THE WESSEX ROSE ‘LIFE ABOARD’ Issue 3

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The Wessex Rose ‘Life Aboard’

www.wessexrose.co.uk [email protected] 07881 287320

Issue 3 – Autumn 2014

‘LIFE ABOARD’ BRINGS YOU NEWS & UPDATES FROM THE WESSEX ROSE IN THIS ISSUE

Devizes to Westminster Canoe Race Described as the This year we were fortunate to have moored the ‘Everest of the Wessex Rose close to the start line, and from Canoe World’ the there we were able to enjoy the carnival Devizes to atmosphere early on Good Friday morning as the Westminster many teams Canoe Race, taking part commonly known milled around as the ‘DW’, is run every year over the Easter Devizes Wharf Weekend and covers 125 miles of canal and river. waiting to be The organisers themselves describe the race as ‘A logged over Devizes to Westminster severe test of skill, physical and mental stamina the start line The Wessex Rose in prime position for the and planning which produces a memorable sense and begin start of the ultimate canoe race. Page 1 of achievement for those successfully completing their gruelling it’. journey. Your Cabin Awaits As the name suggests the race starts in Devizes Organised and supported by over 350 race and finishes just past Westminster Bridge on the volunteers, this year 611 Canoeists in 334 boats A look at our luxury 5* accommodation Page 2 in the heart of London. left Devizes. After a delayed start, racing got Page 2 Started in 1948 by a underway at 9.30am with the elite starting later in A Little Bit of History group of Boy Scouts the the day, timing their run to meet the outgoing Caption Competition Page 2 race has run every year tide at Teddington on the Thames to assist their Living History Book Page 2 and is open to teams speed on the last section of the race. from all over the world. The canoeists’ route takes them along the Kennet Gift Vouchers Page 2 It is broken down in to & Avon canal to Newbury, down the Our Man in NZ Page 3 single canoes, doubles, to Reading where it joins the Thames, and then Cooks Corner Page 3 juniors and seniors with downstream to Teddington and onto the tideway only the senior doubles for the last leg. There are 77 locks to be Changes afoot for 2015 Page 3 being allowed to do the negotiated en-route, all of which must be Cruise Focus Page 4 whole 125 miles in one ‘portaged’. This means crews must climb out of When Quality Counts Page 5 non-stop race, the rest their boat onto the bank and pull it from the of the classes taking up to 4 days to complete the water, carry it around the lock, put it back in the Engineering Bits Page 6 course. water and get back in to row to the next one, a Photo Competition Page 6 The course record of 15hr 34 min was set in 1979 gruelling physical effort to add to the exertions of The ‘End Bit’ Page 6 but any time under 26 or 27 hours is a fantastic hours of rowing. achievement and involves paddling non-stop The Senior Double, the only class to do the race through the night finishing on the tidal waters of non-stop paddling day and night, was won by 2 the Thames which can be challenging in any canoeists from the Fowey River Canoe Club in a condition let alone after having worked flat out time of 17 hours, 23 minutes and 35 seconds and over 24 hours! in all 268 out of the 344 boats that started completed the course. 2

Your Cabin Awaits Caption Competition!!

