Fame at last!! Last night we moored on the approach to the aqueduct over the River Trent near Rugeley. A boat went by, n.b. 4Evermore, and said, are you the Guelrose with the blog! Everyone has their 15 minutes of fame, maybe that was ours.
We left Rugeley and got to Fradley where it took us two hours to work through the three locks!! Then it started raining!! Another three hours later and we were back at our mooring at Hopwas.
Tomorrow it is off to Portsmouth for a funeral, then a few days on the boat before we spend a couple of days in Dublin.
The week after we are taking part in a cruise for disabled military personnel from the military hospital at Selly Oak organised by Corinne from Fazeley Mill Marina.
Sunday, August 31, 2008
Saturday, August 30, 2008
Saturday 30th August 2008
GUELROSE is currently moored on the approach to the aqueduct near Rugeley. Signal strength for my datacard is very low so everything is taking a long time to download so no photographs tonight. Once I get back to base, and after a visit to Portsmouth for an unscheduled funeral, I will get down to entering a backdated log of the IWA festival with accompanying photographs.
We left Autherley on Thursday morning after spending the two days after the festival ended removing pontoons from the water on Tuesday, they had to be stacked three high and they were rather heavy! Wednesday was spent removing most of the fencing we had taken several days to erect a few days ago!
Thursday night was spent near to the M6 motorway between Boggs Lock and Rodbaston Lock. The evening was spent with new friends we had made at the festival. Friday night was spent at Tixall Wide, there were lots of boats there but for some reason 90 feet of space was left next to some other new friends we had made. It was a beautiful balmy summer evening, with barely a ripple on the water. A hot air balloon took off from Shugborough Hall adding to the entertainment. We spent the evening on the towpath, illuminated by scores of candles, had a couple of drinks and reminisced about the festival.
That's it for now, will not be able to publish another blog until Wednesday at the earliest.
We left Autherley on Thursday morning after spending the two days after the festival ended removing pontoons from the water on Tuesday, they had to be stacked three high and they were rather heavy! Wednesday was spent removing most of the fencing we had taken several days to erect a few days ago!
Thursday night was spent near to the M6 motorway between Boggs Lock and Rodbaston Lock. The evening was spent with new friends we had made at the festival. Friday night was spent at Tixall Wide, there were lots of boats there but for some reason 90 feet of space was left next to some other new friends we had made. It was a beautiful balmy summer evening, with barely a ripple on the water. A hot air balloon took off from Shugborough Hall adding to the entertainment. We spent the evening on the towpath, illuminated by scores of candles, had a couple of drinks and reminisced about the festival.
That's it for now, will not be able to publish another blog until Wednesday at the earliest.
Wednesday, August 27, 2008
IWA National Festival 2008
I know I have been a bit lacksadaisical about my post over the last few days bit I have been very busy helping to build the site, then I had to be q harbourmaster for five days, BUT, I have taken loads of photographs, and, if you will forgive me, I will do a backdated version of what has gone on over the last few days.
Monday, August 18, 2008
Despite the weather (the site is rather waterlogged) there is a social side to our gathering.
Tomorrow night is a cheese and wine party, I like cheese, I like wine, should be a good night.
On Wednesday Annie is organising a chinese takeaway for up to 100 people! The local takeaway should be boosting it's profits that night.
Which brings me onto the boost to the local economy, at it's height during the festival, there will be over 320 boats and an equivalent number of campers in the locality, they all have the eat and drink and the boost to the local economy must be good......
Speak to you soon
Tomorrow night is a cheese and wine party, I like cheese, I like wine, should be a good night.
On Wednesday Annie is organising a chinese takeaway for up to 100 people! The local takeaway should be boosting it's profits that night.
Which brings me onto the boost to the local economy, at it's height during the festival, there will be over 320 boats and an equivalent number of campers in the locality, they all have the eat and drink and the boost to the local economy must be good......
Speak to you soon
More marquees are appearing......
