Fair Weather Boater

Okay, I admit it, I'm a fair weather boater. I enjoy sunlit scenery, dappled shade from overhanging trees, light and shade to give life to my views. Into every life a little rain must fall, and Patience has enough waterproofs to keep us dry and warm for days on end if necessary, but I'm not wild about setting out on days that promise only dull cloud and steady rain.
So it was that John and I cancelled a proposed trip up The Lark. Old softies? Maybe ... but boating is supposed to be fun and as I write this it's dull with constant rain and more wind than is comfortable.

I don't have much of a photo collection for Narrow Boats and Rain, but it does remind me of the day we took the wrong route and found ourselves in a boating pageant being saluted by a small chap with a toothbrush moustache. Choppy day, lots of rain, and I asked a bloke from a nearby submarine to take a  a photograph for me. I reasoned no-one would believe me....

Crick Boat Show

First the Royal Pageant and now the Crick Boat Show, I'm making up for not taking Patience out during this dull weather.
Lots of helpful people at Crick. The first was the chap on the door, looking down at my shoes and muttering  in a doom-laden voice that I should have brought wellies and I'd be up to my knees in mud when it started to rain come midday. Well I should have done, but the rain didn't come, so it wasn't as bad as Sunday must have been, amidst downpours.
Nevertheless I think the threatening skies put some people off so the crowds were thin, giving us good access to many splendid boats.
Calcutt Marine were very helpful and knowledgeable with John's questions about our engine cooling  and the prospect of a new instrument panel (we feel the need for something to tell us engine speed). We bought some Miracle Wax in an optimistic gesture to encourage the beautification of Patience, and a splendid tea towel from the Bedford and Milton Keynes Waterway Trust whose mission is to bridge that frustrating river gap between the two cities, linking the Great Ouse and The Grand Union.
We also tracked down someone who has LED bulbs shaped like fluorescent tubes, so you can swap them out and gain the more efficient lighting of an LED without changing your fittings.
No sign of any meters for showing water and foul waste levels (any suggestions, readers?) but apart from that a fair day out in dull weather which could have been a great deal worse ....
Let the boats speak for themselves:

Note this last one and its raised prow, shaped like a sea-going vessel. An interesting shape but while it means the double bed in the forward section is wider than usual, there's no easy access to the bow area. Tricky for mooring, we thought.

Jubilee Pageant

Though Patience was not in the Pageant (Canal Planner estimates 14 full days to get there from our present moorings, and there are so many stoppages it would be bound to be even longer), I was there to see the stream of more than 1000 boats pass along The Thames at a stately pace.
Stationed near Wandsworth Bridge, with occasional forays towards Putney, we had an excellent view of the area where the mustering took place, before the formal start of the Pageant.

Arriving at 10.30 we managed to see narrow boats go upstream towards their far mustering place before they joined the formal parade. We also saw all the man-powered boats before the rain set in.
Royalist or Republican, there is no doubt this was a Grand Occasion and a unique display of our boating heritage. I was glad to be there!
Oh, and a word for the rowers and paddlers: Fantastic job! The powered boats in convoys had their challenges, but those rowers were on the water continuously for more than 7 hours, through rain and cold winds mostly without protective gear. Well done all!

President

nb President was built in 1909 at a cost of £600 in Fellows, Morton and Clayton’s company dock at Saltley, Birmingham.
President and another narrow boat,Kildare, are owned by the Black Country Living Museum
More information and evocative photographs at their website.

Pirate Castle

Swingbridge

Canal River Trust

Quercus and Beatty, with gondola

Wandsworth Bridge - man-powered boats mustering

From Wandsworth Bridge - man-powered boats mustering

Dragon Boats from Wandsworth Bridge

Just some folks we met on the bridge ....

Pedal the Atlantic

Not really narrow boat territory, this, but another part of my life is spent organising The Shelford Feast, our local village event. One person who has helped us is Justin Coleman, who supplies comedians for our stand-up night.
Now he has a whacky plan to pedal across the Atlantic. Yes, pedal.

