The last Sunday in March and the first on BST, a small huddle of Boat Club members met on cold, grey, windy Pulborough slip intending to try and reach Pallingham.  The Sun promptly came out and even the wind seemed to settle down a tad; most peculiar.

Treasurer John launched his recently acquired pram dinghy and after a brief show of reluctance by the outboard, moved out into the stream.  A guest – yet another Chris, also made a maiden voyage having arrived with his brand new boat in the back of the car.  I don’t think he will mind me saying he is a substantial sort of oarsman and the boat a seriously diminutive punt, he made from a single sheet of ply.  Despite this he rowed unaided from Pulborough up to Pallingham and back.  It was as impossible as ever to ignore the Siren Song of the beer, emanating from the White Hart at Stopham Bridge.  Just to prove that the river really is amenable to rowing boats, I also took my skiff on the trip.

I think what I am hoping to put across is that small simple boats are the answer and you do not even have to have an engine; if you play your tides right, oars or paddles will do nicely.  While I can understand some hesitation before spring is truly sprung, it was actually a beautiful day and the river is really well behaved for one so spritely.  I hope to persuade more members to join us in future and would be happy to answer any queries you may have.  We have a slipway here at Arundel now and the rest of the summer programme will revolve around use of that facility.  The next ABC event is a return trip up to Houghton/Amberley on the Second of May, starting at 11.00 and there are likely to be spare spaces… 

Beware, you might enjoy it!

Chris Waite (Chairman)

So with a little bit of an up close in person look, we have some additional photos of the “new” slipway!

So with all the talk of the Arundel Slipway (near Mill Road car park) you may like to know where it’s up to??

Chris Waite recently took this photo, hopefully giving you a pretty good idea of its progress…

Members of the Arundel Boat Club will be privileged enough to use this!

So fill in a membership form now, if you want to be using it this summer!

From the start of 2010 the “Bagglewrinkle” publication will be changing to the “River Times” newsletter, you will be able to view the newsletter online and even have it posted directly to your email in-box so you can keep up-to-date with the goings on of the ABC!

Here is the latest “River Times” from the ArundelBoatClub: (You can also view the newsletters here…)

RIVER TIMES

The Arundel Boat Club Newsletter

Suddenly it is March, there has been sunshine and things are happening down on the river bank.  Interested parties might care to go and look at the site of the long awaited slipway, one hundred and fifty yards upstream of the Arundel Boatyard.

The land and the structure itself have kindly been provided as a gesture to the community, by the Duke and Duchess of Norfolk and they remain the property of the Estate.  The intention has been that it should be run by the Arundel Boat Club to whom it is due to be leased.

The ramp itself is now complete, though with the quantity of water currently in the river and further up the valley, it has not been possible to clear and lay the lowest few feet and form a concrete toe.  Beware it is extremely uneven with mud, rubble and old piling with a drop off the other side.  Completion will have to wait until the next hose-pipe ban, or some similar freak of nature.  The track down from the main pathway along the top of the dyke to the slipway will remain along with planting of some replacement trees.  There will also be a fence and locked gate around the ramp itself to discourage unauthorized use.  It is intended that boats should be hand-trolleyed from the corner of the asphalt car park along the dyke and down to the ramp.

There is a considerable problem of ‘Catch 22’ in the current situation; it is impossible to predict how many people will want to take advantage of the facility and there are a number of immediate expenses, before the lease can reasonably be signed.  Legal fees and insurance for a start followed by rent and eventually maintenance costs, to name but a few.  The Boat Club is kindly being offered a head start with an initial nominal sum for leasing, but this will rise and with such a low membership fee to date, (well – we had no access to the river), there is not a lot in the kitty.

Talking of fees, the Committee has so far decided to handle it thus – increase the annual membership to ten pounds (£10) with an unchanged additional one pound per extra family member.  There will be a ‘Slipway Supplement’ – we have simply guessed £20 this year for those wishing to use the facility; they would be given the combination of a lock on the ramp-head gate after signing an agreement regarding its use.

Also £5 a go for your guests visiting with their own boats.