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Spring on the waterfront - A phoenix rises from the ashes

This fun was to have included the inaugural Liverpool Boat Show but following its cancellation the city council decided to go ahead with celebrating the waterfront.

British Waterways had expended considerable trouble to promote the show and had taken bookings for the Liverpool Link during the show period. They contacted all who had booked for the Link and offered cancellation of passage but most boaters decided to continue with the visit. 

On board Nb Mr David we joined a convoy of five other boats travelling on Sunday May 1 down to Salthouse Dock. All was superbly arranged by BW, we stayed overnight at the safety of Litherland Sanitary Station and travelled down Stanley Locks the next morning.

The first evidence that the show would go on was passing two tall ships moored in the docks, their masts, spars and rigging dwarfing our convoy of narrowboats as we cruised by. They were both restored Dutch sailing ships. One, the Oosterschelde, had crossed the North Sea from Rotterdam; the other ship was the Astrid. The Astrid is a sail training ship and had been crewed across the North Sea by a Liverpool youth crew under the command of its Dutch owner.

We entered Salthouse Dock, looking for our designated mooring, and were met with a swimming race, a dingy demonstration and the yellow Dukmarine Vehicle plunging into the dock   – all accompanied by folk music from the Waterscape pontoon. Also located in the dock was a collection of historic boats which had travelled the Mersey from The National Waterways Museum at Ellesmere Port. They had been sponsored on their trip by Peel Holdings.

Larger profile

All agreed that although it was disappointing that the commercial boat show had failed, it had given the opportunity to move forward and give canal boating a larger profile than would have been so under the commercial show. Instead of being a small part of the celebrations, canal boats were to the fore greeting the visiting general public.

Rosie Brains and Jim Taylor were making breakfast on Nb Empress when we called; along with everyone else in Albert Dock they were having a ball. They hoped that Spring in Albert Dock could become an annual event on the boating calendar, which would be a good thing for Liverpool’s Albert Dock.

So we came with our narrowboat to join a boat show and found a phoenix; the commercial show had collapsed but from the ashes had risen a water spectacle of sailing and canal boats.  Visitors had a great time clambering on board the various types of vessels; we met one young man with his dad steering Mb Astrid and young Peter on board Nb Skylark. All of one mind, again please next year.

Words & Photography: David Scowcroft