Ditchcrawler - May 2015

The Magazine of the North Cheshire Cruising Club

CELEBRATIONS FOR

MAY

BIRTHDAYS

6th

John Palmer- Lock Stock and Barrell

14th

Estelle Bruce – Moonlight Shadow

15th

Betty Stonard

16th

Jean Longton

18th

Richard Yorke – Louis D’Or

27th

Steve Sinclair – Stedi Alkee

31st Liz Maloney

ANNIVERSARIES

10th

Wendy & Kevin Gregory – Odyssey

16th

Sue & Richard Yorke – Louis D’Or

27th

Sally & Gareth Winstanley

CELEBRATIONS FOR

JUNE

BIRTHDAYS

1st Diane Sinclair – STEDI ALKEE

3rd

Viv Thorpe

8th

Martin Tattersall – QUANTUM

15th David Taylor – CAMPSIE LASS

18th Alan Fosbrook – CYGNET

20th

Lawrence Maloney

20th Michelle Wright – FLEUR DENISE

22nd

Edna Roberts – CINDY

22nd

Tim Taylor – FOXY LADY

29th Clair Webster – ROWTON MOOR

ANNIVERSARIES

1

St Val & Colin Buckland

2nd

Barbara & Adrian Palmer

3rd

Diane & Steve Sinclair – STEDI ALKEE 13

th Sheila & Tim Dawson – JAMBALAYA

26th Barbara & John Palmer – LOCK STOCK & BARRELL

27th Maggie & Derek Jones – CAPTAIN FLINT

28th Glenys & David Critchlow – WILD ROSE

Commodore's Letter

We were spoiled with the lovely weather for the Opening and Easter Cruises So the atrocious weather on the May Day Cruise was a disappointment.

Eight boats bravely reached Fools nook.

If the Pub had been open it might have tempted more, but I don't blame anyone who came half way or stayed at home.

The good news is that the pub will be reopening soon.

The last minute V.E day Celebrations on May 9th turned out to be a great success.

After a cold cloudy day, when Eric lit the B.B.Q the sun came out and it was quite a pleasant evening.

We then went upstairs to a sing along and quite a few members dressed up, creating a lovely atmosphere.

Can you please let me know if you will join us on the trip to Chester, or if you will be available for the Wine Cruise.

All for now Edna

Land and Water

The 9th of May will be the last main work party until October but there will be small work parties to finish the Piling and Dredging.

The turn out over the year has been great all of you who came thank you have done a fantastic job.

So enjoy your boating and have a rest

Eric

From The chairman

Bonfires at Whiteley.

The board have asked me to remind members who intend to have a fire on the green at

Whiteley that these should only be lit in the area directly in front of the gate and well away

from the canal bank. This is to minimise any risk to moored boats or their occupants and not

to cause a smoke nuisance to boats or houses opposite the green.

Also, please do not cut any surrounding trees, branches or vegetation down to fuel your fire.

Garry Dockerty On behalf of the board.

Help Needed

As discussed in the open meeting recently the club is still struggling for

volunteers to help out with the running of the club. A big problem is with

private functions which are great earners for the club but a problem to manage

without help, mainly cleaning the room before and after events at weekends. If

any members can help on the odd weekend for a couple of hours when we have

functions it would be a big help. Please let me or Brian know if you can help, the

bar is also lacking in volunteers to, so feel free to speak to John on that one.

Thanks

Bill Jewsbury

Thank You

Many thanks to Dave Critchlow, Wild Rose for providing the door to the Elsan

point and to Martin Tattersall, Quantum for fitting it. A great improvement

Brian Bowker

Thank You

A thank you from Jen, Bernie and Daydream to Geoff and Shep for assisting

with our gas flow problem. Unfortunately it was a greater problem than first

thought and required a new regulator.

Bernie Budworth

Friday May 22nd to Sat 30th Spring Bank Cruise to

Chester

Saturday 6th June Wine Cruise

Friday July 24th Summer Cruise Strafford on Avon [

River Avon & River Severn ] Aprox 4 weeks

Friday August 28th to 31st Bank Holiday To be

arranged

CHANGE OF DETAILS

If any members have changed their address or phone number please could you

let me know.

