Alvecote Historic Boat Gathering - "One Big Weekend"

[alan_fincher]

We hope to take both boats to this event, our favourite of the historic boating calendar.  (I say "we hope", because unfortunate family happenings have caused us to have to pull out at the last minute, a couple of years back).

The hypothetical "Barby breech" fortunately seems to have had no basis in fact, and CRT have even lifted the restrictions at Buckby and Braunston, which makes the whole thing a bit easier.

It is on the bank holiday weekend - 24th to 26th August.

There are generally around fifty(-ish) historic narrow boats in attendance, maybe more

 

Highly recommended if you are into "historics", (and definitely one to avoid if you are not!).

So who else plans to be there?

[Capt Ahab]

We will be there with The Jam Butty.

 

[alan_fincher]

2 minutes ago, Capt Ahab said:

We will be there with The Jam Butty.

 

Another way to part company with my money!

(It is very good jam, though!)

[ditchcrawler]

4 minutes ago, Capt Ahab said:

We will be there with The Jam Butty.

 

Are you bow hauling then?

[roland elsdon]

Arrived friday in the august summer...

[Rob-M]

We will be hitching a ride on England.

[Ray T]

The "pusher tug" will be taking "his" historic narrow boat captain on the Sunday.

Edited August 18, 2019 by Ray T

[Tuscan]

Annoyed we can’t be there again but family comes first

[lampini]

Came past a couple of days ago, it was gently filling up then. Met some very interesting boats going down the Atherstone locks.. work beckons, sadly tho. May nip over by car if we get time.

 

does one have to pay for car parking does anyone know? 

[pete harrison]

I am working 12 hour night shifts on Friday and Saturday so it is unlikely I will be attending, unless I can be convinced that it is worth coming for the Bank Holiday Monday.

 

As it stands I have never been to an Alvecote event

[tree monkey]

51 minutes ago, lampini said:

Came past a couple of days ago, it was gently filling up then. Met some very interesting boats going down the Atherstone locks.. work beckons, sadly tho. May nip over by car if we get time.

 

does one have to pay for car parking does anyone know? 

Not in the past and I don't think it has changed 

[MtB]

2 hours ago, lampini said:

does one have to pay for car parking does anyone know? 

 

Its £10 a day this year. Cheques payable to mike the boilerman please. ?

[roland elsdon]

Im doing it at £7.50 park in the priory and then walk up and pay me please.

[cheshire~rose]

We will be there. When I say "we" that is a number of different versions of "we" 

 

Python is already there and a good number of her crew are expecting to be there. Many of them are developing a keen interest in historic boats and canal heritage and I am sure they will have a million questions to ask of those who know about these things. I can think of a better place for them to see loads of historic boats all in one place. That covers the Chesterfield Canal Trust version of "we" 

 

Another "we" is Auntie Wainwright will have her stall filled with all manner of fine artefacts and ephemera for you to peruse. We have already loaded 6 boxes of fine quality merchandise in the van but additional donations of items are always accepted, It is usual for the stock on the stall to turn over throughout the weekend with people turning up with more items to donate as the hours pass so, if you look once and don't see anything that takes your eye then have another look later and, even if you don't find that left handed actuator body that you have been looking for then the lovely Jenny will be happy to relieve you of £1 for a go on the tombola.

 

The third incarnation of "we" can't confirm if "we" will be there or not (yet) We had hoped to bring Delhi but the work on Delhi has been horrendously delayed by the wonderful British weather. ? There still remains a very small hope that if the weather is favourable over the next couple of days we may have our boat back towards the end of the week. If that is the case, it's a 25 hour trip to Alvecote and I can feel some night boating coming on to get us there. If it doesn't happen then we may need to do some VERY long days the following week as we are supposed to be travelling back with Python as of the Tuesday. 

[lampini]

We saw Python there... ?

[cheshire~rose]

Just now, lampini said:

We saw Python there... ?

Yay! 

 

The lovely people at Alvecote Marina have been Snakey sitting for us for several weeks. It was very kind of them to find a corner for her and saved us a LOT of diesel and volunteer hours as we probably would have taken her all the way "home" To The Chesterfield Canal then brought her back again if we had not found a safe haven for her. 

[lampini]

1 minute ago, cheshire~rose said:

Yay! 

 

The lovely people at Alvecote Marina have been Snakey sitting for us for several weeks. It was very kind of them to find a corner for her and saved us a LOT of diesel and volunteer hours as we probably would have taken her all the way "home" To The Chesterfield Canal then brought her back again if we had not found a safe haven for her. 