When you have limited space yet know exactly Why not e-mail us with a fitting caption want you want you quickly realise that things for this photograph taken in Hungerford do not happen by on one of our Spring Cruise accident and you have to team up with a We will publish the best ones in the next clever and imaginative issue. design team. Such is the story of the creation of our guest A Little Bit Of History together and divide by 4 to get the average. cabins. They would then consult the ‘gauging sheet’ to Our cabins had to have ‘The Gauging Dock’ determine the weight of cargo being carried two full length 2ft 6ins and the tolls due. When the canals were built they were private single beds which could be joined together to Once gauged, boats were issued with a copper make a king size double when required. To enterprises owned and administered by individual Canal Companies such as ‘The gauge plate indicating the date the boat was maximise guest Kennet & Avon Canal Company’ (Formerly the gauged and a unique number for the boat comfort they Western Canal Co) which was formed by issued by the canal company. must then be subscription in 1794 and chaired by Charles The company HQ, most wharves, and some of made up with a Dundas. These private companies financed the locks had toll collectors or company agents thick topper, their business by imposing tolls on goods who were able to calculate tolls due for any fine Egyptian moved on their canals. part of the cargo loaded or unloaded. In the cotton sheets case of carrying companies the dues were and luxurious hypo allergenic duvets and When the canal opened was fully opened in pillows covered in quality bedding. 1810 a toll of 1d (1 old penny) per ton/mile was invoiced, but for ‘Number 1s’ (barges owned applied to bricks and tiles, with slates being and operated by an individual) tolls were Each cabin had to have an en-suite bathroom charged at 1 ½ d per ton/mile. There were collected in person. with modern fittings and water saving features including a heated towel rail and power reductions in the tolls levied for journeys over Records of cargo 30 miles. These tolls raised between loaded or off shower, furnished with eco-friendly toiletries £20,126.00 in 1812 and £37,725.00 in 1823 and loaded, tolls paid, and a set of thick fluffy white towels. To ensure contributed to a 2.5% dividend paid each year journeys made etc. a bright airy to shareholders. were all recorded and spacious on a ‘ticket’, a feel, the door, So how were these tolls collected? To begin document which doubling as a with, every new barge was ‘gauged’. This had to be kept on shower screen involved taking the newly built boat into a the boat. Inspection had to be ‘gauging dock’ where, when empty, the frosted glass ‘freeboard’ (the amount of boat above the could be requested at any time by canal (embossed water line) was accurately measured with a company officers. with the Wessex Rose logo) to allow in light ‘gauging rod’. Measurements were taken at Most boats had a ‘ticket draw’ located just from the cabin. inside the back hatch and the gauging Each individually named cabin had to have a document would normally be kept in here. wardrobe with shelves, hanging space and a Owners of ‘Number 1s’ would also use this full length mirror, a dressing table, hairdryer, drawer to store any paperwork they owned, space for tea & coffee making facilities, a TV usually only birth, christening, marriage and with DVD player, room lights, bedside table, death certificates. Such was the simplicity of reading lights, quality soft furnishings, life on the canal, not surprising when most hardwood floor with underfloor heating, people ‘on the cut’ could neither read nor double glazed opening window and a lockable write. door. four points along the length of the boat which All three guest were then marked with small copper plates. cabins had to be Each gauging dock was equipped with cranes Gift Vouchers the same and as and blocks of weights, normally 4 tons each. For a very special, personal and unique gift spacious and The blocks were added to the boats’ holds one we now offer a range of Personalised Gift comfortable as at a time and measurements taken at each of Vouchers.

possible. the marked points. The results were sub These vouchers can be for a set value or the

divided into one ton and half ton readings and full value of a cruise and can be used on any Did we achieve it? We like to think so and measurements for each weight band entered positive comments from many of our guests available cruise on our schedule. on to the canal company’s gauging sheets. The suggest we have. Indeed many think that we For full details please have a look at the Gift sheets were circulated to all toll collectors who exceeded the original brief with the quality of Voucher section on our website under were equipped with gauging rods identical to the finish and furnishings and appreciate the Cruises and then give us a call or drop and the ones used in the gauging dock. The little extras, including fresh flowers, sweets and e-mail to discuss your individual collectors would take measurements at all 4 tissues, in each cabin. requirements marked points on loaded boats, add them 3

Meet Our Agent In New Cook ’s Corner – Chocolate Slice I love this one as there is no cooking involved and I can make it in advance. It’s simple, it looks Zealand good and, providing you don’t even think about working out the calories, it’s a simply stunning Following the episode of George Clark’s tasty desert. Amazing Spaces featuring the Wessex Rose being shown in New Zealand we were Take 200g of digestive biscuits and blitz in a food processor. Melt 100g of butter with 1 table contacted by Eurolynx, a specialist Travel spoon of Golden Syrup and then mix well with the biscuit crumbs and line an oblong flan tin based in Auckland. pressing the mixture well into the corners and sides with the back of a spoon. Chill until Following a visit and a short stay on-board needed. by David Franklin-Ross, Manager of Eurolynx, we were delighted that they Take 100g of high quality 85% cocoa chocolate and 100g of high quality milk chocolate. Break agreed to represent us and market our into small pieces and melt in a bowl over simmering water (don’t let the bowl touch the water). cruises in New Zealand. When melted add a teaspoon of vanilla extract and stir.

