A bit cold

[J R ALSOP]

Comet and Dabchick held up by Salvo nr Ansty on the way from Pooley Hall in 1964.

[Guest]

IMG_4089.JPGComet and Dabchick held up by Salvo nr Ansty on the way from Pooley Hall in 1964.

 

Is that the bridge that had to be demolished?

[Ray T]

Looks like it, the one over to the Rose & Castle pub.

 

Was that the end of Salvo, or was it re floated?

Edited February 21, 2016 by Ray T

[Guest]

Looks like it, the one over to the Rose & Castle pub.

 

Was that the end of Salvo, or was it re floated?

It just shows how much it deteriorated over the years.

 

The last pictures I have of it show it with huge cracks and parts missing.

[Rose Narrowboats]

That's Aster, not Salvo.

 

One of the less intelligent things my father has done, going boating through ice on a wooden boat with no ice plating. His defence is that there was no ice when when they set off from either Hawkesbury or Coventry (can't remember which), and at the time they stopped at Ansty there was only thin ice (that pic is a day or two later) and he left her floating, not realising she was taking on water.

 

She was refloated by the fire brigade and the affair was deemed newsworthy enough tobe featured in the local paper. He subsequently almost completely rebuilt her and she is still around, though in a sad state now I understand. The Bolinder was in Rudd last time I saw it.

 

Thank you for posting that pic - I'm off to go and wind someone up

 

Anthony

 

PS As for the bridge, two of my boats were the last ones ever to be under it - it was demolished into two of my hoppers. From the damage on them when they came back they took it down in pretty big chunks.

 

EDIT to add an account of the event by my Father:

 

When Aster got holed it was on the way back from Coventry Basin after collecting the remains of another Bolinder engine which Bert Dunkley had acquired for me. Having come up the arm Aster had been moored at Hawkesbury when the canal froze over. At that time Coventry Power Station was still operating and putting warm water back into the canal so we duly set off for Hillmorton not realising there was a serious ice problem beyond the power station. At that time Aster had only one new plank on the waterline on the starboard bow. The new oak being soft the ice was cutting into it. This did not initially concern me too much as the plank was far too thick and needed a lot of timber planing off it.

 

However, it became apparent that significant damage would be done had we continued beyond Ansty so we moored by the main road bridge in the village. The following morning the BW ice breaker, possibly Tycho, went through to break the ice and the breaking ice holed Aster on the starboard side just in front of the engine room with the result that she subsequently sank on that mooring but without blocking the canal. Not knowing what had happened I was able to get the fire brigade to float her there being of course good access to the fire engine at the main road bridge. Having got her floating the decision was made to beach her on the mud on the offside just round the corner as in the photograph. We failed to get the damage clear of the water and she again filled with water and when conditions improved we were able to refloat her with a small portable pump and get her underway back to Hillmorton where a more permanent repair was made.

Edited February 22, 2016 by Rose Narrowboats

[J R ALSOP]

My memory is letting me down, it was a long time ago.

[Rose Narrowboats]

Aster was Salvo's motor when the Fieldings had them so you weren't far out.

 

Aster's other claim to fame is that according to Noel James (an ex Barlow's boatman) she was the start of the whole red chimney band "thing" when the Brigadier painted them to match his cap.

 

A lot of the work was done on the slang at Crick where some wag chalked "Dis" in front of the name. I've got the cratch board, and Dad's still got the cast iron Bolinder prop and the box mast despite having sold the boat over 40 years ago. Mum's still got the physical and mental scars!

 

Regards,

 

Anthony

[AMModels]

 

Another shot of Aster (nearer the camera) with Lucy early 80's I think.

[Guest]

In Feb 2010 the holes in the bridge were that large I could frame a picture of our Hire Boat with one of them.

 

[Rose Narrowboats]

Another shot of Aster (nearer the camera) with Lucy early 80's I think.

I don't think that's Aster - after Dad sold her on in the early 70's she was converted.

[AMModels]

My date could be out, the photo came from Keir.. the last name is gone for the time being, he claimed to own the pair at the time.

[Rose Narrowboats]

I've just dug out some old photo's and you are right, it definitely is Aster. The photo's also show the cabin and were taken at Oxford sometime in the mid 80s

 

Edited February 22, 2016 by Rose Narrowboats

[Paul H]

Andy's pic was taken at a rally at Boxmoor by my late friend Steve King. Aster and

Lucy were owned by Ray and Gill Williams at the time who went on to work for Murrells on the barrel boats.

 

The date was September 1977

 

So maybe before your Dad owned her Anthony?

 

Paul

[Rose Narrowboats]

Dad sold Aster in 1972 as an unconverted but largely rebuilt boat minus the Bolinder to someone (Chris -------?) who finished the hull work and installed the RN. He sold her on a few years later and Dad has a memory she went on the Soar gravel traffic for a short while at that point before the conversion went on. I can only ever recall seeing her with the cabin (I was only four in 1977) so I'd guess she was converted shortly after the photo of her with Lucy was taken. By the time my pictures of the conversion was taken she was nothing to do with us - but the ever faithful Toucan is just visible in the background.

 

I've added my Dad's version of events to my earlier post about the sinking.

[AMModels]

Andy's pic was taken at a rally at Boxmoor by my late friend Steve King. Aster and

Lucy were owned by Ray and Gill Williams at the time who went on to work for Murrells on the barrel boats.

 

The date was September 1977

 

So maybe before your Dad owned her Anthony?

 

Paul

Thanks Paul, not sure where the Keir came from in that case...

[David Mack]

Aster (converted) was moored for a while in the early 1980s in Battlebridge Basin at Kings Cross. At the time I vaguely knew the chap who lived on her there, but I can't now remember his name.