Russell Newbery Rally June 2022

BOATS, BOATS & EVEN MORE BOATS

This summer looks like it might be a bumper year for boats visiting Audlem.

In the middle of June there will be a new event to add to the boating calendar, which will be in addition to the Historic Boat Gathering at the end of July.

This new event is the annual Russell Newbery Register rally, visiting Audlem for the first time. The event moves around the waterways of the UK, the last one (pre-Covid) being held on the river at Stratford-on-Avon.

"What is a Russell Newbery?" (RN) I hear you ask? A boat engine is the simple answer.

These are industrial engines which are regarded by many as the Rolls Royce of boat engines. Quite appropriate really, as Mr Russell and Mr Newbery were both apprentices to Henry Royce (he of Rolls Royce) around 1900.

Originally built to power lighting and run generators for country houses, they developed and got bigger and were also used in industry to power pumps, compressors welding sets. In the 1930s and 1940s the 2 cylinder version was used extensively to power canal boats.

The engine is still being made in Daventry, and unlike modern canal boat engines, it's British through and through.

Many of the boats attending the rally will have the 2 cylinder version (DM2), but there will also be some boats with single cylinder and 3 or 4 cylinder versions.

What makes the RN so special? Apart from the glorious thump-thump exhaust sound, they are very robust and easy to maintain. They were designed to be run flat-out (1000 rpm for the technically minded) all day, every day.

That's quite enough of the nerdy stuff.

The boats will be moored in Audlem from 15-19 June, from above the bridge to as far down towards the bottom of the locks as is needed: around 35 boats are expected.

That should translate to around 70 extra tourists around Audlem for 5 days. They're a very sociable crowd who will want to make friends (and spend money!) with the locals.

The event will be based in the village hall, with assorted talks & workshops, from canalware painting, to boat electrics to origami. More info nearer the time.

To add to the boat traffic through Audlem, the Middlewich Boat & Folk Festival has been resurrected after the Covid hiatus for the same weekend as the RN Rally. Which means even more boats going through the village in mid-June.

If anyone has any queries about this RN Rally, contact Dave & Nessa Martin (01270 812453, 07885 433977 / 07763 133552) or Rob Dickinson (01270 812810, 07831 449236).