IAN GOLLICK Martyn's Bargains

28
IAN GOLLICK
Local Mobile Boat Safety Examiner
For friendly professional service
CALL IAN ON
Retford 01777 709229
Mobile: 07903 167892
£100 per examination
With 10% discount for RWBC members
When inspecting 3 or more boats together
Unit 2, Aurillac Court
Hallcroft Industrial Estate
Retford Nottinghamshire
DN22 7PX
Martyn’s
Bargains
01777 708457
Martyn’s Bargains offers you a completely unique range of high
quality everything! When we say everything, there’s probably
something we don’t have, but with barbeques to wacker plates ,
Chicken Coops to Generators, and Plasterers Stilts to Petrol
Pressure Washers, you can see what we mean.
www.martynsbargains.com
December 2012
A Cruise on the Rhine
Christmas Party Pictures
1

2
december 2012 EDITION
Through the Porthole
Chairman’s Chat 3
Editorial 4
A.G.M. 5
Up Mennell’s Gennell 6
Social Secretary’s Report 8
What’s On! 9
Thank You 10
Boat Licensing 11
Retford & Worksop Boat Club
Chesterfield Canal
Clayworth Wharf, Clayworth, Retford. Notts.
DN22 9AJ Tel: 01777 817546
Website www.rwbc.org.uk
Ladies! 12
Pictures 13 - 16
A Cruise on the Rhine 17
User Group Meeting 19
Christmas Greetings 20
Christmas 22
Trains & Boats & Planes 24
Vice Presidents
Bryan Atkinson (Buffalo)
bryan@rwbc.org.uk
Harry Richardson (Lady Lee)
harry@rwbc.org.uk
Pete Bygrave (Little Mester)
peter@rwbc.org.uk
Chairman
Trevor Gough (Fleur)
trevorjgough@yahoo.co.uk
Tel: 01472 233840 Mob.07761 241009
Secretary
Tony James (Woolwinder)
secretary@rwbc.org.uk
Tel: 01777 702258
Minutes Secretary
Daphne Burnham (Tread Softly)
minutes.secretary@rwbc.org.uk
Tel: Mob.07981 913241
Craft Licensing
Arthur Naylor (Pendle Magic)
licensing.officer@rwbc.org.uk
Tel: 01777 816389
Treasurer
Lisle Hobson (Silver)
treasurer@rwbc.org.uk
Tel: 01429 231095
Mooring Officer
Alan Ratcliffe (Ol’ Blue Eyes)
mooring.officer@rwbc.org.uk
Tel: 01623 825457
Retford & Worksop Boat Club
Honorary President Cliff Clarke
Membership Secretary
Linda Hambleton (Warrior)
membership.secretary@rwbc.org.uk
Tel: 0114 255 0788
Maintenance Officer
Bob Smith (Shalom)
maintenance.officer@rwbc.org.uk
Tel: 07770 445303
Assistant Maintenance Officer
Frank Matthews (Queen’s Ransom)
maintenance.officer@rwbc.org.uk
Tel: 01709 816141
Social Secretary
Chris Turner (Jophina II)
social.secretary@rwbc.org.uk
Vice Chairman/Lock Key Editor
Linda Davies (Black Grouse)
editor@rwbc.org.uk
Tel: 01777 701255
Webmaster
Mike Payne (Hawthorn)
webmaster@rwbc.org.uk
Tel: 01246 239684
Bar Officer
Les Patrick (Little Tinker)
bar.officer@rwbc.org.uk
Tel: 01709 510008
Quartermaster
Adrian Hambleton (Warrior)
quartermaster@rwbc.org.uk
Tel: 0114 255 0788
LOCK KEY is the magazine of the Retford and Worksop Boat Club and is issued free to members.
Materials and opinions herein do not necessarily emanate from the Editor or the Committee. Responsibility
cannot be accepted for the accuracy and contents included. Materials herein may be reproduced in
allied magazines and the Press, provided always that (a) the courtesy of source is given, and that
(b) nothing is quoted out of context.
27

I’m Tired
I’m tired, - yes I’m tired. For several years
I’ve been blaming it on middle age, -poor
blood, lack of vitamins, air pollution, saccharin,
obesity, dieting, under arm odour, yellow
wax build up, and another dozen
maladies that make you wonder if life is
really worth living.
But I’ve found out that it isn’t that at all.
I’m tired because I’m overworked.
The population of this Country is 51 million,
21 million are retired. That leaves 30
million to do the work.
There are 19 million in school. That leaves
11 million to do the work.
2 million are unemployed and 4 million work
for the Government. That leaves 5 million to
do the work.
1 million are in the Armed Forces, leaving
4 million to do all the work.
3 million are employed by County and Borough
Councils which leaves 1 million to do
the work.
There are 620,000 people in Hospital and
19,998 in prison.
That leaves 2 people to do all the work,
YOU AND ME !!!!!
And you are sat down reading this so no
wonder I’m tired.
RED INDIAN WISDOM
It was October and the Indians in a remote
reservation asked their new Chief if
the coming Winter was going to be cold or
mild.
26
Since he was a Chief in a modern society,
he’d never been taught the old secrets.
When he looked at the sky he couldn’t tell
what the Winter was going to be like.
Nevertheless, - to be on the safe side, - he
told his tribe that the Winter would be cold
and they should collect firewood to be prepared.
But being a practical leader, after several
days he got an idea. He went to the phone
booth and rang the National Weather Service.
He asked them “Is the coming Winter
going to be cold?”.
The meteorologist said it looks as if this
Winter will be quite cold.
The Chief went back to his people and told
them to collect even more firewood to be
prepared.
Next week he rang the Weather Service
again and asked the same question. And the
meteorologist said, “Yes, it looks as if it’s
going to be a very cold Winter.” So the
Chief told his people to collect every scrap
of firewood they could find.
Two weeks later, the Chief rang the
Weather bureau again and asked “Are you
absolutely sure about the very cold Winter”
“Absolutely” the man replied.
“How can you be so sure?” the Chief queried.
The Weatherman replied “The Indians are
collecting firewood like crazy”
Chairman’s Chat
Well that seems to be another year
gone and goodness knows where it went
again. Summer was rather a non starter
as lack of progress on my boat will testify,
it was envisaged to be only about 8-10
days work originally but with awful wet
weather and work commitments, I only
got about a third of it done so I am desperately
praying for an early and mild
spring to get Fleur finished and back in
the oggin. One thing that does strike me
being forced to dwell in a caravan whilst
down at Clayworth, is just how much we
took for granted the warmth of a solid
fuel stove. We do miss it, trying to heat a
caravan in winter reminds me of the old
adage that refers to brass monkeys and
welders!
After one enormous period of upheaval
we now have our beloved clubhouse
back, to all that attended the grand reopening,
it was wonderful to see you and
thanks for the support. The premises were
blessed and officially opened by our very
own “ Bob the Vicar”, followed by some
Bucks Fizz and impressively yummy nibbles
laid on by Linda our brand new caretaker,
ably assisted by her “ Dinner
Ladies” – a big well done there, it looked
and tasted wonderful. The evening was a
quiz night where the infamous quiz guru
Buffalo Bryan won a dedicated quiz (Well
done Bry at last – it wasn’t a fix - honest!)
accompanied by an excellent buffet laid
on by our fantastic catering ladies. We
were fortunate to have the editor of the
Towpath Talk with us for the afternoon, a
lovely lady who came down to do a
feature on our club and it’s re-opening,
so keep your eyes peeled for the editorial
feature on us in the paper.
Auction night was the usual success
and we raised over £800, thanks to all
who attended and spent your hard
earned. Thanks too to Pete and Pam B for
doing the auction and to Mick Baines for
doing the bar.
We had a refresher session of fire safety
training a few weeks ago and it was well
attended, mostly by committee members,
I hope that they all took something
useful away with them. We have to do
this every six months or so and there will
be another session in January, so please
look on the notice board, all are welcome
to attend and indeed are encouraged
to do so. It may sound dull but in
reality it is quite an eye opener and a few
people were very surprised just how little
they were aware of fire safety and went
away quite thoughtful, so if you can get
to one, you will be made most welcome
and I will be most grateful. The more people
we can train, the safer an environment
the club will be and that has to be
a good thing.
We are planning to have a good year
of social events in 2013 and bring the club
together as a community, themed food
nights being a proposed regular event
with some sort of entertainment thrown in.
Please try and support these events, we
need to bond together and use the facilities
that we have. It is also a great opportunity
for newer members to get to know
us all – we don’t bite, well most of us
anyway .
Lastly it just remains for me to wish every
one of you a very happy Christmas and a
peaceful, prosperous and healthy 2013,
as well as once more an enormous thanks
to all who helped out during a very difficult
2012, without you we simply could
not have done it.
Trevor.
3

Editorial
At last we can take a breath after all the
upheaval of the last 3 months.
But it is really good to look at what has
happened in those months and realise
what an achievement we’ve made. A
spanking clean fresh newly decorated
club house, much much easier to access
and of course much safer.
One didn’t consciously think of the
safety aspects, when we sat round in the
bar or jumped up and down on the
games room floor on party nights, but my
word now that the fire safety precautions
have been installed and the floor
strengthening done, it is amazing how
much more comfortable we can feel.
It’s been amazing too, how some members
have given their skills and their time
so unstintingly to bring about this metamorphosis.
And that’s what it has been, - not only to
the fabric of the Club but in the membership
as well. All organisations have highs
and lows in their existence and sadly it
was noticeable that we were ‘down in
the dumps’, - weren’t we?
Then suddenly in the middle of it all, - the
mood changed! I watched it happen.
So exciting. There’s a whole new feeling
of exuberance abroad in the club and so
we can go forward from here, - and who
knows what we can achieve in the near
future.
With the help of Linda and Jim, our new
caretakers we can bring fresh energy
and fresh lively ideas into play and hopefully
some of the members who haven’t
been ‘joiners-in’ will be tempted to come
along and see what pleasures there are
in being a real “Club Member”.
4
And further to that I must stress most
strongly that unless you are prepared to
come into the Club on the occasions
when the bar is open, you will not be able
to get to know your fellow members, - nor
will they get to know you. You will also
miss out on any planned events and on
great opportunities for gleaning the
many years of knowledge and experience
held by our older members.
If you are not in the habit of “going out
for a drink”, that does not matter. There
are soft drinks and tea and coffee available
and you don’t have to have anything,
just company. You will also find out
what opportunities there are for you to
justify getting your next year’s mooring.
Please remember that this is a CLUB with
all that signifies, - not just a handy place
to moor up your boat.
KIDS PARTY
About 40 children and their Parents and
grandparents came to the club’s Annual
“Kid’s Christmas Party”, on the afternoon
of Saturday 15 th December. The event
was organised by Chris and Louise as has
been traditional and the children all had
a wonderful time. Not so the grown-ups, -
due to the booked entertainer (a Magician)
being involved in a car smash on his
way here and unable to attend.
The party continued with the lovely kind
of games of organised chaos which we
all remember from our childhood days, -
a triumph of improvisation and quick
thinking by Chris and her team. Needless
to say Father Christmas and his assistant,
Miss Christmas did pay their scheduled
visit, - there isn’t as much traffic at
chimney level.
Linda D.
There are no roller bearings on a steam
engine, all the moving parts are metal on
metal so lubrication is a balancing job of
not too little that the metals grind together
and not too much that you waste oil.
How does the engine know which direction
to travel? If you look at the workings of
the valve gear there is a complicated
collection of rods that move in a particular
way to direct the steam into the correct
place at the correct time to achieve this.
The next time you see an engine look
closer at the rods making up the valve
gear connected between the wheels and
the cylinders and try to work it out.
Anyone who has seen the cross section
of a steam engine boiler will know that it is
not just a kettle, it is filled with tubes, stays,
regulating gear (the throttle) and other
items.
A few engines have the tubes welding in
at each end but most just have the ends
expanded into the holes at the fire box
and smoke box ends.
Replacing these tubes is hard, dirty, noisy
(you remove the old ones with a jack hammer)
and great fun. I have done quite a
few.
Not everyone has the opportunity to
work on what is called 12 inches to one
foot engines, some people get their ‘fix’
with models. Don’t get me wrong the only
difference between the models and the
12 inch to one foot is the size.
Model builders pride themselves on making
perfect copies of their larger versions.
Right down to the correct number of rivets
in the smoke box. All the insides are there
including, sometimes an extra set of tubes
in the top of the boiler called superheater
tubes.
They still work in the same way as their full
size brothers.
They need coal and water introduced at
the right time, not enough coal and the
fire will die back to a point that it won’t
have enough power left to draw air
through the newly inserted coal and will
go out, too much coal and the fire will
either be smothered or will burn so hotly
that the steam will be blowing noisily out of
the safety valves.
Not enough water and the level will drop
so far that fusible plugs (bolts with a hole
up the middle filled with lead) set into the
top of the firebox melt and cover the fire
in steam and hot water effectively killing
the boiler, too much and the water will go
through to the cylinders and as water
doesn’t expand or contract will cause irreparable
damage to the cylinders.
Driving both a full size and a model engine
can take a lot of experience.
25

Trains & Boats & Planes etc. No.3 TRAINS
In the latter part of the last millennium,
companies were familiar with moving
goods and passengers around the world
using water and boats.
When owners around this country
needed to get goods and passengers to
and from their premises well inland they
began using and altering the rivers.
It was soon decided that many companies,
especially the ones such as mines
and wool mills, were situated far enough
away from rivers that were capable of
transporting such large loads that an alternative
form of transport had to be found.
The canal system was born and has
remained largely in place ever since.
The companies grew and prospered.
The one set back with the canals was
time, now that goods could travel long
distances, people wanted them sooner.
Engineers started to look for alternatives
and investigated the possibility of putting
the water pumps run by steam to use.
Loading a mechanical monster on
wheels is not an easy job and to allow it to
carry its own fuel needed a whole new
area of development.
Engineers are quite inventive and eventually
overcame a lot of the problems, thus
the steam age began.
It was so successful that it wasn’t long
before the steam companies were buying
out the canal companies for the need for
flat strips of land to build on. The canal
companies went broke whilst the steam
companies prospered.
24
Steam engines did have a few draw
backs, for one they needed a lot of attention
and only ran on relatively flat ground
along tracks laid on solid foundations. With
the invention of the internal combustion
engine all this could be avoided. Diesel
engines replaced steam on tracks for the
movement of large amounts of freight and
roads replaced tracks for other needs.
The steam engine became obsolete.
So why is it still of interest to many people?
It is expensive to run, difficult and labour
intensive to maintain and still needs the
space for the tracks and stowage of the
engines.
For me it is that very reason I find them so
interesting.
The steam engine is not just a kettle that
can be used to turn wheels. It is far more
complex, for instance how do you get
water into a kettle that is pressurised to 160
lbs per square inch?
You use a component called an injector,
it is basically a form of venturi using the
engines own steam as the driving force.
The fire must be capable of replacing
pressure that is being used. The coal put
into the firebox has to light, heat up
enough to burn hotly and that heat is to
be pushed through pipes that are immersed
in water to heat that water so that
it produces pressure, this process can take
five minutes or more but you need the
pressure replaced now. This takes a lot of
experience and knowledge by the fireman
of what the engine will be doing in its
future.
NOTICE OF THE 2013 ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING
The 51st ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING of the Retford and Worksop
(Chesterfield Canal) Boat Club Limited is convened to be held at the Club House,
Clayworth Wharf, near Retford on Sunday the 24th March starting at 12 Noon
prompt: -
To receive accounts and approve them
To elect Officers and Members of the Committee
To elect Auditors
and to consider proposals and any other business proper to the meeting.
R. A. James, Secretary
-------------------------------------------------
PROPOSITIONS
Any member wishing to propose any matter for the Meeting should present the
same, properly signed and seconded, to the Secretary not later than 28 days
prior to the Annual General Meeting.
Proxy forms for any proposition, which is to be decided by ballot, can be obtained
from the Secretary. These must be returned to the Secretary no later than 48 hours
before the commencement of the meeting to be deemed valid. Proxies cannot be
used when propositions are voted on by a show of hands.
NOMINATIONS FOR THE COMMITTEE
The Chairman, Secretary, Treasurer and nine Committee Members are due to retire
by rotation are nominations for these posts are invited from members. Those
retiring may also seek re-election.
The enclosed form should be completed fully and handed to the secretary no later
than 28 days prior to the Annual General Meeting.
5

Up Mennell’s Gennel!
I appreciate that our committee have
had more to think about during the past
few months, but I would like to remind you
all that at the moment the Club doe's not
have a Club Representative for the
AWCC. The job involves attending four or
five meetings a year and the majority are
held in South Yorkshire. I would ask you to
read the report from an AWCC meeting
recently held at Tinsley Boat Club in
Rotherham . In it you will read the coming
issues we as boaters are more than likely
going to have to bear. Not only is there
the problem of the E.U wanting to rationalise
conditions through-out Europe but
there are significant signs that boaters are
NOT the first interest on the Canal and
Rivers Trust agenda. It is imperative that
we make our views and feelings clear to
the Trust and I honestly believe the best
channel to do this is via the North East
regional meetings of the AWCC.. Through
the National Executive this organisation is
constantly in talks with the Trust and sit on
several committees. The more ammunition
we can give them to fire, the safer our
waterways will be. The North-East region
represents over 800 boaters and over
1600 club members.
One other benefit of being Club Representative
is that when you get your mooring
renewal it's an easy way of showing
what you have done for the Club.
I know that this will have been said before
but I would like to thank all club
members that turned up to sort the Club
out after the contractors had finished,
especially those Lads and Lasses who
6
showed that the Club spirit is still very
much alive and kicking.
A special thanks must also go to Bob
Smith who basically spent at the very least
a month overseeing the contractors and
for making on the spot decisions. However
when walking past his boat when
moored at the Club House with my old
lady I commented to her that Bob had
found the most economical way of travelling
the Waterways. I told her that he had
fastened his boat to the BW tug which
was also moored there, She turned and
looked and said that firstly Bob's boat was
not fastened to the Tug and secondly if he
had done so he would have fastened his
stern to the Tugs bow . I hate it when she's
always right !
I was talking to my neighbour Mr. P.
Davies when two very well dressed and
well spoken Ladies stopped to ask us
questions about the canal, Their final
question was addressed to me and it was
how we get the boats away from the
moorings when they are moored so
closely together. I told them that the best
way was to reverse out after giving the
stern a push and then stepping quickly
onto the aft deck. Mr. Davies added if
you don't understand that we normally
say in this area is that we give 'em a good
SHUFF on the back-end.!!!!!
Finally may I wish all of you (yes including
Mr. D) a Very Happy Christmas and a
much drier New Year.
robertmennell@btinternet.com
Bob Mennell
And as for gifts...why, he'd never had the notion
that making a choice could cause such commotion.
Nothing of leather, nothing of fur...
Which meant nothing for him or nothing for her.
Nothing to aim, Nothing to shoot,
Nothing that clamoured or made lots of noise.
Nothing for just girls and nothing for just boys.
Nothing that claimed to be gender specific,
Nothing that's warlike or non-pacifistic.
No candy or sweets...they were bad for the tooth.
Nothing that seemed to embellish upon the truth.
And fairy tales...while not yet forbidden,
were like Ken and Barbie, better off hidden,
for they raised the hackles of those psychological,
who claimed the only good gift was one ecological.
No baseball, no football...someone might get hurt,
besides - playing sports exposed kids to dirt.
Dolls were said to be sexist and should be passé.
and Nintendo would rot your entire brain away.
So Santa just stood there, dishevelled and perplexed,
he just couldn't figure out what to do next?
He tried to be merry he tried to be gay,
but you must have to admit he was having a very bad day.
His sack was quite empty, it was flat on the ground,
nothing fully acceptable was anywhere to be found.
Something special was needed, a gift that he might,
give to us all, without angering the left or the right.
A gift that would satisfy - with no indecision,
each group of people in every religion.
Every race, every hue,
everyone, everywhere...even you!
So here is that gift, it's price beyond worth...
23

Christmas
A Politically Correct Christmas Poem
Twas the night before Christmas and Santa's a wreck...
How to live in a world that's politically correct?
His workers no longer would answer to "Elves",
"Vertically Challenged" they were calling themselves.
And labour conditions at the North Pole,
were alleged by the union, to stifle the soul.
Four reindeer had vanished without much propriety,
released to the wild, by the Humane Society.
And equal employment had made it quite clear,
that Santa had better not use just reindeer.
So Dancer and Donner, Comet and Cupid,
were replaced with 4 pigs, and you know that looked stupid!
The runners had been removed from his beautiful sleigh,
because the ruts were deemed dangerous by the EPA,
And millions of people were calling the Cops,
when they heard sled noises upon their roof tops.
Second-hand smoke from his pipe, had his workers quite frightened,
and his fur trimmed red suit was called "unenlightened".
To show you the strangeness of today's ebbs and flows,
Rudolf was suing over unauthorized use of his nose.
He went to Geraldo, in front of the Nation,
demanding millions in over-due workers compensation.
So...half of the reindeer were gone, and his wife
who suddenly said she'd had enough of this life,
joined a self help group, packed and left in a whiz,
demanding from now on that her title was Ms.
22
PLEASE BE AWARE;-
THAT THE NEXT COMMITTEE MEETING WILL BE AN OPEN ONE AND WILL BE HELD
AT 1PM ON SATURDAY 12TH JANUARY NEXT.
THAT up to date Committee minutes are now filed in ring binders underneath the photo albums in
the Bar Lounge. They are now much more accessible for you to read and be aware of the work the
Committee is doing.
THAT the slipway at West Stockwith will be closed in future unless it’s operation is supervised by
C & RT staff. (Page 7, - Cuckoo magazine)
Enquiries to Newark 01636 704481
THAT the C& RT ask all boaters to inform them of weed and floating reed islands by e mail,
enquiries.midlands@canalrivertrust.org.uk, or same Newark number as above. (Page 10,- Cuckoo
magazine.)
THAT there is a “Club Library” of more rare and precious books, DVDs etc., kept in the archives
cabinet. You may borrow them- signing the log, - and return them. Ask any Committee Member.
THAT there are a number of awards for which you may compete during the year.
They are: Olga Stokes Propeller, - Best Boat’s Log. (Late November)
Little Mester Shield Photography Competition (Jan 1st )
White Star Trophy Most Miles Cruised on the “Chessie”
George Pollard Memorial Trophy Longest Cruise this Year
Clifford Clark Trophy Most Meritorious Cruise
Chesterfield Canal Shield Non- Committee member doing most
for the Club
Golden Duck Award To win accidentally
RWBC 25th Anniversary Shield Winning Team at Rally
Davies Trophy Children’s Dinghy handling
House Championship Trophy Overall Darts Winners.
Park View Marine Trophy Safest Boat
Perpetual Challenge Cup Boat Handling, (Timed manoeuveres).
PHOTO COMPETITION, NOW AND 2013.
A reminder that your entries for the 2012 Photo Competition should be displayed in the Club from
1st Jan, ’13. Usual rules, i.e. sets of 6 prints in 6” X 4” on a paper backing. (More than one set if
you wish) Name on the back of each print and on the back of the paper. Title the prints if you wish.
The 2013 subject for your next entry will be WILDLIFE ON THE CANAL SCENE.
Bryan (Buffalo) Atkinson.
7

8
Social Secretary’s Report
Now we have the clubhouse back in
action Social events are in full swing.
The re-opening ceremony was well attended
and reported on elsewhere in this
edition by our Chairman. In the evening
Trev did a quiz which was greatly enjoyed
and hotly contested by all present. Auction
night was a success raising over £800
the majority of which went towards the
Christmas party. Linda and the catering
team did a great job on both occasions.
There will be a New Year’s Eve party as
usual and this year the theme is simply
“dress up smart”. Nana will be preparing
a buffet supper. Any hardy souls might
wish to go on the Frostbite Cruise to
Drakeholes on New Year’s Day with the
usual caveat “weather permitting”!
Looking forward to the New Year we
have a number of events planned. Please
see the what’s on diary and keep an eye
on the notice board and website for any
additions or alterations. You will see that
on Friday 11 th January we are having a
visiting band of players in the clubhouse
to perform a short “Plough Play” which
promises to be entertaining and amusing.
The players are performing in several local
pubs on the same evening so we don’t
know an exact time but expect it to be
after 9pm. In order to complement the
play our catering team will be providing
Ploughman’s Supper in the club at a small
cost. Please support this event which will
be something different.
Speaking of something different the
SODS Opera has morphed in to a Pantomime
and will be a week later than usual
on 23 rd February. If there are any budding
thespians out there hoping for a break
into the world of theatre this may not be
for you but other potential cast members
please contact Trev as soon as possible!
Also in February, John Lower will be giving
an illustrated talk on Saturday 2 nd on
the “Fall and Rise of the Chesterfield Canal
“.
We are also planning a series of themed
food nights as the year progresses so
watch out for details.
The annual Dinner in March will this year
be held at the White Swan at Drakeholes.
Full details and Menu will be available
during January and I urge you to consider
coming to this event. At the time of writing
I have not confirmed the price but expect
that it will be less than £30 per head to
include a three course meal and dancing.
I am, as ever, grateful to all those who
attend our social events and to the people
who help run and provide catering for
them.
Chris Turner
Social Secretary
Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to everyone at
RWBC.
From Barbara and John, - Barbarella
The warmest wishes for this Christmas season and throughout
the next year, from Linda and Pete. – Black Grouse
Wishing everyone a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year,
Richard and Daphne, - Tread Softly
Chris and Elaine Turner (Jophina 2) wish you all the
blessing of a Peaceful Christmas
and a healthy and Happy New Year.
Merry Christmas and a Happy 2013 from Lenny, Lesley and
Dougal. (Perseverance)
Best wishes for 2013. with love from Tom and Ellie.
(Whisper)
We wish you a Happy Christmas and every blessing for the
New Year, Val and Bob (Shalom)
Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year from Carole and
Ian -T’other Evergreen.
Merry Christmas to everyone at RWBC. We hope you all
have a very Happy and prosperous New Year. Love from
Chris and Doug, Louise and Connor.
21

20
Christmas Greetings
Trevor and Vicki Gough wish you all a very happy Christmas
and a super New Year-.(Fleur)
Barbara and John Lower send Christmas greetings to all
their fellow members. (Madeley Wood)
Wishing everyone at RWBC a Merry Christmas (with sleigh
bells on) and a happy, friendly New Year.
Mike and Diane Payne, - Hawthorn.
.Adrian and Linda Hambleton
Season’s Greetings to all at RWBC. from the Captain and
Chief Engineer of Nb Warrior.
A very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to all our
friends at RWBC.
Evergreen. XX
Wishing you all you’d wish yourselves for Christmas and for
2013. From the
Captain and Crew of Little Mester.
A very Happy Christmas to you and everyone who made me
so welcome, at your club.
From Janet Richardson, Editor of Towpath Talk.
What’s On?
31st December New Year’s Eve Party
1st January
11th January
N.B. Friday Night
2nd February
Frostbite Cruise
Weather Permitting
Plough Play &
Poughman’s Supper
The Fall & Rise of the
Chesterfield Canal
By John Lower
An illustrated journey along the entire Chesterfield Canal from
West Stockwith to Chesterfield. On the way, we will look at the
history of the canal, its demise, its restoration over the last fifty years
and plans for the future.
25th February
23rd March
“Puss in Boats”
- A Pantomime for All
Annual Dinner.
The White Swan, Drakeholes
See notice board for details during January.
24th March A.G.M. 12 Noon
Material for the next Lock Key by 30th March Please!
9

A THANK YOU AND FAREWELL
To everyone at Retford and Worksop Boat Club.
We would like to thank you all for your friendship, support, advice, and most of all
the FUN! you’ve shared with us over the past six years.
Poor health has forced this painful turn of events.
We are going to miss you all. Love from Maureen and Terry Heath (ex nb Willow).
A JOYOUS WELCOME
To our new Caretakers, Jim Dowson and Linda le Roux. Jim is a born handyman
and has previously won the Trophy for “Non Committee person who has done most
for the Club”
Linda is a charming addition to the scene and has a calm serene presence. She is
very experienced in food hygiene regulations, having been manageress and the
owner of her own business – a Café. We wish them both many happy years as
Caretakers and we can be assured that they will be an immense asset to the club
with their pleasant helpful attitude to members and visitors alike.
ANOTHER THANK YOU.
Over 20 people enjoyed the Carol Service in the clubhouse on Dec. 14 th, -
followed by mince pies and mulled wine.
Thanks to both Elaine and Bob for taking the service.
Don’t let worry kill you off, - let your fellow members help.
Remember in your prayers the many who are sick of our club members.
Smile at someone who is hard to love and say “Hell “ to someone who doesn’t
care for you..
The Weight Watchers group will meet at 3am on Tuesdays. Please use the
large double doors.
And the Low Self Esteem group are asked to use the back door.
A lot of members are now coming back to the club. It is usually because
they’ve forgotten their keys or coats or their glasses.
10
Canal & River Trust User Group Meeting
9 th October 2012
On the River Witham at Boston, an improved visitor mooring has been completed
and further temporary moorings will be provided a short distance above
the Grand Sluice. The completed first section moorings will be for up to five
days stay. At West Stockwith, further dredging will be done at the lock entry on
the Trent The steel piling work on the canal at Stockwith has been completed
recently.
Between February and March next year, most of the Trent lock approaches
from down river will be dredged up to the bottom gate areas.
On the Chesterfield Canal, work has been done at Gringley Lock on the
bottom walls under the bridge this October. Work on West Retford Lock and at
Osberton Lock ground paddles has also been finished recently.
Confirmed work dates for early in 2013 were given as follows:
Wiseton Middle Bridge – No. 70 18 th Feb to 11 th March 2013
Green Mile Bridge – No.32 28 th January to 11 th February
Retford Cemetery Bridge – No. 54 8 th February to 4 th March
West Retford Lock 18 th February to 4 th March
Whitsunday Pie Lock will also be closed from 8th March to 22nd March for
repairs to bottom cills and gates.
Confirmation was also given that dredging will take place this winter from
Manton Viaduct up to Kilton Lock at Worksop. Also spot dredging will be done
from Kiveton feeder down to Worksop in the coming months.
Lastly, more serious events took place on the Trent & Mersey Canal at
Dutton’s Hollow, some two miles from Preston Brook with a major breach on the
waterway in two places.
