About the event

Every year, the Inland Waterways Association runs a major event during the summer. In 2011, it's at Shobnall Fields, Burton on Trent, on the Trent and Mersey Canal. For the first time for a long while, it will be from the Friday to the Sunday of the last weekend in July, rather than the Late Summer Bank Holiday.

Like a lot of other volunteers, we'll be there for three weeks, starting on Saturday 16th July. Our main contribution will be editing and producing the daily newsletter which is circulated to the boaters, campers and exhibitors at the Festival, starting on the Thursday before.

Disclaimer

Note: this is an entirely personal account of our time helping to set up and run the Festival. It's not an official IWA site; please use the link above for that.

Wednesday, 11 August 2010

The Blue Shirts are massing

It’s been one of those days when things largely went to plan. We set off just on half nine from Goring, and had a steady run down river in pleasant sunshine, amongst a lot of traffic.

Things got interesting above Whitchurch Lock, where we had to hover in mid channel for quite a while, there being a queue on the not very long lay by. It took two lockings before we got onto the mooring, then on the third the lockie squeezed us in behind a large smokey cruiser.

Once down, we found lots of boats tied on Pangbourne Meadow, but recognised Slow Gin amongst them. A brief shouted discussion elicited the information that not only were they happy for us to tie outside them, but that they were going after lunch, so we could take over the space.

Di and Reece on Wandering Whimbrel were just in front of them (truly, the clans are gathering), so we’ve spent much of the afternoon nattering and showing off Sanity Again. There has been time, however, to polish the port side portholes and Incralac them, thereby completing the major lacquering jobs. There’s stuff like the tiller bar and fiddly things like door knobs to do, but they will keep for a bit.

Tomorrow, we’ll go on down to Sonning, then on Friday come back up, shopping at Tesco and pumping out at Mapledurham on the way, finally tying at Beale Park.

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