Paul Drummie – 1962 – 2024 Paul Drummie, was an experienced marine engineer covering the south & London. Popular with colleagues and customers, and nothing was too much trouble for him. He worked for many companies during his long career within the industry and at one time he owned his own marine engineering business. RCR managing…
By Phil Pickin IT WAS back in February that the editorial team at Towpath Talk, in partnership with the IWA’s Sustainable Boating Group (SBG), announced the Sustainable Boating Awards. This new award scheme aims to recognise the pioneers of sustainable boating by awarding two prizes for commercial and non-commercial innovations. The SBG, which was established…
By Janet Richardson A FAMILIAR sight at the Braunston Historic Boat Rally in late June, the iconic pair Nuneaton and Brighton are still at work. They are owned and operated by the Narrow Boat Trust, a volunteer-led charity whose objective is to maintain the historic boats and demonstrate how they were operated commercially together in…
The team at River Canal Rescue helps to get you ready for the first cruise of the season with some useful tips and advice… WITH an early Easter this year, you may have already cranked up your engine and undertaken the first cruise of the season. If that’s the case – how prepared were you…
In this excerpt from his book, We Don’t Go Far, But We Do See Life, Keith Harris tells how he acquired his replica Dutch Luxemotor, Saul Trader, the characters he came to know, and putting on Folk On The Water festival.
Champions of greener boating are sought for the IWA/Towpath Talk Sustainable Boating Award. TOWPATH Talk and the Inland Waterways Association have joined forces to launch an exciting new award scheme recognising the pioneers of sustainable boating. In a world of climate change and energy crisis, there is a common consensus that new and pioneering ideas, strategies,…
AS WE experience the wetter months, it’s important to give your boat a thorough safety check and familiarise yourself with all its workings, writes Stephanie Horton of River Canal Rescue. This may sound obvious, but do you really know how your boat has been built, where important items of equipment and machinery are located and…
Jonathan Mosse’s monthly look at freight developments on the inland waterways. SO READS the strapline of the recently published one-page waterways freight promotional document, put out jointly by the Commercial Boater Operators Association (CBOA) and the Inland Waterways Association (IWA) Freight Group. Starting from the premise that people want cleaner air and reduced congestion in…
A CLASS of Year 4 and 5 pupils from St Anne’s Catholic Primary School in Wrexham recently enjoyed a 45-minute boat trip. They cruised along the Llangollen Canal and crossed over the World Heritage Pontcysyllte Aqueduct on board Anglo Welsh’s trip boat Little Star. Teacher Rebecca Hughes said: “The children had a lovely time on…
Nicola Lisle enjoys a visit to the Chichester Ship Canal Heritage Centre in the latest in her museum series. CHICHESTER’S canal basin today is a peaceful backwater, the perfect place to stroll or sit and unwind alongside boats, ducks and a variety of wildlife. For more than 80 years, though, this was a busy industrial…
MANAGEMENT of Harthill Reservoir near Sheffield has been put out to tender by the Canal & River Trust with a deadline of 12 p.m. on Monday, December 4. The upper reservoir is mainly used for specimen carp fishing but also has some specimen tench, bream, pike and roach. The main reservoir is currently undergoing engineering…
Alice Griffin caught up with Giles Williams – your helmsman! WHEN Giles Williams found himself recovering from illness in early 2016 and looking for work that would take him into the open air, he could not have foreseen that an initial job as towpath ranger for the Canal & River Trust would lead him on…
llegally moored boats, boats without licences and even a boat sinking – it’s all in a day’s work for one of the Canal & River Trust’s licensing rangers, as author Andy Griffee discovered when he went out on towpath patrol with one of them. ONE of the first things I notice about Steve Broad’s ranger…
