Visiting Boats 2004

Jacana This narrow boat, seen in August 2004, is home to Roger Potts who cruises the waterways network. The name on the side is that of his grandfather who was a wheelwright in Nantwich. The boat is named after birds that Roger was familiar with while working in Guyana. Top
Our John A converted fishing boat from St Ives. The former designation SS.64 shows that she was registered as No 64 at St Ives, SS being the first and last letters of the place-name. Top
Waterworks This narrow boat tours the country throughout the year, giving disadvantaged young people a taste of life on the waterways. The boat is one of those that was built each year by apprentices at Cammell Laird's shipyard, Birkenhead, and given to a charity. Top
Squire & Ditton This pair of working narrow boats stopped off in Gloucester on their way back from the Saul Canal Festival in July 2004. Top
Shotley Shuffle Pat and Kate Roche from Cromford were at Gloucester in June 2004. The name of their boat is a reminder of the time when Pat, aged 15, spent a year at HMS Ganges, the Royal Navy's training establishment at Shotley, Suffolk. The Shuffle was the name the boys gave to a form of punishment that involved running round the parade ground with their arms above their head carrying a rifle. Pat is now keen to recruit members to the HMS Ganges Association. Top
MSC Frodsham This replica of a Bridgewater Canal tug visited Gloucester in June 2004. The original tugs, dating from the 1870s, were steam powered, and they were converted to diesel in the 1920s when they were owned by the Manchester Ship Canal Co. Top
John Jerwood This training ship is used by the Sea Cadets to teach teamwork and social responsibility through activities such as seamanship, navigation, engineering and cooking. Her construction was financed by the Jerwood Foundation, and she was officially named in Sep 2002. She visited Gloucester in June 2004, bringing a party of local sea cadets around the coast from Penzance. Top
Thor Brian and Margaret Goodwin's tug-style boat, based at Bollington Wharf on the Macclesfield Canal, visited Gloucester in May 2004. The fine cabin-side decoration is appropriate for a boat named Thor, but why the name? "You should hear the engine!" said Brian. T o p