An excellent meeting was held on Saturday 25th February at the Lady Lane Wharf Club, Earlswood. A brilliant venue which by popular consent we will use again.
A Good Turnout
A presentation was given by Bob Hallam on the cruise to Gloucester over the late May Bank Holiday. We already have around ten boats booked in and perhaps more yet to come. The Tall Ships Festival over the Bank Holiday is an excellent event and the Club has been lucky enough to obtain eight moorings on the Basin Pontoons . Martin is organising the total moorings for the festival and no doubt will manage to get more in the vicinity. Bob has arranged side trips for the following week which already include trips to Hereford and Gloucester Canal at Over just a short walk or bus ride from Gloucester. Special arrangements to visit the restored section of the Cotswold canals and a boat trip. Visits to the Purton Wrecks and a special day at the Dockers Club. No doubt other things will happen so a very exciting and interesting week for us.
Martin described the Summer Cruise on the Chesterfield and the proposed route to the site. The full itinerary is on the web. In particular the Chesterfield Canal looks to be of considerable interest, the Chesterfield Canal Trust being our hosts. Social evenings are being arranged at Retford Boat Club. A full days excursion on the restored isolated section of the Chesterfield. A club day at Kiveton on the 8th July, and a social evening, plus no doubt, some other events yet to be notified. This week CRT have issued some locking figures and it seems that at the top end of the canal we will be going through some of the least used locks on the system on what is recognised as one of the most interesting and lovely flights. Arrangements have been made with CRT for entry onto the canal and it will result along with the G and S cruise as being one of our best cruising season yet. We have around 11 boats signed up at present.
Geoff gave an excellent revue of the Trent and managed to give some members the confidence to take the trip. Geoff has now been recruited as photographer in chief because of his excellent work.
We seek volunteers from each cruise to keep a brief log from which we can build reports on each trip.
2018
We had a wide ranging discussion on where we go next year suggestions include:
France with Polly
A couple of weeks in France on hired boats.
Caledonian Canal Scotland, Hire boats again.
The North West of the system, Huddersfield etc.
The Fens, this looks to be the most likely as it would be new ground for the majority, trips to Ely/Bedford/Cambridge.
We had a chat over lunch and I think generally we enjoyed ourselves even though I lost my photos and voice etc.
Please if you have any more ideas let the committee know.
Our thanks to Lady Lane who let us have the room free of charge. Our raffle raised £37.00 which was given to Cotswold Boatmobility our charity. Finally thanks to Richard Whitby for organising it all.
Martin Turner
Commodore