And more boats are arriving....Problems are also arising, this afternoon I moved over to my official festival mooring but due to an underwater obstruction if I would have been where I was supposed to be my stern would have been sticking out six feet into the canal .... which would have meant that with triple breasted boats opposite there would not have been much of a channel for through boats to pass. No problem you think, just move up a bit, then everyone else has to move up and there is only a finite space available....
A few more marquees are starting to appear....
And a few more boats....We have now moved over to our official festival mooring, well almost! Unfortunately there is an obstruction in the canal which would have meant that our stern was sticking out 6 feet further into the canal than it should have. No problem you would have thought but there is, that would mean the navigation channel would be severely reduced as there are the equivalent of triple breasted boats opposite. So yes, we could move forward but then so would everyone else have to... and is there the space available to do this? Thank god I do not have to reorganise this.
On the brighter side is the social side, tomorrow there is a cheese and wine party, I like cheese, I like wine, so I should be happy.
Monday 18th August at The National
Things are moving a bit slowly at the moment. The inclement weather is not conducive to vehicles moving over the site to do what they have to do. However, I have been able to get on site and take a few more photos. I am going to try and download them onto the blog and get them into the right order with the right comments!
See you in a minute!!
See you in a minute!!
Sunday, August 17, 2008
Sunday 17th at The National
Hello, it's me again. I have to be careful as there are two of us doing blogs on the same subject. Luckily, however, although we work together some of the time, our end jobs are quite different. I will leave Bruce Napier on Sanity to do his side of the job and I will concentrate on mine. My main job is concerned with Waterspace, i.e. the mooring of visiting boats to the National Festival.
Overnight we apparently had quite heavy rain that has left the festival site quite waterlogged. I must admit that after all that fresh air, a days hard work and a little glass of red wine, I did not hear much overnight!!
So much so that the site today is waterlogged. Many of the marquues have been erected including the beer tent - I really must take some more pictures and put them on the blog. The rain has meant that most people cannot get onto the site to do their job. However, my task today was to help mark out the moorings for the visiting boats and as all that entailed was a pair of walking boots, a surveyors wheel, and a can of spray paint we were not hindered by the weather.
Tomorrow I do not know what I will be doing but on Tuesday I will have to go and check all the mooring sites on our section (the Shroppie), ensuring that they are all marked up appropriately so that when visiting boats arrive they will know where to go.
On Wednesday I will put on my other hat and become a Harbourmaster for A section. This entails greeting all the boats in my section, ensuring they moor in the right place and dealing with any pronblems/complaints they may have - if I canoot solve their problems then I always have my Waterspace Manager to fall back on!
I will try and take some more photos tomorrow - the site is progressing well - to quote Canal Boat Magazine www.canalboat.co.uk the boats are being craned in, exhibitor stalls are being lugged across the site etc. Maybe I am at a different site in a different world but what they say is not happening yet!!
Speak to you soon
Overnight we apparently had quite heavy rain that has left the festival site quite waterlogged. I must admit that after all that fresh air, a days hard work and a little glass of red wine, I did not hear much overnight!!
So much so that the site today is waterlogged. Many of the marquues have been erected including the beer tent - I really must take some more pictures and put them on the blog. The rain has meant that most people cannot get onto the site to do their job. However, my task today was to help mark out the moorings for the visiting boats and as all that entailed was a pair of walking boots, a surveyors wheel, and a can of spray paint we were not hindered by the weather.
Tomorrow I do not know what I will be doing but on Tuesday I will have to go and check all the mooring sites on our section (the Shroppie), ensuring that they are all marked up appropriately so that when visiting boats arrive they will know where to go.
On Wednesday I will put on my other hat and become a Harbourmaster for A section. This entails greeting all the boats in my section, ensuring they moor in the right place and dealing with any pronblems/complaints they may have - if I canoot solve their problems then I always have my Waterspace Manager to fall back on!
I will try and take some more photos tomorrow - the site is progressing well - to quote Canal Boat Magazine www.canalboat.co.uk the boats are being craned in, exhibitor stalls are being lugged across the site etc. Maybe I am at a different site in a different world but what they say is not happening yet!!
