NB LUCY
Crayfish rescue during the Floating - photo © Pete Boyce
The idea of restoring LUCY was discussed at the Easter 2008 gathering of the HNBOC at Stoke Bruerne, but the need to rescue her was sharpened by the need by BW to have her removed from her resting place under a Section 8 order. A chance meeting with her owner was instrumental in Pete Boyce acquiring her. After setting up a workshop and yard at Braunston to carry out wooden boat restoration and carpentry, the facilities and space for such a restoration were coincidentally in place, in the very town where she was built. Fellow wooden boat owners, HNBOC members, her previous owner and BW themselves regard this boat as most important in the history of canal carrying, being one of the last wooden butties built for carrying, possibly THE last one built from new, at a historic wooden boatyard in Braunston.
On Monday May 4th 2009 she was refloated with the help of a volunteer working party. Two men in wetsuits patched her stern outside and in, while others baled out the mud or kept the 3" and 2" pumps going, and dragged a boat length tarpaulin under her when she came up for the second time. With the tarp in place, she floated easily, and was towed to Braunston turn, and moored at Tess Wharf until Thursday.
On Thursday May 7th the steel lifting cradle was moved to the marina, followed by LUCY under tow from JAMES LOADER. The cradle was lowered into the marina arm and LUCY eased between the straps. A check on her position on the cradle was made before she was lifted onto the lorry. Then a short trip by road brought her back to the yard, and she now rests on her cradle ashore, ready for phase 2, measurement and recording.
See the gallery and newsletter 4 for pictures and details.
National Historic Ships has awarded the project a grant towards the cost of raising and lifting LUCY. This will cover about half of the cost.
Phobox Ltd. has negotiated a 10 year lease on the main Tess Building and yard, giving the project a headquarters, and storage and workshop facilities.
A postcard from Blue Line Days has been provided by Nick Hill. It is captioned: "BLUE LINE CARRIER'S butty LUCY at Nelson Lock Braunston, Grand Union Canal. Bill Whitlock captain, loaded with coal from Atherstone for Southall" See the photo gallery section.
Removable items are in dry storage at Braunston: Six slack boards, single bed hole drawer, cabin skylights and chimney base, deck board, mast and case, cabin door, cabin back door, the cabin table and table cupboard, the single bed flap, top planks, the stands, fore end beam, 15ft of gun'l and inner plate, beam bracket, and many pieces of scumbled board.
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© Pete Boyce 2010 ----- Last updated: 8.2.2010