All These Boats Loaded
Throughout the year we have need of extra capacity for carrying coal, and so we employ various boat owners as sub-contractors. These range from one-off trips, to fairly regular work through the winter. Other purveyors of solid fuels also come to us for supplies from further afield. This has ensured a quite impressive list of narrowboats loaded over the last few years.
- Roach
- Cepheus
- Starling & Ethel*
- Otley
- Bletchley & Argus*
- Cactus
- Success*
- Fenny
- Buckden
- Jubilee
- Nuneaton & Brighton*
- Hyperion
- Hanley
- Lynx
- Empress
- Bideford*
- Towcester
- Telford
- Anne
- Darley
- Paradine † - Loaded with 10 tonnes of pre-packed coal in the Oil Dock at Worcester as ballast for passage around the south coast to London.
- In addition, butty Pictor was towed by Roach for one trip "up t'North" for Richard Clapham.
* Butty boat
† Kellogg's boat (motor barge)
Some of these boats have carried significant tonnages for us. Cepheus, when owned by Richard Clapham, was very busy. In fact, it is Richard's fault that I am now doing what I am! Otley and Starling are both currently engaged carrying coal for us (autumn 2006). Both these boats have also carried sizeable amounts on our behalf.
Nuneaton and Brighton are operated by the Narrowboat Trust who come to us for coal mainly for customers in the Thames area. Check out their website at www.narrowboattrust.org.uk
Bletchley and Argus are operated by Peter Hawker who plies his trade mainly on the Grand Union Canal.
Fenny is operated by Chris Johnson and is based in the Northwich area.
Jubilee is operated by Mike Partridge and is based at Stoke Bruerne, near Northampton.
Otley, in company with butty boat Cygnus, is operated by Dave Tipping and Victoria Hignell, and can be seen around the canal system during the summer months selling their wares from the butty. Dave makes rope fenders and Vic is a fine painter of canal roses and castles.
More tales and anecdotes about the above boats will be added as inspiration (and time) allow.