Speak to you soon
Thursday, August 14, 2008
IWA National Festival 2008 Day ?? whatever
I've lost count of the days I have been here, I have been so busy!
What amazes me about this event is the age of the volunteers who help to put the site together. I have been working with Roger, Bruce, Margaret, Bill, Tony, John, Martyn (hopefully I have not missed anyone out!!) and the age range is from the fifties to the seventies. What amazes me even more is that one of our crew works from a mobility scooter.
We are now known as the heavy mob!! If it needs shifting or lifting, be it sandbags, washing machines, ovens, fridges or freezers, just call on us and we will be there!!
I have a couple of days off from the heavy mob as I will now start to do the job I really was recruited for - i.e. working for Waterspace. Tomorrow and Saturday I will be helping to mark out all the mooring spaces on the Shroppie. I had started this earlier in the week and then BW came along and mowed the towpath and guess what happened to all my markings!!!
No more photos as yet, I must do some more soon, most of the marquees are now erected including the beer tent so the site is starting to take shape
What amazes me about this event is the age of the volunteers who help to put the site together. I have been working with Roger, Bruce, Margaret, Bill, Tony, John, Martyn (hopefully I have not missed anyone out!!) and the age range is from the fifties to the seventies. What amazes me even more is that one of our crew works from a mobility scooter.
We are now known as the heavy mob!! If it needs shifting or lifting, be it sandbags, washing machines, ovens, fridges or freezers, just call on us and we will be there!!
I have a couple of days off from the heavy mob as I will now start to do the job I really was recruited for - i.e. working for Waterspace. Tomorrow and Saturday I will be helping to mark out all the mooring spaces on the Shroppie. I had started this earlier in the week and then BW came along and mowed the towpath and guess what happened to all my markings!!!
No more photos as yet, I must do some more soon, most of the marquees are now erected including the beer tent so the site is starting to take shape
Tuesday, August 12, 2008
IWA National Festival 2008
I have been hard at work again all day on the site. We have been erecting the security fences and because we are in a residential area we have had to put in a double security fence. That is all done now, I have no idea what is in store for us tomorrow.
The first of the marquees arrived today and it is marvellous to watch how they are erected. To me it seems like a giant jigsaw puzzle but all the pieces come together in the end.
I have taken a few pictures of the site as it is and hopefully will produce some more in due course.
This is the view of the main site.
The second picture shows where the funfair will be and most imortantly, where the beer tent is. The will have over 40 real ales on sale over the weekend. I wonder how many I will be able to sample!
I don't know why the photos are not appearing where they should, if you know how to do this pleae help me!!
Something is going very wrong here now as the picture do not seem to be appearing in the right order.
This shows my boat on what is to be the exhibitors site. i.e. all the new floating exhibits.
My last photo shows what is to be a marquee. Why oh why are my photos not in the right place!! Hopefully now sorted thanks to your advice)
Monday, August 11, 2008
Day 1 (for me) at the National Festival Site
At last we have had a day without rain!! Today was my first working day as a volunteer at the National Festival Site at Pendeford Park, Wolverhampton. No photos as yet - been too busy - hope to take some tommorrow although as yet there is little to show apart from the compound where all the materials necessary to build the site are stored. However, we did get the outer security fence installed today, tommorrow should see the inner security fence also installed. I wonder whether the fence is designed to keep us in or to keep others out!!
I have not previously been involved in setting up a site, my only previous claim to fame is being a harbourmaster at the 2006 National at Beale Park, Pangbourne. I didn't realize how involved it was. Today was also spent checking out one of the many mooring areas for visiting boats, seeing if we could fit in all the boats in that particular section and making out the limits of each boats mooring.
Tomorrow I think will involve more security fencing and maybe checking out and marking up another mooring area.
I am really enjoying working on the site and have met a lot of interesting people who have far more exeperience at this sort of thing than me.