Sift 2 tablespoons of icing sugar into 300ml of double cream and whisk until it just holds soft peaks. Add about a quarter of the cream to the chocolate and gently mix in, then carefully fold in the rest of the cream with a metal spoon.

Pour the mixture into the flan case, smooth the top with a pallet knife warmed in hot water to give a nice shiny finish then chill in the fridge for at least 3 to 4 hours or until required.

Serve in slices with half a strawberry on top and a dollop of Crème Fraiche on the side.

Looking Ahead - 2015 Changes We are already seeing a huge amount of Eurolynx specialises in offering their New interest in these Thames cruises to the point 2015 is only just around the corner and we Zealand clients River and Canal Cruising where we only have a limited number of are happy that we took the time to prepare throughout Europe and we are honoured to cabins left. We think that the contrast of the and publish our new season’s schedule in become part of their portfolio of products. rivers, particularly the wide, meandering and plenty of time as bookings have been coming It was encouraging that even before David spectacular Thames reaches, against the in thick and fast all year. Bookings had completed his business trip around quaintness and heritage of the canals, will originating both from the UK and from every Europe we had received the first booking prove to be popular. corner of the world. from this very prestigious and specialist

Travel Agent. All our cruise routes have proved popular and many are offered again next year. We have fine-tuned our schedule to make sure each cruise delivers the best possible experience and we are in the right places at the right time to make the most of the localities.

Our biggest change for 2015 is that we have decided to introduce four River Cruises into our itinerary. These exciting new cruises A full selection of our traditional Kennet & include a number of days on the beautiful Avon Canal cruises are, of course, still River Thames, starting either at Newbury or available and we hope that the Thames Oxford. The 7 night cruise from Newbury cruises will complement the enjoyment and follows the River Kennet to join the Thames uniqueness of Canal Cruising. at Reading and then upstream to finish in the wonderfully historic city of Oxford. Another How Much Wire!! 7 night cruise begins in Oxford and will head downstream on the Thames before joining Just for fun in the last issue we posed the the Kennet for the upstream cruise to question ‘How much electrical cable do Newbury. you think was used in the Wessex Rose?’

The answer, as near as possible, is 10 kilometres!! For a more detailed description of all our Got anywhere near?? Well here is an 2015 cruises, including the new Thames easier one, have a guess how many Light Cruises please follow the ‘Cruises’ tab on the Points there are on the Wessex Rose. Wessex Rose web site.

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Cruise Focus – Bath to guests the chance to view the aqueduct from engineering. below. Progress may Pewsey be slow but Our next stop is Bradford on Avon, home to th there is always This 7 night cruise is proving to be the most an impressive 14 century Tithe Barn, the something to popular of the routes that we offer. It is a Canal Tavern where the K&A was started in do, something cruise of contrasts, beginning in the historic 1794, and an impressive bridge over the to see and and architecturally elegant City of Bath, the Avon complete someone to talk to. At the top of the 16 locks fashionable playground of the Georgians, with its own there are another 6, more spaced out, which and ending in prison. Here we we will leave for the following day. As we beautifully encounter the moor there will be a chance to admire the rural second deepest stunning views back down the flight and we at the ancient lock on the are often treated to a stunning sun set over Wessex Town Kennet & Avon and a very picturesque wharf, the locks, a perfect end to the day. of Pewsey. with a number of original canal buildings and a former gauging dock. Completing the final six locks of the Caen Hill Many of our guests, particularly those from flight the next morning brings us into Leaving Bradford on Avon behind we enter overseas, enjoy a night or two in Bath before Devizes Wharf and we stop here for an open country and after a brief stop at joining the Wessex Rose. Once on-board we opportunity to wander around this medieval Hilperton Boatyard for supplies we head take a short evening cruise to the pretty market town. Devizes is rich in historic and across Hilperton Marsh, the canal no longer village of Bathampton. The church here listed buildings and home to the Wadworth flanked by trees but open farmland and houses the grave of Admiral Arthur Phillip, Brewery which still uses Shire horses for its grassy meadows, with long range views to founder and first deliveries. Governor of New the Wiltshire Downs. Leaving Devizes we enter ‘The Long Pound’, South Wales, and Next along our route is the village of the longest lock free section of the Kennet the village pub, Semington, where the now derelict Wiltshire and Avon and enjoy a less energetic day The George, is and Berkshire canal once joined the Kennet meandering through the scenic and peaceful purportedly the & Avon. After a location of the last legally fought dual in Pewsey Valley. pause to visit the Britain. village we follow Our last port of call before Pewsey is the

