Batteau.net
home of the
James River Batteau Festival
a program of the Virginia Canals and Navigations Society
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Fall Meeting a success
The Fall meeting of the James River Batteau Festival was held at the rescue building in Faber, Virginia on Saturday, November 8th. Good food, fellowship and a nice meeting took place. Buddy High remains President and the other officers were re-elected also. Meeting dates were set for 2009. (info to come). Bill & Nancy Trout were given a large size photo print of themselves standing on-board the Batteau Rose of Nelson in Lynchburg last June. Nancy was overcome with joy. We had a good meeting!
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Mary Hodges in Galt's Mill 2008"Best of" People photos from the 2008 Batteau Festival:
click here to see "best of" people photos flash gallery:The "best of" People photos have been selected from over 2000 photos and narrowed down to 370 people and dog shots. This selection of people photos is in response to a number of requests to narrow down the choices to order prints by. Please note that this is a flash gallery. The play, pause, and sound on/off controls are on the lower right. Also, if you click the "?" mark, then the photo number will show up under the photo. If you want to order top of the line framable quality prints, e-mail the photo numbers; Click here for order information.
The Batteau "Morning Star" leaving Bent Creek - June 2008"Best of" Boats & Scenery photos from the 2008 Batteau Festival:
click here to see "best of" Boats & Scenery photos flash gallery:The "best of" Boats & Scenery photos have now been selected. This selection of Boats & Scenery photos is in response to a number of requests to narrow down the choices to order prints by. Same instructins as athe people shots flash gallery above apply.
NEW TYPE OF GALLERY FOR THE PHOTOS ABOVE IS BEING TESTED!
CLICK HERE TO SEE COPPERMINE GALLERY AT MESSERLYPHOTO.COM__________________________________________________________________________________
Jabo (Jason Severson) is still in the hospital after his accident in Sept.
The latest update about Jabo is that he is recuperating at Virginia Baptist Hospital.
Please continue to pray for his recovery.
Click here to see photos of Jabo from the 2008 festival .
__________________________________________________________________________________2008 James River Batteau Festival - Flash Movie Tribute to the Troops
Photos by Holt Messerly
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2009 - James River Batteau Festival:
Saturday, June 20 – Saturday, June 27, 2009
• Boats parked at Amherst Boat Landing.
Depart Bent Creek.
Arrive at Wingina.
Depart Scottsville.
Arrive at Slate River.
Depart Lynchburg at Percival's Island 11:00 AM
Arrive at Galt's Mill Sat. June 14 - evening.
Depart Wingina.
Arrive at Howardsville.
Depart Slate River.
Arrive at Cartersville.
Depart Galt's Mill.
Arrive at Bent Creek.
Depart Cartersville.
Arrive at Maiden's Landing approx. 4 pm (or later).
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The new 2008 - 2009 Appomattox phone book has been produced.
The cover features a photo looking up-river towards the Bent Creek bridge
from the bank of the 2008 Batteau campsite. Photo by Holt Messerly.
The Appomattox phone book is published by:
The Times-Virginian Newspaper, Womack Publishing Co, Inc.___________________________________________________________________________
A load of tires taken out of the river and put on board a batteau at Wingina, Sept. 2007.
Click here to see other photos of past clean up events.Annual James River Cleanup Day at Wingina.
was held Saturday Sept. 6th at 8:30 am.
Lunch was served by The Sierra Club.
Please help us keep the James Clean and Green.
Sponsored by Keep Nelson Beautiful & The Sierra Club
Contact: Roger Nelson - 434-221-9000
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Canal Day at Kittiewan Plantation – August 23rd!!
Click here to go to the VC&NS Site to read about the 25th anniversary of finding the batteaux parts in Richmond and how these parts are being stored at Kittiewan Plantation near Richmond. Please help the VC&NS with this project!
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BATTEAU FESTIVAL DATES FOR NEXT YEAR – 2009!
To: Holt - please post to website:
FROM: Buddy High, Chairman
Date: August 18th, 2008.
Re: Festival Dates for 2009:
What we are looking at is that we have previously left on the Saturday before Father's Day or the third Sunday in the month of June. So that will make the official date of the 2009 JRBF June 20-27, 2009. I think it looks later since June comes in on a Monday. The dates above will be the dates as we did decide on this yesterday.
