UNION CANAL

RMT helpline 0800 376 3706 :: november/december 2019 :: RMTnews 16 RMT River Thames branch secretary Sarah Emmings knows a lot about canals. Not only does she live on a narrow boat she skippers Jason, the oldest commercial cargo barge in the country at 114 years old, taking visitors on pleasure cruises along the Regent's Canal. Sarah can also tell you the entire history of the canal as she can double up as a tour guide for tourists and curious Londoners when she is not navigating Jason along the waterway. The Regent's Canal runs for just under nine miles through central London, linking the Paddington Basin in the west to the Limehouse Basin and the River Thames in the east. Sarah steers Jason through the 274-yard long tunnel under Maida Hill near an area now known as 'Little Venice' and on to Camden Town, the first section of the Regent’s Canal which first opened in 1816. Camden was a major stopping off point at the height of the canal boom, location of the huge stables for horses required for canal work and later used, famously, by punk band The Clash to rehearse for their first album! Back in the day cargo was carried on vessels from all over the country, pulled by horse on towpaths, but barges had to be ‘legged’ through by workers lying on their backs, while the horse was drawn along a path over the tunnel to its far end. Sarah points out rope marks and other remainders of when the canal was very much a working waterway dug out by hand by Navvies over two hundred years ago. Like many canals it was built at the start of the industrial revolution before the railways came and they were largely abandoned. Today it remains a workplace of a very different kind, ferrying pleasure seekers through a stunningly beautiful and peaceful yet largely hidden part of central London which takes you along at five miles an hour cutting through Regent’s Park and even dividing London Zoo. While it may seem idyllic particularly in the Autumn sunshine, like any other workplace, it has its dangers. Sarah, who has worked on the waterway for 15 years, holds a license to skipper vessels on the canal and she is registered with the Maritime and Coastguard Agency. This includes knowledge of signalling and rights of way such as passing, which is Port to Port by the way (right side to right side). However, many of the boat users on the canal simply do not know even the most basic of rules as no license or training is required to go out on the water. “This can cause a lot of problems particularly in the summer months as people hire Go Boats for a couple of hours without any knowledge of the rules on the water. “We have a good relationship RMT helpline 0800 376 3706 :: november/december 2019 :: RMTnews UNION CANAL RMT visits London’s canal network to talk to members that live and work on the capital’s waterways