2018 Rally
Our 21st Rally, like the first back in 1998 was hosted by the
National Waterways
Museum at Ellesmere port. The dates
were Wednesday 13th to Sunday 17th June.
The first Rally activity was a guide walk around the city wall of Chester on Wednesday morning.
Our knowledgeable guide, Steve Howe, showed us sights and told us stories not found in any guidebook! For example, the connection with the Great Eastern steamship.
On Wednesday evening, the Museum's Waterside Café provided an excellent buffet meal.
Thursday was our “Rally Awayday”, to Liverpool.
Unfortunately we could not visit the Daniel Adamson, as she was stuck on the
River Weaver following the incident at Weston Marsh lock on 2nd June.
Rally attendees visited the excellent
Merseyside Maritime Museum, the superb
Museum of Liverpool, the two cathedrals and some of the
plethora of shops and pubs!
Another party visited Port Sunlight,
the village founded by "Soap King" William Hesketh Lever in 1888. The art gallery is certainly most impressive.
Our technical activities over the weekend included a visit from our friends at
The Anson Engine Museum at Poynton.
They told the story of the restoration of the RN D2 engine which once powered the lighting at Poynton cinema.
The engine came too, on it's trailer - a demonstration run was aranged.
The other technical presentation was from the Daniel Adamson Preservation Society,
this was an in-depth story of the history and restoration of the ship and its steam plant.
On Sunday morning we had the traditional technical forum where our assembled experts in RN matters and general boating items
answered questions. We had quite a discussion on alternators this year.
Our craft sessions included two subjects which have not featured at our Rally for quiet a while.
First was basketwork, we were delighted that Caroline Gregson form the Basketmaking Association lead a
session in which the participants made a basket work butterfly or dragon-fly.
Secondly, Register member Jane Miles ran a papercraft session.
Finally Caroline Laycock ran another bath bombe manufacturing session.
On Friday evening we had two presentations of a historic nature.
First was from Tony Lewery on the history of Shropshire Union Flyboats and the restoration of Saturn.
This was followed by Tony Hirst, the first director of the Waterways Museum, appropriately his talk was on the background to
the establishment of the museum and the early history.
Entertainment on Saturday evening was the
Devils' Chair Ceilidh band.
They are a four piece band whose repertoire includes many traditional songs and tunes.
Appropriately one of the band plays the concertina, which is a traditional narrowboater's musical instrument.
This included a least four dance sessions. With a caller, and some dance leaders, we had almost everybody dancing at least once.
Sunday evening saw our home grown music evening, which this year featured a lot of audience participation.
All Rally boats were moored in the Upper Basin behind the Island Warehouse, the lower basin or in the wide locks.
An overhead comment from a visitor was that it was good to see more boats at the museum!
Post Rally Cruise
Due to the incident at Weston Marsh lock, the planned convoy cruise along the Manchester Ship Canal to join the River Weaver
did not take place.
However, three rally attendees navigated the whole length of the Ship Canal to Salford Quays, thence onto the Bridgewater
Canal through Paomona Lock.
2019 Rally | 2017 Rally
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