Short boat Wye

[Pluto]

The converted short boat Wye seems to have sunk at Woodlesford, near Wakefield. The owner, Carole Heath, is looking for an enthusiast to take Wye off her hands. I have a contact number if anyone is interested.

[fanshaft]

The converted short boat Wye seems to have sunk at Woodlesford, near Wakefield. The owner, Carole Heath, is looking for an enthusiast to take Wye off her hands. I have a contact number if anyone is interested.

I (or my company) owned 'Wye' from 1972 to sale to the Heaths in 1982. She was used mainly for carrying (though she did do some camping trips as well). She was the boat that revived freight carrying on the L&L from 1973, working with Irwell, Weaver, and later Everton, but also worked further afield - granite from Mountsorrel to York, and pipes from Nottingham to Esholt as examples. She was one of the first craft on the Thurmaston-Syston traffic (from May 1976). In the late 1970's she was re-bottomed and we raised coamings, fitted hatch covers and a wheelhouse. She looked very smart and won the Alfred Ritchie Cockerel for the best turned out working boat at Leeds in 1981. She brought the last load up to Shipley wharf (50 tonnes of gravel) on 30th May 1982, and her final load was scaffolding equipment from Armley to Horbury Bridge (C&HN) on 17th June 1982.

I do hope someone can take her on, and maybe de-convert her - there are so few unconverted short boats in existence now.

regards

David Lowe

Edited August 19, 2011 by fanshaft