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In 1977 we hired our first narrowboat from Anglo Welsh at Market Harborough.From that moment our destiny was set. In 2006 we finally purchased our own brand new 57' narrowboat which we named 'Free Spirit'. Our aim is to travel the length and breadth of all the navigable rivers and canals of the UK. This will be our story as it unfolds.

Monday 13 August 2012

Cygnets at play and a meeting with John Bayliss BEM

A mooring tip. Don't moor by the Malt Shovel in Shardlow on a Sunday night because very, very early on Monday morning the beer delivery arrives. Crashing, banging and rolling of the barrels not only woke us up but sent a quivering Jade scurrying to the bedroom. Having had our sleep cut short,  there was no point in staying in bed so we decided to have a fried breakfast and then head off toward Sawley. Passing John Cooks where we had the party, we found boats trying to move out. The flood gate is just yards from the arm and trying to get 70ft working boat out was not easy.


Trying to get through the flood gate.
 Also waiting to depart  on their boat Nb Thornbury was Chris & John Bayliss. You may have read in towpath talk about his British Empire medal.  He does no end of work for ECP&DA turning up for the work parties nearly every week.


 John Baylis BEM: John Baylis has led campaigning work for IWA for over 30 years, and has been instrumental in all the major waterway development and restoration projects in the East Midlands since the early 1970s.  He was the driving force behind the restoration of Frankton Locks on the Montgomery Canal -  negotiating, leading work parties, devising engineering solutions, inspiring volunteer support and making sure the funds were there; and he was part of the team that restored the upper end of the Erewash Canal and has continued with the maintenance of the Great Northern Basin at Langley Mill ever since.  He led IWA's Navigation Committee for over 10 years, was a deputy chairman of IWA, chairman of  IWA's East Midlands Region and a director of Waterway Recovery Group for 30 years (many of those years as its deputy chairman).  He was awarded the Association's most prestigious award, The Cyril Styring Trophy, at the 2011 AGM.
Knowing they were due to to go up the Erewash, we waited for them at Derwent lock and sure enough 10 minutes later they arrived. We trundled down the river together but as we were going to stay at Sawley for another day, they carried on towards Sheetstores where the boat was going in for a repaint.
We moored almost at the same place as last Thursday and when these Sygnets turned up I just had to grab the opportunity to get some photos.





Mum joins in




4 comments:

Nicky said...

I love following your blog and have been doing so for many weeks but please use spell checker its cygnets xxxxxxx sorry xxxxxxx keep up the blogging though x

Ian and Irene Jameison said...

Oops. Doesn't pay to rush a post!! Thanks for putting me right, Nicky. I do use spell checker but it never seems to check the heading.

Nicky said...

awwwwww bless ya keep up the good work my friend has a narrowboat and we dont get to use it to often with work etc but reading blogs like yours are as good as being out on the cut xx

jampot55 said...

ha ha !!!! Now you know how we felt every time you hopped by us very very early in the morning !!

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