A weekend of steam boating at Trent Lock.

This weekend was spend with Geoff Newton and his boat at the SBA annual Trent Lock Rally held at the Trent Valley Sailing Club and organised by John Tilly.
Geoff unfortunately hurt his back in may of last year, and after an operation at Easter was ready to launch his boat for the first time in over 12months. He only lives a short way up the road, between me and the rally, so it made perfect sense as a first outing and for me to add a helping hand!

The event runs from Friday evening but we launched on Saturday afternoon and just moved down to the sailing club for the main evening meal and to steam up the Erewash with the others on the Sunday.

Suilven on the Trailer with the canopy up and ready to be launched, seen here dwarfing Geoff's rangerover!

Six launches in the mouth of the Erewash Canal.
Sandiacre lock house, home of the Erewash Canal Preservation & Development Association (ECP&DA) .
Other waterways users, a very nice national 12 sailing on the Trent.
Alpacas arrive. Geoff's new lawn mower now needs feeding food not Petrol. Probably cheaper these days!

I'm spending this Friday evening in Loughborough with friends form University who I've not seen much of while Ive been on placment, many of them who where freshers with me are now graduating have done there three years (I'm doing 5 in total) and its the last Friday of term. So it should be a good night!
Then in the morning me and Joe Fuller are going to the Newark Kit Car Show on Saturday which should also be a good day out, hopefully it wont rain too much either, fingers crossed for a dryish weekend and a good turn out at the show.


EmilyAnne is moving on Sunday, probably without me for the first time for many years, this first time my Mum will have moved the boat without either me or Tom there. Not far, but a short run up to Winsford is planned, which should be a nice way to ease into the roll. Including passing the IWA Chester meet at Anderton mid day.

First steaming of the year.

This weekend just gone Emilyanne moved again and we had a delightfull weekend on the Weaver.

Bar a few very minor teething problems with some of the parts we had removed and refitted over winter, and a stuck inlet valve on a pump, she ran faultlessly all weekend, made steam well, and swam beautifully on the more open water. Although i feel a new set of firebars will be in order shortly as the grate is looking a little on the sad side.

Tom, my grandad and the baots owner, join us and enjoyed the trip too and we even had a supprise meeting with my uncal Thomas whos not seen the boat for a while on the sunday afternoon which was very nice, not least becuase of his comlimentry comments on the current state of the boat.



Heres a select few photos from the trip:

Leaving the marina at Uplands. Clearly a longer bow line is needed if it is to be used for turning around.
A classic 'Anderton Boat Lift' shot but i couldnt resist. I have others of the lift however.

One of the locks on the way down. Sarah mugging up on her driving theory and Michael holding the boat.
We also met Phoenix58 the infamous boat that is. I quite like her, she grows on me every time we meet.
Marsh lock. This is the lock out onto Manchester ShipCanal at the end of the Weaver and bar 500yrds to a very low swing bridge leading to Weston Point Docks is the limit of Navigation without a booking on the the MSC. Maybe next year.
All good things have to come to and end. This is where we left her at the end of the weekend, moored on ActonBridge moorings untill we return shortly.

Final image is of the viaduct just below Dutton lock (looking upstream) its two photos no so expertly spliced together. But a nice shot non the less i think.

So yeah, thats all really! Roll on more boating and weather like that one i say. Hopfully the boat will now move every other weekend, if not most, untill we attend the IWA national and Shackerstone Festival.