At this year’s Watford-based IWA
Festival, River Canal Rescue sponsored three trophies; the new RCR Cruising
Challenge (most enterprising non-continuous journey), Robert Aickman Challenge
(most enterprising journey), and AP Herbert (longest journey). The waterway
assistance firm also gave away a year’s free gold, silver and bronze membership
to the three winners.
When deciding who will win the
accolades, the judges consider a number of criteria. These include; duration of the cruise and
overall distance covered from their mooring to the Festival, waterways visited
and the respective limits of navigation reached, river navigations used by
canal craft, tidal crossings and presentation of a cruising log. Entrants are awarded points and extra marks
are given to boaters who reach rarely-visited inland waterways.
The RCR Cruising
Challenge trophy was won by David and Sylvia Jarvis on their 46 ft narrowboat ‘Orchid
II’. Together with Collie, Tess, they completed three non-continuous journeys, covering
748 lock miles, from the middle of May to the Festival date. Stage one involved leaving their mooring in
Banbury on the Oxford Canal, making their way to the River Trent and navigating
the potentially perilous Trent Falls, before
joining the River Ouse. David comments:
“You need to plan carefully for this trip, go in company and get help as
it can get very tricky.”
Stage two was a trip via
the Humber Estuary and Ouse to reach the rarely-cruised Pocklington canal, (not
surprising as in order to reach the Pocklington Canal the intrepid duo spent
two hours with a small saw hacking their way through a fallen tree blocking
their route) and stage three, navigating Yorkshire’s River Derwent to Stamford
Bridge. ‘Orchid II’ was the fifth
non-local boat to visit the Upper Derwent this year.
David concludes: “We
were delighted to win the trophy and are grateful to RCR for the effort they
make in encouraging people to use the waterways.”
The Robert Aickman trophy was won by
Michael and Denise Bending after they travelled some 590 continuous lock miles
to Watford’s Cassiobury Park on the Grand Union Canal from their mooring in
Kings Bromley Marina, Staffordshire.
From 23 May to 17 July, they navigated the Trent & Mersey Canal,
Coventry and Oxford Canals, the Thames from the end of navigation at Lechlade
down to Brentford and from there to Watford on the Grand Union Canal, visiting
the Basingstoke Canal on the way.
Mike advises their 57ft narrowboat
‘Densie’ was among the first visiting boats to reach the end of navigation of
the Basingstoke canal in recent times. The
Canal had been unusable for four years and was re-opened at Easter after the
restoration of the main flight of locks.
However, a landslip caused a blockage four miles before the end of the
navigation. Luckily for the Bendings,
the Canal opened fully at the end of June, in time for their visit.
Commenting on their win, Mike said:
“We were surprised, delighted and proud to receive the trophy – particularly as
it dates back to the 1950s. We’re also
very pleased with the prize of a year’s free RCR subscription.”
The third trophy, AP Herbert
(longest journey), was won by John and Nancy Harman on their 63 ft narrowboat
‘Perfect Harmony’. Festival Award
Officer, Paul Chilvers, explained why they were given the accolade: “Their
longest journey was 576 lock miles covering the Kennet and Avon Canal from
Reading to Bristol and back again. They
continued onto the River Wey to Godalming (the most southerly point of the
waterway network) and then navigated the tidal Thames through London to
Watford. The Longest Journey trophy is
given to an entrant who hasn’t won one of the other awards.”
RCR Managing Director, Stephanie
Horton, concludes: “It’s important we recognise and reward boat owners who
undertake what in some cases, can be arduous journeys. These award categories fit well with our
ethos which is to support people, whatever their journey.”