Thanks for all you do,
Buddy
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PRINTS For Sale
Please help support batteau.net. Photo sales help the photographer with the expense
of equipment and travel to take the photos everyone enjoys.
HOW TO ORDER: Please find the photo number or tell me approx. what photo you like in any of the slide shows with photos by Holt Messerly. The flash slide shows have a play button on the lower right. There is also a button for showing info. That brings up another section of the frame showing the photo number below each picture as the slide show plays. If there are several photos that are similar, we can then correspond via e-mail ( holtm@messerlyphoto.com) to decide how you like the cropping and sizing etc and I can e-mail a larger version to look at. All prints are produced from the original high resolution photo files. Images seen online are low resolution to keep the files smaller online. I also plan on making a pdf file full of thumbnails so you can look through those to pick from. The photos for 2007 are at http://www.messerlyphoto.com .
Please also note that the Batteau Festival and Virginia Canal's and Navigation's Society
are always given free usage rights to photos they need.
If you would like to buy premium quality color prints please see the prints purchase page:
CLICK HERE FOR THE PRINTS PURCHASE INFORMATION PAGE
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The following pages and blog paragraphs are from during the 2008 festival:
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The Batteau "Morning Dew" arriving at Maiden's Landing
on Saturday, June 21, 2008.Editors Note: The batteau "Morning Dew" got behind during the hard day on Monday.
They stayed the night at the State Park. Then instead of putting the boat on a trailer and moving down-river to catch up with the festival, they did it the old fashioned way; they WORKED HARD and made up extra miles to catch back up with everyone else at Howardsville.
The crew is to be commended for their efforts!
The 2008 Batteau Festival ended quietly at Maiden's Saturday June 21, 2008.
"The Spirit of the James" was the first boat into Maiden's Landing.
Captain Ellen Blankenship was inspired when Buddy High told her
she "couldn't do it," so she got in first!
Click here or photo above to see photos from Maiden's Landing on Saturday afternoon.
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The Batteaux at Cartersville as the sky turns pink early in the morning.
Saturday Morning – Cartersville – Update: Saturday morning in Cartersville was busy with crews taking down camp and shuttling to Maidens Landing for the last day of the festival. The Tasty Critters were busy preparing food at Maidens when we ran the shuttle. The morning sky was a little bit over cast with a few drops of rain as the boats left Cartersville. Everyone headed for Maiden's and looked forward to a great last stop of the festival. Thank you to the Goochland County Library for the use of their great internet wi-fi service and for the use of their wonderful library! Holt
Click here or photo above to see photos from Cartersville on Saturday Morning.
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Capt. Ellen Blankenship on board the Batteau "Spirit of the James"
arriving in Cartersville on Friday night.
Friday Night – Cartersville – Update: Friday night in Cartersville was quiet and the boats straggled in. The batteau "Peaks Shadow" came in around 11pm after a long day on the river. Most of the boat crews were real tired and went to bed soon after arriving in Cartersville.
Click here or photo above to see photos from Cartersville on Friday night.
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The Batteau "Maple Run" leaving Slate River on Friday morning.
Friday Morning – Slate River – Update: Friday morning started early with everyone hustling to leave for the longest day on the river.
Click here or photo above to see photos from Slate River on Friday morning.
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The Batteaux docked at Slate River on Thursday evening.
Thursday Night – Slate River – Update: Thursday night at Slate River was beautiful. The air was cool and there were no bugs to speak of. Whit Johnston, got Blitz (the dog) to demonstrate her skills. Blitz retrieved bumpers from the water, leaping way out into the river and swimming to get the bumper. In the field behind camp, Blitz was under Whit Johnston's command with the whistle and was quite impressive. Spectators really enjoyed the dog demonstration. Thank you Whit and Blittz for a memorable evening program. Then, as the evening went by, many people sat out on the boats docked in the Slate River well into the night with much singing going on, etc.
Click here or photo above to see photos from Slate River on Thursday Night.
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The Batteau "Morning Star" leaving Scottsville on Thursday morning.
Thursday Morning – Scottsville – Update: Thursday morning in Scottsville was cool and calm. The Lady's Slipper batteau had to bail out the boat as it was sunk to the gunwale even after re-launching on Wednesday night with many repairs having been made since pulling out at the State Park.
