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Inland Waterways International WORLD WIDE WATERWAYS No. 33 - January 2020 Journal of Inland Waterways International Published by IWI, Ingles Manor, Castle Hill Avenue, Folkestone, Kent, CT20 2RD, United Kingdom 01 INLAND WATERWAYS INTERNATIONAL WE WISH ALL OUR MEMBERS A that the AGM was not held at the WCC venue. It World Wide Waterways – No. 33 VERY HAPPY NEW YEAR! was an opportunity to get together and spend January 2020 On this occasion, a reminder : membership more time than in the maëlstrom of a World Canals CONTENTS subscriptions are due in January each year. Conference. The president’s report underlined the We are grateful to all members who have intense activity over the year 2018, updated for the IWI activities – WCC – AGM in London . 2 already paid by standing order or through current year, covering BOOT Düsseldorf in January, President’s Notes . 3 our online shop. The payment gateway PIANC’s Navigating a Changing Climate coalition, Yangzhou celebrates the Grand Canal . 4 was changed in late 2019 so that the credit preparations for the World Canals Conference, Inland Waterways Pavilion at boot 2020 card solution is now provided through the work of our committee on Alternative Fuels Exhibitors’ directory . 7 Stripe instead of WorldPay. You may still in Inland Navigation, the Green WIN project led World Waterways News . 20 use PayPal if you prefer, but the charges by the Canal and River Trust, publications, tours IWAI celebrates Ireland’s canals to us are higher with PayPal. Thank you in and the regular business of publications and . 22 Erie Canal re-imagined advance for your continued support, and a membership. The Alternative Fuels Committee . 23 warm welcome to the new members listed has engaged with Venice partners in setting up an Grand Canal panorama . 24 below, from 8 different countries ! e-regatta in June 2020 (see p.15) to assist in accel- erating energy transition for boats in the Venice World Wide Waterways is published for lagoon. The project is coordinated by IWI corporate members of Inland Waterways International WCC in Yangzhou members VeniceAgenda 2028 and Venti di Cultura. Editors: Di Harris, Bob Naylor ur last issue (WWW32) was printed in IWI acts as a patron for the event, supporting its News editor: Tomáš Kolařík Nanjing and delivered to the WCCO in objectives and chairing a round table on energy Email: [email protected] O Yangzhou in time for distribution at the transition. Comments and opinions expressed in IWI’s publications World Canals Conference starting on September Norman Smith’s financial report recorded a deficit are those of the authors, named or other wise, and do not 27. Janet Gascoigne reports on the spectacular in 2018 for the third year running, related to the necessarily reflect the position of the Association as a whole. event, its presentations and site visits on pages heavy investment made in Boot in particular, but 4-5. Collaboration with the World Canal Cities pointed to a significant surplus about to be shown ment. We are grateful to CRT for kindly giving us Organisation continues, and we look forward to in the accounts for 2019. The turn-round was their time, and for the hospitality in the Three Mills meeting a strong delegation from Yangzhou and achieved thanks to the Inland Waterways Pavilion Lock control building. other Grand Canal cities in Leipzig at this year’s in Düsseldorf, which has made this event a source WCC. Highlights during the event were the launch of profit for the association after being a ‘loss- of the Gazetteer of the Canals of China, and the leader’ in the first three years. premiere of the People’s Canal Carnival in the park Rudy Van der Ween was elected second Vice- Welcome to new members close to Slender West Lake. Valuable new contacts President. Corporate were made, Yangzhou’s new 200-seater waterbus Before the regular business of the AGM the Bergmann USA was tested, and a visit was made to the Gaozhou delegates from Bydgoszcz gave a presentation of Church Minshull Aqueduct Marina UK Ancient Ferry Terminal park with its interpretation the city as the venue for the WCC in 2022. Under Cruising Association UK centre and new landscaping. Any Other Business, Catriona Hilliard presented an Navicula Assn. of Elblag Canal Admirers Poland original copy of the decree signed exactly 60 years Navisaimaa Finland AGM in London ago, putting an end to commercial carrying on Schleusenverein Switzerland Our AGM in London on November 25 was attended Ireland’s Grand Canal (see p. 22). Wijma Kampen Netherlands by 25 members. This was the first time for 20 years Individual CRT offers guided tour Thaddaeus Babb, Oklahoma City, OK USA The next day, Canal and River Trust staff members Eric Fisher, Midlothian VA USA Dean Bennet and Rob White met the IWI