Ashton Boatman

It's just over a week now since we winded (that's canalspeak for turned round) "Hazel" so that we could work on the left hand side (port to sealubbers). We all have our different languages. The main job has been replacing the front section of cabin side and the two forward windows. We've invested in new double glazed windows as that end of the boat has sometimes felt cold, in spite of the woodstove. The windows are on order and should be ready soon. The old ones won't be wasted. They'll probably go into "Southam" when we finally get her cabin sorted out.

Danny and Charlie didn't come for a week as Danny had back trouble, but they came today. Charlie started on the huge task of sorting out the paintwork while Danny finished the job of renewing the castle panels on the back cabin doors. Sadly the lovely panels that Maxine painted had to be removed as the wood was rotting. Oddly, they were made of elm. A strange and not very long lasting choice of wood. I didn't have much to do with fitting out the back cabin, leaving it to Martin, who, other than this, did a very good job.

Nessie has been busy cleaning and fitting solar panels, on the days that he's not running the shop.

I've stayed in the back cabin on odd nights when no-one else wants to boatsit. It's a bit chilly in the mornings still so, with the aid of a nightlog of compressed bark I'm doing my best to keep the range burning all night. Each evening I'm lulled to sleep by the song of a blackbird. Each morning I'm woken by a wonderful dawn chorus. This is in spite of being tied under a concrete bridge next to a busy motorway junction.

This week Charlie and Danny have been coming to work on "Hazel" most days. Charlie is getting frustrated by the amount of dust that blows around messing up her painting. One side is nearly done so we've now winded the boat to concentrate on the other side. Should be returning to Portland Basin soon. Then there won't be so much dust around but we'll have to dodge the rain, though a lot of the work will be inside.

We have windows again rather than holes in the cabin side. The new roof covering is going on. The back cabin is getting repainted and a new step fitted. Thank you all the volunteers who have been helping.

And thank you Tameside Council for these new roof coverings, formerly display boards around Ashton market. Better than landfilling them eh!

Last night I stayed aboard "Hazel". I like to stay in her back cabin. This is the space, about 8' X 6'6" X 5' where the family who worked the boat carrying salt or coal used to live. Small, yes, but wonderfully well designed as a tiny home. I've shared a back cabin with a partner, though I'm not sure I'd like to have kids in one. Anyway, for me to spend the night guarding the boat it's perfect. The range keeps it nice and snug and I enjoy lying in bed listening to the radio. If you fill the firebox up and add in a bark log or coffee log last thing at night the range will still be alight in the morning. I usually fill a flask from the kettle last thing so that I'm sure of a cup of coffee in bed in the morning.

With her tatty hull seen to on dock, we tied Hazel under the motorway link road bridge to carry out some cabin repairs. A new top layer is going on the roof to keep the water out. Sections of cabin sides are being renewed with extra insulation.The back cabin is getting a new step and a repaint.  Lots of new volunteers are helping to get her back into shape ready for a busy summer. Here's some photos-

  The weather was kind to us during the docking so we were able to get the necessary jobs done in good time. That makes a change. So often the end of a docking involves a desperate rush to finish jobs so that the boat will actually float by the deadline. The last few days just involved adding a few extra coats of tar and clearing up the clutter around the boat.

The day of the launch came, and it all went smoothly. Aaron, strong as an ox,  took the role of horse again to bowhaul us up to Portland Basin

Iain steered while Vicki filmed.

Hazel's docking has gone well so far. We've had lots of new volunteers and dry, largely sunny weather. Luke was here over the weekend and Iain and Vicki came on Sunday and Monday. Kim and Aaron have been helping pretty much every day. All the new plating is done, one side is tarred.

All that is left to do is odd jobs like filling a few bolt holes, tarring the other side, tidying up a bit of shoeing etc.

She goes back into the water on Sunday   - then we start on the cabin! No rest for the wicked. I must have been very bad!

A week on dock and we've done lots, with help from Kim, Nessie, Luke, Vicki, Iain and of course the faithful Aaron. I've mostly been minding the chalico stove mixing heady brews of pitch, tar and horse manure. The stove has been sitting unused in a corner of the Heritage Boatyard for the last few years and when we moved it it nearly fell apart because of corrosion. I bodged it up with clay to stop it drawing too much cold air but it will need to be repaired properly after this docking.

We've renewed the shoeing (sacrificial metal edging which protects the ends of the bottoms) and fitted plating to the bow where it was getting a lot of hammer entering locks etc. We've also plated part of the side to protect a plank that had a few splits, repitched seams, done a bit of caulking etc. Tomorrow we start tarring the sides.