Click here or photo above to see photos from Scottsville on Thursday Morning.
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Musicians performed in Scottsville by the river.
© 2008 - photo by Holt Messerly
Wednesday Night – Scottsville – Update: Wednesday night in Scottsville was beautiful. Musicians played by the river and the batteaux came in at their leisure. Many craft vendors sold their specialty items at the canal display in town. Many batteau groups went to town in search of food and entertainment. The moon over the river went across the night sky as Scottsville wound down a very successful year. Thank you Scottsville for a great festival site! Holt
Click here or photo above to see photos from Scottsville on Wednesday night.
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Early morning in Howardsville.
Wednesday Morning – Howardsville Update: Wednesday Morning the boats left Howardsville after having a nice cool night. Fog formed on the river and a pink sky started out the day.
Click here or photo above to see photos from Howardsville on Wednesday Morning.
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Buddy, Emily and Dixie High (dog in canoe) in Howardsville Wednesday night.
Tuesday Night – Howardsville Update: Tuesday night in Howardsville was fun. The liars contest was held in the evening and Dave "the paddling potter" won a real nice new wooden kayak paddle donated from Appomattox River Company in Farmville. All was well in Howardsville.
Click here or the photo above to see photos from Howardsville in the evening.
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Buddy, Emily and Dixie High (dog) in Wingina Tuesday morning. Click here or photo above to see photos.
Tuesday Morning Update: Tuesday morning was beautiful at Wingina. The boats fixed leaks and left for Howardsville. The ones that didn't make it to Wingina on Monday were either going to get their trailer to the State Park and move their boat to another site down-river, or pull out. A couple of boats stayed the night between the State Park and Wingina and were fine as they had camping gear on board. Nothing bad to report, everyone is fine. The river came up some from yesterday. Perhaps the good thunderstorm we had yesterday helped, or maybe there were storms up-river. No problems were expected to get to Howardsville tonight. THANK YOU TO NELSON COUNTY for giving me internet access in Lovingston to update this site! Holt
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Monday Night Update: Click here or the photo above to see photos and read about Monday's trip on the river.
It was low and a very hard day of pushing the boats through the rocks!
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Monday Morning Update:
It's approx 1:30 am. I just got up after resting my hand Sunday afternoon and evening. For those of you who don't know, my hand was swollen due to an incident with my dear 15 1/2 year old Beau the Batteau Dog and trying to remove a tick. I hope you like the pages I've done the past couple of days. I especially want to give a "shout out" to Michael High in Iraq. I showed Buddy (Michael's Dad) the slide show from Sat. am while eating breakfast at Galt's Mill yesterday morning and Buddy really liked it! I would like to thank all of this site's visitor's from around the country and the world. Monday, GOD willing, we will get the batteaux to Wingina. The water is low and there is no extra water release from the dam above Lynchburg today. Please come to Wingina tonight if you are able. Wingina is one of the most beautiful places that exists in the entire world. Holt
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Two boys play on board the Batteau "Thomas Jefferson's Spirit of New London".
Click here or on photo above to see photos from Galt's Mill Sunday Morning
Sunday Morning at Galt's Mill update:
The morning started out with a light fog lifting over the field at Galt's Mill. Soon, the sun burst over the top of the ridge as we gathered for a church service conducted by Fr. Jim Hutchison from Barnabas Church in Lynchburg. A good size crowd listened as Fr. Hutchison delivered his sermon. One of the ladies shouted out that we should sing a verse of Rock of Ages and we immediately sang without any prepared sheets of music to go by. The sound of the river rolling by and the sun rising during the service was awesome. Thank you Fr. Hutchison for a wonderful service. The breakfast by the Amelon United Methodist Church was very good as usual. The same crew has done this event for many years and it was good to talk to them again. Down by the river at 6am, many boats were beached from the river dropping over night. It was funny to see the Dreaming Creek with one end up in the air. People slept on boxes onboard the boats and as the morning got going, the water release made it's way to Galt's Mill and the river rose a good amount. As many boats left for Bent Creek, some waited a while. The sun started to get hot and it looked like it was going to be another great day on the river! Holt
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Click here to see photos from Saturday, June 14, 2008 in Lynchburg.