party Liz Frazer, Braunston UK at the Cruising Association HQ and escorted a Catriona Hilliard, Tullamore Ireland walking tour along the Limehouse Cut over to Bow Martin Ludgate, London UK locks and on to the fascinating Three Mills site. Jeff Scott Pereira, London UK Dicks and other operating staff welcomed us here Jürgen Rohweder, Stein Germany and showed the Three Mills Lock and its equip- Roger Squires (left) prepares to lead AGM attendees on a walking tour of East London’s canal ring : Jane O’Dea, Sandra Purves, Norman Smith, David Edwards-May, Locaboat’s Evolution hireboat at Weesp Colin Becker, Charlie Helliwell, on the river Vecht in front of the ‘Molen Geoff and Audrey Harman, De Vriendschap’ windmill. This model, David Wadham (hidden), with its diesel-electric drive, is on show on Leszek Woźniak, Sharon our Inland Waterways Pavilion at BOOT Leighton, Roger O’Dea, Daria Düsseldorf from January 18-26. Kieraszewicz and Catriona LOCABOAT HOLIDAYS Hilliard. © DUNCAN HAY 2 / World Wide Waterways No 33 • January 2020 President’s notes HE LAST FEW MONTHS have whizzed by, enjoyed the visits and two separate cruises in and here we are in January 2020, the Hangzhou, imagined by member Christian T month where we beat our drum on the Fardel, and the guided tour to the mind- world’s nautical stage at BOOT Düsseldorf. boggling Huai’an aqueduct/siphon structure Our statements about the value of inland and waterway cross-roads, China’s answer to waterways as living heritage are more impor- Minden on the Mittelland Kanal in Germany. tant than ever ! We are taking the opportu- nity to print a magazine that we hope our PIANC’s Smart Rivers Just days after Erie Canal under threat? We report (p.23) members will enjoy, bringing together our returning from Yangzhou, it was time to pack on the exciting plans announced on January regular content and the Inland Waterways my bags again, for the much shorter journey 6 to revitalise the Erie Canal as a magnet for Pavilion exhibitor’s directory (pp 7-18), listing to Lyon. The Smart Rivers conference was tourism and business throughout upstate New more than 100 current corporate members. another memorable event, with about 120 York. Governor Andrew Cuomo presented a That is in itself a statement, and a tribute to presentations in up to five separate strands. $300 million investment plan, which promised the vision of past president Dave Ballinger It is easy to become dizzy even thinking concrete results for many people and virtu- who 10 years ago saw the need for IWI to about where to go ! And when the dust ally all user interests. An inkling of what was expand in continental Europe, at a time settles after the event, it’s the people you’ve being prepared had come to my attention in when the membership was overwhelm- met that have left a more indelible impres- December, when I read Mike Riley’s piece in ingly from the English-speaking world. Now sion than the science you have learned. I the American Canal Society’s Fall Newsletter. nearly two thirds of our corporate members was impressed by the work presented by the Writing about the competition to reimagine are from continental Europe. This owes a lot Nanjing Hydraulic Research Institute, who how the canals could be used (launched at to the efforts of our European projects officer will host the next Smart Rivers conference in the WCC in Syracuse in 2017), he observed Peter Linssen and of course our presence October 2021. Their presentation of Nanjing ‘the winners were chosen and announced, and in Düsseldorf since 2016. I look forward and the Chinese Waterways Development someone was heard to say that if the State to meeting as many members as possible were to weld the lock-gates closed, the winners during the show on January 18-26, where the of the competition would not be affected. In inland waterways sector will be concentrated ‘Dancing with the barges’ other words, the winners had little to do with in one area of Hall 13, including no less than on China’s Grand Canal the canal as a canal. […] A series of events five hire boats. This should help to attract a were held to hear from the public on how to greater flow of motivated visitors. reimagine the canals, and with these came Strategy was fascinating, and we hope to be more rumours that the ultimate focus might WCC Yangzhou Looking back on the past able to summarise the content of their video be to close parts of [the system].’ With that year, China was the main focus in the lead up in a future issue. Most presentations were on background, the package of measures now to to the WCC in Yangzhou in September. The technical and engineering research, projects be funded by the New York Power Authority event was a great success and enjoyed by all and solutions, although tourism and recrea- leaves a number of questions unanswered.