Chairmans Chat

Dear Friends

Firstly I would like to wish you all a very Happy New Year.

I am sure you will join me in welcoming Malcolm and Keith back as joint editors of ‘195’. Between them over the years they have produced many issues giving us all a lot of pleasure and helping to build a record of ‘Friends of President’s’ activities. I ask you all to help them and Nigel (‘Steaming Up’) by providing articles and news to include in the publications. It is one of the reasons there has been a lack of communications recently, there has not been enough material sent in by us.

2004 was a great year for the boats with some fantastic trips. There were a few problems due to the lack of crew. We have run many of the trips with less than ideal numbers and this has caused problems. The trip back from Shackerstone was a nightmare for Captain Ron and his crew with the bottom far too close to the top.

This year looks like another exciting one for ‘President’ with some good trips planned and mainly down the wide canals which ‘President’ seems to like. Please let Richard know as soon as possible the trips you would like to do and make his job easy this year.

Before the boats can go anywhere there is a lot of work to do and we will be holding regular working parties over the next few weeks please contact Ron for details. There is also a need for some visits to the boats when we are not holding working parties. If you are able to open up the cabins, check everything is alright, clean the brasses and generally show a little TLC, please let one of us know and we will let you have a key.

At the A.G.M this year on Saturday 16 th April we are taking the opportunity to have a crewing conference for existing and new crewmembers and this will be followed by a familiarisation day on the Sunday. (Limited overnight accommodation is available). If you have any topics you wish to be included please let me know in plenty of time.

Best wishes
David Powell

Editorial - Keith Rogers

Quite a number of ‘Friends of President’ have a wider interest in boats than the s.n.b. ‘President’. Many I have crewed with have an interest that extends to the sea, both sail and steam. For those whose boating is confined to the inland waterways the sound of an historic diesel engine delights the ear as much a steam engine. In the past, ‘195’ has endeavoured to reflect this diversity of interest whilst, of course, keeping ‘President’ as the main character.

Only a relatively small percentage of members of ‘FoP’ actually crew ‘President’. '195' and 'Steaming Up', are the vehicles by which all members are able to keep in touch with what is going on, and some wider boating news. The committee of ‘FoP’ has been very concerned for some time about the erratic production of what are effectively the journal and the news-letter.

At about the time of the Shackerstone Rally this year (2004) this was addressed, and Malcolm Nixon and myself are going to crew '195', and Nigel Wood, 'Steaming Up'. Clearly, we are 'under orders' to produce these on a regular basis. As part of getting '195’ and ‘Steaming Up', back on the water we have delineated their roles, and there will be on-going liaison between the editors. ‘Steaming Up’ will be the newspaper, and ‘195’ will concentrate on boating reports. ‘Steaming Up’ will likely appear more often than ‘195’.

Malcolm and I have discussed how many '195's', per annum would be reasonable. We have decided that two is a sensible number. 'Steaming Up', will cover a fair amount that used to be in '195'.

Even so, it all depends on you. What Malcolm and I need are boating reports, primarily. Someone in every crew should be responsible for producing one. Could we recommend that the captain on every trip ensures that this is so.

Boating reports that have an unusual slant, or are just plain whacky, will be extremely welcome. Also, good photographs - which we promise will be returned to you. Notes on other boating experiences, research notes, etc., will be most welcome.

The winter edition of ‘195’ will, in future, be sent out in December the summer edition in June. This should split the boating reports reasonably well.

Thank you to all those who have contributed to ‘195’ No.41, and a big thank you, too, to those who have skippered ‘195’ over the past years, especially Simon Nuttall, who was at the tiller for much of this time.

By the time this edition arrives the northern hemisphere will be tilting. back towards the sun and in the distance, we shall hear steam whistles, fairground organs, the music of historic diesel engines and the exhaust of steam engines beckoning. Few would argue that springtime is not the best of seasons

Well, here I am back on the tiller of '195', with Malcolm as very important First Mate. (He's got all the electronic kit!)

Hope we shall all steam through some interesting pages together, for who knows how long.

Keith Rogers