From Bathampton the canal shadows the the canal through quaintly named village of Honeystreet, river Avon passing Claverton with its two locks and yet overlooked by the impressive Alton Barnes waterwheel driven pumping station, another aqueduct white horse carved into the hillside and presently undergoing renovation but which carries the canal over a main road. Not home to the Barge Inn, the self-acclaimed hopefully open to visitors again in 2015. architecturally as grand as Dundas or World headquarters for the crop circle Beyond Claverton the canal crosses the steep but nevertheless a marvellous piece phenomenon! sided valley on the spectacularly ornate of modern engineering. For those eager to explore, a . The 150 yard long En route to the next village at Seend Cleeve short walk from here is the aqueduct spans the valley on 3 ornate arches we pass Giles Wood, a nature reserve created beautiful tiny church of St built with Doric in 1993 by the planting of 5000 trees by local Mary the Virgin at Alton pilasters and landowner Freddie Giles who then made the Barnes village endowed with balustrades at area accessible to the public from the Whistler engraved windows. each end using towpath. locally quarried Beyond Honeystreet, in a field adjacent to . At Seend Cleeve, a flight of three locks take the tow path is a memorial to aircrew killed Before crossing us to the moorings near the Barge Inn, where in a flying accident during WWII. the 8ft 3ins (2.51m) Wiltshire Giant, Fred the aqueduct we stop at the ‘Brassknocker Heading for Pewsey, we pass under Ladies Basin’ for an opportunity to get a closer look Kempster once lived. Seend Cleeve was formerly dominated by an iron and smelting Bridge, an ornate stone bridge built during at the aqueduct from below, visit the last the canal’s construction at the insistence of remaining stretch of the former works with its own private railway and canal wharf but mining ceased in around 1876 and the landowner Lady Susannah Wroughton, Coal Canal and look at the only surviving who also insisted that the canal should example of an Acraman’s Crane installed on no signs remain today other than the grand house on the hill which belonged to the resemble an ornamental lake where it the wharf. crossed her land. owner. Across the aqueduct the canal hugs the Leaving Seend Cleeve by way of two further Approaching our destination at Pewsey north side of the steeply wooded valley Wharf close to the ancient Wessex Town, we above the hamlet of . Prior to locks, we heaad to Foxhanger where we encounter the first of the magnificent Caen pass through Stowell Park Estate and renovation this stretch of canal was regularly beneath the only surviving wrought iron subject to breaches so during the restoration Hill flight of 29 locks, one of the Seven Wonders of the Waterways World. This flight canal suspension bridge in the country. it was lined with concrete making this tree lined section very pretty but at times a little of locks raises the canal 237ft (73m) in a The town of Pewsey is about a mile from the challenging to navigate. stretch of 2 miles (3.2km). The first 7 locks canal town but it can be worth the walk as are spread over a gentle ¾ mile (1.2km) this bustling little town slowly re- At the far end of the valley, the canal re- incline, but the next 16 are a stunning sight, acclimatises you back into the realities of crosses the valley on another ornate three forming a steep flight in a straight line up the every day life! arched aqueduct. The hillside. We stop at the bottom of these to spans both the Avon River and the railway appreciate the spectacular view and have See our web site ‘Cruises’ section for and we enjoy another stop here to allow lunch before tackling this amazing feat of Bath to Pewsey schedule. 5

supply without having to run the engine or When Quality generator when stationary. Did You Know? By locating the engine and generator in

