The journey to Hawne was wet and cold and a number of learning curves as how to handle a fully canvased pair were travelled. Much ballast in the guise of a number of extra members bodies were requiried standing in the holds to get both boats through Gosty Tunnel and under Burton Bridge at the entrance to Hawne Basin. Never the less both boats safely reached the basin and where tied up on the service moorings to await being pulled out of the water to undergo a full survey.

The wooden floor boards in both the holds of Malus and Atlas were removed from the boats and stored to dry out, being numbered so that they can be fitted back. Both boats during the week of the 15th to 19th December where pulled out of the water on the slip at Hawne and given complete survey's to meet the requirements of the insurance cover.
The verdit is that Malus is in fine order, and that Atlas overall is in relatively good order, she has a number of her knees in the hold that will require to be renewed. Arrangements are already being made to get this done when another slot on the slip is available, and at the same time she will be blacked. It has been noticed that much of the water found in both boats holds has come from badly fitting or damaged lower sheets that let in rain so this may be addressed as well.

Late January after the thaw both boats started to do there work in promoting the canals. A group of local children visited the Trust, a regular event. Before being given a film show and talk about the canals and the life of the working boats they all had the thrill of seeing the actual type of boats.
The sound of a dozen or more children talking about the boats as they walked thro the cabins and holds of both boats made everybodies day. Both teachers and children left having had a real experience, a really worthwhile event.

February 2009: Work has continued mainly on Atlas to improve her condition. All of the floor boards in her hold have been removed, dried and then given a good soaking of crescote to help preserve the wood. At the same time the boards in Malus have been removed and are at present drying out the main effort being focused on Atlas so she can go to Ellesmere in April. Much of the above work has been done alone by Graham who really does did help.

March 2009: Ivor Chambers has also been working hard, completely stripping back to bare wood the inside of the boatmans cabin, and soon hopes to completely re scumble and varnish the cabin that had been looking lately the worse for wear. If other examples of Ivors work are anything to go by the cabin will look a picture.

The hold of Atlas after the survey has been emptied of any water (although it is a job for life) and much of the loose paint work etc removed.
The treated boards have been put back into the hold. Also new shirts to the hold of Atlas have been fitted, the old shirts being ripped and responsible for letting in much of the water in her hold.

April 2009: Journey to Ellesmere Port A few months ago I (Graham Whorton) was contacted by Glyn Phillips, a former British Waterways Engineer who asked me if the Birmingham Canal Navigations Society would be interested in acquiring an old pump and shafting which had been in use at Titford pumphouse until the late 1990s. The pump had been used for many years to back pump water up the 6 locks of the Crow flight on the Titford canal and was no longer required by the Boat Museum at Ellesmere Port as they needed the space for other purposes. The BCN Society's headquarters are at Titford Pumphouse and, after discussion and a site visit to the Boat Museum, it was decided that the pump could be used as a static exhibit at the pumphouse. The BCN Society, in partnership with Coombeswood Canal Trust had recently leased the historic narrow boats, motor Atlas and butty Malus from British Waterways so we decided that it would be highly appropriate to use Atlas to pick up the pump and the shafting from Ellesmere Port Boat Museum at the Easter boat gathering and transport them back to the Black Country. There was only one slight problem. Both Atlas & Malus had recently been surveyed, all the floors were out of both boats, the throttle linkage on Atlas was being "fettled" and the back cabin was about to be rubbed down and rescumbled. To cut a long story short, Atlas was ready to go the weekend before Easter thanks to the efforts of Ivor Chambers, Alan Pashley & Les Pitt amongst others and set off for Ellesmere Port with Ivor in charge with Eddie Hunt and Allan Poole as crew. Allan had never crewed on a narrowboat before but he soon learned, in between recording the trip for posterity with his cameras!

After an interesting journey along the "Shroppie" Atlas joined the procession of working boats from the Tower Wharf in Chester to Ellesmere Port Boat Museum behind the horse drawn fly boat " Saturn". The Lord Mayor of Chester, Cllr. Brian Bailey honoured Atlas and the crew with a short visit while the boat was in Chester. On arrival at the Boat Museum the crew changed on Good Friday, Ivor Chambers being replaced by Graham Whorton and Jonathan Plant arrived on Saturday. Loading the pump and shafting was accomplished on Saturday, thanks to the ingenuity and expertise of Glynn Phillips, ably assisted by Mike Harrison, David Osborne, Duncan Pottinger and the crew, amongst others. After an enjoyable Saturday evening we set off on the return trip to Hawne Basin. Some of the byewashes were a problem on the Audlem & Tyrley locks because the first 8 pairs of knees on Atlas are corroded right through and the others are not much better so we couldn't "wind it on" to get through in case we cross winded the boat but apart from that there were no problems. We arrived back at Hawne Basin where the pump will be unloaded and transported to Titford pumphouse. Thanks to all who helped, especially Steve Stamp, Chairman of the Boat Museum Society and his colleagues and Glyn Phillips, without them the journey wouldn't have happened.

