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GUCC 177 Town Class Sutton


SallyLou

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Thanks for the memories and the HNBC contacts, which I shall pass on to my mother and arrange to forward the files. I had already seen mention of the tug-of-war with Pisces, although in earlier posts there seems to be some uncertainty about whether it was Pearl or another boat Fox. But I hadn't seen mention before of the other tug-of-war with Lily at Goldstone rally, where Pearl seems to have been pulled apart. My mother (June, nee Bush) is in the process of transcribing Binkie's logs, which cover a period between 1966-71, with the idea of matching up his descriptions of the canals then and her own diaries from her time aboard her boat Toby (approx. 2002-12). We'll see if Binkie was honest enough to admit his defeats and record them, since everything else was recorded with typical naval precision.

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5 hours ago, koukouvagia said:

I suggest you contact HNBC (Historic Narrow Boat Club).  Whatever you do don't let them fall into the hands of CaRT.  Or again, Pete Harrison - long regarded as the unofficial custodian of boating records - may be interested.

Please forgive me coming to this thread a little late as I have only just got home from a 12 hour shift.

I run my own archive, which I make available to interested parties. I would be very interested in adding any collections as they become available, and I am prepared to collect them in person. Mine is very much a 'living archive' where no Documents get lost, and as I am an active researcher of canal boats is in daily use. 

I may have been given access to these Documents about 15 years ago when I collected them, and delivered them back to their custodian in Oundel - if I remember correctly this was June Lyons :captain:

edit = a reasonable compromise, if it were agreeable to all parties, could be for me to collect the Documents so their details can be fully transcribed / copied then me deliver them to the H.N.B.C. for inclusion in their Archive for ongoing protection.

Edited by pete harrison
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1 hour ago, X Alan W said:

IIRC I knew it was 'Pearl' but if I had not known it was 'Pisces' there would have been no way of knowing, as the Turner decided it wanted 'ah la' navy to produce it's own smoke screen. David do you remember who won? I know "Binky" thought his Bolinder 1053? was the bees knees  he challenged me to a TOW at the Goldstone rally as my boat was facing the opposite way.I had around 10 tons of cement on for the BW works at Drayton so I was nicely sat down in the water we hitched up took the slack up & I wound the "Seffle" up there was a bang & something hit one of the cabin doors & "Lily shot forward after stopping & checking I found one of "Binkys" dolliies still on the rope end I"d pulled it out of his counter top He still claimed he had won as he said he was going forward at the time he got quite a bit of stick in the pub afterwards. Thinking back I don't reckon Denis would have let "Binky" get the better of him.

Yes you are correct, Binkie was challenging everyone at the rally claiming that he had the most powerful engine in a Narrowboat, so Dennis took up the challenge, and our v4 English Turner won the day. You sent me a photo of the evrnt which I will attempt to paste below. It was at the 1967 Leicester IWA rally :-

5999dbbc4a34d_Leicester196702.jpg.fdeafcf227af4987bea4c8f04ede326b.jpg

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12 hours ago, David Schweizer said:

Yes you are correct, Binkie was challenging everyone at the rally claiming that he had the most powerful engine in a Narrowboat, so Dennis took up the challenge, and our v4 English Turner won the day. You sent me a photo of the evrnt which I will attempt to paste below. It was at the 1967 Leicester IWA rally :-

5999dbbc4a34d_Leicester196702.jpg.fdeafcf227af4987bea4c8f04ede326b.jpg

Admittedly, if this was 1967, then the pram on "Pearl's" cabin roof could well have been mine, but the fore-deck of this "Pearl" looks to be too long for the boat that I knew. Pearl's cabin extended right up to the bows, so there would be nowhere for a person to stand, like the woman in white. I think this must be another boat, and therefore, without sufficient evidence to the contrary, on behalf of my grandfather, I shall claim his Bollinder remains unbeaten!

Blackandwhites011.jpg.c39d53515e326ce6827f39e347e85088.jpg

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1 hour ago, Binkie's Grandson said:

Admittedly, if this was 1967, then the pram on "Pearl's" cabin roof could well have been mine, but the fore-deck of this "Pearl" looks to be too long for the boat that I knew. Pearl's cabin extended right up to the bows, so there would be nowhere for a person to stand, like the woman in white. I think this must be another boat, and therefore, without sufficient evidence to the contrary, on behalf of my grandfather, I shall claim his Bollinder remains unbeaten!

