October 2022

The month got off to a promising start at our berth just upstream of Acton Swing Bridge on the River Weaver for the annual Leigh Arms Steam Party held on 1st and 2nd October. Covid and the boiler stay tube job meant that we had missed this event for the last few years, and we were determined that we would not miss another. Our connection with this event goes back to the mid 1970’s when held up the road at the Holly Bush Inn. In those early days the event was arranged by our member, the late Peter Froud as an end of season gathering for the crews of his hotel narrow boats, extending to his friends in the steam world who also attended with their traction engines, steam rollers and fairground organs. When we decided that this would be a great event to attend with Kerne we did not realise the difficulties that we would have to overcome. To access the Weaver Navigation you have to traverse the Manchester Ship Canal from Eastham to Marsh Lock, and the MSC Harbour Master was not at all enthusiastic to allow an old steam tug crewed by a bunch of 20odd year old amateurs onto ‘his’ waterway. It was explained that we could only enter the Canal if we had a valid certificate of seaworthiness undertaken by an MSC approved surveyor, and the vessel’s crew included an approved MSC Pilot and a certificated Captain, and as we clearly had none of these passage was refused. Fortunately the writer’s father, who was prominent in the shipping industry, arranged the appropriate certification and qualified personnel as stipulated. It is fair to say that when the fully supported request for passage was presented to the Harbour Master he was somewhat taken aback, but as we had complied with all stated requirements, passage was granted, and our first Weaver trip followed. We have had any number of trouble-free passages up the canal since then, either to access the Weaver or full passage to Manchester, but even in 2022, problems can arise. Following a successful Leigh Arms event when considerable numbers of the public took the opportunity to experience a full tour of the vessel whilst in steam with the engine turning, it was time to arrange our return trip for the locks and bridges with the Canal and River Trust (for the Weaver) and MSC (for the Ship Canal). In the past the MSC passage is arranged via a phone call to Eastham to book the lock out. On making the usual call over the weekend we were advised that bookings now have to be made ‘through the office’ but they only work office hours, Monday to Friday. In order to ensure we could get a lock into Liverpool on Monday afternoon, we needed to sail from Acton Bridge before 09.00 hrs on Monday morning, so we had to set off not knowing if we could get out of the canal!! Fortunately, with Eastham Locks in sight, the ‘office’ authorise the outward lock for us. Once out in the Mersey and across to Liverpool, Kerne returned to our winter moorings in Sandon Dock sufficiently early to enable the crew to sample the odd pint in the Lion Tavern before heading off home. The curtain was brought down on our 2022 sailings with the good news that, at long last, the river gate giving access from the Mersey to Canning and Albert Docks is once again operational which allows us the prospect of spending periods of next summer in Canning on public view. The following weekend lay-up work started with the draining of the boiler, the removal of ash and soot from the furnaces and tubes which was, rather dustily bagged and disposed off ashore, before the firebars were removed and stacked for final boiler cleaning ready for next year’s boiler inspection. All we now have to do is attack the rather long ‘to-do’ list of winter maintenance jobs.