Pam Russell

Gas, Diesel, Electricity

Just a reminder to members that gas, diesel and electric cards can be purchased

from the club via Brian Bowker. Although there are no set selling times just ask

Brian or ring him and he will arrange your goods. Payment is by cash, cheque or

bank transfer. Cash sales have a £50 limit.

Bill

Vacancy for Quartermaster

There is a vacancy in the club for a Quartermaster, this involves being responsible

for NCCC items such as burgees, pens, patches etc and running a small stall on

club nights (at least once a month) selling anything that members may find useful,

new or used. If interested speak to Bill Jewsbury or Pam Russell.

Bill

Dog Owners

To all dog owners in the arm. PLEASE can you make sure that you cleanse up after your dog. Despite notices around the yard some people are still failing to do this . If this continues the board will have no option but to insist that all dogs be kept on a lead at all times. Thank you for your co operation in this matter. Pam.

Pubs

Hi

Just to let you all know the Kings at Gurnet and the Lamb at Sutton should be

open again by the time you receive this edition of the ditchcrawler.

Carole n Allan

Licences

Can all members please ensure ( I know most of you do ) that licences are

displayed on vessels in such a way as they can be seen. Many thanks.

Jen

Work In Progress

Photographs from Chris Lamb

Attention All Moorers in the Club Arm

Please not that it is one of the conditions of mooring in the arm (which

everybody signs) that you must purchase your ‘Canal & River Trust’ licence

through the club. Failure to do this is in breach of your mooring conditions and

will put your mooring in jeopardy. The club as you are aware are given a 5%

commission on these licences and therefore are losing revenue. The board has

decided that as it is a condition of mooring in the arm, that, the amount of lost

revenue will be recouped from the offending moorers and a bill will be issued for

the relevant amount i.e. 5% of your licence fee.

NB This only applies to moorers in the arm who have not bought their licence

through the club.

Pam Russell

Can I remind everyone to get their licence application to me to give me time to check and contact you if there are any errors to rectify. I have had a couple of applications reach me on the last day of the month which does not give any time for corrections.

Let hope we have a lovely summer for crusing. New fees listed below. Jen Budworth

Archive Corner May 2015

Cometh the hour cometh the man!

In this case not just the man, but a whole family comprising Jim Hewitt, his wife and their son James who

were members of the NCCC during the early years of the club. If the truth be known the canal boating

fraternity as a whole are unlikely to be aware of just how much they are indebted to this family given their

indomitable resolve. Read on and draw your own conclusions.

In the immediate post war years following the formation of the IWA, Tom Rolt, Robert Aikman and friends

undertook their epic voyage which took in the Huddersfield Narrow Canal, on board the cruiser ‘Ailsa

Craig’ hired from Stone. Though deliberately including a little used waterway they were effectively

exercising their rights to navigate it, receiving considerable help from the BW front line staff who were in

an unenviable position, mindful of the fact that their bosses were unhappy about what they saw as an

audacious attempt to navigate a stretch of canal barely usable.

During the 1950’s the Marple Lock flight was seldom used by pleasure boaters or commercial traffic

despite the route into Manchester, thence onto the Bridgewater Canal and all points North being much

shorter than the alternative route via the Trent and Mersey Canal. NCCC club runs usually included the

Lower Peak Forest Canal to varying extents, cruises as far as Aston being a rarity. Throughout the

decade the condition of both the Lower Peak Forest and the Ashton deteriorated to the extent that they

were barely passable. Operational factories engaged in a variety of manufacturing lined both canals from

Hyde all the way into central Manchester. The length of the Ashton Canal from Fairfield to Ducie Street

Basin was reputed to yield some the most lucrative water rights per mile in the country. In short, British

Waterways were making money from a canal which though ‘in water’ was not readily navigable. In 1955

the British Transport Commission who were charged with operating our canals through British Waterways

presented a bill to parliament to abandon 771 miles of canal instantly with a further 994 miles to be

‘retained for the present’. Following opposition from the IWA then led by Robert Aikman and a number of

eminent public figures the closure was reduced to 90miles of waterways, mainly the Kennet and Avon

Canal. Though Aikman and his colleagues had won the ‘battle’, the ‘war’ with the British Transport

Commission who appeared ‘hell bent’ on abandonment was far from over.