Makes for some lovely eye-candy from the pub over a bowl o chips and a pint!

[TheBiscuits]

1 hour ago, cheshire~rose said:

Many of them are developing a keen interest in historic boats and canal heritage and I am sure they will have a million questions to ask of those who know about these things.

Tell them to ask which way up bullseye glasses should go.  That's usually good for a few hours of cheap entertainment.

[Mike Todd]

19 hours ago, ditchcrawler said:

Are you bow hauling then?

He did not say that the motor will not be there as well . . . it has to wander somewhere

[pete harrison]

49 minutes ago, TheBiscuits said:

Tell them to ask which way up bullseye glasses should go.  That's usually good for a few hours of cheap entertainment.

but will answer this question:

 

This is pretty straight forward as by design this off the shelf item was a deck fitting so was intended to be dome down, and this is shown in one or two narrow boat builders plans. In practice they were generally fitted dome up, and again this is shown in one or two narrow boat builders plans not mention countless period photographs. This is evidence based as opposed to an opinion.

 

The slightly more interesting question is which boats had a bullseye and which boats did not - Admirals as an example had a porthole glass

[cuthound]

We have the grandchildren down next weekend, so depending upon what they want to do, may or not be there.

 

Might even take Zeus again, had to leave early last year because his barking was drowning the commentator out! ? He has calmed down quite a bit in the last year, but still reactive to most other dogs, so if we go it will be interstimg to see if he is better behaved.

 

 

[David Mack]

19 hours ago, cheshire~rose said:

There still remains a very small hope that if the weather is favourable over the next couple of days we may have our boat back towards the end of the week. If that is the case, it's a 25 hour trip to Alvecote and I can feel some night boating coming on to get us there. 

 

 

I am thinking similarly with regard to bringing Belfast to Alvecote. But there seems to be little information online - nothing on the Alvecote Marina or Samuel Barlow websites, and just a one line mention in the HNBC events listing. Can I just turn up? Do I need to book in? 

[cheshire~rose]

1 hour ago, David Mack said:

 

I am thinking similarly with regard to bringing Belfast to Alvecote. But there seems to be little information online - nothing on the Alvecote Marina or Samuel Barlow websites, and just a one line mention in the HNBC events listing. Can I just turn up? Do I need to book in? 

Yes, turn up and they will make space for you, if you give Lawrence at Narrowcraft a call he will be expecting you. You will be very welcome. I think the event relies fairly heavily on Facebook for advertising so perhaps someone close to you can have a look at their facebook page for more info?

[cheshire~rose]

20 hours ago, cheshire~rose said:

The third incarnation of "we" can't confirm if "we" will be there or not (yet) We had hoped to bring Delhi but the work on Delhi has been horrendously delayed by the wonderful British weather. ? There still remains a very small hope that if the weather is favourable over the next couple of days we may have our boat back towards the end of the week. If that is the case, it's a 25 hour trip to Alvecote and I can feel some night boating coming on to get us there. If it doesn't happen then we may need to do some VERY long days the following week as we are supposed to be travelling back with Python as of the Tuesday. 

I now have an final answer to this conundrum....

 

It seems that those wonderful people at Industry Narrowboats are good at keeping secrets! They told us on Thursday that although they were busy blasting and painting the base plate that day, because the forecast for Friday was so dire no further work would be done until Monday and then it depended on the weather. We knew that time was required for the coating to cure before it went back in the water and so with very heavy hearts we spent the weekend with one eye on a forecast predicting more rain this week and firmly convinced that we would not manage to get Delhi to Alvecote in time but not wishing to formulate a "Plan B" because we  were sulking .......... it is just very complicated.

 

This morning as I watched the shower clouds gathering, as forecast over Chesterfield and knowing the forecast for Stafford was also for showery weather today and tomorrow I had to bite the bullit and give them a call to work out what day next week we might be able to get our boat back.........

 

Well, what a wonderful surprise! Instead of spending quality time with their family over the weekend (or going boating as the opportunity had arisen) they persuaded the guy doing the blasting to get the job done and spent the weekend getting the blacking on Delhi. so when I called today I had the news that the blacking is all finished and curing nicely, just some anodes to pop on there and she will go back in the water on Wednesday giving us time to get to Alvecote after all.

 

How very unexpected and how wonderful to know that they understood how much us getting Delhi to Alvecote meant to us, to the point that they gave up their weekend to get it done for us. Wow! that is amazing service and totally unexpected from any boatyard

 

[Capt Ahab]

On 17/08/2019 at 22:57, ditchcrawler said:

Are you bow hauling then?

OK - Wand'ring Bark as well!