Model Canal boat on Antiques Roadshow

[Alan Day]

I wonder if any of you noticed the concertina playing owner of the model canal boat on last nights Antique Roadshow.

Al

[Geoff Wooff]

We noticed  the  canal boat  model  and its owner  but  did not see  her playing  a concertina.  Pray  tell  us more  Al.

[Alan Day]

8 hours ago, Geoff Wooff said:

We noticed  the  canal boat  model  and its owner  but  did not see  her playing  a concertina.  Pray  tell  us more  Al.

The concertina player was the little model in front of the boat Geoff. Very difficult to see .Not sure what model it was.

 

[Anglo-Irishman]

I didn't see the TV show, but here are a couple of narrow-boat-model pics with a clearly visible (Dallas-Crabb Anglo) concertina!

The boat model is not actually antique, but it is old.  I built it over 30 years ago - before I got seriously into music performing. For the interested, it's to a scale of 1:24, has an electric motor and  2-channel radio control, with forward-stop-reverse and proportional rudder. It handles well, and can negotiate the competition triangle pretty neatly. In fact, when I later had the opportunity to skipper a real narrow-boat for a week, I found the handling pretty similar (though scaled up, of course!) The concertina was played when moored, such as one evening at the Cape of Good Hope (which is a canal-side pub in Warwick.)

 

Concertinas and narrow-boats mix quite well!

Cheers,

John

[Ken_Coles]

1 hour ago, Anglo-Irishman said:

Concertinas and narrow-boats mix quite well!

Cheers,

John

 

 Some years ago, some musician (anyone here know who?) offered canal boat tours, stopping for libations and music over a number of days. They retired from that business, which left my wife and I sad, as we had just learned about it and would have loved to come across the pond to do such a trip (and I am no boat handler!). Anyone care to revive it all?  ?

 

Ken

[wunks]

Lucy Cash Dollar still plies the Erie canal.  

[Peter Laban]

Quote

some musician (anyone here know who?)

 

One of the English uilleann pipers, Seán Lally,  was doing something like that for a while. He was involved in it anyway. The Floating Tionol.

Edited March 7, 2020 by Peter Laban

[d.elliott]

A mate of mine dropped his Jeffries over the narrow boats side,  he jumped in and scooped it out and back into the boat. After much effort he brought it all back to standard with no lasting ill effects (to the instrument!). 

 

Dave 

[LateToTheGame]

20 hours ago, Ken_Coles said:

 

 Some years ago, some musician (anyone here know who?) offered canal boat tours, stopping for libations and music over a number of days. They retired from that business, which left my wife and I sad, as we had just learned about it and would have loved to come across the pond to do such a trip (and I am no boat handler!). Anyone care to revive it all?  ?

 

Ken

John William's is leading a sight seeing, sessioning  tour in Ireland sometime in 2020.  I lost track of when.  It is unlikely there will be boats involved, but it could be a very good time.  I think it's through Wild Atlantic.

[Alex West]

TMSA (Traditional Music Scotland Association) run a 1 day canal boat trip session on a part of the Forth & Clyde Canal in July.  I've never been but I've been told it's a fun day.  It's a small boat tghough and usually oversubscribed. 

 

There are other people who run music and sail events but they're a bit more in open water so maybe not for the faint-hearted (and weak stomached!).  A couple of years ago, we came across a bus tour of American musician tourists who were hosted by local musicians and turned up at normal sessions (we saw them in Plockton).  They seemed a good bunch and the tour was well organised so that might be an option (if only I  knew where they were based)

 

Alex West

[Tradewinds Ted]

On 3/6/2020 at 6:07 PM, Ken_Coles said:

 

 Some years ago, some musician (anyone here know who?) offered canal boat tours, stopping for libations and music over a number of days. They retired from that business, which left my wife and I sad, as we had just learned about it and would have loved to come across the pond to do such a trip (and I am no boat handler!). Anyone care to revive it all?  ?

 

Ken

Tom Lewis used to do some narrowboat tours in England and Wales, but stopped a number of years ago, not exactly sure when.  I did find online a description of the 2006 excursion, and I recall that at least once the excursion itinerary was set to allow participation in the Chester folk festival in May.  Tom plays English Concertina and sings sea chanteys (not retired from that, just hasn't continued the narrowboat tours.)  I knew of him first from his recordings and from hearing/seeing him sing at maritime festivals, years before I took up the concertina myself.

Edited March 9, 2020 by Tradewinds Ted

[Ken_Coles]

That (Tom Lewis) may be the one I recall hearing about. One of these days we'll get back over there and try some of these things, (boats and music).

 

Ken

[Jonathan Taylor]

On 3/3/2020 at 5:30 PM, Alan Day said:

The concertina player was the little model in front of the boat Geoff. Very difficult to see .Not sure what model it was.

 

I think it was just the small gentleman's belt buckle.

 

I got one of my concertinas on a narrowboat (sort of).

 

We were on a narrowboat holiday in NW England one September and I was looking for a metal-ended Aeola. I was going to Concertinas@Witney afterwards, but to get first dibs on one, while we were in the Potteries I rang Chris Algar and he came down to the canal with a couple to try out. I picked one, and we arranged that payment and delivery would be at Witney. The rest of the trip was getting spent enough cash together for it (£150 a time) from most of the cashpoints along the Trent & Mersey and the Shropshire Union.