The Bargee

[Derek R.]

It did indeed Sam's Son! And it covered the patch we used to frequent the most between Maffas and Cassio. I still get a kick out of watching it.

 

Windlasses for £170! Who'd have thought it. But then I've just paid £70 for a model home made galleon built 90yrs ago - 'that' won't float either!

 

Regards to your Dad. We knew him as casual moorers.

[Chris Pink]

But then I've just paid £70 for a model home made galleon built 90yrs ago - 'that' won't float either!

 

In a brocante in France, I've seen, a few times now, a stunning French 18th century warship, complete with balcony on the stern from the master's cabin, a couple of little add-on look out towers (where you'd expect navigation lights) completely lovingly made and detailed. With a sign on it saying 'offers' that spoke just to me. Unfortunately at around a metre long with its case I couldn't think of anywhere in my life it would fit.

 

One of the wonderful things about it was how different it was to English warships of the time, Victory etc, and that there was a real sense of a French attitude "we may be at sea lobbing great bits of metal at each other but dinner will be fine and life is going to be comfortable".

 

Maybe the next time I see it - I am sure it will still be there, I'll get to take some pictures of it.

[alan_fincher]

In fact, when this film was being made, I was living on board the Aye at Marsworth Yard, which was one of the few remaining working boats around at the time, taking concrete piles from Marsworth to various locations for repair work. My Dad was Sam Horne, skipper of Ayno and Air. We were living through the sort of changes that the film mirrored, the end of the canal carrying era. What I didn't know then was that even with its "errors" this film gives a good idea of the look of the canals in this period.

That I think nobody would dispute - much of the footage is an absolute gem, and has caused much interest here as people try hard to identify boats at various locations from quite distant shots.

 

You may or may not be aware that whilst Ayr is a boat that BW claim to have scrapped, it is generally considered to be the case that they in fact scrapped the boat Berkhampstead in error, after it had been sold to someone, and hence did an identity swap, and that the boat now masquerading is Berkhampstead is actually Ayr.

 

I was very sorry too to hear about the loss of your mum, by the way, and I always associate that lock cottage with both Sam and Gladys, and it seems very sad to know another of the last of the working boaters has now passed on.

[Derek R.]

Chris's 18thC Frenchie sound impressive. Mine would weigh in at the other end of the scale, in being a very VERY crude model of someone's attempt at 'The Mayflower' - so no galleon really.

 

It's dilapidated; rigging in shreds though the halyards still have their 'ratlines', masts wonky, sails of some sort of duckdown with wired edges to give 'wind in them' effect, others reefed and all blanco'd many Moons ago which is flaking off, but it oozes atmosphere! Saw it last year marked up at £137. Last weekend at £98, and paid £70. It's glorious in all its 'Black Pearl' appearance. Even smells of 'age' and pipe tobacco. It's almost 3' long from sprit to stern and nearly as tall on its block of wood. Love it!

 

I think 'dinner' would be hard tack and wormy biscuit - VERY different!

[Chris Pink]

I didn't ask but I got the feeling I wouldn't have got it for €70 (although worse still, I might). It did have €1,000 in very faded writing crossed out.

 

It's in quite good condition really, very little rotten rigging - probably because of the glass case - but oozes faded atmosphere.... and some.

[luctor et emergo]

That reminds me of the 3' model of the Cutty Sark that I have in storage. Hull just about finished, but nowhere to work on the masts, simply not enough space on board. One day...

[Derek R.]

Be careful! I have 'One day' projects that have been lining up from thirty years ago, and I'm now 65 - and more have been added along the way!!

 

Edited to add:

 

I think 'Today' is probably the best option!

Edited April 18, 2013 by Derek R.

[oldboy]

We all pay "silly" money for the joy of owning something which to us is a thing of beauty. I once paid £90.00 for a tatty old magazine. Well, it is a 100 year old copy of Strand Magazine with Sherlock Holmes and the Six Napoleons as the featured story. I can't say how much I paid for a complete set of four 1966 Dr Who Movie Dalek models in their original packing, the wife'll go mad! For those who are interested my Dad, Sam is still living in Berkhamstead. He's quite frail now, and the short-term memory is going. But, if you want to know about having to milk the cows before going to school, he's your man.

[mark99]

Picture would be nice!

 

 

Be careful! I have 'One day' projects that have been lining up from thirty years ago, and I'm now 65 - and more have been added along the way!!

 

Edited to add:

 

I think 'Today' is probably the best option!

[Derek R.]

Really??

 

Oh well . . .

 

In all its debauched glory:

 

 

The vendor claimed it may have been built in the 1920's

[Tim Lewis]

... is on tonight in a few minutes, Freeview Channel 81.

 

Tim

[pete harrison]

Yet another Freeview channel that I did not know that I had

[John Brightley]

ditto -thanks for posting ..caught the last 20 minutes.

[Keeping Up]

Some people may be wondering why they can't find Freeview channel 81, even after retuning. For example our recorder gets it but our TV doesn't. It turns out that 81 is an HD channel so if your TV is just "HD ready" instead of "full HD" it won't be able to receive it.