The Hewitt family had moved to the heavily industrialised Manchester suburb of Clayton in 1946 living

close to the Ashton Canal, hence their knowledge of this waterway was first hand. Around 1950 Jim Built

a small dingy for his son James who used the small craft in and around the canal arm close to their

home. This venture proved so appealing that the Hewitt family decided to build a motor cruiser to their

own design, this resulting in the ‘Nippy’ which having been launched in 1956 navigated many of the

canals and rivers in the North and Midlands. After joining the NCCC and finding insufficient room to moor

in High Lane arm, Jim obtained a mooring in Marple near to what is now the Forces Club. They were in

the unique position of occupying a mooring at Marple on the Upper Peak Forest Canal and having the

wherewithal to remove and if necessary affect repairs to their boat near their home at Clayton on the

Ashton Canal.

During the Summer of 1960, a barely a handful of ‘diehard boaters’ made the passage along the Ashton

each with difficulty. Towards the end of that year, James Hewitt who was friendly with the local British

Waterways staff found out that they were under instruction not to undertake any repair or maintenance

work whatsoever. This spelt deadlock between B.W. whose policy suggested that they intended to close

the canal and the enthusiasts who were just as determined to keep it open. For the pleasure boater in

this area it was becoming apparent that were the canals as we knew them to be retained a concerted

campaign was absolutely essential.

Early in 1961, British Transport Waterways began to over-stamp pleasure craft licenses with the words

‘Not valid for the Ashton Canal’. Thankfully when the Hewitt family received their license it had not

been stamped in this manner. Despite being confronted with these rather sinister circumstances, they

decided to take ‘Nippy’ back to Clayton for a refit whilst supporting the campaign to keep the Aston

Canal open and in doing so risking direct confrontation with B.T.W./B.W. potentially of ‘David versus

Goliath’ proportions.

The Hewitt family who were by now seasoned boaters and new full well what they were letting

themselves in for surveyed the route from Dukinfield to Clayton beforehand, this being the section they

anticipated as being the most difficult to navigate. They noted each of the defects apparent at the locks

which were in poor condition having badly fouled and/or leaking gates, one of which had a missing

balance beam. Despite the findings revealed by their survey, the Hewitt’s decided that it was still possible

to make the trip and advised B.W. in writing of their intention to do so.

They slipped their moorings in Marple early one Saturday morning in mid-February accompanied by their

dingy containing a variety of tools and materials necessary to undertake lock repairs. Whilst inspecting

their license, the Section Inspector at top lock doubted their ability to successfully undertake the trip,

citing a blockage at a bridge in Dukinfield. The license gave the Hewitt’s the right to navigate, thus they

were permitted to descend the Marple Lock flight, despite a number of notices at top lock aimed at

dissuading pleasure boaters. For example the minimum headroom was quoted as being five feet when in

fact it was six. The lock flight was negotiated in around two hours and ‘Nippy’ was headed along the

Lower Peak Forest, whereupon the Section Inspector’s warning proved to be accurate in that Bridge 3 in

Dukinfield was indeed blocked with bricks.

‘

Peak Forest Canal Bridge 3 Dukinfied, a two hour delay resulted from ‘fly tipped’ bricks. The

bridge was revisited by NCCC members who cleared it in readiness for the ‘Protest Cruise’

After two hours in the water with waders on, sufficient numbers of bricks were hauled out to reduce the

blockage sufficiently to enable ‘Nippy’ to proceed albeit with extreme caution. After turning left at

Portland Basin Ashton, an underwater obstruction caused the engine to stop dead. Thankfully the engine

restarted, although after engaging forward gear the boat began to vibrate severely, suggesting a bent

propeller shaft. Undeterred, the Hewitt’s proceeded towards Clayton as slowly as possible whilst day

turned into night. Shortly they reached their destination for that day which was below Lock 18, Fairfield

top lock.

Lock 18, Fairfield Top Lock below which ‘Nippy’ moored for the night. This view is from the start

of the Hollinwood Branch Canal. The Ashton Canal main line enters from the left . To ease

congestion, the lock chamber was duplicated. Only the left hand chamber remains in use as does

the CRT Facilities Station to the right of the redundant lock chamber. In 1961 a brick wall spanned

the entrance to the Hollinwood Branch which is currently undergoing restoration and may offer a

future link with the Rochdale Canal. This fine waterway passes close to Daisy Nook, the subject of

L.S.Lowry’s painting depicting the Good Friday Fair.

