26th July: the boats are at Newbury, having arrived on Friday for the Newbury Waterside Festival, celebrating 200 years of the K & A and in support of The Kennet & Avon Canal Trust - a voyage the crew described as "challenging".
The pair, loaded with 35 tons of coal, left Alvecote on Monday 12th July (passing the 7 gravel boats unloading above Atherstone) reaching Napton on Wednesday night, Aynho Friday, Thrupp Saturday, The Thames at Oxford on Sunday evening, Dorchester on Monday, Burghfield on The Kennet in the early hours of Wednesday and Aldermaston on Thursday.
(Left: the boats on show at Newbury Waterside Festival, Sunday 25th July - photo: Sheena Bourn)

28th June: the Braunston gathering was just not the same without the boats there....but we might get the painting finished yet!
Still, for the first time in many years we had a stall in the canal society marquee, at least giving us a presence. We gained three new members and sold a number of items bringing in £102, plus,due mostly to Graham Scothern's efforts with marshalling the boat parades, Tim Coghlan presented us with a cheque for £200.
Roger Hutchinson made a film of Sunday's parade, see HERE

June 1st: just a reminder that the boats and NBT are featured on Sky TV program, 'The Water Boatman', with Alan Herd of Dover 'fame', on Wednesday 2nd June at 10pm, on Discovery Shed (Sky 242).

April 26th: the boats returned to Alvecote this weekend, crewed by Barry Adams, Lawrie Atkinson, Chris Bassett and Steve & Barbara Radford. What another beautiful weekend for boating!

Barry Adams has written Trip Reports for both journeys HERE.

(Right: Barry Adams on Nuneaton as the pair pass NBT member Mike Askin, on his newly painted 'Victoria', N. Oxford Canal. Pic: Mike Askin.)

April 11th: the boats are due at Pete Boyce's yard, Braunston, this afternoon, to have new gunnels fitted to Brighton. The pair were moved from Alvecote over the weekend by Barry Adams, Trevor Winterbottom, Steve Smith & Lawrie Atkinson, with lock-wheeling at Atherstone from John Fevyer & John Bull.What perfect weather for boating!
After this phase of the boats' extensive renovation & maintenance, they will return to Grendon dry dock for more work, particularly a complete re-paint.
Pete Boyce is currently restoring/rebuilding ex-Barlow's & Blue Line Nurser's- built wooden butty, Lucy - see his website for progress reports HERE.

(above: the best attended work party!)

Nevertheless, we are now starting to see some tangible differences to the boats - so a huge thank you to those who have joined in so far.
Priorities for the work have loosely been:
Make sure the boats don’t sink;
make sure they can move;
make them safe for members and the public and make them look pretty.
The current position is:
Welding necessary on Nuneaton to keep her above water was completed at the Grendon Dry Dock late last year. The repairs to the stern tube and prop shaft done at Eel Pie Island are holding solid at the moment – with regular attention and lubrication the prop shaft bearing and stern tube may well give good service for a few more years. A minor put significant job done at the dock was to clear the engine cooling water intakes, hopefully doing away with the need for the cunning mop trick on all but the muddiest waters. The next major achievement is that Dave Davies found a diesel engineer who has taken a very reasonable approach to the work necessary to restore the engine to its intended design, ie where both cylinders contribute to motive power! As part of the overhaul the engine was degreased and cleaned, so also looks better.
Meanwhile other work has been done or is in hand. In no particular order:
Removed cloths and gunwales from Brighton and prepared exposed metal work ready for new gunwales to be fitted at Braunston.
Counter on Nuneaton repainted. looking good.
Swans neck re-shaped by Barry Adams, possibly more work to be done reduce the play in the rudder. New brass tiller ideally with inbuilt emergency flotation bags to be supplied!
Cant on the front of the motor cabin replaced, fitted and wood treated.
All shuts in Nuneaton lifted, hull chipped scraped and coated with bitumen. Special thanks to Keith N, Fabian H, Lawrie A, John Mills, new member Bob and, I suspect, others who knuckled down to this particularly noisy and tedious task. Seven new ballast barrels obtained, three now located at the back end of Nuneaton and filled.
Shuts repaired on Brighton.
A run to the tip! Several bags of accumulated crap removed from boats.
Mouse also refurbished the two stroke water pump we found lurking in the front end of Brighton - It takes a bit of starting but shifts water at a spiffing pace and is self priming, lifting water about 3 feet up on to Nuneaton’s back end and filling the three 45 gall ballast drums in a very few minutes.
Work to be done:
Finish off repairs to shuts.
Arrange for new or repaired cloths to be refitted to Brighton.
Refurbish cratches as necessary on both boats.
Replace plastic horn on Nuneaton with big loud metal klaxon intended to strike fear into the hearts of coxless pairs.
Paint everything on both boats!!!!!

C'mon members, we can really get the boats looking as they should, and quieten them "sneering perfectionists" for a week or two!!!!! Contact Trevor HERE.

Feb 8th: Members are urged to join in the forthcoming Workparties - thanks to the hard work of dedicated members, donations & recent grant-aid, we are at last in a position to really sort the pair out and make them boats we can all be really proud of!
Weekend Workparties:
this weekend: Saturday 13th Feb, 10am-4pm
Saturday & Sunday 20th & 21st Feb, 10am-4pm - accomodation on boats and lift from The South possible - contact Barry Adams
Saturday & Sunday 27t & 28th Feb, 10am-4pm - contact Vickie Morgan
Contact: trevor.winterbottom@yahoo.com with your availability in the next couple of months. we are moored next to the Samuel Barlow pub at the home of the South Midland Carrying Co fleet of Joshers - so parking & easy access, beer, food, facilities & interesting boats - what more do you need....but.....
WE NEED YOU!