Boat festival sets sail for success

Hundreds of families arrived at the Black Country Living Museum to see the vessels which had arrived as part of the Historic Boaters' Gathering.

Visitors to the Dudley attraction experienced what life was like on the water during the 18th and 19th centuries.

Volunteers led talks, while people were also allowed to jump on board some of the boats and take a look around.

A 134-year-old tug boat was among the older attractions on show. There were demonstrations and activities to keep families entertained during the two-day event.

Andrew Hoyle was among boat owners moored at the museum for the event.

He said that he rarely misses an opportunity to take his motorboat, which was built in 1925, to historical events such as this one up and down the country.

The 59-year-old, who is normally docked at Fradley Junction in Staffordshire, welcomed visitors onto his boat.

He said: "It was excellent. There were lots of people, lots of families.

"There were quite a few people who lived in the area when the boats were running so it was quite interesting for them.

"There were a full range of boats from various periods, right up to the modern day. It was a good family day out."

There were more than 40 historic boats on display.

Another of them was Derek Jervis' large Woolwich boat, which was built in 1936 by Harland and Wolff, whose most notable creation was the Titanic.

Visitors were also welcomed on board to have a look around his boat.

The 56-year-old said: "It was superb. We always like people on the boat.

"It has been fabulous, there have been a lot of people around and everyone has been getting into the spirit of it.

"This is a big event in the boating world and we all enjoy it immensely."