Blackandwhites011.jpg.c39d53515e326ce6827f39e347e85088.jpg

As it is always nice to see a photograph credited, can I just say that the 1970s picture used above was taken by my brother Mike.

I'm trying to place what lock would have a bridge positioned near it that allows such a shot, but I'm struggling with which one it must be - I'm fairly certain in should be in the Berkhamsted / Hemel Hempstead area, but could be wrong.

Steerer is Bob Bush, and it's his butty Capella breasted alongside Pearl.

Capella was recently photographed in fine form out on the Thames by Mike Askin.  It now carries a full cabin conversion, and is motorised.

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1 hour ago, Binkie's Grandson said:

Admittedly, if this was 1967, then the pram on "Pearl's" cabin roof could well have been mine, but the fore-deck of this "Pearl" looks to be too long for the boat that I knew. Pearl's cabin extended right up to the bows, so there would be nowhere for a person to stand, like the woman in white. I think this must be another boat, and therefore, without sufficient evidence to the contrary, on behalf of my grandfather, I shall claim his Bollinder remains unbeaten!

I must admit  that the boat tied to Pisces does appear to have a long fore deck, and if Pearl always had a cabin extention right up to the foredeck, it cannot be Pearl. To be honest when Alan sent me the photo, it did not reflect my recollection of the tug of war we had with Pearl, which i recall as being performed with a rope between the two boats' foredeck studs. My other recollection was that we won, and the matter was a subject of much banter between Dennis and your Grandfather.

Edited by David Schweizer
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2 hours ago, alan_fincher said:

As it is always nice to see a photograph credited, can I just say that the 1970s picture used above was taken by my brother Mike.

I'm trying to place what lock would have a bridge positioned near it that allows such a shot, but I'm struggling with which one it must be - I'm fairly certain in should be in the Berkhamsted / Hemel Hempstead area, but could be wrong.

Lock 59 perhaps?

Photo taken from bridge 146

Like the one in page 2 of the photos on this webpage http://canalplan.org.uk/place/7pov

A bit of telephoto/zoom by the look of it

Edited by magnetman
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2 hours ago, alan_fincher said:

Capella was recently photographed in fine form out on the Thames by Mike Askin.  It now carries a full cabin conversion, and is motorised.

A very recent Photo of Capella, now on the Kennet & Avon, just outside Bath.WP_20170412_19_19_05_Pro.jpg.91d6b79f2c7a2fcae36cc5ad7e03a33e.jpg

and as she was after Bob Bush had renovated her....

599ac9a78eabd_CapellabyBobBush.jpg.0c40e6f674ba041b406d520ec5f2190b.jpg

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I remember CAPELLA on the towpath in Aylesbury late seventies, and later Tony & Val Harmer taking her on, motorising with an offset engine forward of the back cabin and driving through hydraulics to an ellum(?) mounted prop.

Would I be right in thinking the framed picture is at Sutton Stop?

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26 minutes ago, Derek R. said:

I remember CAPELLA on the towpath in Aylesbury late seventies, and later Tony & Val Harmer taking her on, motorising with an offset engine forward of the back cabin and driving through hydraulics to an ellum(?) mounted prop.

Would I be right in thinking the framed picture is at Sutton Stop?

Yep, you can see the footbridge and pumphouse behind.

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5 hours ago, David Schweizer said:

I must admit  that the boat tied to Pisces does appear to have a long fore deck, and if Pearl always had a cabin extention right up to the foredeck, it cannot be Pearl. To be honest when Alan sent me the photo, it did not reflect my recollection of the tug of war we had with Pearl, which i recall as being performed with a rope between the two boats' foredeck studs. My other recollection was that we won, and the matter was a subject of much banter between Dennis and your Grandfather.

David if you are taking of the national rally in 67 the boat on your fore end was Derek Turners (of Wheaton Aston)  wooden motor "FOX"& although I did not witness the finish of the TOW I recall Dennis being vert gleeful as befits a winner.

Mr Bush the 3rd I engaged in 3 TOW"s with Pearl with my "Seffle powered FMC motor & pulled him backwards twice & pulled one of his stern dollies out on the other occasion & it cost him a couple of pints He was at a disadvantage to me as his counter was not flat on the water to help with his draft & shallow cuts of the time at a standstill he had very little "fan hold"& by the time it had sucked down he was proceeding backwards at a rate of knots he had no way of overcoming He always wanted another go though to get even :D

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