Early the next day which was the Sunday morning ‘Nippy’ and her crew were approached by a B.W.

banksmen who upon inspecting their dingy and its contents warned that they were unlikely to reach their

destination at Clayton, but still offered them a sill rake which was better than the one they already

possessed. Thereafter, mindful of further underwater obstructions they proceeded to bow haul ‘Nippy’,

successfully negotiating both Lock 17 and Copperas Lane swing bridge without incident before hitting a

large submerged drum lurking within a bridge hole. After a struggle ‘Nippy’ was released, proceeding

through Buxton Lane lifting bridge which had proved difficult to raise.

The top of the Clayton Flight, Lock 16 at Edge Lane was approached with extreme care so as to avoid

the part submerged car on the near side followed by the sunken boat on the off side.

This length of canal above Lock 16, Edge Lane, Droylsden contained a part submerged car and a

sunken narrow boat. The small Laurel and Hardy statuettes on the right bank appear to have been

placed by the occupants of one the new houses.

’

Had L& H been here in 1961 no doubt they would have been saying ‘Another fine mess!’. Note the

miniature figurines to their right. The sunken boat would have been near here.

Once in Lock 16 ‘Nippy’ and her crew were greeted by the aforesaid Banksman’s Supervisor who having

been forewarned of their approach boat scrutinised the license before advising that the next lock but one,

Lock 14 was missing part of its balance beam. The fun was about to begin! Next month’s

Ditchcrawler reveals how the Hewitt’s dealt with the most difficult stage of their trip.

John Suggitt, ‘Evenlode’

Rust Bucket !

We’d been looking for a boat since selling our 50ft Semi Trad in August of last

year.

After trawling the marinas as far as ABC boats in Northamptonshire we found one

just up the road in Macc marina.

She is a 7 year old Triton boat with a cruiser back , reverse layout, cross over

bathroom and a bow thruster. Everything we wanted but with a lot of work to

do.

Now she hadn’t been used for some time and had been out of the water a few

months there was nearly as much water in the engine room as there was in the

canal .She has grab rails , a pump out toilet, a side entrance and carpeted walls .

Isn’t it strange these are things we always said we wouldn’t have but she grabbed

our attention , she was neglected, unloved and was crying out for TLC .

Her registered name is Greystones , but at the moment she is affectionately

known as Rustbucket.

The first job was a hull survey which she passed - sigh of relief! !! .At this stage

we paid a deposit and went away for 3 weeks to visit my daughter in Qatar.

She required blacking and new anodes were fitted whilst we were away.

Unfortunately we weren’t present when she was put back in the canal we would

have loved to have been but you can’t be in two places at once.

So after 3 weeks in the sunshine we came back to a very wet and windy

Macclesfield and a sail was arranged so we could make our decision.

We took her up to Gurnett and were lucky we had a dry day ,she sailed well and it

felt good to be at the helm again , having sold our previous boat some 9 months

earlier.

So decision made we paid the balance!!

We took ownership of our “ new “ narrowboat on April 1st 2015 lets hope we

wont be April fools .

There are no manuals or instructions on the boat , so we are having to find out

things for ourselves, as you all know every boat is different so it’s a voyage of

discovery. Thank goodness for google it is a font of knowledge!!

We plan to update you every month with our progress if time allows.

Wish us luck!!

Carole and Allan

Notes taken during the CRT Manchester & Pennine (South) Customer Forum

Venue: Macclesfield Rugby Club

Date/time: Wednesday 22nd April 2105 at 17-00 hours

Upon arrival at around 4-30pm along with two other folk I signed in, noting around fifteen or so names

on the guest list. One of the six or so circular tables was already occupied by CRT staff who prior to the

arrival of the majority of the guests were advised by David Baldicchino to split up and occupy different

tables.

