The Rickmansworth Canal Festival 2003
11:20 at Batchworth lock--it's Saturday 17th of May and it's raining. It must be the Batchworth Festival! With the leaden skies much in evidence, the spot under the road bridge near Batchworth lock was a popular place. I fell into conversation with Gary, owner of "Columba" the famous old boat that used to belong to John Knill. Tom Foxon wrote so evocatively about her in "Anderton for Orders" Gary still hasn't had her painted up in John's original colours but insists it will happen in the near future.
No sign of Tim or Spirit of '57 although rumours of their presence were rife. The rain eased so I forayed down the line of double-moored boats towards Stocker's lock to seek them out. Very few people about, those that were wore kagouls and anoraks as insurance against the pluviometer readings.
Nearing the stretch of towpath opposite Tesco's, Tim's booming voice could be heard talking to Ian Maclachlan on the counter of Spirit. Tim was on the counter of Spirit too, only a couple of feet from Ian's ear--that didn't matter! Tim's voice is one that carries well. I've seen it quell a class of excitable kids into respectful quietitude as he lays down the law regarding safety aspects of a day out on the water. He doesn't shout--he doesn't need to. Think Brian Blessed exclaiming, "Gordon's alive?" in Flash Gordon and you have the measure of his dulcet tones.
Walking back to the bridge I caught the front line of Spirit and tethered her to the railings. Tim stayed with me on Spirit while Ian moved onto Hillingdon Star in readiness for the first trip with members of the public some thirty minutes later. the trip involved moving into Batchworth lock -- ably manned by members of the I.W.A, then a slow poodle up country past the residential Batchworth moorings, winding the boat just below Lot Mead lock for the return to the festival site.
Down through Batchworth lock again and slowly past the festival boats to wind before Tesco's and return to the moorings outside Batchworth Canal Centre. This took roughly one hour and the hardy souls that came on board all enjoyed themselves greatly. Even Pisces, HNA's third boat, got in on the act because she contained the tannoy, music and all the various electronic paraphenalia necessary for the festival organisers to reach the ears of everyone along some half-mile of towpath.
Unusually, the lock gates that lead to the River Chess were open to enable Pisces to be backed into the lock and secured for the duration of the festivities. The rain caused several trips to be abandoned due to lack of customers, and it wasn't until 14:00 that Spirit had her first sojourn to below Lot Mead Lock and back. This proved to be her only trip of the day.
Returning to the festival site, the boat tug-O-war had got under way and a careful threading was required to penetrate a path to the winding hole. I was the cynosure of all eyes as I winded Spirit, with Tim awarding me "nine out of ten" for my efforts. Where my tenth point had gone I couldn't say but I was relieved to have successfully turned about. I now knew how those "Idle Women" felt during the war when manoeuvring under the baleful gaze of the regular boatmen at places like Brentford and Sutton Stop. Mind you, Joe Public isn't half as critical as the boatmen were!
The juggling and jostling for position came to a head as I attempted to offload my human cargo--at the last moment another trip boat stole my length of bank in order to pick up two gorillas and transport them to another location within the site where they could frighten/amuse some more kids! Revving hard to avoid a collision a thick cloud of smoke enveloped the other boat and the two aforementioned simians. They weren't impressed with my shout of "Gorillas in the Mist!" Sigourney Weaver/Diane Fossey, eat your heart out!
Barry Holland
Sunday 18th May
Yesterday's gorillas had been thoroughly soaked and smoked (incidentally, when "Gorillas in the Mist" occurred a lady passenger asked me, in all seriousness if they were real!! I kid you not!) and it looked like they weren't going to have much luck today as it was still raining. However, the temperature was up on the previous day and the rain actually decided to go walkabout. Unlike yesterday when Spirit only completed a single trip compared to Star's three, we had customers all day. Working alternately with Star and also two other trip boats going south towards Stockers lock (these were mere 30 minute jobs, pah!!) the stretch of water outside the Canal Centre was a hive of activity.
On Saturday, a trad jazz band had been playing on board "Roger" and had been transported up and down the festival site. A boat lashed nose-to-tail to Roger negated the need to wind each time the extremities were reached. Today Roger was static, opposite the Canal Centre and populated by "Over the Edge" a very competent group indeed, doing great covers of classic numbers from the 60's,70's, 80's, 90's and "noughties." This was more like it! Bigger crowds, better weather, more trips. A pint or two of Brakspear's Bee Sting helped things along.
As I was setting out for my third trip of the day, someone on thebank drew my attention to a figure leaning over the parapet of the road bridge and struggling to make himself heard over the band. It was my brother Phil and his wife Diana.I directed them round to the lock where they leapt aboard with alacrity to enjoy the trip. On return to the festival site, Roger, complete with Over the Edge had moved, for reasons I know not, into the lock itself. Star slid out to head towards Lot Mead, and Eddie, on Star's counter advised me that Roger would be staying put, so come in behind them. It was like having a backstage pass! The music was getting better, anticipating the Boat-Jam that was soon to take place. The navigation is literally jammed for one hour every year in commemoration of the boatmen over one hundred years ago being dissatisfied with their lot, jamming the navigation until the bosses paid them a decent wage!
Mooring Spirit for the last time Phil, Di and I strolled around the Festival site. I think the organisers had it wrong with stalls in a field half a mile away from the Canal Centre. As Paul Wilkinson of the I.W.A said to me earlier in the day, a canal festival should be centred around the canal!
Perhaps they'll get it right again next year. We got back to the lockside, got a beer in, and then saw the group pack up! Perhaps we'll get it right next year!
Epilogue
Monday morning and I was back at Batchworth for the third time in as many days. What a contrast! With the Canal Centre closed and no-one around it was very quiet as I extricated Pisces from her stay in the lock in order to return to Coppermill Lock, HNA HQ. The weather had improved yet again as Pisces, on tickover, negotiated Stocker's and Springwell locks in glorious sunshine, typical! I mused that this time next year I could be on my own, as yet, unknown boat. It was an epiphanic moment as I realised that this is definitely what I want to do with my life.
Barry Holland