Ideally a wooden narrow boat is docked every couple of years. The last few years have not been ideal, so Hazel was well overdue for a docking. Today we took her a short journey to the Ashton Packet Boat Co's slipway at Guide Bridge and pulled her out of the water for the attention that she needs.

I had arranged to meet Aaron and Kim at the basin at 9am. Aaron said he'd come earlier to wind the boats so that Hazel would be tied on the outside ready to go. I arrived at 9 to find that the ship had sailed. I drove to Guide Bridge and walked back along the towpath where I met the boat. It seems that Aaron had set out about 8.30 shafting along. Kim and his partner Kath were walking up the towpath and met him along the way. Kim took over steering while Aaron bowhauled and Kath walked the towpath with their new little dog.

I climbed aboard and turned on the tap to start emptying the huge water tank which was weighing down the stern end. It's necessary to minimise the draft to make slipping easier.

We tied on the rings opposite the boatyard and waited for people to arrive. Soon they were there and started preparing the slip. We moved Hazel into the basin and the fun began of forcing the trolleys far enough into the mud so that they are deep enough for the boat to float over them.

The end two trolleys are pulled by an old steam winch, now running on compressed air because its boiler was condemned. The middle trolley is pulled by a hand winch.

The first attempt at slipping had to be aborted as the boat began to slew and the stern end was in danger of falling off the trolley. This was corrected and she emerged dripping from the water. As soon as she was secure me and Aaron got to work prising off the old shoeing.

Shoeing is sheet metal folded round the ends of the bottom boards to protect them from abrasion. It is a sacrificial layer to protect the wood and needs to be replaced every few years. If bottom boards are left unshoed for too long they wear away and the iron spikes that hold the bottoms on become exposed. This shoeing was fitted before Hazel's launch in 2013 so it was due for replacement.

Meanwhile, Kim got to work water jetting the slime and scum off the sides of the boat.

Throughout the day we were entertained by trains running up and down the narrow gauge railway, though the purpose for their movement was obscure.

By the time it started getting dark about 4pm all the shoeing, except the bits trapped where the boat sat on trolleys, was removed and gathered into a rusty pile of scrap.

https://gofund.me/58a2f896

It was just after Christmas. One morning I got to the basin to find a CRT work flat drifting about. I captured it and tied it up abreast of Lilith. Obviously someone had been having fun untying boats for a CRT tug and pan were also missing. I was told that they had drifted away past Walk Bridge out of sight. One of our volunteers alerted CRT to this situation. Nessie tried to bring the boat back, but couldn't get on board.

About a week passed, then a CRT crew came looking for their work boat. I helped them to take it back to the towpath side.

Shortly after they'd tied up the tug and pan appeared and described a graceful pirouette around the basin. I captured this one and put it alongside Lilith in its turn. Time passed. I was busy trying to make the heating work on Hazel . I got a 'phone call from a CRT man at Standedge tunnel. They intended bringing their electric trip boat down for a docking at the marina and could we look after it whilst waiting for its turn on the dry dock? I explained that we were already looking after one CRT boat and there wasn't really room for another, but I'd do my best. He took the index number of the tug and said he'd contact the relevant people. Apparently it should be on the Macclesfield canal.

When the trip boat, well, sort of two really, a push tug and butty, turned up, Hazel was over at Dixon & Smith (motor engineers) of Dukinfield where she had got frozen in after having her batteries charged. The tug and pan were now against the wharf, so the trip boat spent a couple of nights alongside Forget me Not.

By the way, the whole caboodle of this set up is about 76 feet long, but there was only one of the 32 locks that they passed through on the way down from the summit where they had to split the butty from the tug to get through.

On Monday we had Airbnb guests booked. I had at last got the heating working but the boat was a mess and had to be cleaned thoroughly. I met the CRT men and let them on to the wharf to collect their boat. They brought it across the aqueduct (struggling with the depth) then ran into ice. The skipper used to captain an icebreaking tug on the St Lawrence Seaway, but Dukinfield ice was a challenge for this square bowed boat.

Aaron moved Hazel back across the aqueduct through water cleared by the trip boat. Aaron, Lisa Rowbotham and I spent most of the day preparing for our guests.

In order to comply with CRT requirements we have to take our guests on a trip. As Forget me Not's gearbox is still in bits this had to be a human powered trip.

In the morning Kim and Aaron came to help. I bagsed the easy job of steering this time. Kim bowhauled for a short distance until the towpath ended.

Aaron took over, shafting past Cavendish Mill

and into the Asda tunnel.

At the far end Kim took over again,bowhauling.

At Eli Whalleys we winded with Aaron on the shaft

and Kim hauling on the stern line,

Then it was back through the tunnel

and past Cavendish mill to tie up, the other way round, back at Portland Basin.