Counts external bays and using remote hydraulic

engineering we were able to maximise the ♥ All our cruises start and finish at,

In our opinion ‘Quality’ counts above all else internal space available for communal and or very, near railway stations. and anyone that has cruised on the Wessex cabin areas. With guest comfort and safety

Rose will tell you about the endless work we in mind, we also designed in a separate ♥ All our cabins are fully ‘en-suite’ put into maintaining the highest possible kitchen area rather than a walk through standards, and the level of commitment to galley so that guests don’t have to walk ♥ All our cruises are ‘Fully Inclusive’ delivering and maintain the exacting through it to enter or leave the boat. standards expected by the discerning which includes everything even traveller. all alcoholic ‘house’ drinks.

♥ All cabins have TV, DVD and

Tea/Coffee making facilities

♥ All bathrooms include complimentary toiletries. The interior décor boasts oak panelling and ash hardwood flooring. The boat is furnished ♥ All cabins can be configured as with bespoke built in light oak furniture, either twin or double. comfortable purpose built armchairs, monogrammed foldaway tables and hand- ♥ All cabins have ‘full size’ beds. made curtains and soft furnishings. From the very first days of the design stage Then there is the all-important food, dear to of the Wessex Rose we were committed to ♥ All our furniture is bespoke made all our hearts. We try and bring a certain flare obtaining a 5* Rating from Visit England, a for your comfort. and imagination to our menu with an eye not goal we achieved before the end of our first only for presentation but also for taste. All season. We have recently passed our second ♥ All food is freshly prepared on food is freshly cooked and to the highest possible standard, and, regardless of board to the highest standard

whether it is Karen making her cakes and cookies, or David producing appetising ♥ Unique up to the minute online meals, the same level of dedication and availability and booking system. attention to detail is given to every single plate. annual assessment with flying colours, and ♥ All backed by our prestigious Visit our rating is something that we continue to Our drink and tableware is sourced from England 5* Rating. work tirelessly to maintain. quality manufacturers. We use Dartington crystal glassware, Denby fine porcelain So what is it that earns the Wessex Rose a dinnerware and superior quality stainless five star Visit England Rating? Well, the design process was only part of the assessment criteria. Over 60% of the Visit Don’t Take Our Word England assessment is based on the quality of service provided and the overall For It, Check For experience. Yourself !! By design all our cabins are en-suite, the steel cutlery. beds are all full size, all rooms have opening During our 2014 season we There are also the subjective things that we double glazed windows, under floor heating, welcomed over 140 guests onto bespoke furniture and a TV/DVD in each are passionate about and constantly strive to cabin. In the saloon there is a home cinema maintain and improve. The level of the Wessex Rose and you can system, panoramic windows, a huge tilt and cleanliness, daily servicing of the cabins, and see what they said about us in slide sun roof and outside there’s even a the little extra touches which complement the on-line ‘Guest Book’ on our rooftop deck with deck furniture. The list the firm comfortable beds, quality bedding, thick fluffy white towels and eco-friendly web site. goes on but there’s more than just what meets the eye… toiletries in each cabin. www.wessexrose.co.uk/guest- There are also the un-seen things, the large Last but most certainly not least, it’s the water pump to supply constant high pressure welcome, the service and the personal book/ approach that we pride ourselves in. We water to all taps and showers, the best vacuum toilet system on the market, a high work endlessly to make sure that all our Or just open the Wessex Rose power Hurricane water heater independent guests feel at home, enjoy the luxury of the boat and experience canal and river cruising web site and use the ‘Guest of the engine and an 11kva generator supplying a massive battery bank to ensure to the full. Book’ tab on the right. we have a more than adequate electricity 6

