Despite very unfriendly weather until Monday afternoon, this annual event held at Little Venice on the Grand Union Canal was very well attended by boaters, stall holders from all over the UK – and visitors from all over the world.
The event was opened by Timothy West on the Saturday afternoon and the public were treated to a continuous display of many traditional and highly decorated Narrowboats manoeuvring backwards and forwards along the island in Browning Pool, with some interesting results. No doubt the skill required was appreciated by many but if not, it still made a very good spectacle.
For the first time to my knowledge there was a rock band playing quite late into Sunday evening from the banks of the Island and it was great- and most of the local residents thought so too. On the Monday as the weather improved most of the boaters were ready to go or had already left for the next appointment at the end of the month at the end of the Grand Union.
