By
Autumn '87, the an order was placed with Stowe Hill Marine to begin the
construction and by November the same year, the boat was placed on the
water for the first time.
By November 87, the boat was ready to be
rolled out onto the water for the first time.
Easter 1988 - the boat's first
long outing
At the builders, the engine was fitted
together with the interior paneling. By Easter 1988, the boat was ready to
be moved from the builders. It was taken down the canal from the builders
to Hunton Bridge, where it is now moored.
Easter 1989 - "Lady Capel"
was painted for the first time
More fund raising was required to fit out the
interior and to decorate the outside of the boat. Local companies and the BBC's Children in Need
helped with funding to complete the project. The Boat was dispatched to dry dock in Tring to be painted
for the first time.
Fitting out the interior was a full year's
work, but by spring 1989, the boat was ready for an official launch.
The
Official Launch in May 1989 was reported in the local Watford and Abbots
Langley Newspapers.
Dick Gettins died shortly after the Official
Launch. The boat was renamed in memory of him: "Dicks
Folly".
The committee continues to attract new
members and the project continues to develop further. This year's
program includes a major refit of the interior and improvements in the
site around the boat.. If this project excites you in the same way as it
has for the volunteer project team and for
the youth and community groups that use the boat,
then do contact us to get involved.
The project boat is currently located on the
Grand Union Canal at Hunton Bridge, near Abbots Langley and Watford. See
the map of our location for more details.