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Scottsville went all out for the Batteau Festival in 2008!
Click here for information about events at Scottsville in 2008!
Important Festival Information:
2008 Site Information for Batteau Groups: Click here for Information Sheets (rev 5-21-08).
Map of the Howardsville site. Click here for Howardsville Map page:
2008 - PARTICIPANT Events/Contests (for Batteau Crews) Click here:
Emergency Phone Numbers for for various localities along the festival route.
River Levels from NOAA
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2008 Meetings, News and etc.:
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2008 River level chart:
Water Level at Bent Creek this year. Notice high levels on Sat. & Sun. and low level on Monday.
Email sent in by John H. Barnett:The USGS flow measurements at Bent Creek strongly suggest that the power company must have withheld water flow on Monday to replenish what they had released to speed us along on saturday and Sunday. A normal pattern of release resumes on Tuesday, with good flows during the middle of the following days. (click here to read about Monday)
That the flow was always below 800 cfs (awfully low) from about 6 am on Monday to 6 am on Tuesday is shown in the chart attached. Possibly this pattern of holding back flow has caused very tough voyages on Mondays for the last several years.- John H Barnett
Editor's Note: We thank AEP for the nice releases on Saturday and Sunday and hopefully we can work out a plan for the future that includes a minimum flow for Monday during the festival. This water level problem needs to be discussed. The low water caused many boats to not make it half-way to the State Park. Also, more emergency services were needed such as the State Park Rescue boat coming up-river to aid a stranded boat to help an elderly couple on board to safety.
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• 2008 Feb Meeting Photos – See photos from the February 24th, 2008 meeting in Scottsville.
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• Food Lion MVP Card Numbers Needed! – The Batteau Festival gets a check from Food Lion
every so often as a donation based on the purchases when you use your MVP Card.
1. Please go to the following web page:
https://www.foodlion.com/IntheCommunity/ShopandShare/secure/RegisterMVPCards.asp
2. Find the organization choice: JAMES RIVER BATTEAU FESTIVAL / VA. CANAL
3. Enter your First and Last Name, Phone number and all 12 digits of your MVP Card number.
Note: This 12 digit number includes the small numbers before and after the main large numbers!
Or you can email Barbara Haney at Huckleberryann@aol.com with the above information,
and she said she can do if for you. It doesn't cost you anything and it helps the festival. Thank you.
• Please email news, photos, etc that you would like to see posted
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Batteau video on You Tube:
If you would like to see this video click here to go to You Tube's site:
This is a little video I did with some photos that a friend helped me pick from the 2007 library and shared the music off his CD.
The song "Au Revoir Les Bateaux" is by Elise Witt and she has given me permission to use the song and post it on You Tube.
I hope you enjoy the video and that it brings happy memories from this years festival. Holt
Click here to go to Elise's website:
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2008 Boat Building Tips
Here's a tip for coating your wood. It's expensive but it works. Don't skip the Japan Drier since it thins down the pine tar to make that sticky stuff go down into the pores of the wood good. Get a thick nappy roller and slop it on the bottom and inside of the boat. It helps seal the small cracks and keeps the wood from drying out so bad off season too. See the batteau Thomas Jefferson's Spirit of New London, built last year, as proof! You may be able to find the pine tar at a tack shop since it's used for horse hooves, but many thanks to Hamilton Marine for their "OLD DOWNEAST DECK COATING FORMULA". Also, it's probably better to go ahead and get a gallon of the Pine Tar. The other ingredients you should be able to get locally. I know Lowe's carries the other items.
See page 318 of Hamilton Marine's online Catalog.
Old Down East Deck Coating Formula
(Thanks to Hamilton Marine)
1 Quart Turpentine
1 Quart Boiled Linseed Oil
1/2 Pint Pine Tar
1/2 Pint Japan Drier
Note: When mixing for a batteau bottom, You will probably need a big bucket and mix a gallon of turpentine, gallon of Linseed oil, 2 pints pine tar and 2 pints japan drier (comes in little pint cans). On the Pine Tar, just guess how much, you can have more or less, it is sticky stuff. stir it up, slop it on and let it dry a couple of days. Turn the boat over and to the ribs and inside to the water line at least. You might want to leave off the gunwale and walk boards etc, so you don't get it on you later.
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Historical Information:
