Volunteers Newsletter
July 2006
I’m as normal as blueberry pie . . . high as a flag on the 4th of July
Oscar Hammerstein II 1895 - 1960 /
A Fond Farewell
Dave & Christine
To all our friends, colleagues and fellow cruisers, Christine and David Batley are announcing that we are bidding farewell to the sunny South East. Christine has resigned from her demanding job at Hertford Regional College; I have left Harlow College (with its enjoyable link with the Project). We are off to Norfolk to practice our skills in the world of leisure and tourism many of which I feel we learnt at the Project / If you click the picture you can hear David read his farewell (this might not work if your reading the Brown & Tinney version) /So, no more IWA Festivals, barbeques, working parties and pints of IPA at the Moorhen. Now we are going to run a Holiday Let and a Bed and Breakfast establishment, for the first time we are going to be our own masters.
Certainly we are going to miss many of those special people who cruise on the river – I will certainly be using my many contacts to let them know where we are – but the important thing is that our friends from the Project keep in touch. The Holiday Let will be up and running in June but the B&B won’t be ready until September. We are smack in the middle of Broadland so just drop in! Please contact us at:-
The Moorhen 45, Lower Street Horning
Norfolk NR12 8AA Tel 01692 631444
Email: mailto:
Stop Press
We have a new boat operations co-ordinator. Welcome to Brian Jones who takes up the reins today, Monday 19th July. Brian will be responsible for the co-ordination of teams for turnarounds and working parties. In his role he will also chair the boat forum. More about Brian in the next newsletter.
IWA News
Ware IWA Festival & Carnival Weekend July 1st / 2nd
Hilary
Another chance to have some fun! This year we'll be offering trips on Dawn Treader from the Priory Wharf on both Saturday and Sunday. In addition we plan to take part in the parade of decorated boats on Saturday morning (hopefully with our regular strolling jazz band on the bows of Red Watch) as well as being at the heart of thing when the Ware festival gets into full swing during Saturday afternoon.
Red Watch will be there as an accommodationboat for our Volunteers, so both Red Watch and Dawn Treader need to be cruised to Ware on Friday 30th June, then cruised home on Monday 3rd July, So more opportunities for informal Practice Days.
Any offers of help please to Hilary Clarke (020 8925 8752) or Kathy Challis (01279 445819).
As with Stanstead Abbotts our gazebo will be there on Saturday afternoon, so offers of help with marketing and merchandising to Geoff or Tony, please).
Green Blue Initiative
Banny
Launched by the BMF, RYA and supported by the IWA, I have been asked to publicise the initiative.
The Blue Green Initiative[Henry Ford said you can have any colour as longs as it is black] has been launched to make boats more environmentally friendly.
What can we do to help? Their five points are listed below. Additionally they suggest using someone else’s toilet, collect up all your paint scrapings, watch your wash, carry oil spill kits, don’t throw rubbish in the cut, anchor considerately and catch deck washing run off. /
CURBS
1. Cigarette stubs ( I think the mean fag ends) last for 5 years harming birds, so keep the stubs in a small tin until you get home [I’m minded to think keep the cigarettes in a small tin and leave at home; but there you go]
2. Use the Projects recycling facilities(?) or visit http://www.recyclenow.org.uk
3. Remove excess packaging at home and recycle it before reaching the project
4. Buy starch based rubbish bags as they breakdown after a year (2 decades for plastic)
5. Save waste by refilling water bottles
[PS don’t shoot the messenger I was only asked to alert you]
Stort Daybreak Trial
Ken
Just a brief note to let you know that it certainly was a trial! The hydraulic propulsion had problems from the start so we didn't have the opportunity for a cruise. Instead we spent the time crawling over every inch of the boat and trying out, as far as possible, the other systems. Les produced a very good three course meal in the galley, so no problems there. There still seems like an enormous amount to do (in the next three weeks?) and we left Dave with four pages of observations & requests. I will be speaking to Dave Thomas shortly.
Jazz Concert 7.30 Saturday 5th August
Tony Moore
Raise funds for the project while enjoying yourself in the marquee at the Toothill Show (near North Weald). Tickets cost £10 including a burger; a bar is available but do bring your own chair or blanket. Some of the money raised will come back to the project (provided you buy a ticket of course).
Replacement of 240v power tools.
Tom
A generous donation of 110v power equipment has been made by Terry Shepard. This includes a half inch drill, a pistol drill, a transformer and various leads. In addition he has donated a cordless drill and charger. Terry has an 110v 9 inch angle grinder which he also intends to give to the project. Many thanks are extended to him.
Please advise me if any of the existing power tools are ‘loaned’ to the project and if you wish to claim them back. It is intended that any tools left at the end of the replacement exercise be sold off (no reasonable offer refused).
Health and Safety News Water Borne Diseases
Weil’s disease, (see article in January 2006 newsletter).
Although rare, Weil’s disease is a very serious and potentially life threatening illness and must be swiftly diagnosed and treated. The rats that spread the disease commonly live near water and places where there is easy access to food such as farms and stables. If you work (or play) with water that has a high risk of rat infestation take great care not to ingest the water or let any wounds come into contact with it. In most cases the infection causes a flu-like illness and severe headaches. Severe cases can lead to jaundice and liver damage.
The most effective way to protect yourself from Weil's disease is to avoid contact with infected water. However, there are steps you can take to lower your risk of infection if you have to come into contact with water in lakes, streams or rivers. These include:-
· wear splash-proof clothing and gloves;
· if you have cuts do not allow them to be submerged in the water;
· if you have cuts or grazes and enter the water, you must cover them in a waterproof dressing;
· never swallow water unsuitable for drinking;
· do not immerse your head;
· those who have to enter the water need to wear over suits and gloves;
· as soon as you are out of the water take a shower in clean water as soon as possible;
· wash all equipment and clothing in clean water;
· if you have a wound always use clean fresh water to clean wounds as soon as possible.
· wash hands with soap and clean water after handling potentially infected equipment (e.g. mooring ropes)
· Don’t touch dead animals, especially rats, without wearing gloves.
Anyone experiencing fever after exposure to high risk water should contact their GP immediately. Always tell your doctor you suspect Weil's disease to avoid miss-diagnosis (many urban GP's may not have seen the disease before so alert them to the possibility).If you think you have flu and then develop the later symptoms after exposure to water at risk of contamination, go directly to a hospital and tell them you suspect Weil's disease.
Further information can be found at www.leptospirosis.org
It is always prudent to remember that any water course can be infected with any number of harmful organisms, so use your common sense and don't take risks that can lead to exposure. Next month we will look at Blue/Green Algae
The next H & S forum will be held on Friday 14th July at 3.00pm at the Moorhen
Stanstead Abbotts Riverside Festival June 24th
Les
This year we will once again be offering public boat trips on Dawn Treader from the quayside at Stanstead Abbotts. Therefore we will need the help of Skippers, Crew, and ticket sellers et cetera to make this a success. Trips will run from about 1:00 p.m. until the evening (the Parish Council have asked us to carry on into the evening this year).
On Friday 23rd we will be cruising Dawn Treader up to Stanstead Abbotts, so this is a chance for those of you intending to do your CCBM to get some practice. Then on Sunday 25th we will need to bring her back home.
Any offers of help please to Les or Doreen on 01279 424444.
We will also have our gazebo at Stanstead Abbotts this year, with merchandise, marketing et cetera - if you'd like to help with this please contact Geoff Hill (01279 813205) or Tony Moore (01992 524526).
Boat Bookings
Please, please, please – if you wish to hold a meeting on one of the boats, will you please make a booking with Les? We need to know when boats are in use.
Please, please, please, may we also ask you to ensure that if you use a boat that it is left clean and tidy, with bins emptied, china washed up et cetera Thanks
The Tideway Endorsement
NCBA, under the helmsmanship of Paul Bryan, are currently developing a Tideway Endorsement to the CCBM. This will allow confident skippers to venture onto the tideway, to drop down Bow Creek and make a passage up to Teddington.
Progress so far? A dry run was made earlier this year and details can be found in the current issue of The Cut. A further dress rehearsal was held early in June, with members of the CBP, Sail away and a skipper the Soar to further test its viability, aboard the Sobriety, ably led by Paul Cooper, skipper emeritus of the barge Audrey. Some questions remain, for example should the endorsement be location specific? Is for example, the local knowledge of the PLA of any benefit when venturing into the shoaly Humber VTS area? The course is split into three parts, pre course reading, tidal theory and practical exercises out on the tideway. Can anyone do the course? Certainly any of our first skippers should be able to extend their horizons this way. Where to next? Well certainly not dropping down the Thames, past the Barrier and out into the estuary and back up the coast to Maldon.
To be more realistic after the course and with some additional hours of cruising the Boatmasters Certificate is well within reach and this opens the chance to skipper vessels with more than 12 passengers (oh no who said an even bigger boats up the Stort?). When can you get to taste the tang of the slightly salty air of the Pool of London? Soon, an initial trial for the Project will take place on the way to Beale Park during August.
Marketing Forum
Tony M
A vibrant forum meeting to discuss two open days Harlow (Town Show) and the Projects own open day. 26th July at 7pm in the Outdoor Centre.
Important - Change of Venue 12th July
Geoff
You will have received your invitation to the members meeting on 12th July. I have been informed that the new classroom at the Outdoor Centre will not be ready by then (indeed, neither will the new boat Stort Daybreak). We have therefore booked the meeting room at Moot House. All other details remain the same.
Moot House is in The Stow – from the Outdoor Centre take the A414 towards Harlow. It turns left by the station (at the roundabout take 2nd left). Over next roundabout and then turn right at the retails park (, B&Q et cetera). Over next roundabout (by empty car showrooms) take next left into the Stow. Moot house is on the right at next corner. For parking follow the road round and car park on the left. The meeting is in the New Hall around the back of the house. There will be signs directing you.
Dates for Your Diary
Practice DaysFriday 30th / To Ware / Kathy & Mike H
Sat & Sun (July) / Tripping around Ware / Kathy
Monday 3rd July / Back again / Kathy
Tuesday et al 18/19/20 / CCBM / Geoff
Tidal CCBM / Weekend 19th August / Banny
September / CCBM (date TBN) / Geoff
Forum et cetera
Tuesday 4th July / Boat Forum / 6 pm
Friday 14th July / H&S Forum / 3 pm @ Moorhen
Wednesday 26th July / Marketing / 7 pm Tony Moore
Friday 20th Noon / Copy deadline for newsletter / Banny
Saturday2nd Sept / Car park / Geoff
Working Parties
Thursday / June 29th /
Tuesday / July 4th
Friday / July 14th
Thursday / July 20th
Monday / July 24th
Thursday / August 3rd
Please come to all or some of these to paint, make tea, make a nuisance of your self but please do come.
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