Page 24 - SAFFER 07

Feeding the Monster

(from Ireland’s Waterways)

Lockdown has more or less ended on the growth flourished. Weed cutting resumed
Island of Ireland and the new normal is in May but because of the slow increase
settling in which takes getting used to in travel distance allowed, most people
for Irish people. As a race we are very couldn’t get to visit their boats. By
social types and keeping a distance is chance, my daughter, who is a healthcare
completely alien but must be done. worker, was travelling across the country
weekly and was able to check on the
Personally, I was in the cocooning elder group of boats in Mullingar Harbour.
lemon class and found myself being She is a boater herself and is in fact living
quite rebellious about restrictions but on the family barge at the moment until
thankfully I behaved and survived. When their new house is ready. Her weekly
I was asked to contribute to this project pictures and comments were shared to a
last January the family barges were Whats App group which was a blessing to
winterised in the midlands and the plan the other boat owners.
was that during March a move would
be made eastwards and a three month The end of June saw boating resume
odyssey on Irish canals would begin. I to some degree and one of the six
expected to have lots of material for a boat owners made a decision to move
monthly article during this period but west to the River Shannon and salvage
then a virus struck, and life changed. something of what is left of the boating capitol. In Spring 2021 the fleet will travel
The authority in charge of Irish inland season. The remaining five skippers have east on the Grand Canal and reach the
waterways (Waterways Ireland), sent decided to stick with the original plan River Shannon next June, a year later
the majority of its staff home and only and move eastwards towards Dublin in than planned. Some other canal boats
covered emergencies. Spring in Ireland late July. The revised plan is to slowly have spent time in Mullingar harbour
this year was the driest on record, so traverse the canal and reach Dublin in this month during their journeys east and
flooding was not a problem but weed late September and overwinter in the west on the Royal Canal which is great
to see after a very quiet few months. A
couple of boat owners are busily painting
their craft although it has been typically
Irish climate lately- very wet!

4.E will make her first voyage in 2020
this coming weekend (11/ 12 July) when
my son takes some friends on a trip west
to Coolnahay and back to Mullingar
which is beautiful countryside for city
dwellers to enjoy. I spent a couple of days
on board last week getting her shipshape
and ready for what will be a short but
long awaited season. This lay-up will have
been nine months in total, which is more
than four months longer than usual. In
the forty years of owning the barge, that
was the longest period without moving
by far. I generally visit the barge weekly
over the winter period and spend an
overnight or two onboard and run
engines for a bit. Diesel fuel has halved
in price, so a supply has been obtained
and I have also done some normal engine
service chores in advance of a punishing
run in a month or so. Breakdowns on

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