An up date on the labours of Ivor Chambers who prior to the trip to Ellesmere had finished just some of the interior paint work of Atlas. Since he has been adding many items to the cabins on both boats to give them that orginal but dated look. The scrubble is done and much of the art work and the overall effect as Ivor puts it "is begining to get there". Both boats are beginning to look a picture especially when together.
Atlas needs a paint ungrade on the outside which will have to wait and in the meantime TLC will make a difference and Ivor and the group are certainly providing that. Inside the cabin of Atlas,it is really coming together and the photos below just give an indication of the work done by Ivor.

Both boats attended the Summer Gathering at Titford 2009, moored just in front of Malcolm Braine's Spooner dredger which made for a very interesting trio.(For more on the Dredger see both: Boundary Post section 185 edition: and for photos: the "Gallery" section in the Day Boat article.
As can be seen by the below photos Atlas and Malus shone in the Summer Sunshine and the very many poeple who entered the cabins of both boats really got a feel for the past. Ivor has been busy filling the cabins with the many small items the the boatmen/women of yesteryear would have around them. Note the authentic radio in the cabin of Malus, Ivor is setting the cabins in the 1950's as both boats exterior livery is of that era, we don't normally think of radio's in working boats but I bet they had them towards the end of the working era.

Following the Summer Rally both boats returned to Hawne. Once again Ivor and others set about improving the condition of the boats. The stern paint work has been stripped and the wooden gunwhales are being stripped of paint and filled with stopper to prolong their life.

July 2009: work has continued on Atlas. Her paint work around the cabin and stern has been improved.
Ivor had a slot for his own boat on the slip at Hawne by hard graft he finished his boat early and took the time to pull Atlas out for a hull blacking. This was achieved by a good number of members turning up following a quick Email shot by Graham. Well done everyone.
Plans are being considered, to ballast Malus with a load of hard core, to both give a display of a load and ballast her down, as unballasted she will not go under many bridges etc.
Atlas it is hoped will be ballasted down for the same reasons but this time by bags of coal. This load will suppliment the normal stock of coal held and sold at Hawne and will enable larger quanities of coal to be bought at one time each year hopefully bringing down the cost.

Weekend of the 8th/9th August 2009 Atlas set off alone to collect a full load of coal from Axbridge on the Staffs and Worcester Canal to achieve the two objectives set out above. The same weekend another band of helpers filled builders bags with hard core using the equipment at Hawne and then lowered them into Malus to ballasted her down.

I lost count of the number of bags lowered into her hold but the end result when sheeted was a boat that looked great, a completely different shape to when unballasted. It remaains to be seen how we get on with her ballasted down, we expect some fun but suspect the track up the Dudley No 2 will be much improved when the pair have used it a couple of times. And as for Gosty Tunnel we may have to go through the first time equipped with other boats able to drag either boat or both out of the tunnel in either directions. We are on a learning curves, a number of people plus Ivor have viewed Malus loaded down and all agree see is stern heavy and will handle like a pig. She should be bow down and stern up or at least level, more work to do.

August 14th from the crew of Atlas she has been loaded with 600 bags of Taybrite coal that has ballasted her down. Below a photograph of her loaded with her sheets off, showing off her newly blacked hull and fresh paint job around her stern. Full sheets to be fitted for the run back to Hawne so as to allow any members who wish to experience the true life of a working boat the chance to sleep under canvas on bags of coal, sounds great?.

Saturday 15th August from crew of Atlas arrived safely back at Hawne Basin having had a remarkably trouble free trip. Had some trouble getting into Ebstree Lock having to work her in, mud behind gate. When into the Wolverhampton 21 where surprised to met other working boats coming down the locks. Atlas loaded looked great beside them. Passed other more modern traffic too.

Passed in locks both a working motor and a butty being hauled by ropes. Great site for all to see, causing a number of passersby to record moment on camera. Journey back from top of 21 only had the following high lights. Touch something big in the main channel whilst passing Beans old Foundry site in Tipton. On the Dudley No 2 had to have two runs to get through Totnal Bridge and bumped thro Wrights Bridge. But the crew report that the rest of the Dudley Number 2 gave no problem never touching the bottom once. Our work parties must be working

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