The campaign has ended and the fleet is having a break in Downtown Dublin. The work put in over the last twelve months has borne fruit and the whole exercise has been a resounding success. My thanks to all the people on the ground from Richmond Harbour to Spencer Dock who turned out and helped, and supplied hot sustenance and hospitality on cold weekends. Waterways Ireland are to be commended for not only having the canal in pristine condition but also providing the support and back-up to ensure the trip went smoothly. There were many individuals who went above and beyond the norm to be involved and helpful and their reward was to see the fleet travel their canal. This was a special trip and hopefully will be repeated, the sight of the fleet as it made its way towards Dublin, was an inspiration to those who had struggled so long to get this beautiful waterway re-opened and hopefully used to its full potential.
The heroes of course were those who brought their boats to a cold Richmond Harbour in early March and after the first week returned in the cold to Ballymahon to travel onwards. Most crews had not travelled the Royal Canal before and there were those who had not travelled any canal before. This, in reality, was a campaign to prove that the Royal could handle a number of canal boats and the system certainly was capable of that. Canal work is generally a little hard on boat and crew but the pay back is enormous. Thank you one and all for making the last couple of months the best in my inland travels and hopefully you will spread the good news on the lovely Royal Canal and its people.