Each guest was given an information pack containing leaflets promoting CRT’s services, notices of

stoppages, locations of interest and pre-printed responses to the questions which had been submitted

prior to the Forum. Whilst on the face of it this looked a ‘slick’ way of conducting the Forum it proved to

be otherwise. I moved to the table filled with the CRT staff prior to their dispersal and immediately

started to ask the occupants the questions I was responsible for pre-submitting. Though attempts were

made to give answers, those seated at the table weren’t in every case responsible for the answers,

hence discussion was limited. Many answers were provided by CRT staff who weren’t in attendance at

the Forum which gave me the impression that the event was to some extent ‘stage managed’.

Whilst the guests present occupied tables of their own choosing David Baldicchino’s earlier intervention

ensured that each table contained CRT representation. I shared a table with Brian, the skipper of the

coal boat Alton and George, who himself operated Alton prior to Brian before acquiring his current

traditional narrow boat which he uses for pleasure. The members of CRT staff seated with us were Paul

Bowerman (Rochdale, Ashton and MB&B Canals) and Keith Bernes whom I understand is responsible for

negotiating on behalf of CRT with other waterway stakeholders. The other tables also had a high CRT

presence, in fact I suspect that overall the guests were outnumbered by those working either directly or

indirectly for CRT. The reason for this became apparent with the arrival of CRT’s C.E. Rick Parry who

introduced himself informally to the guests occupying each table which I felt was an excellent gesture. I

suspect that David Baldicchino had instigated a ‘three line whip’ to ensure all his staff were in

attendance for the visit of Rick.

There followed a presentation by David Baldicchino during which questions were invited which in some

instances were fielded by other specialist members of CRT staff. For example there are difficulties with

the valve serving the Bosley Reservoir which are preventing CRT fulfilling their legal obligations

regarding the rate of ‘draw down’. CRT’s Civil Engineer Mary Body explained the difficulties in some

detail along with what is proposed to resolve this problem. During the presentation David Baldicchino

was emphatic that all boaters should report instances of running aground on the Macclesfield Canal to

him directly. This would identify ‘pinch points’ thus enabling a programme of ‘spot dredging’ to

eliminate these. Within the Manchester and Pennine region during the period between April 2014 and

March 2015 in total 514 volunteer days were recorded which translates to £250,000, representing a

truly commendable effort. During the presentation Rick Parry departed for another engagement

elsewhere.

After a break for refreshments the ‘Syndicate Table Discussion’ theme was concerned with how best

CRT may deal with anti-social behaviour. Following discussions, representatives of each table delivered

their findings. At around 7-30pm the Forum reached its conclusion, hastened no doubt by the arrival of

other parties who had booked this facility.

In total eleven questions were pre-submitted comprising five by my AWCC colleague Brian Pollard, two

by the Macclesfield Canal Society and four by myself. The questions and the CRT responses in each case

appear overleaf.

John Suggitt AWCC representative, n/b ‘Evenlode’

Manchester & Pennine (South) Customer Forum – Macclesfield - 22nd April 2015 – Pre-Submitted

Questions

QUESTION / ISSUES ANSWER

1. Macclesfield Canal - Is the winding hole at the Adelphi Mill Bollington, North of Bridge28 still recognised as being for use by full length narrow boats despite the White Nancy restaurant boat and long term ‘end on’ moorings encroaching on this facility?

2. Macclesfield Canal - Are the new mooring pontoons at Macclesfield to be located sufficiently far North of Bridge37 to maintain the current line of site through the bridge arch which is positioned on the apex of a bend?

3. Upper Peak Forest Canal - Is Wood End Lift Bridge

(Bridge24) to be re-built and if so what is the extent of any stoppages in connection with this work?

4. Upper Peak Forest Canal - Is the length of towpath

between the junction with the Macclesfield Canal (above top Lock) and Brick Bridge (Bridge 19) scheduled to be piled during the current round of bank upgrading?

It is our view that this site is not a formal winding hole. Historic paperwork and diagrams for the area dating back to the 1800’s indicate that this has always been a wharf. We accept that some have customarily turned here and there is no prohibition of that now if space permits. The bend in the canal towards the bridge is wide so there shouldn’t be a problem. There are plans to rebuild and replace the bridge May/June time. Approx. 3 weeks on site during May to replace the bridge foundations and approx., 2 weeks on site in June to install the new bridge. The towpath would need to be temporarily diverted and we are liaising with the local Council regarding this. We are working with our contractors to try to achieve a ‘navigation restriction’ only basis during the works but are awaiting their advice on what they need in order to efficiently complete the work. A restriction basis would also be dependent on how the work progresses and any issues developing during the works. The works currently being undertaken are between Brick changeover bridge and Strines Aqueduct, they are all works on embankment sections. The section of towpath you are raising concern with is in a poor condition, but is not an embankment and so wouldn’t be as great a risk as the embankment sections. It is not planned to do this work at this time although we are pushing to see it included in the future programme. The problem is that the project will be enormously costly and can’t be done by piling due to the high level of rock on the ground.