Harry Richardson
19

no harm befell us and the Autumn colours
on the hillsides were beginning to glow.
Elsewhere on the hillsides were orderly
rows of vines, for these vineyards produce
Hocks, excellent wines. And ruined castles
abound here, with one right on a peninsular
in the river. This and some of the others
were the homes of robber barons who in
times gone by, used to exact hefty tolls on
the cargoes shipped on the waterway. At
the head of the Rhine gorge we stopped
at Rudesheim on the right(northern) bank.
This resort town is hardly restful because a
busy railway sees long goods trains clattering
past every few minutes. In the
gorge there are roads and double track
railways on both banks of the river. The
passenger expresses mostly use the southwest
bank so they can stop at Koblenz,
However the high speed trains to Frankfurt
from Cologne now go through long tunnels
and miss the lovely Rhine valley altogether.
Rudesheim has a Mechanical
Music Museum which we visited. It was
more mystery than melodiousness.! After
passing Mainz and the mouth of the River
Main, the Rhine turns south and we followed
it past Wörms where Martin Luther
took his stand against Catholicism. The
German tour guide was at pains to tell us
that the umlaut ö means that our school’s
memorable double pun “The Diet of
Worms”, -didn’t work in German. Further
south the French frontier moves up to the
Rhine; from here on the Rhine itself is the
French/German frontier.- also south of this
point the Rhine is dammed at intervals
and locks are used, each lifting us on
average 39 ft.
An exception, as we entered the local
River Ill on the outskirts of Strasbourg a
small lock lifted us 6 ins. We moored, spent
the night then explored this great and
interesting city, first by coach and then by
glass roofed canal boat. It has been alter-
18
nately French and German over the centuries
and it now has an important
international district. This embraces (1) The
Council of Europe building, (2) European
Court of Human Rights, (3) (since 1979)
one of the seats of the European Parliament,
and (4) many embassies. Elsewhere
the ancient part of the city is notable for
it’s cathedral and the Place of Gutenburg
where the genius first developed printing
with moveable type.
After rejoining the Rhine itself, our boat
was for a long time held up in a queue
where the larger lock of a pair was under
reconstruction. We happily lay on
sunbeds in glorious sunshine, free of the
draught our speed normally gave rise to.
We eventually jumped part of the queue
because our shorter-than-maximum
length enabled us to share the lock with
another shorter boat. Much of this part of
the Rhine is by-passed by lock-cuts, all on
the French side. We spent our penultimate
night just below the lock at Breisach.
This barrage, like many others on the Continent,
has a hydro-electric power station
to convert the energy of the flowing water
into electric power. Why is it that in
England only the Trent’s Beeston Weir has
one? At all the other locks on Trent, Severn
& Thames the green power which we
need so much is wasted !
At Basel, which is just in Switzerland, our
trip ended, back on the River Rhine with
it’s strong current. After a night at a Swiss
quay we were bussed to the Airport
(which is truly international also serves
Mulhouse in France and Freiburg in Germany)
and were flown home to Heathrow.
Some of our compnions, however,
remained on the Rex Rheni for the return
trip to Cologne.
Christopher Lunnon
Boat Licensing
The River Trust Way (Not recommended):
Pay for your licence in full online, it is quick, easy and it saves the Canal & River Trust
the commission fee (5%) that it would have to pay RWBC if you paid your licence
through the Club. But there’s a down side!
You may later be reminded that you have broken the Club’s Mooring Code and be
asked to compensate the Club for the lost commission. OK, it might be nice to think
that this way saves C&RT some money, but on the other hand it loses the Boat Club
some revenue (and we are a bit short of cash at the moment aren’t we?)
The easy or RWBC way (recommended):
Send your signed and updated licence renewal form to the Clubhouse (addressed
to the Licensing Officer) together with your cheque (or fill in the Credit/Debit card
details on the front of the form instead) and leave the rest to me.
Just a reminder - Cheques must be payable to ‘Canal & River Trust’ (don’t forget to
sign it, date it and use black or blue ink). Check that the insurance expiry date on the
form is corrected to the right date, the Insurer and policy number details are right and
that your BSS is still valid.
The expensive way (if you have to):
If you can afford to pay the fee all at once (and we can’t always afford such a big
lump sum especially around Christmas time) it’s best to, so please pay ‘The Easy Way’
see above.
If you choose (or have) to pay by instalments, as I’m sure you already know,
remember that you will not get your Prompt Payment 10% discount and you will also
be charged an additional handling and interest charge by C&RT. In addition the
Club will not get the 5% commission payment from C&RT (about £30 on average per
boat, equal to about one and a half annual membership fees or two and a half
Pensioners’ membership fees). Once you have filled in the direct debit mandate on
the back of the renewal form, C&RT will automatically take your licence money from
your bank account, year on year, not offer you ways to change back to getting the
Prompt Payment discount and pass no commission on to the Club. It makes this
convenience expensive for the Boat Club.
It isn’t too onerous a task once a year (remember I have over 60 of them to do each
year, plus two additional forms to fill in per application and a number of visits to the
red post box to make). But this does generate about £2000 for Club funds (equals the
fees of about 80 members).