This December, he attempts to pedal 3,000 miles across the Atlantic Ocean – all in the name of charity.

Justin, along with pedal partner James Mouland, will set off from Puerto Mogan in the Canaries and pedal across the ocean to reach Port St Charles in Barbados, attempting to raise £50,000 for the Alzheimer’s Society. If successful, they will become the oldest pair to pedal the ocean.

Justin is looking for corporate and individual sponsorship for the voyage. If you'd like to support him, please visit www.atlantic2012.co.uk where you'll find details of how to donate or download a sponsorship pack. Alternatively, you can call him on 01455 840 102.

This is what he's pedalling (and it's the boat in front not the cruiser):

 Best of luck and I hope he doesn't meet any icebergs.

Royal Pageant Rehearsal

A very brief entry here to direct you to Herbie's Blog with amazing pictures of the rehearsal for narrow boats in advance of the Royal Pageant on the Thames next week. Well done Herbie!
And if you have access to The Times Online (which, it has been announced, will be free and open to all over the celebratory weekend) do watch the interactive show here indicating where the best viewpoints are. Or if not, go to the Pageant's own website.
There's a BBC item about The Royal Barge Gloriana and an artist's impression of Gloriana in full flow from Metro - with many more pics of boats related to the pageant.
[More pics on my blog of the actual Pageant here]

Stretham Ferry Bridge

Mentioning the old bridge at Stretham Ferry set me wondering how old it was and when the place stopped being a ferry (bridges usually being the death of ferries). 
This view of the bridge from the east shows a pretty elegant but strong arch framing the marina beyond.

This part of the A10, the Roman Akemen Street, connects Cambridge and Ely. The old road became less popular by the 11th century when the main route was along the Aldreth Causeway. However it was still possible to cross the Old West River by a ferry until 1763 when a Turnpike Road was opened with a toll bridge.

The original bridge was so narrow and steep that farmers needed extra horses to haul their carts and motor cars found it difficult too, so it was replaced in 1925 by the present bridge, which was tested by placing four traction engines on it. Until 1976 it carried all the traffic along the A10, when the road was straightened, bypassing the old bridge and the pub. In many ways this has been a benefit for both pub and the marina, which are more peaceful with the traffic a little further away and have the advantage of a quiet stretch of road for access.

The Pub, described in 1797 as being "old and well established," was known in 1797 as the 'Charles in the Oak'  but was destroyed by fire in 1844.  The old pub closed in 1986 after which it was redeveloped and reopened as the Lazy Otter in April 1987.

Stretham Boat Yard

We currently moor Patience at The Lazy Otter, which is a mile or so south of Stretham on the A10, right by the old bridge.
It's a secure mooring with water though no electricity, loos or pump out. Which suits us just fine. What it does have is a pub with a good range of real ale and other beers, ample space outside and a popular restaurant. Modern "lodges" are being built nearby - a couple of which will have a good view of the river.
However what's been a little frustrating is that there is a boat yard on the other side of the bridge but it seemed to be difficult to book in or find out what was going on. Cyril, the owner was not always accessible, and though we did manage to use his dry dock for our survey when we bought Patience (see Engineer's Perspective and The Day of the Survey ) trying to get her bottom blacked the following year proved impossible and we ended up in Westview Marina at Earith (more here).

Dry Dock, Stretham Boat Yard 2009

We did wonder what would happen to the boatyard as it seemed Cyril was letting it drift (ho ho). And now we hear that it is in new hands, sold within the last month or so and already offering services such as blacking.

Cyril, above, guiding John, below 2009

When I first wrote this entry I said I saw the phone number 0790 0114135 for Stretham Ferry Marina but "so far there seems to be no information online".  Four days later a lovely phone call from the new owners reveals that their brand new site is at http://www.strethamferrymarina.co.uk
We think this is a great facility and we wish them well. Hence the free advertising!