70th Anniversary of V.E. Day.

12 May 2015

Licence evasion remains low Our annual national boat count has confirmed that licence evasion rates are below 5% for the sixth year in a row – with 95.4% of boats on the 2,000 miles of waterways it cares for found to be holding up-to-date licences.

The national boat count also paints a picture of the changing numbers of boats across the country. London, for example, has seen an increase of 291 boats sighted year-on-year, equivalent to more than five boats arriving every week. Nationally the number of boats sighted during the count was up around 3% on 2014.

Ian Rogers, head of customer services at Canal & River Trust, said: “Boaters make a hugely valuable contribution to the life of the waterways, not least by helping to fund their vital upkeep. It’s great to see so many people keeping their licences up to date as the more who do, the less time and money we have to spend on evasion and the more we can focus on the maintenance and repairs, dredging, vegetation and other customer service improvements – plus all the other day-to-day work we do to keep our historic canals and rivers navigable. Quite aside from that, if a boat isn’t licensed we can’t know it’s safe, which poses a risk for the boat owner and other boaters alike.

“While evasion remains low, it was disappointing to see some boats without a licence and a slight increase in evasion compared with last year. When we’ve kept licence increases at no more than inflation, it is disappointing to see a small minority taking the benefits of boating on the waterways without putting anything back to fund their upkeep. Regretfully, in 2014/15, we had to remove 83 boats from our canals and rivers as they were unlicensed or in breach of our terms and conditions.”

The annual survey was completed in March, with our staff identifying boats on waterways across England & Wales. It provides a comprehensive snap-shot of licence evasion, with the information used to support the day-to-day enforcement work.

Vegetable Shashlik

Ingredients

Potatoes boiled and mashed 2 Cabbage chopped 1/2 cup Capsicum 1 chopped Carrot. 2 grated Chicken boiled and shredded 1 cup Salt to taste Chili garlic ketchup 2 tbsp Red chili powder 1 tbsp Egg one Oil for frying

MMethod

Combine veggie and seasoning along with chicken stick onto bamboo skewers with help of flour dip in egg and deep fry until golden brown

NCCC Board of Directors 2014 / 2015

The Board

Chairman Garry Dockerty 01663 767810 [email protected]

Company Secretary Pam Suggitt 0161 427 9906 [email protected]

Finance Director Bill Jewsbury 07812 368887 [email protected]

Bar Director John Fenton 0161 998 0391 [email protected]

Land & Water Space Director

Eric Roberts 01457 855929 [email protected]

Membership Services Director

Pam Russell 0161 998 0391 [email protected]

Premises Director Brian Bowker 01663 763595 [email protected]

Director without Portfolio Geoff Lamb 0161 483 7943 [email protected]

Commodore

Edna Roberts 01457 855929 [email protected]

Company Officials

Archivist John Suggitt 0161 427 9906 [email protected]

Assn of Waterways Cruising Clubs Rep

John Suggitt 0161 427 9906 [email protected]

Ditchcrawler Editor Bernie Budworth 01925 764377 [email protected]

Food Safety Officer Janet Tattersall 01457 861085 [email protected]

Fundraising Co-ordinator Sheila Barlow 01663 765731 [email protected]

Health & Safety Officer George Griffin 0161 355 6830 [email protected]

Kitchen Supervisor Pam Russell 0161 998 0391 [email protected]

Licensing Agent Jen Budworth 01925 764377 [email protected]

Membership Secretary Pam Suggitt 0161 427 9906 [email protected]

Moorings Officer Bob Barlow 01663 765731 [email protected]

Quartermaster Vacant

Web Master Garry Dockerty 01663 767810 [email protected]

Wharf Supdt. Brian Bowker 01663 763595 [email protected]