IWA National Festival 23rd-25th August 2008, Autherley

[sueb]

Fair enough but they used to come. With a captive audience of over 300 boaters, I would have thought that would be a a lot higher than the numbers coming through their doors, even on a bank holiday weekend.

A few of us were musing about who actually attends Nationals apart from the obvious boaters on boats. There are campers and we thought that they would mainly be boaters and/or IWA members who chose not to come by boat. There seemed to be a lot of vistors to the Festival and we thought they were probably local people till we realised that Wolverhampton has a high coloured population yet we saw very few coloured people there. Does the Festival actually attract members of the public who are not already "into" canals?

We didn't come up with an answer

 

Haggis

I haven't seen chandlers at the National since the first? Waltham Abbey. Uxbridge turned up and did a roaring trade but I believe some wasn't paid for.

Sue

[John Orentas]

I have only attended a few of the 'Nationals' during my boating years but I do recall that there used to be numerous chandlers stalls years ago, I have no statistics but floating visitors too seemed to be well down on previous events..

 

I had many black families visit the Rochdale stand, probably not fully a representative number but such things never are, Monday was a strange sort of day however with large numbers of local, non-boaty people attending, I was told that this was weighted by the fact that the local newspapers gave away free admission tickets to readers, I was a bit miffed at this when I first heard it but with hindsight it is perhaps a good thing.

[DHutch]

R.J. took this picture of Emily Anne as she passed during the illuminated parade.

 

 

Can anyone figure out where the chuffing heck the boat went?

 

Janet

I quite like that. Loose the bottom inch and its a very interesting shot.

 

I applogse to RJ, and anyone with a modicom of tallent in the area for the low quality and rushed editing.

 

However :-

 

 

 

Daniel

[haggis]

I haven't seen chandlers at the National since the first? Waltham Abbey. Uxbridge turned up and did a roaring trade but I believe some wasn't paid for.

Sue

 

The last national we were at before this one was Preston Brook and I ordered quite a lot of boaty stuff from Marinestore (Marine something anyway) and I also remember chatting to at least one other chandler before doing so.

 

Haggis

[Janet S]

I still can't figure out where the boat went! Still, it was just a quick shot as you went past....

 

Such a shame you didn't win the "Best Illuminated Boat" - you obviously put a lot of effort into it, and the boat looked great as it passed us, even if you were making an awful racket with that whistle!

 

Janet

[sueb]

The last national we were at before this one was Preston Brook and I ordered quite a lot of boaty stuff from Marinestore (Marine something anyway) and I also remember chatting to at least one other chandler before doing so.

 

Haggis

I didn't go to that one, or this year, or last year come to think of it.

Sue

[Janet S]

I didn't go to that one, or this year, or last year come to think of it.

Sue

 

You missed a good weekend Sue. We met up with several CW members, and thoroughly enjoyed it. I met up with Strads & Mrs Strads, LeeJ and his friend, DHutch, Cheshire~Rose, Postcode....also met John Orentas again, who isn't nearly as scary as you'd imagine! We also bumped into NB Phoenix, and spent time with Bones and Maffi planning our forthcoming holiday on the Rochdale.

 

R.J. managed to get Cheshire~Rose out for a trip in our little Wet Betsy and we took her (Betsy, not Rose) for a trip through our first lock. I enjoyed a cruise on PortaPotti/Carrie-Lou Aquagem and we got to see Cheshire~Rose's YSL windlass in action! Good job it was a nice day, as she won't get it wet!

 

We also missed several other CW members who were there. We really must have a better recognition system for the next time!

 

Janet

[DHutch]

Yeah, well i didnt get any much better photos tbh, and i was taking plenty.

- Did get one of Baldock, although shooting darkness against the floodlit fesitval site was pushing the bounds of a handheld compact even before i was on the phone!

 

 

 

I'll try and get some more up given time but im flat out trying to buy a car and get out of JCB alive atm! Four days to go!

 

Daniel

[Gary Peacock]

The last national we were at before this one was Preston Brook and I ordered quite a lot of boaty stuff from Marinestore (Marine something anyway) and I also remember chatting to at least one other chandler before doing so.

 

Haggis

 

We were going this year but the prices they charge plus the complications it involves simply made it not worth bothering, we went last year and waded in the mud for three days to probably be there at a slight loss.

 

I do like the National it does have a true festival feel to it and is good from the publics point of view with plenty to see. A lot of trade don't like it because they seem to expect it to be a trade show like Crick which maybe I'm wrong but that isn't its purpose?

 

On the subject of Crick that is a trade show all be it one with a history of some dubious exhibitors who use it purely to collect deposits to finance insolvent companies etc. Even Crick now seems to be getting written off the diary by quite a large number of former die hards after last years farce.

 

Maybe it's time for a new indoor trade show with a more stable indoor venue and more realistic pricing for exhibitors and admissions?

 

It might even interest some of the bigger marine suppliers who tend to consider the inland market and its shows with contempt at the moment, leaving it to the regular well known box shifters to hand out the few boxes of brochures they send them rather than providing the technical and sales support they do at the likes of the London/Southampton Boat Show etc.

Edited September 2, 2008 by Gary Peacock