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   The Steamboat Association of Great Britain

Stroudwater Canal

  • 02 Jun 2012
  • 04 Jun 2012
  • Stroud on Water

Public Event 2012


 

Stroud on Water 2nd – 4th June 2012:
 
Be among the first to enjoy the rejuvenated Stroudwater Canal!

  Colin Rudall (the SBA Chairman's brother!) is encouraging steamboaters to join in.  Register your interest directly with Colin (contact details below).

This is a three day family festival over the bank holiday weekend that marks the Queen’s Jubilee. It is also the annual I.W.A. Trailboat Rally which is held each year on a different stretch of water currently under restoration, and about 30 trailboats are expected. Steamboats are very warmly invited and there will be no fees payable. A group of us walked the canal last week and the work put in by the Trust is astonishing.
 
Our stretch of 4km of canal has one large double lock (Ryeford). It is currently landlocked and we will be the first pleasure boats to navigate it for at least 50 years. It is a broad gauge canal, bridges are high and much of it, including the termini, will be 8 metres wide.  Therefore we are limited to boats of 25 ft or less.
 
The temporary slipway will be steel and more than adequate for our use. There is vehicle and trailer storage behind a locked gate. For extra security, boats moored overnight may be breasted up to trailboaters, some of whom will sleep aboard. I’ve asked for portable loos to be put by the slipway.
 
Parts of the waterway look a mess now, but a major dredging operation will go on through May (when the salmon have finished breeding!!) and we should have weed-free water of 4 foot plus depth.
 
The organisers need to know as soon as possible how many steamboats will be attending, and also when they plan to slip in and out. The two big days of the event are Sunday and Monday, so a suggestion might be to book a launch slot on Saturday morning and a recovery slot on Monday evening or Tuesday. Alternatively, just come for a day.
 
This is not a formal SBA rally – more a fun gathering of small boats – but it would be great to have a generous number of SBA folk around and we can certainly do some serious publicity.
 
Please get in touch with me with queries: 01453 821948 evenings or e-mail colnnicky@talktalk.net.
If you need accommodation you’ll need to get on and reserve it as it’s likely to be booked up early.

More information is available from www.stroudonwater.org.uk   and  www.cotswoldcanals.com.


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