B*ll*cks Twist-Tweak.

Bow locks to East Wick. With SD.

Time to try out the new super-duper ranger kitbag as we broke out the graffiti wipes to tackle a little more of the racist offensive stuff we've seen on the Limehouse Cut.

Then on via Three Mills to Bow where the floating towpath was at last being dismantled.

We finished at East Wick moorings, pleasantly surprised not to have to deal with too much rubbish or fly-tipping.

2 hours.

Move Jena from Old Ford 19 to Lea Bridge OM

A simple cruise with Jack Newman.

I collected a higher security key (which I'll take as a token of the trust the Trust has in me) and I also picked up a towpath ranger kit-bag and a nice all weather hat (thanks Jack & Darren.)

When I fired up Jena's engine there was a puff of smoke from the exhaust inside the engine hole, which was worrying, so I noted that and the dripping stern gland and emailed Steve Tanner about both.

09:30 arrived at Old Ford 19.
10:00 completed engine checks and check over.
10:20 departed Old Ford 19.
11:00 filled with water at East Wick Leisure Mooring service point.
12:15 arrived Lea Bridge Operational Mooring
12:30 completed shut-down and check out.

3 hours.

East London Waterways Festival

This post in lieu of anything more coherent.

08:00 - 19:00 - Crewing/helming Jena.

11 hours.

Old Ford 19 and Bunting!

Rather than do my patrol around the Bow Back Waters today I concentrated on handing out Share the Space information from the new Welcome Station at Old Ford Lock 19 with G who was volunteer lock keeping there.

The new Welcome Station at the stable building has been completed and has a very nice kitchen and useful materials for volunteers.

At 3pm, I joined a crew of staff and a few volunteers to help put up signage and bunting for the East London Waterways Festival the next day. This wasn't as easy as it sounds especially as the bunting had to be hung from lamp posts rather than the mopre easily accessed, but fiercely protected, trees.

4 hours.

Another hop for Jena

This time we moved Jena from Old Ford 19 to Three Mills at Steven Wilding's request.

2 hours.

Graffiti busting and slaying the rubbish beast of Bow

Today I have mostly been painting over obscene and racist graffiti between Bow Locks and Old Ford Locks (19).

A team of four volunteers (SD, VS, PE & NS) and myself, took masonry paint and line marking spray to the rather nasty stuff that had appeared in places along this route. We tried our best to leave less offensive and more artistic street art untouched.

SD tackles some unpleasantness.

VS obliterates racism.

And I snap a quick pic while everyone grabs some lunch
and watches the TV crew setting up to film The Royals.

At the end we still had enough energy to deal with this:

...the dreaded big rubbish bag that has lurked on the Lee towpath between Bow and the Greenway for over a year. Finding it light enough for four of us to drag, we pulled it to Old Ford Locks and left it with the rubbish for a truck or van to collect in due course. Begone foul trash bag!

4 hours.

Hertford Union August 20

This was a solo effort, using the mobile number for London Enquiries to check in and out of Lone Working.

Mostly, I just reported rubbish and fly-tipping on the Hertford Union.

1 hour.

A short hop for Jena

Moving Jena with RE from Three Mills to Old Ford 19.

2 hours.

Old Ford on The Lee

The Lee and Old Ford Foliage

This was a long day moving the workboat The Lee with crew JG, from Lea Bridge OM down to Old Ford to support a foliage cut with young ladies from various London schools, then returning The Lee to its mooring at the end of the day.

There was a small issue where I couldn't open The Lee's M3 (or M5 or M7) security padlocks and I had to be loaned a key by Aidan Slater, which I returned to him at the end of the day.

9 hours

Tottenham to East Wick

With TP.

2 hours

Wet Saturday at QEOP

Proving cruise of Jena around the Olympic Park and through Carpenters Road Lock.

4 hours.