Canal boats lifted for inspections
Volunteers from the Chichester Ship Canal Trust have been making sure the trip boats are ship shape ready for the trust’s 200th anniversary.
Inspections are carried out on the boats every two years by the Maritime and Coast Agency but this year volunteers also took extra care to ensure all the vessels were as spick and span as possible.
It was the Kingfisher’s turn to be lifted out of the water and restored this year – but things did not stop there.
Volunteer director Ian Jackson said: “It was not just Kingfisher that was removed from the water.
“This year saw an extra three boats lifted: Frisky, a 1950s-built tug was removed to repair her prop shaft; Cygnet, a fibre glass work boat required some much needed TLC; and finally the canal’s newly acquired 1960s-built tug was moved to the water after having its hull restored and repainted by canal volunteers.”
Although preparations for the 200th anniversary have been ongoing since Christmas, the lifts took place last Wednesday conducted by Coussens Cranes, a specialist company
in Hampshire which uses 160-tonne cranes to get the job done.
Ian said: “The trust ensured that there were two experienced volunteers on hand to make sure any question they had were answered.
“The boat lifts created a lot of interest and members of the public stopped to watch the work as it was happening. Many took photos.
“Because using a crane to move boats off and on to the basin is dangerous work, canal volunteers were on hand to make sure the spectators were safe.”