planning the Wessex Rose there was no Winter contest, we immediately went for the best possible toilet system on the market. We The End Bit chose a sophisticated vacuum system We hope that you have enjoyed this It’s here again, we manufactured by Jets A/S in Norway, who edition of our newsletter ‘Life Aboard’ have said goodbye to supply toilet systems for all kinds of marine we have again tried to make the the last of the season’s environments including super yachts, cruise contents a lively mixture of news, guests and are tucked liners and oil production platforms. The information and updates. up on our winter system works just like an aircraft toilet. A moorings. But, no time powerful vacuum pump removes waste and Its only edition three and we would love for ‘feet up’, we are flushing water to a macerator before passing to hear from you if you have any straight into the list of it into a large central holding tank. comments or suggestions on the form routine winter jobs and the contents of ‘Life Aboard’. Our holding tank will take over 500 flushes - that can only be done We don’t want to annoy anyone with yes the system has a gauge and an electronic when we are not junk mail so of you don’t want to flush counter! Whilst aircraft holding tanks cruising, and when we receive any further issues of ‘Life are emptied by quaintly named ‘honey carts’ have no guests on Aboard’ please just drop us a quick e- we have to use one of the canal side ‘pump board. However, if we mail on [email protected] out’ stations to empty ours. It’s a relatively work really really hard, asking us to un-subscribe you and we clean and simple job but one we usually try we may just earn will immediately take your details off to carry out on change over days. ourselves a little our circulation list. The advantages of having invested in the holiday early in 2015!! As we look forward to our 2015 season best? It’s a fresh water based system just like we send you our very best wishes and a conventional WC, it’s a ‘multiple unit’ hope that we may have the opportunity system - essential with 4 en-suite cabins, it to welcome you on-board the Wessex Engineering Bits flushes just like a conventional WC, there are Rose. no individual toilet ‘cassettes’ to empty, no Ever wondered where it goes to? harmful chemicals used, no smells or odours, David & Karen no compost to deal with, the large holding In the last edition of ‘Life Aboard’ we looked tank reduces discharge frequency and the at ‘where it comes from’ talking mainly tank is simple to empty to mains drainage at about our electricity but how about the canal side pump stations. All in all the delicate subject of where certain ‘by- perfect system for a luxury Hotel Boat. products’ of human living ‘go to’ (and we can’t think of any other more polite way of Well, from the engineer, that’s the delicate putting it!) At home you pull a plug or flush subject out of the way and the only article I and integrated drainage takes care of the will write without using any pictures!! Next rest. But think about a boat, a moving edition? Its back to something with simple building, floating with no fixed links to any nuts and bolts. services. We have a 2000 litre water tank, generate our own electricity, carry 2000 litres Photo Competition of fuel and three LPG gas cylinders but that Everyone agrees that the waterways doesn’t explain what happens at the other end of the cycle. are very photogenic place. The environment, the nature, the boats, Grey water is easy, that’s the stuff that runs out of the sink, the hand basins and the the locks & bridges, the people and shower. We are allowed to discharge this the places are all forever changing and into the canal. Some people find that a little creating their own moods. strange but the ecologists are happy with it The and indeed a lot of what is discharged adds Our guests must have taken hundreds to the ecology by helping the food chain and of pictures during cruises so why not Wessex the bio-degrading process. However, to send us your best ones and we will find minimise ecological impact, all the toiletries, an ‘impartial’ judge to pick a winner. washing, and cleaning products we use are Rose specially sourced and certified ‘eco-friendly’ products. You can enter 1 picture in each category:- That just leaves the more savoury topic of ‘Human Waste’ or more delicately put ‘The ‘Life Aboard’ Flush’. Obviously this cannot simply be ♥ The Kennet & Avon discharged to the waterway as grey waste H♥apThepy WessexBi Rortseh day can be. There are several systems used on ♥ People & Places the canals from the humble ‘Porta Potti’ to W essex Rose ‘Dump Through’ and ‘Composting Toilets’ Please send your entries by e-mail, www.wessexrose.co.uk [email protected] and on to ‘Vacuum’ systems. and, if possible, please restrict the size 07881 287320 It certainly costs more than a penny to of each picture to 1mb. ‘spend a penny’ in comfort. When we were