If you do choose the third way, please let me know that you are paying by
instalments. The Mooring Conditions state that you must license your boat through the
Club so if you haven’t done so we need to know.
Happy Christmas ………… Arthur Naylor
11

12
LADIES LADIES LADIES
WE HAVE STARTED A SERIES OF SATURDAY AFTERNOON SESSIONS FOR SMALL
CRAFTS OR OTHER GENTLE PURSUITS.
WOULD YOU LIKE TO GIVE IT A TRY?
(GENTLEMEN ARE WELCOME AND THEY DON’T HAVE TO RUN VERY FAST!)
COME ALONG, - EITHER BRINGING YOUR IDEAS , OR SEE WHAT OTHERS SUG-
GEST, -AND WE CAN TALK ABOUT WHAT YOU’D LIKE TO DO.
I’LL BE THERE ON SATURDAY 12 th JAN. AT 1PM
( WEATHER PERMITTING ),- TO START AGAIN AFTER ALL THE FESTIVITIES ARE
OVER. WATCH YOUR E MAILS FOR LAST MINUTE CHANGES ETC.
LINDA DAVIES, TEL 01777 701255
SUBJECTS AVAILABLE FOR STARTERS
CANAL CRAFTS; including painting “Roses and Castles” and stitchcraft .
ENGLISH COSTUME; to study and including doll dressing in period.
ART APPRECIATION; and study
DECOUPAGE;
KNOTTING; re boats and decorative.
POETRY; study of, and writing in prose, (e.g. life history )
PAINTING; Watercolour and acrylics (mainly flowers and landscapes)
Including drawing techniques.
KNITTING AND CROCHET.
MICROWAVE CRAFTS; Flower drying,- pot pourri,- papier mache and clay dough.
SCRAPBOOKING and painting greetings cards.
COUNTRYSIDE STUDIES; flora, fauna, birdlife and weather.
KEEPING A BOAT LOG.
WORKING IN MINIATURE. 1/12th scale. Modelling and needlework.
QUILTING, - Patchwork or by machine.
A CRUISE ON THE RHINE,
AUTUMN 2012
We went to London by train, to Dusseldorf
by air and coach to Cologne, - arriving
on the quay in the suburb of Deutz
which looks across to the twin spired
Cathedral of Cologne across the river.
Our bags were loaded for us we had an
introductory dinner and collapsed thankfully
into bed, exhausted. The boat had
sailed past Germany’s earlier capital of
Bonn before we woke. Over breakfast we
glimpsed Konigswinter and the “7 hills”.
Now, for a long stretch there are no
bridges over the Rhine apart from the
ruins of the famous one at Remagen.
Instead there are a succession of car-ferries
dodging the heavy boat traffic. The
many freight barges are usually of 37’5”in
beam to suit locks and 361ft long, though
often two are lashed together end to end
making 722’. They carry all sorts of cargo
including containers. They “blue-flag”
with a rotatable square blue board when
they want to pass you on the wrong (right
hand) side. Nearly always the owner has
his car on deck with a crane to lift it off.
Now details of our ship, the Rex Rheni,
built in 1979. Length 295’4”, beam 37’5”,
draft 5ft. Two 1000hp Deutz diesel engines
which drive 5 blade propellors through
reversing gear, plus over 900hp of auxiliary
engines.
4 decks of which the uppermost-sun
deck- can be reduced in height for low
bridges.
A central longitudinal corridor on each
of the other decks with the cabins left and
right so that all have good windows. Further
forward lie the lounge the dining
room and the kitchens. At meals we
shared a table with an ebullient couple
from Malvern whose company we much
enjoyed. We noticed that the current of
the Rhine is in many places, increased by
laying small groynes along the bank to
narrow the navigation channel and give
a current strong enough to scour the bottom
and avoid the need for dredging.
The water would fall over these groynes
like tiny weirs, so the gradient of the river is
quite appreciable.
First stop was Koblenz where the River
Mosel flows down from Luxembourg and
Trier into the Rhine. Our mooring was
handy for the shops which we used and
laughed at the homely statues which
adorn the squares. Next morning the
sound of the engines woke me just in time
to photograph the notorious statue of
Kaiser Wilhelm on his horse which stands
on the point “Deutches Eck” where the
rivers actually meet. It was melted down
by the Allies after World War Two because
he is considered to have started the First
World War by invading Belgium, but in
recent years the Germans have set up a
copy. From this point the banks of the
Rhine come increasingly closer to form a
gorge. The river winds about and the current
increases further. Soon we were passing
the Lorelei Crag and on the opposite
bank was a huge “traffic sign”. Ahead
was a sharp bend and this complicated
sign is to tell ascending boats like ourselves,
what craft are approaching beyond
the blind bend ahead. Descending
boats are travelling not much faster than
the current and can neither stop nor steer
with precision, it behoves ascending
boats to keep out of their way!
Perhaps to sooth us the ship’s tannoy
played the lovely Lorelei tune. Anyway,
17

16
A Cruise on the Rhine
See opposite page
Steam Engines.
See page 24
Club House Renovations
After the Ructions
The Re-Opening
13

Happy Faces at the
Kids’ Christmas Party
“New Dawn” Progress!
14 15