Wow!
This is our first event with Sickle, and we are loving it! Everybody seems so friendly, loads have questions to ask, or a story to tell, and the day just seems to have whizzed by.
Photography rather took second place, and my camera hasn't managed to come out all day. Cath did rather better, albeit that many were taken from the rocking "floating patio".
Sorry to the many splendidly turned out boats we have not adequately captured - we'll try harder tomorrow, we promise!
Narrow Boat Trust's pair Nuneaton and Brighton with "Small Woolwich" Planet beyond.
Dodona, Panther (behind) and NBT Nuneaton and Brighton.
Plenty of immaculately turned out Joshers.
Something a bit different - a radio controlled working model of Wyvern Shipping motor Benevolence.
South Midland's Bolinder powered Emu.
Sickle passes Emu outside the Navigation, between the top two locks.
Followed by Mike Askin's massive Royalty boat Victoria with a fair amount of coal on, but which was transhipped to another boat shortly afterwards.
We were asked to make some journeys around the gala site so the public could see some of the boats moving. Sickle has the advantage she can turn where the vast majority of the historic boats attending would have no chance.
A bit of drama on our way back up through the top lock. Ex FMC Kestrel was being reversed towards it quite rapidly as we wanted to leave, and my instinct told me not to push forward too fast. Just as well, because it apparently suddenly broke its drive shaft, and was coming at us rather rapidly. Being directly in it's line of approach, I reversed hard to lessen the closing speed at impact, but then had to apply enough forward power to stop both boats,before we rammed the lower gates. They were quite apologetic! The picture was only taken after the fun had died down!
The "Home Guard" were in attendance today!
A late addition to this entry.
Since I wrote op this day, Mike Askin has published a video he took that day. Although principally featuring 2 other boats, if you skip forward to about 11 minutes 30 seconds, then "Sickle" gets in on the action for a short while.
Mike Askin's Stoke Bruerne Event Video.
Miles: 2.0, Locks:4
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