi, I have uploaded some photos and movies of the rally onto my website link Excellent weekend! Matt

I think it's the Middle Northwich motor Taygeta, now used by BW as a maintenance boat around Anderton. Kind Regards Matt

The Zodiac on the waterscape link is the Middle Northwich motor originally named Tucana, she was renamed by BW to Zodiac, so there is now two Middle Northwich's named Zodiac. Matt

Hi, 1 Southern GU = Middle Northwich butty Leonids 2 Grand Union Canal = Middle Northwich motor Zodiac 5 Southern Grand Union Above Springwell Lock = Middle Northwich butty Leonids having been repainted 8 Hatton To Calcutt = Aquila and butty 13 GU Uxbridge = Columba 14 GU Dedale To Lapworth = Hydra 15 Coventry Canal Streethay Wharf = FMC motor Crane Here is a link to a recent photo of Caldy taken in 2006 link and here is a photo in 2006 of Carnaby link Kind Regards Matt

Hi zenataomm, Yes you're right my dad used to own Tycho in the 1980s. We're trying to find an old oil drum to stick across the back end bulkhead, then recreate the writing on it. Thanks everyone Matt

Hi all, Just to let you know we launched the 'middle northwich' icebreaker Sickle yesterday. All went very well and a crowd of enthusiasts gathered to watch the event, and included Ian Tyler who had steered the boat in its days on BW maintenance. Sickle was rescued from fate of becoming a flower bed in the car park of Sawley Marina, after a year a bugging BW they finally gave in and allowed my dad to buy her, and working in his spare time has completely rebuilt the hull and cabin using traditional methods. Unfortunately due to time we haven't had time to put the 5ft ice breaking ram on the bow of Sickle, however we plan to restore this feature at a later date. For photos of the event visit http://sickle.freehostia.com/launch.html Kind Regards Matt Parrott

Hi, here's a couple of photos of the ex. Seddons motor Sweden, she was built in 1921 by the Anderton Company and was much restored in the 1980s by Martin Cox. Shes not for sale though. Matt

I obviously mis-read his message. I'll have alook on some websites for Leonids to try and find out some more information. The owner of Kestrel/Triagulum, Chris Pink, has just been in contact and will hopefully be able to attend the re-union. Kind Regards Matt Parrott

Thanks Paul, I thought all the butties except Thoth still existed but Mike Turpin (Radiant & Regulus) believes Leonids and Thoth were scrapped. I emailed "info@nbalmightly.org.uk" last week, no reply yet. I'll have a go at sending a letter to the owners of Theophilus. Kind Regards Matt Parrott

Hi I'm the owner of Sickle, the Middle Northwich Icebreaker. Sorry about the email links being incorrect, hopefully i've sorted it now. My email address is gu_sickle@yahoo.co.uk I have now had confirmation off Tim (Braunston Marina) that we can hold the Middle Northwich Re-union. The plan is to get as many of the eight original pairs of MN boats as possible to attend, but some are proving difficult to trace. All eight motors and six of the butties are still in existence. If anyone knows the contact details of any of the following boats, please let us know: SCALES, SARPEDON, TRIAGULUM, THEOPHILUS, TAURUS & ZODIAC. Kind Regards Matt Parrott