Daniel Oakley

We are heading back Friday evening and want to get boats and car to Napton. I have a willing volunteer (thanks cutweb) to steer the butty so Karen can drive to Napton.

Have enlisted help for Napton flight, as I want to learn how best to get teh butty up the narrow locks.

How many different boats can you get a tow from in the Braunston Parade. Well we managed to get towed by Alcor and the Rill (photos soon).

On the Monday we re-united Atalanta withTug No. 2 formally Algol, the two were originally paired at Stanton in 1940 and I am sure they scraped hulls a few times thereafter.

Here is a link to a photo from Tim Lewis’ photos - Atalanta is on the outside with grey deck board.
http://www.pbase.com/timlewis/image/114469578

Finally arrived Braunston 9pm ish Thursday, we’d been doing well until we broke a dolly of the back of Daniel Oakley snatching the butty out of lock (5th one up) on the Napton Flight.

So we left the butty on the flight, got to Braunston, had a new dolly welded on and enlisted helping hands. Karen set off with Jim and Vi back to Napton, while I went with Pete and Di to bring Atalanta down the rest of the flight.

After a demonstration of successfully flushing the butty out of lock 2, we all met up at the bottom lock 2 hrs after setting off back. Arriving just in time for food from the pub.
More news on the show as it emerges and hopefully some pictures from Karen.

I said it was easy, but Paul and Ray didn’t agree. They got a little stuck locks 2,3 and 9 on the Napton flight. Lock 2 because it was tight and 3 and 9 because they had lowered the water level to flood the boat through lock 2.
Still lots of fun.
Here is Pete showing us what to do at Claydon.

Ray took it all very seriously, and wouldnt relinquish his post on the tiller of the butty to let me ahve a steer. Aaaah

If you are obsessed and the subject of your obsession is an occassion for celebration, well that seems like a perfect event to me!

First a wonderful breakfast with Louise and Uncle Peter in Grassington

Here’s to George and Nicola and all my Aunts, Uncles and cousins who gathered together in Settle on my birthday to look at our family history.

And thanks to Sue and Amy for a fab meal at the pub in the evening

So after running around and getting Atalanta sorted - we were given the all clear for careful towing back to Banbury - we managed to enjoy the sunshine. Paul and I popped back to the boat to check she was OK and we also called into Brinklow boats and asked Rex Wain to make us a new ‘elm for Atalanta.
Paul then settled into making fenders and I enjoyed our little bit of garden.

So we now wait until the May bank holiday and then Ray (Paul’s Dad) is coming down to help Paul move the Butty, as I will be away in Yorkshire with the Woolers!

The holiday was booked. Paul and I were going to bring Atalanta back to Banbury…….but it all went horribly wrong.

Our insurers read through the survey and zoomed in on the words relating to the fact that the ‘elm (Helm) was knackered and we would need a new one.

So with much ringing around and mainly thanks to Dave at Hillmorton boatyard, the surveyor was booked for the Saturday and we all trooped along to check the ‘elm, or rudder.
I should have said a lot of “bow hauling” went into getting Atalanta down the locks at Hillmorton to the boatyard!
Anyway we were given the all clear so towed it out of the arm all the way back to the top of the locks. Whew!

Massive thanks to David, who didn’t charge us a penny for the use of his mobile crane to get the ‘elm off Atalanta and on the side.

Lots of people decided to go out for a trip over Easter - so we went too!

All the may blossom was out.

Here is our new boat, built in Dec 1935, an unpowered “butty” a small Woolich built by Harland and Wolf. We hope to be able to get to lots of historic boat rallies this year, though my work commitments are making it rather difficult.

We have discovered lots of people who have known this boat, so do please contact us if you know anything about the boat or its history please do get in touch.

Great effort at my new work place - over £400 raised. Here we all are in our red noses and team uniform for the day.