Maybe I will be able to profile a few of them along the way!!
I have not previously been involved in setting up a site, my only previous claim to fame is being a harbourmaster at the 2006 National at Beale Park, Pangbourne. I didn't realize how involved it was. Today was also spent checking out one of the many mooring areas for visiting boats, seeing if we could fit in all the boats in that particular section and making out the limits of each boats mooring.
Tomorrow I think will involve more security fencing and maybe checking out and marking up another mooring area.
I am really enjoying working on the site and have met a lot of interesting people who have far more exeperience at this sort of thing than me.
Maybe I will be able to profile a few of them along the way!!
Saturday, August 9, 2008
IWA National Festival 2008
Well, we made it to the site, eventually! We left Hopwas about 1000 hrs on Friday and had an uneventful cruise to Fradley passing just 21 boats in the 3 hours it took us to get there. Then our problems started, because of the number of boats it took us over 2 hours to cruise through the 3 locks. After that it was a bit easier. We reached Colwich Lock about 7 p. m. and there was no queue whatsover. It was nice to see a couple of hot air ballons floating in the evening air in the Colwich area. It was then onto Shugborough Hall to moor up for the night.
Next morning we decided on an early start, up and away by 0630 a.m. BUT, we were not the first boat to move, another one passed us just as we were about to set off and as we reached the junction at Great Haywood another turned onto the Staffs and Worcs in front of. That was to be the pattern for most of the day, one or two boats in front of us at every lock. Add the weather, sunshine very early, a lot of rain later, a dry spell and then more rain - what a day. BUT, that was the least of the problems. Between Shutt Hill Lock and Otherton Lock there were literally hundreds of fishermen practising for a forthcoming fishing competition.
BE WARNED, on Saturday 16th August between 1100 hrs and 1600 hrs there is a National Angling Competition being held on this stretch of the Staffs and Worcs Canal. I can also vouch for the fact that not all of them will welcome boaters!!
We finally arrived at the Festival Site just before 6 p.m. after eleven and a half hours cruising. Over the last 2 days we have cruised more than we would normally cruise in a week. Those were the days!!
Watch this space for updates on the growth of the Festival Site.
Next morning we decided on an early start, up and away by 0630 a.m. BUT, we were not the first boat to move, another one passed us just as we were about to set off and as we reached the junction at Great Haywood another turned onto the Staffs and Worcs in front of. That was to be the pattern for most of the day, one or two boats in front of us at every lock. Add the weather, sunshine very early, a lot of rain later, a dry spell and then more rain - what a day. BUT, that was the least of the problems. Between Shutt Hill Lock and Otherton Lock there were literally hundreds of fishermen practising for a forthcoming fishing competition.
BE WARNED, on Saturday 16th August between 1100 hrs and 1600 hrs there is a National Angling Competition being held on this stretch of the Staffs and Worcs Canal. I can also vouch for the fact that not all of them will welcome boaters!!
We finally arrived at the Festival Site just before 6 p.m. after eleven and a half hours cruising. Over the last 2 days we have cruised more than we would normally cruise in a week. Those were the days!!
Watch this space for updates on the growth of the Festival Site.
Sunday, August 3, 2008
Guelrose on the move?
Next Friday n.b. GUELROSE will cast off from its mooring at Hopwas and over two days will cruise more miles and locks that she would normally cruise in a fortnight! We are off to the IWA National Festival at Pendeford Park on the outskirts of Wolverhampton. A chance remark made by me back in October last year and I am now enrolled into helping getting the site ready for the thousands of visitors expected.
What I hope to do, and you must understand that I am an amateur when it comes to blogs, is to try and record on my digital camera how the site transforms from an open park into a festival site. I will then try and download those photos onto my blog for all to see!!
Wish me luck - more to come later
What I hope to do, and you must understand that I am an amateur when it comes to blogs, is to try and record on my digital camera how the site transforms from an open park into a festival site. I will then try and download those photos onto my blog for all to see!!
Wish me luck - more to come later
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