NEW SERIES: THE DUCKLING DIARY
The purchase of a ‘decrepit old barge’ prompted Lowland Canals Association chairman Christine Cameron to start writing a diary about her experiences. In this first extract she describes the initial attraction to a somewhat ugly duckling...
IT WAS the same feeling that I had as a youngster every year when the summer holidays came round. School’s out and I am free; long summer days ahead, walking the hills, swimming in the pools and watching the wildlife.
However, now I was 65 and had just retired from many years of working for the local authority. I am free from the work clock, routines, paperwork and reports. Where did the intervening years go and why did they go so fast?
Dreaming of days travelling the world, visiting family and friends, planning itineraries and the only hurdle is persuading the husband that we should have a trip to Iceland to see the Northern Lights or fly over the Angel Falls in a Twin Otter. Not an unreasonable set of plans for starters.
As he emerges from the computer room, I raise the subject of exotic travels with him. “Great,” he said, “but can I just say that the decoration in the living room is rather tired and can we do that before sailing off to the sunset. It has been annoying me for years.”
A reasonable request and I agree. Three months later the living room has new shiny wallpaper, genuine cornices, glossy skirting boards and a new carpet.
See the world
“Right,” says I, “now it’s time to spread our wings and see the world.” I head to the glory hole to find the rucksack, compass and maps. “Just one minute,” says the husband and father of the cat. “I want to go but firstly can we just remodel the bathroom. The suite has been in since Antonine visited Scotland and the colours are so ’60s. Think how great it will be to come back to all that when we return from our travels.” There is some merit in the argument.
“Great,” says I and a further three months go by. Same procedure, lovely bathroom but still no tramping along the New Zealand walking trails. The next obstacle was a demand for a shed as apparently, “it’s what every man has to have to preserve his sanity”.
Spring changes to summer and a shed, complete with electricity and every tool known to man, appears in the garden.
“Right,” says I, “here are more brochures and holidays to consider.” Instead of an excited traveller approach as was expected, I am again confronted with the now-familiar mantra. “Just one minute,” says he, “I would like to redesign the kitchen for you to make it more ergonomic. Every woman’s dream,” he retorts.
The last straw
This is the last straw and battle lines are drawn. There is a verbal confrontation which resulted in the kitchen remaining the same and husband in a major sulk. Tensions arise and opposing armies meet. ‘No new kitchen’ placards appear in the house. ‘Hands off my kitchen’ stickers appear on his car. A standoff.
During this cold war which has been ongoing for several weeks, as a truce, we decide to cycle along the canal. This is a regular and shared activity that we both enjoy. A pastoral, verdant haven to allow the blood on the carpet to dry and tempers to cool. When we get to Auchinstarry, we stop for a coffee. The marina looks colourful with pretty boats, swans and ducks. The water is calm and the trees are reflected in the surface water. An idyllic picture postcard scene. Spirits are lifted and good humour returned.
We stop to look at a very tired, sad, old boat called The Duckling. Davie, the resident fountain of all knowledge, appears and explains that it had been a Nolly barge owned by the social work department in Glasgow to take school children on educational cruises along the canal. The narrowboat had originally been called The Heron ,butit had a change of name. Schoolchildren in Possilpark were asked to name her and they chose The Duckling.
Positive points
She was subsequently sold to the Unity charity in Govan who continued to use her with the kids for a few years but then put her into mothballs and allowed her to deteriorate. He painted a picture of a barge that just needed to have some TLC and she could be returned to her former glory. He showed us over the barge describing her many positive points and we were slowly getting sucked into the idea of a phoenix rising from the ashes of neglect.
I had fallen in love with the beautiful stained glass windows and was already dreaming of sailing down the Forth & Clyde Canal into the setting sun with a glass of amber nectar. I turned a blind eye to the fact that there was clearly a lot of work and money to be spent to bring her back to a usable condition. My thoughts were, this will keep him out of my kitchen. His thoughts as a retired engineer were, I’d rather restore a car but once I have finished the boat then I can redesign and change the kitchen. Anyway, negotiations took place and we became the proud owners of The Duckling in 2014.
The Duckling is a 57ft narrowboat with a three-cylinder, air-cooled Lister engine. The hull was launched in 1978 but the superstructure was extensively refurbished by BAE Systems in 2005. As we worked on restoring the barge we realised that certain features were more suited to a warship rather than a canal barge. Inside, she had a single open cabin with an over-large galley and no rooms apart from a small toilet, so plenty of scope for remodelling. She can travel at five knots on a good day with a following wind and is moored in Auchinstarry where we have been working on her for the last seven years. That experience is another story.
So, has the kitchen been changed? No. Have we travelled the world? Yes. We have explored and fished with Innuit, sailed the Murray River in a paddle steamer, followed in Lawrence’s footsteps in Wadi Rum and visited many other exciting places and people. If we get divorced, sometimes it’s either divorce or murder, I will be citing The Duckling as a major contributing factor.
When I look back, I am grateful for the experiences with the barge as we have moved into a new world and met so many interesting people. As for the boat, she continues to go from strength to strength, looking better every year and is changing from an ugly duckling into a beautiful swan. Conversely our bank balance continues to decline since she is a very expensive lady. Don’t pass by but stop and talk as you admire her lines and unique character.